Page 5 of Treehouse Whispers
“Yeah, I’m alright for a couple of episodes.” Jamie checked the time as he agreed. “We should be able to get two in before I crash and burn for the night.”
The cooking show was a reality-based show that Jamie got Benji hooked on a few years prior. Jamie watched it to get ideas for his meals, but Benji enjoyed listening to the judge's comments and trying to figure out which one would lose the round. They never watched it when it first aired, preferring to watch two or three episodes at a time—or even one year, the whole season in one weekend. Benji had never felt as lazy as he had that weekend, but he had enjoyed it considerably.
“We got to episode four, wasn’t it?” Jamie asked as he sat on the sofa, pointing the remote towards the TV.
“Yeah. The guy we hated had been voted off, thank god.” Benji sat next to Jamie carefully, making sure not to brush against him in any place. He brought his legs up beneath him and curled into the corner.
“Here we go. I’ll quickly grab us some drinks before we start.”
Jamie disappeared into the kitchen, and Benji stared up at the ceiling, contentment sinking him further into the sofa. The only thing to make the evening better…having Jamie’s arms wrapped around him.
Starting the episode upon his return, Jamie placed a frosted glass of water in Benji’s hand before settling into his own seat.
When Benji finally returned home to sleep, after three episodes instead of two, he was dead on his feet. His eyes burned as he kept them open to see what he was doing. But as he sank into his mattress and snuggled into the cover, a voice settled him further.
“Goodnight, Benji,” crackled the walkie-talkie.
Benji fell asleep with a smile on his face.
