Page 32 of Stand By Me

"Thanks, but I'd rather not to. We had a fight and we need to move past it, but for now, it is what it is. Besides," Clay pointed at him with his fork, "I'd rather listen to you."

The warmth spread through Mario and his shoulders sagged in relief. Maybe they could salvage this date, after all. They'd started off great, and with some luck, they could get back to that.

Mario's conscience was nagging him about Ben now, though. He couldn't keep putting this off, no matter how much he wanted to.

Somehow it was easier to plan that conversation when he wasn't sitting across Clay, who was smiling at him from the other side of a small table that made it easy to pretend all those leg touches were accidental.

Go figure.

"So, I was thinking—" he started, only to be interrupted by a buzzing vibration coming from Clay's pocket.

"Damn, sorry. I silenced it but I have it set to vibrate for a few select numbers." Clay pulled it out and glanced at the screen. "It's my mom. Would you mind? I'll go outside and make sure it's not an emergency."

"Of course, go ahead."

Mrs. Jackson wasn't a chatty lady, preferring a text over a phone call every time. He'd be concerned in Clay's shoes, too.

Hell, he was concerned, period.

In the few minutes Clay was gone, Mario slowly finished his meal, trying not to dwell on all the different catastrophes his overactive imagination was presenting him.

Finally, Clay was back, apologetic expression already on his face.

"Apparently, Ben almost fainted at work and they refuse to let him out without someone picking him up. He called Mom, but she can't leave her shift, so she called me. I'm sorry, but I need to—"

"Of course you need to," Mario cut off any apologies. "It's Ben. Of course you need to."

Clay's shoulders relaxed a bit as he offered him a soft smile. "You, Mario de Silva, are the perfect date, I swear."

Mario let out a surprised laugh. "This date has been far from perfect."

"You aren't, though," Clay told him with a nod that broke no arguments. Then he grew serious again. "I'll take care of the bill on my way out, feel free to—"

"I'm taking care of the bill and you are leaving right now." This time it was Mario who meant business. "Go help Ben. And then text me later, I want to know he's okay."

Clay stared at him for a moment, then leaned in, put a hand on the back of Mario's neck, and drew him in for a short kiss before taking off while Mario's lips where still tingling.

A kiss like that after calling him perfect?

Damn.

Mario shook his head, trying to clear it a little. Neither of them was perfect, that was just a fact.

But maybe they could be perfect for each other.

Yeah, he thought with a grin that startled a girl who was passing by his table.That sounds right.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Rushing back home to pick up his car was enough time for his heart to almost get back to normal, but the adrenaline was still pumping in his veins. Most of it was worry about Ben, about what could have happened to make him almost faint, but there was also a memory of Mario's wide eyes after their kiss.

Not to mention the kiss itself, which had felt necessary in that moment, after the way Mario made it clear he got his back and he'd take care of things.

Whatever Clay had been expecting when he first saw Mario after all those years, it wasn't this—the slow, sure slide into something that could change Clay's whole life.

But there was no time to think about it now. He needed to get to Ben.

Keeping to the speed limit was a challenge, but the last thing he wanted was to get pulled over and end up taking even more time to get to Ruth's Children Hospital. While his brother wasn't going to be happy to see him either way, there was no need to make it even worse.

---