Page 18 of Something Like Winter

“I’ll let you smell my socks.” A pillow smacked into Tim’s face, and when he moved it away, Ben was on his way to the door. Tim called after him. “AndI’ll let you keep using my car, you thief!”

So it went. The days were lonely until Ben was out of school. Then Ben would spend all his free time with him, Tim grateful for every second because the days could get long and boring. Besides, Ben took good care of him. The cooking and cleaning was enough, but he also did laundry, even though Tim hadn’t asked him to. Ben ran baths for him too, Tim having to bathe with the cast propped up on the tub’s edge. Once, during their first weekend together, he even let Ben keep him company in the bathroom while he bathed. The shower curtain had been pulled, of course, but not completely, since the way Ben snuck looks at his body definitely wasn’t bad for Tim’s ego.

In a way, they were like an old married couple not interested in sex anymore. At least Tim wasn’t. Not even thoughts of scoring with Krista could rouse his appetite. Maybe the pills were to blame for that. The constant drowsiness was starting to annoy him, so after being on them nearly two weeks, Tim decided to quit. He was out of the pills anyway, and not having them refilled would give Ben less to complain about, since Tim had fallen asleep early the last couple of nights.

When the phone rang Thursday afternoon, Tim grinned as he reached for it. Most likely it was Ben, worrying about what they were going to have for dinner. “What’s up, sweet cheeks?”

“Hey man, where you been?”

The voice was unmistakable, possessing the smooth confidence of the rich and popular.

“Hey! Darryl! Didn’t Krista tell you?”

“Krista? Don’t you mean sweet cheeks?”

Tim choked but managed to make it sound like a laugh. “Yeah. I thought she’d be calling. Anyway, she didn’t fill you in?”

“She did. Your ankle is jacked up, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Krista had called last week, but Tim had only told half the truth, saying his parents weren’t letting him go out. He wasn’t sure why he lied. Maybe because he was enjoying the easy evenings with Ben. Now the idea of hanging out with the guys, sneaking a few beers after school at Darryl’s place, sounded nice. As did the attention Krista normally lavished on him.

“We thought you’d be back by now,” Darryl pressed. “Bryce broke his arm last year and only got a few days off.”

Tim probably wouldn’t have gotten that much if his parents had been in town. “I’m milking it, man. I should be back on Monday.”

“Krista says she hasn’t seen you. Want me to send her over for a getwell hand job?”

Tim snorted. “I mentioned my parents are Catholic, right?”

“Ah,” Darryl responded as if this explained everything.

“Besides, she’s a prude.”

Darryl laughed. “Surely she’s notthatmuch of a prude! Maybe you’ve been playing it too safe.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Tim’s cock twitched at the idea. Yup, those pills had definitely kept his libido down.

“All right, get well soon, I guess.Ciao!”

“Peace.”

Tim hung up and sat in silence. Something about the call made him nervous. Hearing from Darryl was like a wake-up call. His parents were due back on Sunday. After that, it was back to reality. Playing house with Ben had been fun, but Tim couldn’t see this world and the one he had known coming together.

Unless he could bring Ben with him somehow, get his friends to appreciate him. But how? He couldn’t imagine Bryce being moved by Ben’s singing, and exposing Ben to Stacy Shelly and Darryl Briscott wouldn’t be doing him any favors. Tim didn’t mind them, but by comparison, Ben was too nice and innocent.

Except for the gay thing, which was pretty wild, but that was another problem. Ben didn’t keep a low profile, and if Tim’s parents found out, they would flip. No, there was only the weekend left, and then it was as good as over. All he could do was try to enjoy what time remained.

Despite his best efforts, Tim felt moody when Ben showed up. The fridge was getting empty, so Ben had brought fast food with him, but Tim only picked at it. Afterwards they hung out on the couch, Tim increasingly sick of being there. Without the pills, it wasn’t just sex that he missed. Painting, running, driving—anything sounded better than more television. He switched off the TV and tossed aside the remote with a sigh.

“You okay?” Ben asked.

“Not really.” Tim pushed himself up. “Let’s go for a walk or something.”

“The way you swing around on those crutches, I’d never keep up with you.” Ben chewed his lip, searching for inspiration. “How about the back patio? You guys have a nice yard. We can hang out there.”

“Yeah, okay.”