Page 16 of Sour Candy (Sour Candy #1)

Benji’s knee had been vibrating for a full ten minutes.

Noah was keeping track. It had briefly stopped when Noah introduced him to the driver, and the two of them had a conversation about their favorite sandwich place, which closed down ten years ago but left a hole in various sandwich-loving hearts.

Then Benji had fallen silent, and the knee had started up again. The nail-biting. The hair-tugging, his curls fresh and vibrant from the product Noah had rubbed into it last night.

Noah fought the urge to still that shaking knee, pull his hands away from his face. He had to pick his moments, and he got the feeling that this moment shouldn’t happen with the partition down and Riona humming along to the radio in the driver’s seat.

“Four-oh-two,” Riona announced as she pulled up to the address Benji had given them. “Here we are. Do you want me to help carry anything?”

“Nope,” Benji said, fumbling to undo his seatbelt.

Noah opened his mouth.

“Nope,” Benji repeated. “I’m good, I got it. Five seconds.”

He rushed out of the car. Closed the seatbelt in the door. Swore, yanking the door back open and shoving the seatbelt inside with such force that it nearly smacked Noah in the leg.

“Sorry,” he called. Then he slammed the door shut and ran down the driveway, pulling his new coat tighter around him as he went.

It suited him. Long and swishing, accentuating the line of his body. It would go well with a thick scarf, Noah considered. Dark, to suit his eyes.

“He seems nice,” Riona said approvingly, adjusting her sleek black driver’s hat. “Once he gets out of his own way. I was not expecting that rant about how my favorite sandwich meat was the worst kind. Then I realized he was just a weirdo.”

“Careful,” Noah said.

“Sorry, Sir. You know I love weirdos.” Riona flashed a smile at him in the rear-view mirror. “I was a lot like him when I was his age. Didn’t realize I was putting people off until it was too late.”

Noah hummed. He usually paid at least some attention to Riona, who was fifteen years older than him and loved to chat, especially about things that an employee probably shouldn’t talk to her employer about.

But Benji was emerging from the driveway, a gangly teenage boy with curly hair beside him, the two of them visibly arguing over a massive Lego robot.

Most of it was Lego, but Noah caught glimpses of metal and plastic wedged in there, plus a controller balancing on the robot’s arms. It looked like it could actually move around.

“Wow,” Riona said. “Good thing we have a big backseat.”

Noah got out of the car, keeping the door open.

“—because it’d take forever to put back together with all the adjustments I made,” Max was saying as he walked into earshot. He nodded wildly at the spinning wheel the robot was holding. “See? Do you see that? It’s delicate! I haven’t welded it yet!”

“Since when do you need to weld Lego?” Benji said despairingly. “Just stick to the actual Lego, you freak! Quit adding shit!”

“ You’re the freak,” Max shot back, holding a wobbling clock in place that definitely wasn’t included in the set and was dubiously holding on to the robot’s shoulder. He looked over at Noah and stopped, Benji following suit with a mumbled swear.

Noah waved. “Hi. That looks cool. You did the modifications yourself?”

“Yeah, I did .” Max gave Benji a haughty look, ignoring the eyeroll he got in response. “Are you from his college? Your car looks way too good to be an arts student.”

“Jesus, shut up,” Benji told him. “Max, this is Noah. He very kindly agreed to give you a ride.”

“Oh shit, cool,” Max said, sounding so much like Benji that Noah couldn’t hold back a snort.

Benji tried to kick him. Max dodged as best he could while still keeping his robot upright, squinting into the driver’s seat.

“Do you have a driver ? She’s wearing a fancy uniform and everything! Who is this guy, Benji?”

Noah waved again. “I’m Noah. I work at Stern Appliances.”

“Cool,” Max said distractedly, adjusting the remote controller on the robot’s arms. “Why are you hanging out with my brother? He only has one friend.”

Benji let out a panicked laugh, dragging them back into motion. Max stumbled along with him, yelling at him to keep the robot steady, damnit!

After not an inconsiderable amount of bickering and Benji threatening to break the controller over Max’s head, they strapped the robot into the backseat.

Its knees bent to accommodate it, which was helpful.

Benji shoved in after it, still grumbling.

Noah followed, his leg pressing into Benji’s as they buckled in.

Max cheered, barreling into the passenger’s seat. “Front seat! Whoa, there’s even a divider. Is it still a divider if the car is this fancy? I’m gonna look it up.”

“I’ve always called it a partition,” Noah said.

Max dropped his phone into his lap, twisting to stare at Benji. “What the fuck, man! Where’d you get the cool coat from? Where’s mine?”

“Language,” Benji told him. “Your teacher’s going to get pissed at me again. Yeah, I’ll buy you a new coat.”

Max paused, eyes narrowing. “Fuck you.”

“Fuck you ,” Benji replied. “I’m serious, jackass. We’ll go tomorrow, before chess club.”

Max blinked. For the first time since he walked out of that house, he didn’t move at all. Then he broke out into a shocked smile. “Really? Holy shit! Did they give you a raise at the diner?”

“Nope,” Benji said, popping the p. “Got a new job. Pays better.”

His knee vibrated against Noah’s leg. He stilled it for a second, but by the time his brother started talking, it was going again.

“Really? What job?”

“Uh,” Benji said, panicked.

Noah made a split-second decision and leaned over to smile at Max.

“He works for me,” he said. “He’s my new assistant.”

Benji’s head snapped to stare at him. But Max was already laughing, staring around the car again.

“Dude, I didn’t know bosses did this. Your boss is cool, Benji!”

“Yeah,” Benji said, still staring at Noah. “I… I guess he is.”

He pulled at a stray curl. Noah rubbed his hands on his slacks.

It wouldn’t do to smooth his hair back or still that jiggling knee with his little brother watching, no matter how tempting it was.

Benji was anxious, and of course, Noah wanted to soothe him.

Wanted to make him comfortable. Wanted to make sure he was warm and fed and relaxed.

But mostly he wanted to keep that smile on Benji’s face, shy and fleeting before he bit his lip to make it stop.

Max chattered the whole way to the apartment building.

He made a good match for Riona, who was all too happy to natter back to him.

They didn’t have much in common, but Max was surprisingly happy to talk about things he didn’t understand.

Asking questions, wanting answers. Always enthusiastic, always running headlong into the next subject.

He was much more open than Benji, who watched him from the backseat with a grudging, fond smile.

It made Noah wonder where their parents were.

Did Max’s teachers have another adult to talk to, or just Benji?

If it was just them, how long had Benji been taking care of them both?

He was only twenty. That was a young age to have no one to fall back on.

Noah hadn’t had much to do with his father at that age, but he was always there if Noah needed him.

Benji tried to refuse when Noah offered to help carry the robot up the stairs, saying they could handle it.

“Are you sure?” Noah asked, heaving the robot into his arms. “Because I’ve been training for a moment just like this. Stairmaster, every day. Arms every other day. I don’t know when I’m going to get another opportunity like this.”

Benji made a noise that might’ve been a giggle before he smothered it. He coughed, arms folding over his chest. “I mean. If you put it that way, who am I to deprive you?”

If they were alone, Noah would’ve kissed him. But they were on the street, and Noah was holding a very heavy robot, and his brother was behind them talking to Riona about the pink tax, which Max had not heard of and was outraged by.

So, he just smiled and headed into the apartment building, Benji trailing behind him.

“This isn’t so bad,” Noah said, arms hardly aching. “What floor do you live on?”

Benji winced. “Eleven.”

Noah flexed. “Let’s do it.”

Eleven floors and no breaks later, Benji let him into the apartment.

“They keep saying they’ll fix the elevator,” he said. “We send email after email, but you know how it is.”

Noah nodded, giving the apartment a subtle glance.

It was small and cold. The wallpaper was peeling, and the TV was resting straight on the carpet, with nothing to hold it up.

Faint music drifted in from the next apartment, a thumping bass that would give Noah a headache if he had to put up with it for more than five minutes.

There was a canvas propped up against the far wall, and painting supplies sprawled over the floor.

As far as studios went, it wasn’t ideal.

Benji stepped in front of the canvas self-consciously, gnawing on his thumbnail. “Uh, you can dump that anywhere. Carefully, I think he’ll throw a fit if we break one of his alterations.”

Noah sank into a low squat, lowering the robot onto the sagging couch.

“Whoa, okay,” Benji said distantly. “Lift with your legs.”

Noah looked over to find Benji staring blatantly at his ass. He’d been sneaking glances at Noah’s arms whenever they flexed, which admittedly had been more times than necessary during that grueling climb.

Noah popped a shirt button. Benji’s eyes dragged instantly toward it, landing on the exposed clavicle with such repressed want that Noah was tempted to go over and tell him to clean his sweat with his tongue. Then, predictably, Benji’s gaze snapped away with a guilty little laugh.

“Uh,” he said, scratching his nose. “Thanks. Seriously. That was… really sweet. You’re really sweet.”

“So are you,” Noah said honestly.

Benji’s teeth caught on his lower lip. Still chapped, still bitten and raw from all his nervous chewing. Noah had no idea how anyone could find this boy off-putting. He tried to be, sure. But it was such a thin veneer that Noah was shocked that everybody couldn’t see right through it.

“Hope that boss thing doesn’t kick us in the ass,” Benji said hastily. “He will follow up on that. Inquisitive little shit.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Noah said and grinned. “You’re a good brother. I would’ve thought his parents would be the ones picking him up from the suburbs.”

“It’s just us,” Benji said flatly. “We had an aunt. But, uh, not for a while now. Soooo. Either I pick him up, or he finds some way to drag that thing home.”

He toed at the frayed carpet. There was a yellow paint stain under his foot, which Benji hastily noticed and tried to stand on.

Noah pretended not to notice. “I’m sorry. That’s?—”

“Yeah, yeah. Shit happens.”

Noah watched him retreat into his shoulders and thought back to him haltingly admitting that last night was the best night of his life. I just wasn’t expecting it . He didn’t seem to expect anything good to happen to him, period.

Max still wasn’t here yet. Noah decided to risk it. He stepped closer, tugging at the coat he’d brought for him. “Can I see you on Tuesday?”

“Uh. Sure.” Benji made a face. “Wait, shit, I have that stupid inspection. Wednesday?”

“Can’t wait.” Noah kissed his hand. He let his lips linger, enjoying how Benji’s face cycled through five different emotions before settling on a smothered smile. “I’ll send you some money tonight.”

Benji’s smile slipped away. “Oh. Seriously? I’m still— You don’t have to do it every time.”

“I know.” Noah kissed him. He meant to keep it light and quick, but Benji let out a startled moan, and Noah couldn’t help himself. He pressed harder, licking the seam of Benji’s lips until they parted obediently.

He only leaned back when he heard Max come up the stairs, his clattering gait unmistakable even if he wasn’t talking to himself about the recently discovered pink tax.

“Buy yourself something nice,” he told Benji.