14th July 2009
There was nothing to decide after that—the vague plans were blown away by Ali’s downcast mood and Tony’s unexpected appearance in the pub, and so Yazid took charge. They ended up at his flat. Yazid threw together a quick pasta-and-pesto concoction, and they ended up tangled up in his bed sheets together, the DVDs forgotten and the promise of fun subdued by Ali’s quiet demeanour. Yazid wasn’t really sure what to do, so he did what had always worked best before—he hugged Ali, and kept his mouth shut. And eventually…
“He wasn’t always that bad.”
Yazid pressed his cheek to the top of Ali’s head. Ali had curled up against his side after they’d eaten, and now it was dark outside and Yazid was halfway to being asleep.
“I mean…he was always a bit of a d**k, don’t get me wrong, b
