Hug You Close And Keep You Warm

This story continues the saga of David and Jonathan, but after a lapse of 20 years. David is now a successful internationally acclaimed tenor, performing in opera and oratorio in most countries of Europe, and Jonathan has settled into the role of homemaker, who looks after their son Luke and their daughter Cathy while David's career takes him away from home for 50% of the time. Jonathan is also a teaching fellow at St Boniface's college at Camford. The early chapters tell of Luke's childhood, his time at Winton College School, where he sings in the Winton College Chapel Choir, of his friendship at school and his discovery that he is gay. The second part of the book covers Luke's first two years at Buckingham College, Camford. Buckingham has the reputation of being a gay-friendly college, which is a reason that Luke chose it. Luke is studying modern languages, French and Italian, and develops a friendship for his roommate, Tom Appleton, who is a first-year chemistry student. During the following 6 months Luke realises that he is falling in love with Tom. It turns out that Tom had been in love with Luke from the day that they first met. Luke tells of how he was honoured to be the chief witness at the Civil Partnership ceremony of his two fathers, David and Jon, a few days after civil partnerships became legally recognised for the first time. It turns out that Tom is a fan of classical music, particularly vocal music, and he becomes a devoted fan of Luke's father David. During a summer school in Italy, Luke traces his mother and discovers that she is happily married with two children, one of whom turns out to be his full brother. During the boys' second year at Buckingham College, they have various adventures and a surprise gift of money from Luke's grandmother makes Tom financially independent and enables him to ask Luke for his hand in civil partnership. The book ends with David's departure for the University of Bologna for a year of study away from Camford and his beloved Tom.