Page 19 of Something Like Forever

“I wanted to give yousomething more than just permission,” Ben explained.

He had paid attentionduring the many times Tim raved about what he would do if he got anew car. Ben always pretended not to care, merely grunting inresponse, when really he had been making a mental list of all theaccessories Tim wanted.

“Rubber floormats!”

A special kind createdfrom digital scans of the car, so they not only fit perfectly, butprotected every inch of the floorboards. Ben had chosen airfresheners that plugged into the vents, bought emergency equipmentfor the trunk, and even splurged on a performance tuner, which wassome sort of little computer that did something. Whatever it was,it sure made Tim happy! After rummaging around in the interior anddeclaring his excitement over and over again, Tim finally climbedout of the car with shiny eyes.

Then he noticed Benstanding there and tried to play it cool. He leaned against the carand jerked his head toward it. “So… What do you think?”

“It’s a very sexy car,”Ben admitted.

“Yeah, but…” Tim jerkedhis head toward the car again and winked.

“What?”

“Black sports car. Me.Bring back any memories?” Tim managed to swagger just by shiftinghis weight to the other foot.

Ben tried to roll his eyesbut they refused, too charmed by the display. “It does remind me ofthis teenage guy I had a crush on. Not that he ever noticedme.”

“Oh he did,” Tim said.“Probably was too scared to ask if you wanted to go for aride.”

“O-kay,” Jason said, eyeswide. “I’ll be inside with Chinchilla. You guys have fun. Orwhatever.”

“We’re not going to do itin the car,” Ben laughed. “You can go for a ride withus.”

“That’s okay,” Jason said.“I promised William a video call. I’m not sure if I’m going to tellhim about the plane tickets yet. Maybe I’ll surprisehim.”

“Mm-hm,” Ben saiddistractedly. When Tim turned up the heat—with a mere gaze!—thosesilver eyes were practically hypnotic.

“I’m definitely outtahere,” Jason said, making a hasty retreat.

Tim sauntered around to the passenger sideand opened the door. “What do you say, Benjamin?”

“Just have me back beforecurfew!” Ben said, climbing inside the vehicle.

Once the door was shutbehind him, he breathed in, happy he had chosen a musky scent.Manly. The interior was slick, black with subtle red accents, suchas the seatbelt straps. Ben settled into the bucket seat and had toadmit he was impressed. The Bentley that Tim used to drive (and hadpromised to sell) was nice, but felt too stately. It seemed moresuited to Marcello than a cocky guy who often forgot that he wasn’ttwenty anymore.

“Nice,” Tim said, slidinginto the driver’s seat and caressing the steering wheel.

“What’s SRT stand for?”Ben asked, noticing the letters on the dashboard.

“Street racingtechnology.”

“Oh! Great! You can raceit right back to the dealership.”

Tim chuckled. “I’m notracing this baby anywhere. I love her too much. Norisks.”

“I like the sound ofthat,” Ben said. “If you’re telling the truth.” He braced himselfas Tim started the car and put it into drive, but his husband kepthis word. They cruised at a reasonable speed down the drive andonto the street.

“This feels good,” Timsaid, gripping the steering wheel and grinning. “I don’t want to beone of those sad people who try to stay young by buying asexy-as-hell car, but…”

Ben shook his head. “But?”

“Never mind. That’sexactly who I want to be!”

He pressed down on thepedal. The car shot forward. Ben was momentarily terrified untiladrenaline shot through him and, like a rollercoaster ride, hefound himself caught up in the thrill. The roads were fairly emptyanyway, most people inside and enjoying the festivities. Itcertainly didn’t hurt that they lived outside the city. Theycruised around, Tim trying out different settings and pushingbuttons while grinning gleefully.

“I take it you didn’tdrive the car much before now?”