And abruptly, it is over. Between the mental obstacle course of what the hell he’s doing with Alex, and the resultant hangover from the club (and dodging Nan’s knowing looks) Ryan forgets the date, and quite suddenly, the weekend of no return is upon him.
It’s over.
He doesn’t think about it, and later regrets it, but he does it anyway: he packs in a hurry, rushes from the house and the village and Alex and Nan—and is gone, without a word, and only relaxes on the train.
Only on the train does he realise how tightly-strung he’s been all summer, barring one night in a small, southern club with fifteen units of alcohol down his throat. He’s had a summer fling, the kind of s**t the guys back home brag about, only it’s with a guy so he can’t brag about it—and moreover, he wouldn’t know how t
