Page 38 of Operation Sunshine
But what do I say?
And why was contemplating this a source of so much anxiety?
Then it was Franco’s turn.
He turned to Ben, his head tilted, his eyes sparkling with mischief and something Ben couldn’t read.
“I value your unexpected softness,” Franco said, his voice lower than usual. “Under all those ironed shirts and spreadsheets, you’re warmer than you let on.” He gestured to the group gathered in front of the fireplace. “And while you keep pretending you’re above all this, you’re actually soaking it up like sunlight on your skin.”
Then, with deliberate slowness, Franco reached out and brushed a stray hair off Ben’s forehead, letting his fingers trail down the side of his face, pausing briefly at his jaw before pulling away.
Ben’s heart pounded so hard he thought everyone in the room heard it.
The group howled and cheered, teasing Franco mercilessly, but Ben could barely focus. His skin felt as though it was humming, every nerve alive and alert, chasing the echo of Franco’s touch. He opened his mouth to reply but found he had no words at all.
The rest of them hooted and applauded, and Mina declared she was going to embroiderunexpected softnessonto a tea towel.
Raj coughed. “Not that I’m trying to hurry you or anything, but Iamsort of anxious to know what you value in me.” He grinned. “Although I’m not sure you can top ‘unexpected softness.” He clasped his hands, holding them against his heart, his head slightly tilted. That earned him a ripple of laughter from the others.
Ben chuckled. “Me neither. But I’m going to go with…” He paused. “I value your natural leadership skills.”
Raj frowned. “Is that a euphemism for bossy?”
Ben smiled. “It means you’re like the superglue that holds this wacky, unpredictable, insane group of people together.”
There was a momentary pause before everyone clapped, and Raj flushed.
Lunch was an indoor picnic of sandwiches, fruit, and pastries. Everyone lounged on the rugs in a lazy sprawl, sharing leftovers and trading stories.
Ben stared into the fire, feeling something unspool inside him, a cautious loosening he didn’t quite understand. He glanced sideways at Franco, who was stretched out on the rug, reacting to something Ollie had said, his face lit up and utterly unguarded, his laughter gentle, a low, rolling cadence that curled around Ben like warm hands. Throughout lunch, he’d sat cross-legged beside Ben on the rug, so close their knees touched. Franco kept finding excuses to lean in, such as to wipe a crumb off Ben’s lip with his thumb, thecontact quick but loaded, leaving Ben speechless and his cheeks hot.
There was a tightness in Ben’s chest, part terror, part exhilaration.
I uprooted my life to find something real.And here it was—herehewas—messy, loud, alive, slipping past Ben’s defences one laugh, one flirtation, one chaotic day at a time.
Ben closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of the burning pine logs and the last notes of Franco’s laughter. For the first time in years, Ben didn’t feel like he was running away from something.
I’m running toward a new destination.
It was terrifying, beautiful, and entirely unknown.
Then he realised how quiet the room had become. He glanced around to discover he and Franco were alone.
“Where did they all go?”
Franco pointed to a door off the main room. “Coral said something about cake, and they were out of here.”
Ben smirked. “And you alone were able to resist the lure of cake?”
He smiled. “I’m sweet enough.”
Ben waited for the flirtatious comments he felt certain were on the tip of Franco’s tongue, but the only sound in the room was the crackle of the fire. Franco sat with his legs stretched out in front of him, his weight on his hands, the firelight catching the lines of his face in ways Ben wished he hadn’t noticed.
It was too good an opportunity to miss.
“So,” Ben said, his tone level but dry, “just to clarify… are you flirting with me, or do you flirt like this with everyone?”
Franco looked at him, clearly unfazed. “Define ‘like this.’”
