Page 64 of The Guy in the Alley

“Mm.” Ben nodded absently and read whatever, a message maybe, on his phone. “Gare, you mind dropping me off at my ma’s place? Alvin’s anxious. He had therapy today.”

That brought me out of my daze, like a rubber band snapping away every question and ounce of confusion.

“No, of course not,” Garrett replied.

I cleared my throat and stepped aside as Garrett carried more wood through the door. “Ben, can I have a word?” I walked down the last steps and gestured toward the dumpsters.

“Yeah, sure.” He pocketed his phone again and followed me down the alley. “Everything okay?”

Uh, that was my question to him.

I exhaled a laugh and rubbed the back of my neck. “Let’s start over. Hi,” I said pointedly. “How did it go today?”

Maybe it dawned on him that he’d sort of steamrolled in here like a new man.

He let out a chuckle and removed his beanie. “I’m a full-time employee with decent pay and good benefits. I haven’t felt this good in years.”

That made me smile. He’d mentioned yesterday that the original job he’d applied for was, like, twenty bucks an hour, and the one he’d eventually been offered was almost twenty-six, with opportunities for overtime. And he’d talked about a 401(k) as if it was a strange concept.

“Today was a short shift,” he said. “I have a week of in-house training and tagging along with someone who’s retiring soon, and that’s about it. I got my work clothes, my schedule, I pissed in a cup, and I’m picking up my work phone tomorrow.”

Fuck, I wanted to hug him—and then some. “What’s the schedule gonna look like?”

“Two weeks day shifts, one week nights,” he replied. “What they do is, I have a set of assigned buildings for the day shifts, and then I’m on call for the night shifts where several of us cover buildings throughout the city. Best part, I can stay here until I get called in. I just gotta report to my manager a few times.”

That was fucking amazing.

“I’m really happy for you.” I dared to reach out and give his arm a brief squeeze, and he smiled that gorgeous fucking smile. “So, can we celebrate when you get back, or are you staying at your ma’s?”

He grew hesitant and pulled out his phone again. “It’s never a good idea I stay there. Her place is too tiny, and we gotta get creative with the sleeping arrangements. If you don’t mind, I’d like to come back here, but I might be late. It depends on Alvin.”

I nodded, totally understanding that part. I was just glad he was coming back. “I don’t mind—and…I need you to get that through your thick skull. I want you to stay with me. I’m not doing it to do you a favor.”

He tilted his head. “Then why are you doing it, bright spot?”

Oh, so that nickname was making a comeback, huh?

That was fine.

“We have stellar banter going on.” I shrugged. “Plus, you’re gonna save me a ton of money if you’re building me a bartop. You’re practically doing me a favor.”

He laughed quietly and shook his head. “I liked the first part—and I agree. But the rest was bullshit.”

No, it fucking wasn’t.

“What’re you talking about?” I had to push. I couldn’t help it. I wanted him to see. “Every improvement in the bar leads to better reviews and more customers. This is a win-win situation, Ben.” I folded my arms over my chest and tried to stand a little taller. I felt like I would’ve sounded more convincing if he weren’t such a damn skyscraper. “You’ll be doing what I can’t afford—and trust me, I got a long list if you ever get bored.”

At least he didn’t dismiss what I said. He was listening; he was mulling things over.

When his gaze met mine again, the affection and soft mirth were unmistakable, and a beat later, he cupped the back of my neck and pulled me in for a hug.

“Thank you. I needed to hear that.” He pressed a kiss to my temple and was gone long before I wanted him to, long before I’d gotten a chance to process anything, and he started walking backward to the truck. “I’ll text you when I know how late I’m gonna be.”

I nodded dumbly.

Fuck me, I wanted him. A rush of nerves and desire and longing swept through me and stayed there. This went so far beyond lust and temporary attachments. He was threatening my sanity as it was, and nobody had done that before. Even with Eric, I’d maintained a level of emotional distance, and it hadn’t only been because of his addiction.

* * *

---