Page 36 of New Neighbor

“Your name… is on your mailbox. But had it not been, I would’ve tracked it down.”

“Oh?”

“I was doing my best to get close to you,” Mac admitted.

“What?”

“I might even have lied about my water being off.”

Benji’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Oh, I knew I wanted you from the moment I saw you the day I moved in,” Mac said.

Benji laughed. “Same.”

Mac kissed him. “Seems we both got what we wanted.”

Benji nodded. “Guess so.”

Mac drew him into his arms before they both drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

The following evening…

Benji heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see Mac standing there, Chinese take-out bag in hand.

“Hungry?”

Benji smiled. “Famished.”

He didn’t know what to expect when Mac had left that morning for a shift at the gym. Would he see him again soon? Of course he would—they were neighbors—but how much was too much? How soon was too soon?

Mac took the guesswork out, luckily.

He stepped back and let Mac inside. The man deposited the bag on the island and began pulling out containers. “I hope I’m not assuming or intruding. But I’ve been starving all day and I figured I owed you a meal after you took care of me so well.”

“Thank you,” Benji said, his voice low.

Mac smiled. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a few things. The same pork moo-shoo stuff you had the other night. And some spicier stuff.”

“I think we both know I can’t do spicy.”

“Nothing here is as hot as that. I doubt my body could handle it today,” he said. “Baby steps.”

He opened up one container and used the chopsticks to offer Benji a taste. Benji took the bite and chewed. “Oh, thatisgood.”

“You missed a bit,” Mac said before leaning in for a kiss.

Benji liked the taste of that even better.

Mac grinned as he pulled away. He pulled a few more containers out and one of the fortune cookies fell out and landed close to Benji.

He took it in his hand and tossed it up before catching it. A smile played over his face. “My fortune… from the other night. I suppose it was true after all.”

Mac frowned. “Oh yeah… the one who you like, likes you… right?”

“Uh-huh,” Benji answered. “What did yours say?”

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