Page 55 of Benson
“All the time,” Kyle whispered. “But it still hurts.”
They sat in silence for a while, the waves filling the space between them. Then Juan spoke again, quieter this time. “I used to be in love with someone too. Back in Miami. He was a dancer.We were good together, but he wanted something steadier. I wasn’t ready. I left. He didn’t chase me.”
Kyle looked at him. “Do you regret it?”
Juan shrugged. “Sometimes. But I also know I wasn’t ready to be who he needed. Doesn’t mean I didn’t love him.”
Kyle nodded slowly, the words settling deep.
Later, back at the condo, they practiced new steps in the living room—Juan counting out loud, Kyle laughing when he missed a beat. The music played low, and the rhythm gave Kyle something to hold on to. Something that felt like movement, even if his heart was still stuck in place.
After a while, Kyle wiped sweat from his brow and said, “There are drinks in the fridge. Grab whatever you want.”
Juan walked into the kitchen. A moment later, he screamed.
Kyle rushed in, heart pounding. “What’s going on?”
Juan turned, eyes wide, holding something in his hand. “This was in the freezer.”
It was a one-way ticket to Michigan. Kyle stared at it, breath caught.
Juan handed it to him slowly. “That’s a sign, bro.”
Kyle looked down at the ticket, fingers trembling. It was an open ticket to Michigan. Maybe he’d bought it in a moment of hope. Maybe he’d forgotten all about it. Or maybe he hadn’t wanted to remember. He looked at Juan, who nodded once, steady and sure.
“You know what you have to do, don’t you?”
“Maybe he was so sure I’d leave with him, then when I said I wasn’t ready he threw it in the freezer. I don’t know what this all means now.”
“You have a premium job here, and it’s beautiful all year. But he’s offering you a home and a life with him. He wants you. Don’t ghost him.”
And Kyle felt something shift, as if the ache wasn’t meant to be carried forever. Maybe his dilemma was resolved by taking a chance. He loved Daddy Benson.
“Then why didn’t he answer my text last night?”
“Maybe it didn’t go through, or he didn’t check his messages.”
“Benson checks everything. Nothing gets past him. I don’t know what to do.”
“You need to get dressed for work tonight. Tomorrow we’re off, and you can decide if you want to be with him or stay here. You can’t be in two places.”
Kyle’s heart was already pounding as he raced to the bedroom, Juan close behind, the creak of the floorboards echoing beneath their feet like a warning. Kyle snatched his phone from the charger on the nightstand, hands trembling slightly.
He hadn’t checked it since they’d gone swimming. It had been charging, forgotten in the bedroom while he let himself pretend—for just a few hours—that he wasn’t waiting. He unlocked the screen and opened his messages first, thumb moving fast.
“Anything?” Juan asked, breathless behind him.
Kyle shook his head. “No texts. No voicemails.”
His chest tightened. He’d sent Benson a love text. He’d waited. And now, nothing. The silence felt louder than ever.
“Check recent calls,” Juan whispered.
Kyle hesitated, then tapped the icon. His breath caught.
There it was.
Benson McCoy — Missed Call.
