#kevbert

Robert pays attention to the narrow strip of road lit by their headlights, but he grows more and more irritated the longer they drive. Kev's been playing with his elastic for the whole drive so far. He does what he always does. Stretching it this way and that way, over and over, twisting it, and letting it snap back against his skin.

He sighs, loud enough to be heard, and says, “I know it's hard, Kev”. It comes out more harshly than he means it.

Kev looks at him. “Do you now?” His eyes are wild.

“Yes!” Robert snaps.

Claudette had bullied him into this. Kev has no car, we can't drive him, can you drive him to his counselling session. She didn't say that he was driving “Kev's car”, but he heard it loud and clear. He agreed because a 30-minute drive each way didn't seem that bad.

Yet here they are.

He told Kev that he had some things to buy and asked if Kev wanted to come with. He did. Kev had a large grin on his face when he got into the car, “This girl's been good, yeah?”

Kev texted him when he was done. Everything took longer than expected. Kev had to wait even though he had an appointment. Robert has the emojis on his phone to show for it.

Robert's glad it won't be long now, ten minutes max.

'Snap.'

After the session, when he picked Kev up, Kev asked if he'd got the things he said he needed to buy, and he said, “Yeah, yeah” and pointed to the boot. Kev said, “Good.” That had been their whole conversation up to now.

'Snap'.

Robert doesn't think about it. He reaches for Kev's arm with his left hand and finds the elastic. Worms a finger under it, and then a second. He leaves them there, and looks back at the road. Kev lets him.

Until the road bends sharply and Robert needs both hands. Kev slouches against the door and puts his face against the glass staring out into the dark.

Slipping a finger under Kev's elastic was a thing Robert had been doing sometimes. But he shouldn't have done it now. They are not there any more.

After a while Robert feels Kev's eyes on him. “What?”, he's about to say, when Kev speaks, “I'm a complete nutter, me.”

Robert looks at him. Kev's rubbing at his eyes with the palm of his hand. Robert doesn't know what to say to that, so he leaves it.

They turn into the village, and Robert parks the car in front of Claudette's. He turns off the engine. Kev shifts around in his seat, sits straight, and then turns to him, “Thank you, Suggers," he says earnestly.

Robert nods, and Kev looks down, “Means a lot, that …” Kev's voice is soft.

Robert nods again. It seems as if he's about to say more, but then Kev nods and reaches for the door handle.

Robert grabs Kev's arm and holds him inside. “Do you remember what you said to me when I told you about what I did to that family of my ex, Chrissie?” Kev looks at him, confused. “Should I?”

Robert raises his eyebrows and waits. Lets Kev think for a moment.

He notices when Kev gets it, but he spells it out for him anyway. “You said,” Robert copies Kev's voice, “You're a complete nutter, Suggers”. Kev smiles, and Robert smiles back.

---