Page 131 of When Ben Loved Jace
I can tell he’s kidding. The shit-eating grin is a welcome sight. He already seems more like his old self.
“For real,” he says. “The staying-over part, I mean. I know that I’m gonna have to face living in an empty house again. And I will. I just don’t want to right now, when everything is still so raw. I’ll put fresh sheets on the guest room bed.”
I nod without having to think about it, because I want to make sure that he’s okay. Besides… this might be the last time we ever see each other.
— — —
Waking up the next morning is disorientating until the events of the previous night come back to me. Much of it was spent reassuring Tim that he’d done the right thing. Understandably, since the sort of threats Ryan was making would be difficult for anyone to shake. I tried to keep Tim focused on the positive. We played with Chinchilla. I sang to him. We looked through a yearbook from our senior year while drumming up old memories. Once I was alone in my room for the night, I called Jace and told him everything. Almost. He knows that I scared Ryan off by claiming that I was getting a divorce to marry Tim. I didn’t mention the kiss. I’d rather do so in person, when he’s home tonight. Although I did taste guilt at the end of our call, when he said,“I’m proud of you, Ben.”
I hope he still feels that way when he finds out the full truth.
For now, I slide out of bed, get dressed in yesterday’s clothes, and go downstairs, making a quick stop in the bathroom along the way. I hear noise and follow it to the kitchen, where I expect to find Tim. What greets me instead is a large rump, waving back and forth in front of the open refrigerator door. A husky voice is softly singing, providing a rhythm for the butt to shake to.
“Um… Hello?”
“Ah!” The visitor pulls his head out of the refrigerator to beam at me. “There he is, the man of the hour, the hero of the day!” He walks over with a hand extended, and I finally recognize him—Marcello, the flamboyant peacock who threw the lavish birthday party at the water park. “I owe you a debt of gratitude,my dear boy, for you’ve done the impossible by casting out that wretched child. Ding-dong, the witch is dead!”
He takes my hand in his before enveloping it completely with the other. I laugh as most of my body shakes with the pumping gesture.
“This calls for celebration!” Marcello declares. “I was just about to open a bottle of champagne. Join me, please.”
“This early in the morning?”
“Have no fear. Champagne wasmadefor breakfast. And lunch and dinner and everything in between. Don’t make me drink alone. People might accuse me of having a problem. The sun is shining! A shadow no longer hangs over the kingdom. Let the festivities begin!”
I laugh and nod my agreement.
“Excellent!” He returns to the refrigerator, singing under his breath again as he digs around to produce a bottle of champagne. “Tim won’t have to go to such lengths to hide it anymore,” he says while expertly peeling off foil and popping the cork. “Not with the little brat having been exiled.”
“How did you find out already?”
“News travels quickly, and I always have my ear to the ground. I’ve already heard Tim’s version of what transpired last night. I’m eager to get yours. But first…” He hands me a fizzing flute. “Here’s to vanquished villains and newfound friends.”
I clink glasses with him and take a sip. Then, at his coaxing, I tell him everything. Even the part where we kissed, because I figure this is a good trial run for the conversation I’ll have with Jace tonight.
“Delightful!” Marcello says from where he leans against one of the counters. “Behold the power of love!”
“That’ll be put to the test when I tell my husband what I’ve done.”
“All you need is a little hair of the dog. Fight fire with fire. Practice makes perfect.”
“You’re saying that I should kiss him in the same way?”
“Oh, I would domuchmore than that,” Marcello says with a playful smirk, “but I leave the issue in your capable hands. I still remember Jace. So charming and debonaire. Quite the catch! Tim is something of a unicorn himself. Whatever attributes you possess that lured these fine specimens to your meadow willstill be in play when your husband learns the full truth. Why, he doesn’t stand a chance!”
“Thanks,” I say, buzzing from the champagne.
“Think nothing of it, for I find myself inyourdebt. You don’t know how much it grieved me each time I visited here, only to see Eric’s legacy tarnished by that bully of a brat. I take solace that he didn’t live long enough to witness such atrocities, although I doubt he would have tolerated Ryan’s presence. Then again, Eric was a gentle soul. Which is why I often felt so protective of him, including when Tim first came along. Did he ever mention my uncharitable attitude?”
“I’m not sure,” I reply diplomatically.
“My suspicions were unfounded. When he first arrived on the scene, I suspected he was merely interested in Eric’s money. There is nothing wrong with mutually beneficial arrangements between consenting adults. But such things require transparency, and Tim struck me as someone long-practiced in the art of deception.”
“Hedoeshave a history,” I admit.
“Don’t we all? Yes, indeed. So I had my concerns, and when Eric received his dreadful diagnosis, I pleaded with him to keep it secret from Tim. What I didn’t count on was my dearest friend capitulating to cancer. He had no intention of pursuing any of the treatments available to him. Eric had seen his own mother wage that battle and lose. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, he resigned himself to wasting away. And what did Tim do when he finally learned the truth? He convinced Eric to fight. The money was in his grasp, much sooner than he ever could have anticipated, and yet all he wanted was for Eric to continue living.”
Marcello presses a hand over his padded chest. “Thatis the day we became allies. Eric responded well to the treatments, at first anyway. By my estimation we gained an extra year, each of those days a precious gift. And while the disease eventually rallied to claim him, Tim was there at his side during every ghastly moment. Cancer robs its victims of dignity, but Tim made sure that Eric never lost sight of how beautiful he was. An army of nurses could have been hired to deal with every unpleasant complication, but not one was needed. Tim took care of everything. Until the very end. Eric didn’t die alone. He went peacefully, secure in the knowledge that he was loved. What greater gift could there be?”
