Page 112 of Something Like Winter
Tim couldn’t take it anymore. He took Ben’s arms and pulled him down forcefully. Their lips met, but this time Ben didn’t hesitate, and there would be no interruptions. Their lips mashed together with desperation, as if they were both starving for each other. Then the rest of their bodies caught up as they scrabbled at each other’s swimsuits.
As soon as they were nude, Ben climbed onto Tim, the deck chair creaking as they pressed against each other. If the kiss at Splashtown had been fire, this was an inferno. Tim couldn’t remember ever burning like this, his need shutting out thought as he gave way to raw sensation. He took the oil, using it to lube them both as Ben ground against him, but he needed everything, needed to be as close to him as humanly possible. He shifted Ben upward, grabbing his wrists and pinning them behind his back so Ben’s full weight was on him. Ben writhed and Tim shifted until they were lined up. Then Tim gently pressed inside.
Ecstasy! He wanted the moment to last the rest of their lives. Let them grow old and turn to dust in this very deck chair, because what they had now was perfection. They were one, inseparable, the five years between them melting away like a bad dream. When they exploded together, their panting bodies sticky with sweat, Tim was sure it had been just that—a horrible nightmare, but now they had woken up together.
Tim released Ben for only a second so he could wrap his arms around him. “Welcome back.”
Ben sighed against his chest, but when he raised his head, he was grinning. “You have no idea how many times I fantasized about this.”
“What, sex by the pool?”
“You know what I mean.” Ben let his head rest on him again. “Us somehow finding each other and giving in one more time.”
“I want way more than once,” Tim said, squeezing him.
“Ow!” Ben wheezed.
“Sorry.”
When he could breathe again, Ben laughed. Then he rolled to his side, propping himself up. “I never stopped thinking about you. I wanted to. Sometimes I would make it days or even weeks, but inevitably, you’d pop up in my mind.”
“Same here,” Tim said. “There’s probably a reason for that. A sound, scientific explanation.”
Ben rolled his eyes and gave him a playful nudge. “We’re having a moment here.”
“Sorry.” Tim put on a sober expression. “You want to move in with me? Get married in the morning? I’ll even build you a white picket fence.”
Ben sighed. “Of course in my fantasies, I forgot how full of shit you are.”
“Try me,” Tim dared. “Whatever you want. Name it.”
When Ben looked at him, Tim was sure he finally understood how serious he felt. Then Ben gave a gentle smile. “How about dinner with your parents?”
Tim laughed. “All right, but you have to show up like it’s an accident. I’ll call you the next time my mom is makingchile rellenos.” Ben chuckled, but Tim wasn’t done. “I’m serious. About what I said, I mean. Whatever you want.”
Ben exhaled as if facing a serious decision. “Let’s let it develop naturally. By that I mean slowly. Things are still a little weird for me right now, you know?”
Jace. But Tim was no longer worried about him, so he nodded. “It might not be my mom’s cooking, but I can take you to dinner. I read about this place where you bring your dog and they also cook for her.”
“Seriously?”
“I shit you not.”
Ben glanced over at Chinchilla. “But she’s not potty-trained.”
“Maybe they ask you about that like a smoking preference. ‘Would you like pissing, or non-pissing, sir?’”
Ben laughed at his dumb joke, just like he always had… and with a little luck, always would.
Chapter Twenty-six
Tim drummed along with the song on the radio, the steering wheel doubling as a percussion instrument as he shot sidelong glances at the phone in the passenger seat. To call or not to call? Ben had stayed late on Saturday but hadn’t slept over. The next day Ben was home working on his thesis and wasn’t available. Tim had given him his space, but was beginning to regret it. On Monday, once he was done with his only class, he was tempted to drive straight to Ben’s house and would have if Chinchilla didn’t need to go out. Twenty-four hours without an “accident” was a big deal, and Tim hoped to keep the record going.
When he got to his house, Ben’s car was in the driveway, sending his pulse racing. Oddly enough, Ben appeared from around the side of the garage. Was he snooping? Tim would be worried if the garage wasn’t locked, so he pushed the thought from his mind and grinned his approval at the surprise visit.
“Wow,” Tim said as he got out of the car. “Think hard enough about something and it’ll come true.”
“What do you mean?”
