”“Allie, thank you but you are much more important to me than they are.”Allie could hardly speak for the lump in her throat. “No, Toby. Your e...ams were a one and only chance for you to do what you want to do. I could bottle things up for a few more days”.“Allie ... Oh, my precious, little, selfless Allie! How I love you! Brave as well as selfless! Oh, Allie, you are very, very special!”Allie managed no more than a sob. She was not sure whether it was still one of her unhappiness or of the joy. Forcefulness. The Angelina I remembered had been quiet, almost timid. She was different. Angelina put her arms around my neck. My hands reflexively went to her waist. Her cheek pressed against mine. I could feel her breath in my ear. ‘Do you remember my graduation?’ she whispered. ‘I asked if you wanted to take me out to dinner. I was eighteen. You were my favourite teacher. I was no longer your student. You knew I liked you. And you liked me.’ I did like her, but it was in a platonic. So I replied, “Just make sure they’re well fed”.My first week at River Number Two was more of the same. I spent an awful lot of time lying in the sun thinking, or walking along the beach thinking, or sheltering from the rain thinking. After a couple of days, I was centred enough to confide in Torrin exactly what had happened back in Sheffield. Sharing those feelings was a big step for me and a milestone in my relationship with my new bodyguard. My faith in him was, thankfully, well-founded, as. " He squeezed my shoulder. "I'll fix you whatever breakfast you want, and you drink my special iced coffee, and then you tell me all about what's wrong."He did, and I did. Up until that summer, I had no one I could talk to, no one to whom I ever admitted to being gay, much less, discussed my feelings. Even that morning, I couldn't very well tell my brother Jason everything that had been going on in my mind, and I had no idea what to tell Tyler.Alexander was different, though. He already knew.