It’s no secret Tav and Luca are going out. After the accident, it’s also no secret that new kid Jack Collins has a raging case of homophobia, and is not best pleased about having given the kiss of life to a gay guy. Either Luca quits swimming, or Jack is going to make him.<br><br>Tav favours the tried-and-true method of knocking Jack’s teeth down his neck, only he can’t really afford another school suspension. Luca favours just ignoring him, only ignoring a penknife being held to your throat at New Year’s Eve is downright stupid.<br><br>Thing is, Luca suspects Jack is a victim of something himself. And time is running out for Luca to get through to Jack, before Jack gets rid of him.

The Italian Word for Kisses

Tav kissed that gently darkening skin just beside his nose, and started to help Luca out of his jeans. This was the bit Luca hated most. Changing. He still wasn’t—


Tav bit back the sigh. Luca hadn’t been really comfortable in his own skin since the taxi. He had scars. He was thin and wasted where he’d been wiry before. He didn’t like the way he looked, and Tav wanted to shake him most days and say who gave a fuck anyway? He was here. He hadn’t left. He hadn’t—


But Tav didn’t want a row, so he scratched his fingers lightly behind Luca’s ears once he was changed and kissed his jaw. “Gimme a sec.”


Luca nodded, shifting his crutches between his hands. He leaned against walls and whatnot a lot when he sat now, and one of his feet pointed ever so slightly inwards. Steve said it would realign as his hip and knee improved, but Tav didn’t much care. What was a wonky foot?


Chapter 92