Rum & Ginger (3 page)

Derek sidled up to the bar and ordered two Jäger Bombs without asking Ben’s preference. Ben toasted and drank to be polite. Derek started babbling to Ben about his family, his kids, and his job. Derek had married Jennie Breen. No surprise there. Ben searched the bar for Lena, but then Derek’s tone, if not his words, snapped Ben back to the conversation. “She did what?” Ben asked.

“Moved out and took the kids. No warning. Nothin’. I was in Philly on business, and when I got back, she was gone.” Derek ordered a beer.

“Damn, dude. That sucks,” Ben offered. “I got that,” he told Brodie, indicating Derek’s drink. “And can I get another rum and ginger?”

“Sure thing,” Brodie replied.

“Thanks, man,” Derek said, sipping his beer. “So what’s up with you?”

“Not much,” Ben responded as his drink arrived. “Managing T.C. McF’s.”

“That shit-pit? I thought you were getting out of this town.”

“Plans change,” Ben stated dismissively. “Life intervenes.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Derek raised his pint. Ben tipped his drink against the glass. “You’ve kept in shape,” Derek observed.

You haven’t
, Ben thought but didn’t say. “I do what I can.”

“I tried to for a while.” Derek shrugged. “Life intervenes,” he said, echoing Ben. They both drank their drinks without speaking for a few moments.

Ben reeled as Lena bounced against him. “What’s up?” he asked her.

“What’re you doin’?” She draped an arm over his shoulder. “Get up an’ dance with me. These frat boys’re pretty but dumb as rocks.”

“Do you remember Derek?” Ben laid his hand on Lena’s and indicated their old classmate.

She squinted at the man next to Ben. “Football, track, tennis, and captain of the asshole squad?”

“Lena!” Ben didn’t disagree but still thought his friend was a tad out of line.

“Nah. It’s all right, Bullet. I was a dick in high school.”

“Hear, hear.” Lena raised her drink. She planted a kiss on Ben’s cheek. “Finish up with the ex-dick and come dance with me.”

“Okay.” Ben returned the peck. Lena lurched off. “Sorry. She’s drinking on an empty stomach.”

“She’s not wrong,” Derek said as he waved dismissively. “I was kind of a dick in high school.”
Kind of?
Ben thought. “So. Lena’s cute,” Derek stated.

“Yeah.” Ben nodded and sipped his drink.

“Are you two?” Derek asked.

“What?”

“Involved?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Derek’s response, while abbreviated, oozed with implication.

“That’s a heavy ‘Oh.’” Ben raised an eyebrow.

“It’s nothing.”

“No. What?”

“Well…,” Derek stalled.

“What?”

“I heard some shit, is all,” Derek finally answered.

Here it comes
, Ben thought. He’d been dreading just this type of encounter, forced out to people he never really gave a shit about. “Like what?” Ben asked.

“Like I heard you’re runnin’ for the other team.”
Great. Sports analogies.
Ben rolled his eyes and hoped Derek hadn’t seen it. He hadn’t.

“You heard that I’m gay.”

“With that nerdy Chance kid, the mathlete from the chess club.”

Wow
, Ben thought.
Chance would be shitting himself if he could hear this
. “Are you going to punch me if I say it’s true?”

“Bullet. Ben, I was a dick in high school. I might not understand that shit, but I’m not going to be an asshole.”

“Seriously?” Ben was more than surprised by Derek’s maturity.

“Seriously. You’re a good guy, Ben. Always have been. It’s not my place to judge you. So you like dudes. Sometimes I wonder if you don’t have it figured out.”

“How so?” This night was getting more and more interesting.

“Well, dudes know what dudes want, right? I mean, chicks, who knows what the hell goes on in their heads? Maybe bein’ gay is easier.” Derek drained his beer and ordered another.

“Not exactly, but I see what you’re getting at.” Ben finished his own drink, but when Brodie collected their glasses, Ben asked for just ginger ale. “I’m sorry all that garbage is going down with your wife.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll get through it.” Derek tipped Brodie when he brought their drinks. “I just wish she wasn’t using the kids as leverage.”

“Yeah. That’s pretty shitty.” Ben drank his soda. Neither spoke for a moment or two.

“We should hang out,” Derek broke the silence.

“Definitely,” Ben said without thinking.
Shit
.

“Cool. Here’s my number.” Derek showed Ben his phone. Ben typed in the number and texted Derek.

“You’ll have my number now too.”

“Good deal,” Derek stated as he focused on his phone, typing away at the screen.

“I should get going. I told Chance not to wait up, but he always does.” It felt strange talking to someone from his old life so candidly, but Ben liked it in a way too.

“I know how it is.” Derek smirked, sipping his drink. “Go on. But don’t be a stranger, Bullet.”

“Never again.” Ben offered his hand, and Derek accepted, pumping it once before embracing Ben. “I’ll give you a call.” Ben turned to find Lena but suddenly spun back. “Hey, Derek. Don’t spread the gay thing around. Chance is a really private person and it’s not something he wants people to know.”

“No problem, Benny. My lips’re sealed.”

“Thanks,” Ben replied. They traded farewells, and Ben sought out Lena to ask if she wanted a ride. Judging by the pint glasses in each of her hands and the group of frat boys flocking around her, he guessed she didn’t.

“Hey, Ben-Ben.” She peeled away from her admirers and walked over. “I’m guessin’ we’re not goin’ to dance?”

Ben shook his head. “I need to get going. Chance said he wouldn’t wait up, but you know how he is.”

“He’s probably in bed, wide awake.” Lena nodded.

“Exactly. You need a ride?” Ben asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nah. I’ll grab a cab.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Or a frat boy.” She winked.

“Get a cab, Lena.” Ben pecked her on the forehead. “If you need a ride to your car in the morning, give me a call.”

“Thanks, Ben-Ben. You’re the best.” She moved to hug him, sloshing beer from her pint glasses. Ben grabbed them, freeing her arms up, and leaned into the hug.

“Okay,” he answered, passing the glasses back after her hug. “I’ll catch you tomorrow.” She stumble-walked back to her audience, and Ben crossed the bar to the exit.

B
EN
WAS
happy for the short walk to his car, the cool night air clearing his head of the few drinks he’d had. The drive home was short. He considered his reunion with Derek, the alcohol-fueled promises to keep in touch and hang out. Ben wondered what Lena would get herself into. He pulled into the driveway of the house he and Chance shared. The house was beautiful. If Chance wanted to, he could probably get it registered with the Liamsport Historic Society. Chance’s grandmother had left the huge Victorian structure to Chance’s mother and her siblings with a caveat that Chance would be given first refusal to buy if they wanted to sell it.

Chance had spent many hours in the house as a child with his grandmother, Evelyn Gruner, and the pale-blue monstrosity with the eggplant trim remained the prime reason the couple hadn’t escaped Liamsport. Chance really wanted to buy the home, and they’d saved nearly enough for a down payment. If it had been up to Chance’s mother, she would have given her son the house, but her two sisters and brother were adamant about turning a profit on the family home, despite the generations of Gruners that had grown up there. Ben wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to help Chance buy the building in the first place, but it was too late for him to back out now. Chance loved the house so much. Ben wondered how Chance would feel when he had to tell his family about him and his
boyfriend
deciding to invest in the house.

Ben hoisted himself out of his car and crept up the porch stairs, avoiding the third step so it wouldn’t creak. He slid the key in the door and pulled on the doorknob, knowing the lock would slide easier in the old mechanism. He eased the door open as silently as he could, then flipped the porch light off. The dining room light was on but dim. Chance always left Ben enough light to pick his way through the house.

Ben toed off his shoes and walked into the kitchen, happy to find an open bottle of wine on the counter. He poured himself a glass and tasted the dry, red liquid. After a few sips, Ben smirked at the sudden return of his buzz, happy to be home. His mind drifted back to the sexy young bartender, and he felt a pang of guilt. He looked at the ceiling, knowing his partner was lying alone in the bed they shared. Ben felt his erection stir and hoped Chance might not be too deeply asleep. Ben drained the last of the wine, rinsed out his glass, and padded up the stairs.

After he washed his face and brushed his teeth, Ben crept into the darkened bedroom. He could hear Chance’s rhythmic breathing. He wondered if it was too rhythmic, wondered if Chance was lying awake, waiting for Ben’s return and breathing too steadily so he wouldn’t give himself away. Ben shed his clothing and slipped beneath the covers. His side of the bed was slightly chilled. He inched up behind Chance, savoring the warmth he found, pressing his body against his partner. Chance wore boxers to sleep. Ben’s full erection pressed against the cloth, eliciting a subtle sigh from Chance.

Ben took that sigh as encouragement, nuzzling his nose into Chance’s hair. It smelled almost minty from his shampoo, with an underlying spiciness that Ben associated with Chance’s natural scent. Ben draped his arm over his partner and pressed his groin against Chance’s back. Chance pressed back, and Ben felt encouraged, nibbling at the smooth skin of Chance’s neck. He responded, but Ben still wasn’t convinced his partner was conscious. He reached forward, slipped his hand beneath the waistband of Chance’s boxers, and found him growing firm. Ben grasped Chance’s erection and squeezed.

Chance gasped quietly and growled. Ben took it as a sign to continue and kissed along Chance’s shoulder and neck, sneaking his other hand into the back of Chance’s boxers. Ben touched the top of Chance’s ass and slid his middle finger into the crevasse between the muscular globes of his cheeks. Ben’s tongue dashed out, tasting flesh as his right hand grasped Chance’s tightening sack. Chance squirmed pleasantly in Ben’s embrace. He dared to slip his finger down to graze Chance’s delightful ring of muscle.

Chance gasped and grew rigid against Ben’s touch. “What’re you doing?” Chance’s voice sounded thick with sleep and slightly confused.

Ben eased back but couldn’t stop touching his partner. “I’m just touching you. Doesn’t it feel good? You seemed like you were enjoying it.”

Chance rolled to face Ben. “What time is it?” Chance asked.

Ben rolled his eyes in the dark. That question was never a good sign. “One-ish,” he answered.

Chance grumbled. “I have to be up in five hours.”

“I’m sorry,” Ben responded. “I’ll let you alone.”

Chance’s hand wandered to Ben’s rigid erection. “No. It’s okay. If you don’t take too long. You obviously want it.” Chance’s hand closed around Ben’s shaft and squeezed. He tipped his head up, and Ben kissed him. Chance broke off the kiss and dipped his head beneath the covers. Ben pulled back the sheets just before Chance’s lips closed around him. Ben moaned. Chance caressed Ben’s shaft expertly, too obviously trying to get him off quickly. Ben tried to feel guilty, but Chance’s mouth felt so good, and their couplings had grown increasingly rare.

Ben threaded his fingers into Chance’s hair. Chance increased his suction and speed on Ben’s shaft, and it was almost more than Ben could take. He started to mumble Chance’s name and little words of encouragement. In moments Ben was coming, gasping and grasping. Chance dutifully cleaned Ben’s slackening erection. As soon as Chance finished, he rolled away, returning to his original position in the bed. Ben rubbed Chance’s back gratefully.

“G’night,” Chance said sleepily.

Ben squeezed his partner’s shoulder. “Don’t you want me to return the favor?” He hoped Chance could sense his playful smirk despite the dark.

“I really need to get some sleep,” Chance answered. “It’s fine.”

Ben didn’t think it was fine, but he didn’t want to start an argument when he knew Chance had to wake up so early. “Okay, then.” Ben sighed. “Love you.”

Instead of answering, Chance reached back and rubbed Ben’s thigh before curling onto his side of the bed. Ben pulled the covers over his own naked body and drying member. He listened to Chance’s breathing grow even. Ben lay awake, staring into the dark, wondering when their relationship had turned into something that felt more like a business agreement than a romance. Ben tried not to take Chance’s indifference personally. He knew his partner had to get up early and tried to understand. He could, almost. He remembered when he thought of Chance as his lover, not his partner. Ben reminded himself of all the good times he and Chance had experienced together as he finally drifted off to sleep. He wasn’t surprised when his mind took a detour from Chance and reflected on the events that occurred at the bar.