Page 28 of Benson
“So, you didn’t just take your salary, did you?”
“No. I panicked when I saw all that money in his drawer. Took it all.”
Benson didn’t say anything right away. The server dropped off their plates, and Kyle muttered a thanks before pushing his eggs around with a fork.
“I feel bad about it now,” Kyle said. “I do. But I needed it. I was trying to get out of the city.”
Benson took a bite of pancake and chewed slowly. “I get needing to leave. I do. But stealing? That’s not the way.”
Kyle looked up, defensive. “He screwed me over.”
“Maybe,” Benson said. “But now his guys are threatening you. That’s not nothing.”
Kyle’s shoulders slumped. “If I give it back, I’ve got nothing.”
Benson wiped his mouth with a napkin, then leaned forward. “Then I’ll help you. I’ll cover you till you get a job. Return the money, clean slate. No more looking over your shoulder.”
Kyle stared at him, eyes wide. “You’d do that?”
“Yeah,” Benson said. “Because I believe in you. But you’ve gotta do the right thing first. And because I’m your Daddy Benson.”
Kyle nodded slowly, like the weight was finally shifting. “Okay. I’ll give it back.”
Benson smiled, nudging Kyle’s plate toward him. “Good. Now eat your damn eggs. You’re gonna need the energy.”
Back in the truck after their breakfast, he parked in a field of hot air balloons. “Are we going to ride in one of those balloons?”
“Yes, you okay with that?”
“I always wanted to.”
The balloon was massive—striped in warm reds and oranges, like it had been stitched together from desert sunsets. Benson watched the crew fire up the burner, the flame roaring into the belly of the balloon, and felt the heat brush his face. The basket creaked as they climbed in, just big enough for the two of them and the pilot, who gave them a grin and a thumbs-up before pulling the cord again.
They lifted slowly, like the earth was reluctant to let them go.
New Mexico stretched out below them in layers—rust-colored mesas, winding rivers that looked like silver threads, and clusters of adobe homes nestled into the land like they’d grown there. The morning light was soft and golden, casting long shadows across the desert. Benson leaned over the edge, wind tugging at his jacket, and let out a quiet laugh.
“This is insane,” he said, glancing at Kyle. “You ever think we’d be floating over the desert in a giant fire-powered balloon?”
Kyle grinned, his cheeks pink from the cold. “I didn’t even think I’d be awake this early.”
Benson stepped closer, wrapping an arm around Kyle’s waist. “Worth it, though.”
Kyle nodded, eyes scanning the horizon. “It’s beautiful. Peaceful.”
“Yeah,” Benson said. “It’s like the world’s holding its breath.”
They stood like that for a while, just watching the land drift beneath them. A hawk soared nearby, wings stretched wide, and Benson felt something loosen in his chest. He turned to Kyle,brushing a strand of hair from his face, fingers lingering at his jaw.
“I want you with me. Not just in the easy moments. In the messy ones too. When I’m tired. When I’m pissed off at my dad. When I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” Benson said.
Kyle leaned into his touch. “I know. I love being with you even when you’re grumpy.”
Benson laughed, then kissed him—slow and warm, the kind of kiss that made the world tilt a little. The balloon drifted higher, the desert falling away beneath them, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the sky.
“I could stay up here forever,” Benson said, forehead resting against Kyle’s.
Kyle smiled. “Let’s not come down until we have to.”
