Chapter One
Luke Bell lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't want to get up. He wanted to stay in his nice, warm bed. Sighing, Luke rolled onto his side and glanced at his clock. Time to get up.
With a groan, Luke pushed the covers aside, swinging his legs off the bed and sitting on the edge of the mattress. The carpet was thick under his feet, and he scrunched his toes up, enjoying the sensation. Whenever he felt carpet under his bare feet, it reminded him of his time on the streets.
Living in doorways and alleys with his friend Matt, then an abandoned house. Selling his body...
Luke abruptly shook his head, trying to shake the memories free. Standing, Luke left his bedroom. He closed the door to the bathroom softly behind him and leaned against it. There was no need to think about the past now. It was over, and he should forget about it.
A quick shower and teeth brushed, Luke stared at his reflection in the mirror above the sink. At five foot eight, Luke wasn't tall, but his looks made up for it. With his short, wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes, he'd heard many punters comment on his looks.
Leaving the bathroom, Luke headed back to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He leaned back against it, closing his eyes. It was a struggle this morning, and Luke wasn't sure why. Opening his eyes, he glanced over his room. All he saw was white. Grimacing, Luke closed his eyes again, his head dropping back and gently banging on it on the door.
All white.
The only colour in the room was the bedding and carpet, which were blue.
Luke had told Matt he'd chosen white because it was pure, something he no longer felt he was. Matt hadn't been happy with his explanation, but he'd accepted it, understanding the reason why.
Luke had met Matt in foster care, and they'd soon become close friends. They shared a similar history. Where Luke was blond and blue-eyed, Matt had dark hair and eyes and he stood just under six feet.
Frank, their foster father, had taken a liking to Luke, visiting him during the night in an attempt to have sex with him. When Luke had eventually told Matt what was happening, Matt had pretty much moved into Luke's room in an attempt to stop Frank.
Frank had been furious, hitting Matt on several occasions, but Matt had refused to leave Luke's bedroom.
Once they'd sat their exams, Matt and Luke had packed their bags and left one night while Frank was asleep. As for their foster mother, Brenda, Luke could only assume she knew and wasn't bothered, or she never knew what had happened and had woken one morning to find them gone.
For several days, they had slept in doorways and in alleys always keeping one eye open, afraid of what might happen to them. Eventually, they both realised that the only option available to them was sex and they both started selling their bodies.
It was at that time that they'd met Tom, and eventually, Ben and Adam.
One day when Tom was working, someone he'd known from his past had seen him. That person had been Sebastian Banks.
Seb had looked past what Tom was doing, understanding why Tom had been in that position, and eventually they'd begun spending time together and fell in love. A few weeks later, Tom moved in with Seb, Matt and Luke joining them.
During this time, their friend Adam had been murdered, and Ben attempted suicide. For some reason, Ben felt guilty over what had happened to Adam, even though Adam refused to take precautions when working, and left that fateful night without Ben.
After his time in the hospital, Ben moved in with Geoff, Seb's boss, who helped him through his depression and anger over Adam's senseless death. They'd fallen in love and were still together three years later. The only problem during that time was from Seb's younger brother, Josh.
Seb and Josh's parents were extremely religious and saw homosexuality as a sin. Seb had been trying for the past three years to help his parents understand that there was nothing wrong with homosexuality, that it wasn't a sin against God, but his attempts had been fruitless.
Josh would constantly come around to Seb and Tom's house and scream abuse at them over their relationship, but it was also during this time that he'd met Matt, and unknown to everyone, Matt and Josh had begun a relationship.
The relationship at times had been quite destructive, but eventually, Josh accepted that he was in love with Matt, and now Matt was about to move in with him. Matt would be the first to admit that at times their relationship could be difficult, but Josh was open about them and was in counselling to help him undo some the damage that his parents had caused.
Josh loved Matt, and he was trying to be the best person he could be for Matt.
Luke dressed and packed his bag with what he would need for his course that day. Grabbing his coat and bag, he went downstairs dropping them in the hallway.
In the kitchen, Luke found Tom and Seb stood close together talking quietly. He stood and watched them for a few seconds, smiling slightly to himself. It was obvious that Tom and Seb loved one another, and even though at times Luke was envious at the closeness of their relationship, he wouldn't change anything about it.
Tom had been on the street for four long years after his parents had thrown him out when he'd revealed he was gay. But Seb loved him and wouldn't let Tom's past affect their future.
Luke wanted what they had, and he hoped that his relationship with Sarah would bring that.
Sarah, a woman.
It still brought a smile to the other's faces when he talked about her. Especially as during his time on the streets, he'd only had sex with men, never women. But he liked women, and he liked Sarah. The wide smile that covered her face when she saw him, how she closed her eyes when she went to kiss him. He could see his future with her, no man in sight. No man at all.
Walking further into the kitchen, he switched the kettle on and reached into a cupboard to grab a mug.
"Morning, Luke. You sleep all right?" Seb asked. And that was another thing that Luke liked about Seb. He genuinely cared about them, all of them, not just Tom.
Smiling, Luke answered, "Yeah, thanks. Not long 'til the exams, so I'm busy revising."
"Yeah, don't I fucking know it," Tom grunted.
Seb wrapped an arm around Tom, kissing his cheek. "Well, you did want to become a solicitor. I did warn you about the work you'd need to put in."
"Yeah, I know. I don't like exams." Tom pouted, sticking his bottom lip out. Seb laughed, squeezing him tight.
Smiling, Luke made his coffee and waited for his toast. Once his toast was done, Luke grabbed his plate and mug and walked into the living room, finding Matt and Josh sat on the sofa next to each other. Josh had his head resting on Matt's, as they both watched cartoons on the TV.
As Luke sat in the chair, Matt spoke. "Looking forward to Christmas?"
Luke nodded, biting into his toast, chewing it. When he swallowed, he answered. "Looking forward to the exams being finished. You moving in together before Christmas?"
Matt nodded, turning his head so he could kiss Josh on the forehead. "Yeah. I'm looking forward to it, but not cleaning up after Josh."
Josh lifted his head up from Matt's shoulder. "You know I'm trying. I did warn you before you agreed to move in that I wasn't the cleanest or tidiest person."
"Yeah, I know you did, and you are getting better."
Josh grunted. "Then you can't shout at me if you come back from Uni and the place isn't tidy, can you?"
Matt chuckled, slowly shaking his head. "No, I can't."
Conversation died down as Luke finished eating. Leaning back in the chair, he sipped his drink watching cartoons. Glancing at his watch, Luke realised he had to leave so he could catch his bus.
Standing, Luke stretched, arms high above his head working the kinks from his body.
"You getting ready to go?" Matt asked.
Luke nodded, bending down to pick up his plate and mug. "Yep, need to get going, otherwise I'll miss the bus. I'll get Tom from the kitchen, and we can all head out together."
As he walked into the kitchen, Tom asked, "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, I was just coming in to get you."
Luke left the kitchen, Tom and Seb following behind. In the hallway, Matt and Josh stood waiting, and they all left the house together. Seb and Tom kissed goodbye, and the four of them walked to the bus stop.
They talked on the way, commenting on how cold it was that morning and that winter finally seemed to have arrived. It wasn't long before the bus came, and they all got on. Twenty minutes later, it pulled into the bus station and they went their separate ways. Their courses were in different buildings around the city, so they wouldn't all be getting the same bus.
Soon, the bus pulled into the stop that Luke needed to get off. As Luke exited and walked towards his building, his phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out reading the text that Sarah had sent.
Looking up, Luke saw Sarah stood on the steps of his building, and he smiled when their eyes met. She had her deep auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail, and she smiled when she saw him. Waving, Luke rushed over towards her, bending down to kiss her when he got there.
"Hi, babe," Sarah muttered against his lips. Pulling back from the kiss, Sarah asked, "Are you coming to the party at the weekend?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah, of course, I'll be there." Reaching out, Luke held Sarah's hand, threading their fingers together. Squeezing them, he smiled down at her enjoying the answering smile.
"So, what plans do you have for Christmas?" Daisy, one of Sarah's friends, asked.
Luke glanced at her, taking in her long blonde hair and hazel eyes. She had a smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks and a cleft in her chin. Her boyfriend, Neil, stood next to her and rolled his eyes at the question.
"That's all she's been asking, mate," he muttered, glancing at Luke.
Daisy turned and smacked Neil on the arm. "Hey, I can't help it. I'm really excited about Christmas. I love everything about it. Getting the Christmas tree out and decorating it, hanging the decorations from the walls and the ceiling. Putting the reindeer outside with the snowmen and lighting them up at night. You need to stop being such a grouch."
Neil shrugged. "I like Christmas as much as the next person, but you, babe, you go overboard."
"You need to remember Neil that I've got younger brothers and sisters, so it's mayhem in my house at Christmas." Turning to Luke, Daisy continued, "There's nothing better than listening to them opening their presents in the morning and seeing how excited they are."
"We need to get through these exams first, just remember that," Neil reminded her. Luke smiled, watching them together.
Glancing at his watch, Luke saw the time and stepped forward, kissing Sarah on the lips again. "Gotta go my lecture."
Sarah reached up, grabbing the sides of his face and pulling him back down towards her. She kissed him thoroughly, and Luke closed his eyes as their tongues touched. It was different kissing Sarah than kissing a man. Not that he had a great deal of experience. He'd rarely kissed any of the men who'd paid for him.
Ending the kiss, Luke stepped back. "See you later."
Walking towards the building, Luke turned to wave at them and then continued through the doors.