The Thousand Smiles of Nicholas Goring Read Online Free
Author: Julie Bozza
Tags: Gay, Contemporary, australia, male male romance, quest, dreamtime
right away, too."
"Huh," said Dave, handing his husband a cup of coffee. "How I remember it is, the first time I brought you here, you promptly changed your plane tickets and went back to England six weeks early."
Nicholas took the coffee, put it down, and grabbed Dave's hand. "I wanted to stay – forever."
Dave coloured a little under Nicholas's earnest gaze – all too aware of Robin's wistful yearning. "And now you can," Dave replied a little too brusquely. "Now you are." Then he cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Are you hungry, Robin? I thought I'd cook us a proper breakfast this morning. Eggs, bacon, sausages, toast …"
Robin brightened immediately. "Marmalade and extra toast for after … ?"
"And marmalade for after," Dave confirmed.
"See?" Nicholas commented to Robin. "He makes all our wishes come true."
The perils of having a house guest were soon made evident. Dave had done a load of washing on the morning of that first day, and had hung the bulk of it on the Hills Hoist in the backyard. A few items, however, the hand-washed silk items, he hung on the clothes airer and tucked it away out of sight in the main bedroom. He left the door open, as usual during the day, but assumed Robin would know better than to walk in uninvited …
Dave discovered he'd been wrong about that when Robin wandered into the family room with the toe of one of the silk stockings pinched between thumb and forefinger and held at arm's length, his expression squeamish. Dave abruptly turned waratah red, and sat down on the nearest available chair.
"Unc-le Nich-o-laaas …" Robin drawled.
Nicholas looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading, and promptly turned coldly unimpressed.
"You don't really wear these, do you?" Robin sounded more creeped out than disgusted, but still. It wasn't pleasant. "I never knew you were into drag …"
" Not that it's any of your business," Nicholas tartly replied, turning a page of the newspaper, "but so what if I do?"
"Seriously? I always thought you were … a man. A man who liked men."
"Things are generally a little more complicated than that," Nicholas replied in somewhat softer tones. He'd had the mercy to not even glance at Dave through all this. "I think you'll find … there are infinite varieties of men and women and those in between."
"But you're not complicated," Robin insisted, letting his hand drop now. "You've always been completely straightforward! Completely honest!"
"My darling, I'd rather be complicated than narrow-minded. Now, you go and put that back where you found it – respectfully , thank you – and then you can have a bit of a think about your reactions. I would have expected rather more acceptance, coming from you ."
There was a brief struggling silence, and then at last Robin said in a humbled voice, "Yes, Uncle Nicholas. Sorry." And he turned and headed back down the hallway. A couple of moments later, the door to the guest bedroom could be heard to firmly close in what was, in context, a chagrined slam.
Nicholas continued reading the newspaper, letting Dave process all of that in whatever ways he needed to.
Eventually, after Nicholas turned another page, Dave asked quietly, "D'you mind him thinking that? I mean, that you're the one who wears them?"
Nicholas looked up at Dave, his gaze direct and relaxed, his smile gentle. "No, I don't mind. Don't worry about it."
Dave had to admire the man's insouciance. He shuddered in a belated reaction, and went to put the kettle on. And then he said, "You know, we still all have a lot to learn from you."
Nicholas shone a crinkly smile in his direction that did away with the last of Dave's anxieties.
two
Two days later Dave drove the Toyota Land Cruiser down the Warrego Highway, with Nicholas beside him in the passenger seat – and Robin in the back, paying far more attention to his smartphone than to the passing countryside. Nicholas caught Dave's glance, and twisted around for a moment
"Huh," said Dave, handing his husband a cup of coffee. "How I remember it is, the first time I brought you here, you promptly changed your plane tickets and went back to England six weeks early."
Nicholas took the coffee, put it down, and grabbed Dave's hand. "I wanted to stay – forever."
Dave coloured a little under Nicholas's earnest gaze – all too aware of Robin's wistful yearning. "And now you can," Dave replied a little too brusquely. "Now you are." Then he cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Are you hungry, Robin? I thought I'd cook us a proper breakfast this morning. Eggs, bacon, sausages, toast …"
Robin brightened immediately. "Marmalade and extra toast for after … ?"
"And marmalade for after," Dave confirmed.
"See?" Nicholas commented to Robin. "He makes all our wishes come true."
The perils of having a house guest were soon made evident. Dave had done a load of washing on the morning of that first day, and had hung the bulk of it on the Hills Hoist in the backyard. A few items, however, the hand-washed silk items, he hung on the clothes airer and tucked it away out of sight in the main bedroom. He left the door open, as usual during the day, but assumed Robin would know better than to walk in uninvited …
Dave discovered he'd been wrong about that when Robin wandered into the family room with the toe of one of the silk stockings pinched between thumb and forefinger and held at arm's length, his expression squeamish. Dave abruptly turned waratah red, and sat down on the nearest available chair.
"Unc-le Nich-o-laaas …" Robin drawled.
Nicholas looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading, and promptly turned coldly unimpressed.
"You don't really wear these, do you?" Robin sounded more creeped out than disgusted, but still. It wasn't pleasant. "I never knew you were into drag …"
" Not that it's any of your business," Nicholas tartly replied, turning a page of the newspaper, "but so what if I do?"
"Seriously? I always thought you were … a man. A man who liked men."
"Things are generally a little more complicated than that," Nicholas replied in somewhat softer tones. He'd had the mercy to not even glance at Dave through all this. "I think you'll find … there are infinite varieties of men and women and those in between."
"But you're not complicated," Robin insisted, letting his hand drop now. "You've always been completely straightforward! Completely honest!"
"My darling, I'd rather be complicated than narrow-minded. Now, you go and put that back where you found it – respectfully , thank you – and then you can have a bit of a think about your reactions. I would have expected rather more acceptance, coming from you ."
There was a brief struggling silence, and then at last Robin said in a humbled voice, "Yes, Uncle Nicholas. Sorry." And he turned and headed back down the hallway. A couple of moments later, the door to the guest bedroom could be heard to firmly close in what was, in context, a chagrined slam.
Nicholas continued reading the newspaper, letting Dave process all of that in whatever ways he needed to.
Eventually, after Nicholas turned another page, Dave asked quietly, "D'you mind him thinking that? I mean, that you're the one who wears them?"
Nicholas looked up at Dave, his gaze direct and relaxed, his smile gentle. "No, I don't mind. Don't worry about it."
Dave had to admire the man's insouciance. He shuddered in a belated reaction, and went to put the kettle on. And then he said, "You know, we still all have a lot to learn from you."
Nicholas shone a crinkly smile in his direction that did away with the last of Dave's anxieties.
two
Two days later Dave drove the Toyota Land Cruiser down the Warrego Highway, with Nicholas beside him in the passenger seat – and Robin in the back, paying far more attention to his smartphone than to the passing countryside. Nicholas caught Dave's glance, and twisted around for a moment
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