Page 80 of Something Like Winter

“Hey!” he said, smiling at her. The gesture wasn’t returned. “Long time no see.”

Allison nodded slowly. “There’s a reason for that, isn’t there?”

“Yeah,” Tim said, growing serious. “How is he?”

“Ben?” Allison looked smug. “He’s great!”

“That’s good,” Tim said. “I mean, that’s what I hoped. Man, I can’t believe you go to school here. Does Ben—”

“Chicago,” Allison said, anticipating the question. “Other side of the country. Very, very, far away from here.”

“Yeah, okay,” Tim said, trying to laugh it off. “Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m going to track him down and ruin his life again. He’s better off without me.”

This earned him a little sympathy. “There’s a music college up there,” Allison said in more civil tones. “He’s still singing away with that beautiful voice of his.”

Just the thought of Ben’s voice made Tim’s heart ache. “What about you? I remember you belting out a tune or two.”That’swhat she had been singing under her breath. The song she and Ben had performed together at the talent show, the one with the lyrics designed to cut him up inside.

“I still sing,” Allison said, “but I don’t plan on making a career out of it. Well, it was nice seeing you.”

“Wait!” Tim hated how desperate he sounded. “Did Ben ever… I mean, he found someone, right?”

Allison chewed her bottom lip. Normally her answers came fast and snappy. “He moved on,” she said. “Eventually.”

But did Ben have someone new? If he did, then surely Allison would have said something. “As long as he’s okay. Too bad you guys don’t live closer together. It’s hard to picture you being apart.”

Allison smiled, and this time it wasn’t smug or sarcastic. “I still manage to see him occasionally. On the holidays and such.”

“That’s good. Well, tell him I said ‘hi’ next time you talk.” Tim hesitated. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Probably not.”

They laughed together, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and went their separate ways. When Tim left the building and walked outside, the birds were singing and a breeze rustled his hair. He felt lighter than he had in a long time. Benjamin Bentley, up in Chicago and taking the city by storm! It had been so long since Tim had heard anything new about Ben. The last few times he had seen him—well, none of them had been exactly positive. But now he had something new to picture, a happier ending for the greatest love of his life. Tim hopped in his car and headed over to Eric’s, eager to tell him all about it.

* * * * *

“Allison Cross!” Tim said for about the ninetieth time.

“A very exciting development,” Eric said. He’d already heard the whole story, Tim retelling some parts of it twice. Eric had listened patiently, eyes closed as he soaked up the sun next to the private pool behind the house. The weather wasn’t warm enough for swimming, but being outside felt good.

Tim resisted saying Allison’s name aloud again. He’d already made her sound like a celebrity. “It’s just that she’s connected to Ben,” he explained. “Sometimes that whole year I had with him feels unreal, like a story I convinced myself was true.”

Eric smiled. “But itwasreal, and there’s no reason you can’t have that again.”

Tim shifted on the patio chair. “With Ben?”

“Why not? Have you thought about contacting him? You know where he is now.”

“Allison said he had moved on.”

“So have you. I’m pretty sure you don’t cry yourself to sleep every night over Ben, and I doubt he has a dart board with your photo on it.”

Tim frowned. “Yeah, butIlefthim. Maybe he’s not angry anymore, but I doubt he’s forgiven me. I mean, if Travis showed up here out of the blue, I wouldn’t give him a second chance.”

Eric opened his eyes and considered him. “Don’t compare yourself to Travis. You might not have been perfect, but you gave Ben a year of your life, and it was more than just physical. That’s completely different than drunken sex and a cold shoulder the next morning.”

“I guess so.” Tim thought about it. “What if Gabriel came back into your life and said he regretted leaving you?”

Eric’s cheeks flushed, but he smiled. “Don’t think I haven’t fantasized about that. I’m sure Ben has too.”