The Third Date (Starting Over) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Books by Matthew J. Metzger

  Title Page

  Legal Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademark Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

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  About the Author

  Pride Publishing books by Matthew J. Metzger

  Single Books

  Best Behaviour

  Enough

  Starting Over

  The Divorce

  The Other Man

  The Wedding

  Starting Over

  THE THIRD DATE

  MATTHEW J. METZGER

  The Third Date

  ISBN # 978-1-83943-023-7

  ©Copyright Matthew J. Metzger 2020

  Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright March 2020

  Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

  Pride Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2020 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

  Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book”.

  Book four in the Starting Over series

  Their boyfriend is the only thing these two men have in common…

  Gabriel’s accident means he needs constant supervision while he recovers, and Aled can’t just quit his job. So when Gabriel refuses to stay in hospital any longer, Aled resorts to emotional blackmail and recruits Gabriel’s long-distance boyfriend, Chris Wheeler, to come and set up shop in their home as an all-in-one nurse, housekeeper and general distraction from the slow progress of recovery.

  But while Aled expected to have to get used to having Gabriel’s terminally shy boyfriend around the house, he didn’t expect the effect Chris has on Gabriel—and on Aled.

  Is this just two couples under one roof, or is there something bigger waiting to be discovered?

  Dedication

  For Rebecca, with my eternal thanks for all your patience!

  Trademark Acknowledgements

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Asda: Walmart Inc.

  Audi: Volkswagen AG

  Batman: Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences

  Black Books: Big Talk Productions Limited

  BMW: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

  Body Shop: Natura Holding S.A.

  Converse: Nike, Inc.

  Costa: The Coca-Cola Company

  Disney: The Walt Disney Company

  E4: Channel Four Television Corporation

  FetLife: BitLove, Inc.

  Ford: Ford Motor Company

  Grindr: Beijing Kunlun Tech

  Jacuzzi: Jacuzzi Inc.

  KFC: Yum! Brands, Inc.

  Kindle: Amazon.com, Inc.

  McDonalds: McDonald’s Corporation

  Michelin: Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin SCA

  Scrabble: Hasbro, Inc.

  Superman: Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences

  Tesco: Tesco plc

  The Lion King: Walt Disney Pictures

  X-Men: The Walt Disney Company

  Prologue

  It was raining.

  Gabriel sulked by the door, scowling at the deluge. It wasn’t just raining. It was pissing it down. The force of the downpour was so strong that a haze lingered two inches above the tarmac.

  Me: Pleeeeeaase tell me you’re done with that meeting now???

  No reply. Great. He sighed. Nothing else for it. Aled was at work for another three hours, and Kevin was working out in Bradford all week. Sighing, he rummaged for his keys and pulled up the collar of his coat.

  The bike rack was at least in a shelter, albeit that rainwater was running across the floor in rivers. His Converse were soaked through in seconds, and he grumbled as he wrestled with the padlock. On days like today, he figured Aled had a point about the merits of a car over a mountain bike.

  But only days like today.

  His phone buzzed as he put his helmet on, and he paused in the relative dryness of the shelter to slide it out of his pocket, hoping it would be Kevin back from Bradford early, or Aled promising to come and pick him up in half an hour.

  Instead, he smiled goofily.

  Chris: Can you get the first week in July off? I don’t want to wait until November to spend some real time with you x

  His heart picked up a little bit at the kiss. He’d known Chris almost two years, but there was just something sweet about him that got under Gabriel’s skin. Aled was the hot coals of a fire, alluring and intense but dangerous, too. Chris was more like the steady burning of a candle—quiet and understated, but luxuriously warm if one knew how to shelter the flame.

  And Gabriel had both of them, all to himself.

  Me: I can try :) You’re always welcome to spend your days off up here, though, even if I’m working x

  Chris: Might be a bit awkward, just me and Aled in a room while you’re at work!

  “Honestly,” Gabriel muttered. “Two years, you want to get over yourself yet?”

  Me: He only bites if you ask very, very nicely ;)

  Two years, and Chris had still probably only been in Aled’s company for a collective two hours.

  Chris: I’m good, thanks x

  Gabriel rolled his eyes and tucked his phone back into the inside pocket of his jacket, where it stood a fighting chance of not drowning in the deluge. At least there was a hot shower waiting when he got home. And Aled was stuck in a meeting from one until
five with the entire board, which meant he’d be in a savage mood when he got home. The sex was going to be fantastic.

  That, more than anything, got Gabriel up on the bike. Kickstand up, he rolled out of the shelter and was instantly hit with an icy-cold deluge. He grimaced. It was gloomy enough that the lights flickered into life as he wrestled the bike over the bank and down onto the side road. He opted for the main road rather than his more usual back streets. It was faster—and in this grim excuse for weather, Gabriel would take all the faster that he could get.

  The phone started ringing as he surged over the crest and onto the main road, and he began to coast down the slope towards the town centre. It stopped as he passed the Lupset turning, but started again as he shot through the next set of lights. Kevin must be done in Bradford, then. Aled rang once then texted. Chris never rang at all. Gabriel ignored it, frowning as the tyres skidded as he passed into the bus and bike lane. He squeezed the brakes gently, felt the wheels slow, and felt the lack of response when it came to actual speed. Great. The amount of water on the roads was affecting the tyres’ grip.

  “Thank fuck for a long weekend,” he muttered. He wasn’t back in work for four days, and he had every intention of staying in the flat for all four of them. A long soak in the bath. Closing all the blinds and parading around naked. In fact, he wasn’t even going to leave the flat for Kevin. If Kevin wanted to play, then—

  Something flashed out of the corner of Gabriel’s eye. Lights. He slammed on the brakes and heard the squeal of rubber underneath him. Felt the bike smash sideways on slick tarmac.

  A horn blared.

  Something—

  He blinked. There was rainwater on his face, and he could hear—

  “You with me, son? Can you hear me? Can you hear me, son?”

  Yes.

  Sirens. There was an engine running nearby. People talking.

  “Ambulance is nearly here, son. Can you hear me?”

  He blinked again. The red tinge cleared a little. There was a ghostly-white face above him. A pothole was cupping one cheek, and a clammy hand the other. Across a thousand miles of bouncing water, he could see something white resting in the road.

  It was half of his helmet.

  Chapter One

  “No,” Aled said.

  Immediately, the temperature in the ward dropped by about fifteen degrees. Next door’s visitors stopped chattering. The nurse fidgeted awkwardly with the drip. The doctor stuck out both chest and chin in the universal display of smug arrogance.

  And Gabriel looked at him like Aled was dogshit on the bottom of his shoe.

  “Yes,” said Gabriel.

  Aled pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled heavily.

  He was too tired for this. Eight weeks of sitting at Gabriel’s bedside had taken its toll. The sleepless nights. The lonely house. Echoes of the phone call from the hospital the day of the accident replaying in the dark like a song on loop. The fortnight trying to remember how to pray, because if it would bring Gabriel back then Aled would convert to any religion going. The tears when Gabriel had finally woken up—and not only woken up but had looked at Aled and known who he was. What he was. Why he was there.

  The rollercoaster of emotions—fear, sorrow, joy, anger, impotent grief—had gone on too long, and now he was running on empty. Aled was too tired for this. Too shattered to handle the inevitable rebellion, now that hospital-hating Gabriel had finally decided that he’d had enough.

  Because of course, he’d decided far too soon.

  “Be reasonable,” Aled said. “You can’t—”

  “I am being perfectly fucking reasonable,” Gabriel spat.

  “Yeah, you sound it.”

  “Shut it. Either you take me home, or I’m calling Kevin and he will.”

  Right, Aled thought. Because Kevin was going to tell him anything different. Gabriel’s arm was still in a soft support brace. His thick, dark hair was little more than a fluffy buzzcut, the savage scar glowing pink in a great arc over his left ear. A grey quality haunted his skin, and there were heavy bags under his usually beautiful eyes. The stack of kidney dishes on his table were ready and waiting for the next bout of throwing up.

  He looked ill.

  “Kevin will only tell you exactly what I’m trying to tell you.”

  “But he’ll fucking take me home!”

  The doctor excused himself. The nurse scuttled away and pulled the curtains shut. The visit was over, and Gabriel’s desperate need to be discharged wasn’t going to happen today. The doctor came once and only once, come hell or high water.

  Aled sat back in the chair with a deep sigh, with no more allies to help back up his position, and shook his head.

  “I know you don’t want to be here anymore,” he said. “But you can hardly walk to the bathroom without falling over. Give it a few more—”

  “What, weeks? That’s what it’s going to take. Weeks. I can’t stay here for weeks with those bitches calling me Gabby and that smug prick sneering at me every time he deigns to show his face. They think I’m scum. I feel like scum.”

  Aled winced.

  Gabriel didn’t like the medical establishment at the best of times, and eight weeks with a head injury after being hit by a bus wasn’t anyone’s definition of ‘the best of times’. He’d come away from the accident lucky—for one, he hadn’t been killed—but as the weeks had bled by, the mutiny had slowly swelled.

  Gabriel was transgender, so his relationship with doctors was not a pretty one. He hated going to the GP, never mind the hospital. Aled was reasonably sure he’d never plumped for a hysterectomy purely because it meant talking to more doctors. And these last eight weeks had done absolutely nothing to repair said ugly relationship. The nurses all called him Gabby or Miss Lazarri. The doctor had a permanently curled lip, although Aled suspected he looked at every patient like that. He’d been put originally into a female ward, and it was only when the other women had complained about the man in the third cubicle that he’d been moved into a mixed ward. The idea of putting him in a men’s ward was apparently out of the question, and side rooms were a pipe dream in such a busy hospital.

  He was permanently furious, constantly provoked, and it was taking its toll on everyone within a five-mile radius.

  And now he was—despite Aled’s misgivings—borderline better.

  His broken arm was healed and wrapped in a soft brace to prevent any re-fracturing. His dislocated hip had faded to nothing. His ankles worked again, although they were still sore. The bruises and road rash had been eroded by the passage of time. With help, he could stand and shuffle to the bathroom, though he pitched like a drunk and almost fell back into bed every time. And this week, he’d finally stopped throwing up every time they took him for another scan or another x-ray.

  But apparently, that was what he’d been waiting for.

  “I can keep everything down, I don’t need the catheter or the fucking bedpan anymore, all the casts are gone—I’m going home.”

  “Your vertigo is so severe you can’t walk on your own.”

  “I won’t be on my own.”

  “I have to work,” Aled countered. “Come on, Gabriel. It’ll just be for a few more—”

  “Weeks. And no. I’m leaving this week.”

  Aled raked his hands through his hair. “You don’t under—”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Gabriel shot back. “Every day, it’s ‘good morning, Miss Gabby! How are you, Miss Gabby? When is your husband coming, Miss Gabby?’ Every single fucking day. And if they open the curtains, everyone else just stares at me like I’m some kind of freak because they’ve all figured it out. They won’t let me wear my binder because ‘that’s not good for you, Miss Gabby!’ and the bra straps are giving me bedsores against this piece of shit pillow, and that’s what I fucking feel like, Aled! I feel like shit in here. I’m not staying. I don’t fucking care if I’m confined to the bed at home. I’ll go to fucking Kevin’s and let Judith mother me for the next six
months if I have to. But I’m not staying here. So you can either help me go home, or you can get the fuck out of my way.”

  Aled let out a long, shaking breath.

  It was show. That was all. If he refused to help, then Gabriel was stuck. The skull fracture had left him with severe vertigo, persistent migraines, and an ever-present nausea that escalated rapidly if he moved too much. And while the bone was healing nicely, one fall was all it would take to smash his head open like an egg under the wheel of a car. He would be better off here.

  Physically.

  But at the same time, how many times had Aled arrived for his afternoon vigils to bloodshot eyes and a hoarse voice? How often had Gabriel clung to his hand when it was time to go home? He’d heard the cheery misgendering for himself. He’d seen the contemptuous look on the doctor’s face. He’d woken up in the night to lonely text messages, long rambling thoughts in the night that spilled over with torment. He’d seen the tears.

  Mentally, it wasn’t just Aled who was suffering.

  And it hurt to say no.

  “You need someone,” he murmured. “You need someone there all the time. And I can’t. You know I can’t. And Judith’s already got three kids to look after, plus the new baby when it’s born…”

  “I can’t do this, Aled.”

  The tone wrenched at his heart, and he groaned when Gabriel buried his face in his hands.

  “Gabe—”

  “You don’t get it,” Gabriel croaked, and the first sobs had Aled up out of the chair. “You don’t get it. It’s torture. It’s like being in Hackney, like my mum’s spitting my deadname in my face like it’ll make it fit, like I’m just this fucking freak who doesn’t deserve to be here—”

  “Oh, hey-hey-hey-hey…”

  Gabriel was stiff as a board in Aled’s arms. He wouldn’t remove his hands. The crying shattered Aled’s composure, and he tucked his nose against scratchy hair, stiff from hospital soap, and choked back a few tears of his own.