Page 84 of Something Like Forever

Ben closed his textbookand stood up from the table. As he gathered his things and returnedthem to his backpack, the other students around him spoke of theirplans. Halloween might be tomorrow, but plenty of parties werehappening tonight, from the sound of it. Ben would be doing his owncelebrating soon enough. First he needed to return home and get thehouse in order. He was happy for the distraction, since it wouldmake the hours pass faster and help him get to sleep, becausetomorrow they would be together again. Finally.

He was walking down thehallway, working on a mental to-do list when a voice stopped him inhis tracks.

“Well well well. If itisn’t Bendover Bentley.”

He hadn’t heard thathateful nickname since he was in high school and was forced to bearound idiots like Bryce Hunter and Darryl Briscott. Neither ofthem could be here. Could they? Then again, he had never expectedto return to school in his thirties. Ben spun around. He saw one ofthe popular kids leaning against the wall. How did he know? Becausethe guy was too good-looking to be low on the food chain, and if heremembered right, he also had a bitching black sportscar.

“Who are you?” he asked,struggling to keep up the act when what he really wanted was to runstraight into the arms of his husband.

“Wyman,” Tim said,checking his nails like the conversation didn’t interest him. “TimWyman. I’m new in school, but I’ve already heard some crazy rumorsabout you.”

Ben jutted out his jaw.“They’re all true.”

“All of them?” Tim said,looking up. “Even the dirty ones?”

“Especially the dirtyones,” Ben said, spinning around and walking away.

“Hey! Where are yougoing?”

“I’ve seen the jerks youhang out with,” he called over his shoulder. “Whatever you’relooking for, I’m not interested!”

“They’re not really myfriends,” Tim said, his voice not far behind. “I don’t want to hangout with them at all. I thought maybe you and I… ”

“You and I what?” Bensaid, turning around. They were close now, enough that he couldsmell Tim’s cologne and see that his hair was still damp from ashower.

Tim pointed to a poster on the wall. “Ithought we could go to the dance together.”

Ben glanced over. “That’sa poster about breast cancer screening. Never mind. Close enough.I’ll be your date!”

Tim picked him up and spunhim around. Then he slowly brought his face close to Ben’s, smilinguntil their lips met. Ben felt the wall against his back, heardsomeone whistle in appreciation, and proceeded to melt from head tofoot. Then he wrapped his legs around Tim’s waist and hugged hisneck.

“Your flight wasn’tsupposed to arrive until tomorrow.”

“It’s that whole timechange thing,” Tim said. “I flew fourteen hours and landed the sameday that I left, but an hour earlier. Don’t ask me how that works.Do you want to hop down?”

“Nope!” Ben said. “I’mnever letting you go. Carry me home.”

Tim laughed and turned,walking them down the hall.

“The house is a mess,” Benwarned.

“I’ve already been there.It’s fine. Chinchilla nearly had a heart attack when she saw me.”Tim hoisted him, shifting his weight to a more comfortableposition. “She’s in the car. I couldn’t stand leaving her again.The windows are cracked, but we should hurry anyway.”

He broke into a jog, Benlaughing as he bounced up and down. “Okay, okay,” he said, oncethey had burst outside into the sunshine. “Put me down.”

Tim placed him gently onthe ground, silver eyes sparkling. “I missed you,” hemurmured.

“Being without you was aliving hell,” Ben admitted. “Are you done now? No more going toTokyo?”

“I’d like to go backsomeday,” Tim said. “See how things are going, check in on mylittle brother.”

“Your what?”

Tim grinned, clearlyenjoying being mysterious. “My little brother. I told you abouthim.”

“You mean Corey? The guywho couldn’t keep his hands off you?”

“Happens all the time,”Tim said wistfully. “People can’t control themselves aroundme.”