Mitch & Cian #3
Six months after meeting Cian, the start of the rest of Mitch’s life is so close he can almost taste it. With his high school exams behind him, he can look forward to a long summer, his first Pride festival in Dublin, and, best of all, moving in with Cian when Mitch starts college in September.
Cian can’t wait to accompany Mitch to his first Pride, or for the moment they’ll start sharing a home and their lives. But while the festival is everything they could have hoped for, unexpected news that Cian is about to lose his room in Dublin puts their life together under threat.
Objections to their plans from the home front and a shocking lack of affordable housing in Dublin could shatter Mitch and Cian’s dreams, but perhaps a second miracle is exactly what they need to find their pride of place.
Original Review July 2019:
There is still so much to love about this pair. Mitch and Cian are still in the honeymoon phase of their growing relationship and that newness is beautifully depicted in Pride of Place. Not only do we get to see their love grow even more but we get to see them experience Dublin's Pride festival as well.
Don't get me wrong there is some drama thanks to mom but also an unforeseen hiccup, however it's not heavy on the angst. Pride of Place is a lovely romantic look at the next leg of Mitch and Cian's journey that will warm your heart. Is the solution to their housing issue a bit convenient? Perhaps, but their love story is a novella series so the timing may seem not quite realistic but it is by no means rushed either. Let's face it, sometimes things in life do fall into place at just the right time in just the right way so the boys' unexpected good tidings really isn't impossible or hard to accept. Add to that the title telling of their first meeting was A Miracle in the Library, perhaps the solution that's "dropped in their laps" now is simply serendipitous.
Helena Stone definitely has another winner with Pride of Place that is worth the time to read and if you haven't already explored the beginnings of Mitch and Cian's journey in A Miracle in the Library and Lessons in Love, I highly recommend giving them a read first. Trust me, you won't be sorry, Mitch and Cian are a pair of lovely lads finding love and navigating life that will make you smile. I for one, hope we haven't heard the last of this young duo.
RATING:
Author Bio:
Helena Stone can’t remember a life before words and reading. After growing up in a household where no holiday or festivity was complete without at least one new book, it’s hardly surprising she now owns more books than shelf space while her Kindle is about to explode.
The urge to write came as a surprise. The realisation that people might enjoy her words was a shock to say the least. Now that the writing bug has well and truly taken hold, Helena can no longer imagine not sharing the characters in her head and heart with the rest of the world.
Having left the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam for the peace and quiet of the Irish Country side she divides her time between reading, writing, long and often wet walks with the dog, her part-time job in a library, a grown-up daughter and her ever loving and patient husband.
Cian can’t wait to accompany Mitch to his first Pride, or for the moment they’ll start sharing a home and their lives. But while the festival is everything they could have hoped for, unexpected news that Cian is about to lose his room in Dublin puts their life together under threat.
Objections to their plans from the home front and a shocking lack of affordable housing in Dublin could shatter Mitch and Cian’s dreams, but perhaps a second miracle is exactly what they need to find their pride of place.
There is still so much to love about this pair. Mitch and Cian are still in the honeymoon phase of their growing relationship and that newness is beautifully depicted in Pride of Place. Not only do we get to see their love grow even more but we get to see them experience Dublin's Pride festival as well.
Don't get me wrong there is some drama thanks to mom but also an unforeseen hiccup, however it's not heavy on the angst. Pride of Place is a lovely romantic look at the next leg of Mitch and Cian's journey that will warm your heart. Is the solution to their housing issue a bit convenient? Perhaps, but their love story is a novella series so the timing may seem not quite realistic but it is by no means rushed either. Let's face it, sometimes things in life do fall into place at just the right time in just the right way so the boys' unexpected good tidings really isn't impossible or hard to accept. Add to that the title telling of their first meeting was A Miracle in the Library, perhaps the solution that's "dropped in their laps" now is simply serendipitous.
Helena Stone definitely has another winner with Pride of Place that is worth the time to read and if you haven't already explored the beginnings of Mitch and Cian's journey in A Miracle in the Library and Lessons in Love, I highly recommend giving them a read first. Trust me, you won't be sorry, Mitch and Cian are a pair of lovely lads finding love and navigating life that will make you smile. I for one, hope we haven't heard the last of this young duo.
Chapter One
Late June
Mitch
Late June
Mitch
Done!
Mitch wanted to shout, maybe do a little happy dance as he and his almost former classmates made their way through the deserted school toward the exit. He’d reached the end of his secondary education. No more exams. No more high school. And if he wasn’t very much mistaken, he’d done well enough in his exams to get the points he needed to be accepted for the psychology course he’d set his heart on.
“How did you do?” Cormac, a classmate and one of the few people who hadn’t tormented him in the past, sidled up to him.
Mitch shrugged. “Okay, I think. How about you?” He knew better than to say he thought he’d aced it. Not only would he look a right fool if that turned out not to be the case, but it would also be very disheartening for Cormac if the same wasn’t true for him.
“I’m not sure,” Cormack confessed. “Some of it was fine, but some other questions…” He bowed his head for a moment. When he looked up again, he grinned. “But I’m not going to worry about that. There’s nothing I can do about it now, and since we won’t find out how we did until September, I’m not going to obsess about it.”
Mitch stayed silent as they pushed their way through the double doors and out of the school into the welcoming sunshine. Mitch was almost surprised to discover the weather was still glorious. True to form every one of the twenty days the exams had lasted had been sunny and warm, and he wouldn’t have been shocked to discover grey clouds and rain now that he actually had time to be out and about.
He was inclined to agree with Cormac. There was little point agonizing about the results, but he was sure that was unlikely to stop him from lingering on the uncertainty at regular intervals during the summer. If he had failed to get the points he needed, he might not get a place in his preferred college in Dublin. And if he couldn’t go to Dublin….
His pessimistic fears fled his brain as soon as he recognized the familiar and oh-so-cherished features belonging to the main reason he wanted to make it to the capital. Cian! Mitch’s heart skipped a beat or two. He’d had no idea Cian had plans to come back to Castleforest today. In fact, during their last conversation the previous night and again, that morning, in his daily text message, Cian had been infuriatingly vague about when they might see each other next.
“Are you going out tonight?” Cormac’s question reminded Mitch of his presence.
“Probably,” Mitch said, not really thinking about his answer. If Cian hadn’t shown up, he might have joined his classmates for a drink or two. Now he wasn’t sure what the rest of his day might look like, except that whatever he did would include Cian.
“Fair enough.” Cormac said, “I might see you later, then.”
Mitch nodded vaguely in Cormac’s direction before heading toward the school gate where Cian waited with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a huge smile on his face.
I missed him. He’d never known quite how long three weeks could be. When both his mother and Cian had agreed that it would be best if Cian stayed in Dublin during the exams, Mitch had wanted to argue about it. In retrospect, he couldn’t deny that being able to focus solely on his studying had been a good thing, but that didn’t change the fact that before the exam madness started, he and Cian hadn’t been apart for longer than a week.
When he reached Cian, Mitch didn’t even think about it. He stretched his neck and pressed his lips against Cian’s. “Hey,” he said a moment later, “didn’t expect to see you today.”
Cian grinned at Mitch, his eyes wide. “Obviously you’ve no objections to being surprised.” He winked. “Or afraid to show your approval.”
Taken aback by what he’d just done, Mitch glanced around him, relieved to discover his classmates were too caught up in their own happiness to pay him any attention. Then he slapped Cian’s shoulder, the impact a little harsher than just playful. “Of course not. It’s great to see you. I just didn’t expect it. I thought it would be Friday before we’d get together.” A worrying thought occurred to him. “We are still going to Dublin, aren’t we?”
The idea of going to Dublin for the Pride Festival had been one of the very few thoughts that had kept Mitch going over the three-week exam period. Every test he’d sat had brought him one day closer to a weekend when he wouldn’t feel the need to check his surroundings while interacting with his boyfriend.
Cian grinned. “Of course we are. As if I would miss Pride.” The expression on his face made it clear he thought Mitch was being ridiculous. “What are your plans for today?”
Mitch shrugged. “I was going to go out for a few pints.” He really didn’t care what he did next anymore, as long as he could do whatever it was with Cian.
“Sounds good,” Cian said. “I need to go home first and get rid of my stuff.” He indicated his backpack.
“Me too. I can’t wait to get out of this for the very last time.” Mitch waved a hand at his dark blue school uniform. “And resist the temptation to burn it,” he added.
Cian laughed. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“You have no idea.” Mitch grinned at Cian until he spotted his raised eyebrow. “Fair enough, I guess you do.” His elation about being done with school, about never having to return to the place that held so many dreadful memories for him, had made him forget that he was merely one among thousands of teenagers who had finished their secondary education minutes ago and that his was only one generation in a long line of pupils to experience this sense of freedom.
“I get it,” Cian said. “So, when do you want to get together?”
“Give me an hour or two.” As much as Mitch yearned to spend time with Cian, he knew his mother had taken the afternoon off work and would want to hear all about how he’d done.
“That works,” Cian agreed easily. “I don’t think me ma would be impressed if I just dropped off my bag and disappeared again.”
“Tell me about it,” Mitch muttered. “See you in a bit.”
Cian turned to make his way home.
“And Cian?”
He looked over his shoulder at Mitch.
“Thanks for coming. You made a good day fabulous.”
Cian winked. “Hey, that’s what boyfriends are supposed to do.”
Mitch watched Cian as he walked along the street toward the estate where his family lived, before turning the other way and making his own way home. It was as if he was half the weight he’d been when he got out of bed that morning. His heart was light, and all the tension he hadn’t been able to shift for over a month seemed to have evaporated, as if Cian’s appearance had magically rounded up his stress and discarded it.
“I’m in the kitchen.”
His mother’s voice greeted Mitch as soon as he closed the front door behind him. As much as he wanted to get out of his uniform and under the shower, Mitch knew better than to keep her waiting. After all, she’d been on the receiving end of his stressed-out, at times, foul moods for long enough.
He found her sitting at the kitchen table with what looked suspiciously like a slice of chocolate cake with a burning candle on top, in front of her.
“You survived the ordeal.” Her wide smile took any possible sting out of her words. “How did it go?”
“Okay,” Mitch said. “Cian was waiting for me when I walked out.” He couldn’t stop his voice from betraying his delight as he sat, and had no doubts his face showed the same.
“That’s nice.”
His mother’s less than enthusiastic response took him by surprise. She knew how much he’d missed seeing Cian, especially on the weekends. Because he didn’t understand her reaction, Mitch decided to ignore it. “I’m meeting him in a few hours for a night on the town.”
“Good for you,” she added, still disturbingly lackluster.
“At last we can start making plans for after the summer.” Mitch said. “Decide on when I’m moving in with him.”
His mother pushed the cake in his direction before averting her gaze.
Mitch took a bite of the chocolatey treat, almost moaning when the moist, rich, texture filled his mouth.
“I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“About what?” Mitch asked, only half listening as he brought the fork to his mouth again.
“You moving in with Cian.”
Mitch froze with the fork still between his lips as his mother’s words sank in. He pulled it out, and swallowed the suddenly tasteless chunk of cake.
“What’s there to talk about?” He had a feeling he wouldn’t like her answer, but he couldn’t argue without having all the facts first.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to move in with him now, straight from home?”
Mitch blinked at his mother, trying to figure out what might have triggered this surprising course of action. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t look forward to it if I didn’t, would I?”
“You’re so young. Both of you.” His mother had a sympathetic but determined expression on her face. “Don’t you think it would be better to live on your own for a while first? Figure out what you want from life before you start sharing it with someone else?”
“Where’s this coming from, Ma?” Mitch ignored her questions for a moment, far more curious about the timing of this conversation. “In all the months I’ve been talking about our plans, you never said a word against them. And now that the moment has arrived, you’re suddenly objecting?”
“I was never crazy about the idea,” his mother admitted. “I didn’t start the conversation before today because I didn’t want to distract you from your exams. Cian’s your first boyfriend. I’m not saying he can’t be the one for you, but how can you be sure unless you are free to play the field, so to speak?”
“Trust you to encourage your only child to sleep around. You must be the only parent in Ireland to come up with something like that.” Mitch meant to shock her, and if her frown was anything to go by, he’d succeeded.
“I never said you should sleep around. I just think you should be open to other opportunities, starting with where you’re going to live.”
“I have a place to live. I don’t need to look for anything.” Mitch’s shock turned to anger. “Way to ruin a fabulous day, Ma.” He pushed what remained of his slice of cake to the middle of the table, his taste for it suddenly gone.
For a few long moments, she just stared at him, her eyes sad. Then she nodded. “You’re right. My timing isn’t the best.” Her mouth stretched into what obviously was a forced smile. “You go and celebrate. Enjoy yourself. We can have this talk some other time.”
Mitch opened his mouth to state that he’d just as soon never have that particular conversation before thinking better of it. He was going to go out and enjoy himself if it killed him. Prolonging their discussion would almost certainly make that impossible.
“Right.” He got up. “I’m going to have a shower and change.”
When he walked past his mother toward the hall, she reached for him, her fingers brushing his wrist. He pulled his hand back. He’d no idea what had gotten into his mother’s head all of a sudden, but he didn’t like it, and the last thing he needed from her right now were shows of affection.
Mitch heard his mother’s hand drop to the table but continued walking down the hall and up the stairs. He was going to forget what she’d said for the night. They could talk after he’d partied his remaining exam stress away. Then he’d put her straight on why her suggestion made no sense whatsoever.
Sunday's Short Stack
Helena Stone can’t remember a life before words and reading. After growing up in a household where no holiday or festivity was complete without at least one new book, it’s hardly surprising she now owns more books than shelf space while her Kindle is about to explode.
The urge to write came as a surprise. The realisation that people might enjoy her words was a shock to say the least. Now that the writing bug has well and truly taken hold, Helena can no longer imagine not sharing the characters in her head and heart with the rest of the world.
Having left the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam for the peace and quiet of the Irish Country side she divides her time between reading, writing, long and often wet walks with the dog, her part-time job in a library, a grown-up daughter and her ever loving and patient husband.
EMAIL: helenastoneauthor@gmail.com
Pride of Place #3
