Page 19 of Treehouse Whispers
Chapter 7
Benji snuggled his head further into the pillow, sighing happily. His awareness rose as a warm, solid body moved against his back, and he blinked his eyes open, seeing a white bedside table instead of a wooden one. Lifting his gaze to the room without moving his head, he beamed, figuring out where he was.
The warmth of Jamie brought with it a sense of contentment Benji had not felt before. He slid his hand from under the pillow and down to link his fingers through Jamie’s, tugging him closer. A hum reverberated over his back, and he felt Jamie move closer.
“Mmm. Good morning.” Benji smiled and pushed back into Jamie, who chuckled. “I know you’re not asleep, Benji,” he whispered.
Lips pressed against the back of Benji’s neck, making Benji arch in response. The tip of Jamie’s tongue traced a path to Benji’s shoulder. Jamie moved onto his elbow, unlinking their fingers and reaching to cup Benji’s jaw, twisting Benji towards him.
Benji’s gaze roamed the lines of Jamie’s face before settling on his jade eyes and noticing the brightness in them. “Good morning.”
Jamie beamed in response and leaned down to capture Benji’s mouth in a soft exploration as if he hadn’t explored enough last night. Benji would not argue, though. He was more than happy to extend their time in the bedroom rather than to face the world, but Jamie pulled away with a snort when Benji’s stomach inelegantly rumbled.
“Alrighty. What would Your Majesty fancy for breakfast?” Jamie pressed one more kiss to Benji’s lips, pushing off the mattress and stood.
Benji threw the pillow at him, laughing. “Shut up, princess.”
Jamie ducked to the side. “Don’t start something you can’t win.” He twisted around, opening a drawer and pulling out two pairs of joggers, throwing one at Benji. “Come on. Breakfast awaits.” He pulled on the trousers and sauntered out of the room, leaving Benji staring at the broad expanse of his back and wishing Jamie was back in bed with him.
Resisting the urge to pinwheel his legs and feet on the mattress in excitement, he calmly threw back the covers and dressed. Biting his lip, he practically skipped to the bathroom then descended the stairs to the sound of the radio, happiness radiating through him at the thought of the whole weekend in front of them without Jamie having to leave for work.
The kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it compared to the usual neatness of Jamie’s personality. Benji remembered they hadn’t cleaned up after themselves yesterday, so set to work, clearing plates and the takeaway containers. Luckily, they had placed the leftover food in the fridge; it was just the empty ones to get rid of. He paused, realising they were working in sync with one another. Jamie automatically moved out of Benji’s way when he needed him to, and vice versa. It felt remarkably domestic. Jamie was humming away to a song while standing at the cooker.
Benji couldn’t resist. Carefully drifting up to him, he made extra noise to alert Jamie to where he was until he slid his hands around Jamie’s waist. Pressing his lips to Jamie’s spine, he rested his forehead and breathed deeply. He’d spent many years thinking he wouldn’t have this, and it was mind-boggling to realise it was now his.
“Everything alright back there?” Jamie covered one of Benji’s hands and squeezed.
“Mmm-mmm.” He took one more deep breath, savouring the closeness, then lifted his head, meeting Jamie’s gaze. “All good with me.”
Jamie smirked. “Breakfast is ready.”
“Let me grab the cutlery.” Benji opened a drawer to Jamie’s right, picking out what they needed and took them to the table. Placing two plates down, Jamie pivoted, grabbed two glasses of water and passed one to Benji. “Thank you for this.”
“Breakfast of champions.” Jamie grinned as he tucked into bacon, scrambled eggs, beans and sausage.
“What are your plans for today?” Benji had to ask because he didn’t want to assume Jamie would spend time with him since he might have other plans.
With how they were sitting—right-angle to each other—Jamie rested his hand on top of Benji’s and gazed at him. “I’d love to spend some time with you if you don’t have any painting to do.”
Benji knew his face was flushed, and his grin could not be contained. “Nothing that can’t wait.”
“If you do have some to do…” Jamie hesitated, gaze falling to the table as he fidgeted with his fork.
“What?” Benji tilted his head, brow creasing. It was unlike Jamie to be unsure, and this was twice in two days.
He cleared his throat. “If you do have some to do, I could always keep you company.” Jamie rushed on, “You don’t have to. I know that painting is a quiet time for you. If you don’t want me there, it’s fine.”
Benji reversed their hand positions and squeezed Jamie’s hand. “If I have the urge to paint…” he waited until Jamie met his gaze, “I would love for you to be there.” He smirked. “It would save on having my phone alarm, anyway.”
Chuckling and shaking his head, Jamie leaned forward, planting a kiss on Benji’s cheek. “Finish your breakfast.”
They spent the next few minutes eating, drinking, and giving and receiving little caresses and smiles. As they stacked the dishwasher, Jamie asked, “What would you like to do today?”
Benji leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms in front of him. “I don’t mind. I just…” His cheeks flushed.
“Just what?” Now it was Jamie’s turn to push for an answer.
“I just want to spend time with you. Like this.” Benji indicated between the two of them.
