Page 35 of A Box of Wishes
Morris snuggled into Ben’s hold as if there was a prize on offer.
“Did you miss me, big boy?” Ben stroked the patches of regrowing fur, the last reminder of Morris’s close brush with disaster. “I’ll be home with you all day today. And tonight, you’ll stay with Ryan when I go to work.”
He gave Morris one more hug before settling him on the duvet and rolling out of bed. He took his time in the shower, and he whistled as he made his way to the kitchen. When he wandered back into the living room with his cup of tea after feeding Morris, his gaze snagged on the empty patches of wall and the gaps in the rows of books on his shelves.
“Look at this mess, big boy. I’m a disgrace.”
Morris flicked an ear to show he was listening, then settled in his corner on the sofa and washed.
Ben kept his eyes on the bookcase. “I can’t believe I haven’t found time to tidy the shelves and rearrange the pictures on the wall. You know what this looks like? As if I’ve spent the last nine months waiting for Keith to come back.”
Which he hadn’t.
“Well… January 1st is a good day for a fresh start.” Ben pulled the books off the shelves and piled them on the coffee table. “There. That’s looking better already.” He brewed another pot of tea—chai this time, fragrant and with a noticeable black pepper kick—and drank a cup before he wiped down the empty shelves.
He read a lot. He listened to audiobooks, too. Keith had considered owning both the audio and the paperback a waste of money and had said so, over and over, until Ben had first stopped arguing and then stopped listening.
He’d done that a lot towards the end. The more controlling Keith became, the more he blamed and belittled Ben, the more Ben had given up fighting or even arguing for what he thought was right. Keith had made all the choices in their relationship. Right until Ben decided it was time to end his reign.
Arranging his books to his liking was an enjoyable task. He took his time, read a snatch here and there, or just held a book, remembering the case he’d worked while he’d listened to the audio. He stopped for a sandwich when his stomach rumbled, but then continued sorting and shelving. As the afternoon drew in, one corner of his living room looked homely, the gaps gone and shelf space waiting for new books.
The picture frames beckoned, but he decided against taking them down. Having them topsy-turvy all over the place would bother him more now than the gaps where the pictures of him and Keith had been.
He let Morris out into the garden, and the cat returned a few minutes later, as if he knew Ben had plans. It sent Ben’s good mood up by another notch. He dressed in dark moleskins and a blue-grey polo top that he knew suited him, settled Morris into his basket, and drove to Ryan’s house.
Ryan lived in a three-storey, late-Victorian house an enterprising owner had converted into six flats. Parking spaces stretched along the front of the building, and Ben spotted Ryan’s bike beside a black-and-white Beetle. The same car Cara O’Shaughnessy had driven the previous evening.
Ryan had company.
Ben had imagined a cosy dinner for two before he headed off to work. He wasn’t sure how he felt about facing Ryan’s sister across the dinner table.
They’d been very careful, so far, to keep their interactions to public spaces. Ryan had blurred the line on Christmas Day, bringing his family into the mix, and Ben had been skittish enough that it was no wonder Ryan had sprung a surprise. If he’d known that Ryan wasn’t alone… he’d have said no.
Morris meowed a query from the passenger seat.
“You’re quite right, big boy. When the car stops, we get out. And I’ve sat here long enough.”
He counted the cars parked outside the building. It couldn’t be a large party. And he’d already met at least one guest. Joy and a touch of mischief bubbled up from where he’d kept it locked away when he thought of Ryan’s sister’s face. This… could be fun.
“I was worried you’d overslept.” Ryan held out a hand for the carrier. “Give this here. The bottles, too. You can’t undo your boots with your hands full.” He turned, and Ben stopped him before he could vanish through the door and into the hallway. He dropped a peck on Ryan’s cheek and nuzzled his face against his hair and ear.
“I wouldn’t stand you up, even if I didn’t know you’d invited me to a party.” The pink washing Ryan’s cheeks was enough of an apology for Ben. He laid his fingertips over Ryan’s lips. “It’s fine. Your family being here ensures I keep my hands to myself.” He turned towards the shadow in the doorway. “Good afternoon, Miss O’Shaughnessy. Nice to see you again.”
“Oh. My….” Cara’s mouth dropped open. “You’re Ben?”
“I was last time I looked.”
“When did you meet Ben?”
“Last night. He brought Alastair home.”
“You… What?” Ryan sputtered. “When? Before or after midnight?”
“Before.” He bent and unlaced his Doc Martens while Ryan opened the carrier to let Morris out. The cat allowed Ryan to cuddle him before squirming away to investigate. Cara followed Morris as if she’d never seen a cat before, and the bubbles of joy in Ben’s chest went to his head and prickled over his skin.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ben ran his palm from Ryan’s neck to the swell of his rear and then pulled him close. “I had other things on my mind. Other… people.”And I didn’t want to worry you, tired as you were.
