Page 63 of Rebound

“Fair how?”

“I worry we’re at different places in our lives—” he started.

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then shut up,” Ben snapped.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re being ridiculous, everything with us is fine. It’s how I want it. Isn’t it how you want it?”

Thomas huffed out a tired breath. “You sound desperate to believe it.”

“I do believe it,” Ben said. “And I’m not desperate. I just want to stop you before you slide deeper into whatever rabbit hole of doubt your ex-wife kicked you into.”

“She hardly…” He stopped himself, closing his eyes. Ben was right. At least, right enough. For the moment.

“You done?” Ben asked.

“For now.”

“What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Hopefully you,” he said.

Ben rewarded the change of topic with a throaty laugh that went straight to Thomas’s cock.

“If you’re good, we can arrange that. But I wanted to see if you felt up to meeting Lara tomorrow night.”

“From the gelato shop?”

“One and the same.”

This was…a big deal and it played right into everything Thomas was worried about within the limits of their relationship. Meeting friends was something serious and were they serious? He knew he didn’t want to be casual with Ben, but was he ready for a meet the friends kind of thing? Because after meet the friends came meet the kids, and then…

“Stop it,” Ben said.

“Stop what?”

“Looking in that rabbit hole.”

“I’m sorry.” He exhaled long and slow. “I’m just in my head a little more than normal about things.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“Do you think it’s too soon for me to meet her?” he asked.

“I’ve already told her about you. She knows how I feel about you and how things are between us.”

He grimaced, stabbing his fork over and over into a piece of pineapple until he turned it into a macerated puddle of stringy pulp.

“How are things between us?” he asked.

“Not casual,” Ben answered. “But I’m not thinking about marriage yet, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried.”