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“I’ll be out in a minute.” I heard shuffling inside and water running, then the click of the lock. The door opened slowly, revealing a dishevelled-looking Frankie, his eyes downcast.

“Hey, are you okay?” The atmosphere was tense to say the least, something I needed to rectify.

He shrugged. “Not really.”

“Look, can we sit down and talk about it? I need to explain.”

“I suppose.”

I could tell he wasn’t convinced. I took his hand and walked through to the conservatory, sitting next to him.

Where to start? At the beginning would be best.

“What we did this evening wasn’t wrong. It’s probably one of the best blowjobs I’ve ever had. I just…” How did I put it? “We’re just starting out, and I suppose I wanted to take things slowly, not rush in headlong, and before you say anything, yes, I encouraged you to do it. You were only doing what I wanted you to, except… I wanted to do it properly. Take you on dates, cook for you, days out, and then I ruined it all.”

“You ruined nothing. I should have listened to you, I’m sorry. Every guy I’ve ever been with has been down and dirty. I got carried away as much as you did, but you can’t tell me we shouldn’t have done something because that spikes my anxiety.”

“I apologise, but in the heat of the moment, in the aftermath of an orgasm that shook me, I wasn’t thinking straight. I didn’t mean it to sound that way. Now, how about we put this behind us and start over again”

“Can we? I’m not used to doing any of this. I’ve never had a boyfriend before.” I took his hand in mine.

“We both have things to learn. It’s been a while since I’ve had one” A while was an understatement, it had been years. “Now, how about we get some of that food. All that exercise has made me hungry.”

And just like that, all was forgiven. It almost seemed too easy, and maybe it was. Maybe Frankie realised things were said when I should have kept my mouth shut. Orgasms can do that to a guy, making you lose all common sense.

I jumped off the sofa and went to the kitchen to get the food. It was cold, but it’d be fine. By the time I got back, Frankie was ensconced on his phone, tapping away.

“Just letting Gran know where I am. I’ve been thinking.”

And this was where he told me it wouldn’t work, that he’d made a mistake, much the same as I had.

“Nothing bad, I hope. I said I’m sorry, Frankie.” I could have kicked myself; I was so annoyed.

“We both did. Is this still what you want? We don’t really know each other. We move in different circles.”

“And why is that bad? What if we’d met in a pub or bumped into each other in the street? The attraction is there. As for different circles, what does that matter? As long as we like each other, that’s surely all that matters.”

“Your sister asked me not to break your heart. I’m assuming that’s happened before.” He picked a rib off the plate and took a bite.

“A long time ago, but he didn’t break my heart. We drifted apart, and I’m okay with that. With you, it feels different. I want to get to know you better. Fuck, Frankie, you’ve seen my dick.”

He blushed again and touched his lips. “Yeah, you don’t taste so bad either.”

Now it was my turn to flush, and my face heated from his words. “We’re good, right? Still friends?” I hoped he would say yes.

“Friends? I thought… Nah, it doesn’t matter.” He took a swig from his can, and I realised what I’d said.

“Boyfriends? Partners? What fits us best? I meant what I said earlier. I want to date you properly, and if other stuff happens in the meantime, then that’s good, too.”

His face lit up, and I knew I’d said the right thing. “I should think of getting back soon. I said I’d stay at Gran’s.”

“You can’t stay longer? The night is still young, as you said the other night. I could still light a fire in the garden while we have dry weather. You never know when it’ll rain.”

“Let’s do it.” He jumped to his feet, unlocked the conservatory door, and threw it open. The evening was perfect, cloudless and clear; the moon was bright, and a million stars twinkled in the sky.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the world was conspiring to bring us together.

I brought out some blankets and lit the fire pit. Frankie snuggled into my side as we watched the flames dance in the moonlight. There was something about fire that called to me. Not that I was an arsonist, but the flutter of light, the myriad of colours as mesmerising as Frankie’s music.