Ben laughed, the sound rich and warm in Patrick’s ear, and for a second he really missed him. Apart from the few hours before Ben went on holiday, Patrick hadn’t seen him much in the last few months.
“Well, I can sleep off my hangover just as easily on a sunbed by the pool and get a tan while I’m at it.”
“Yeah, good point.”
“Anyway, that’s not why I called. How’s everything going with Will?”
Images of the night before popped into Patrick’s mind, and he choked a little before answering. “Yeah… um… it’s good. We’re good.”
Ben sighed on the other end. He always could read Patrick far too well, even from thousands of miles away.
“Christ, Pat, please tell me you’re at least being safe, and you’ve discussed everything. I don’t need to have a sex talk with my best friend, do I?”
“No,Dad, for fuck’s sake. I told you. Things are good… everything’s fine. Honestly.” Patrick bit his lip, hoping Ben couldn’t read himthatwell.
“Patrick.” Ben sounded way too serious for this time in the morning, and Patrick felt his cheeks flush at Ben’s big brotherly tone. “I know you’re old enough to make your own decisions, but just… be careful, okay? He’s one of my best friends. I’d rather not have to hit him because you end up getting hurt.”
A warm feeling settled in Patrick’s chest. Ben always had his back no matter what. But Patrick would never want to put him in that position, especially when the whole thing had been Patrick’s idea in the first place.
“Don’t worry, no one’s going to get hurt.”
“Pat—”
“Ben, it’s fine, okay? We’ve talked, everything’s good, so go enjoy your holiday and stop bothering me. I’m still recovering after last night. Will—”
“Okay, enough, you fucker. I never want to hear about that, ever.”
Patrick laughed as he pictured the look on Ben’s face. “Go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Yeah, okay. Bye.”
They hung up, and Patrick tried not to feel like he was a shit brother. He spent the rest of the morning lazing around playing on Ben’s Xbox, passing the time until his first shift at the coffee shop.
CHRISTIAN WASwaiting with Patrick’s uniform when he got there, laughing at the face Patrick pulled, but whistling appreciatively when Patrick came out of the bathroom wearing it.
“Wow, they’re a bit tight.” Christian waved a hand at Patrick’s arse and winked at him. “Looks good, though.”
Patrick paused, not sure whether Christian was messing with him or flirting with him. “Um….”
Christian waited for him to get behind the counter. “I’m not wrong, am I?” He pointed at the rainbow key ring on Patrick’s keys and raised an eyebrow.
“No, you’re not wrong. I take it that’s not going to be a problem?” He hadn’t met many people who had an obvious issue with his sexual orientation. There were a couple of dicks at uni who thought it was funny to take the piss, but on the whole people tended not to care enough to give him shit…. And he was almost positive Christian had been flirting.
“Fuck, no,” Christian scoffed, and Patrick breathed a sigh of relief anyway. “I was making sure before I asked you out.” Christian smirked, giving Patrick a more obvious once-over this time, making Patrick flush.
Christian was hot, and normally Patrick would be thrilled, but he had this thing with Will now, and he didn’t want to be with anyone else. “I’m kinda seeing someone.”
“Oh, okay. No problem, just thought I’d ask.” He grinned and gave Patrick a playful shove toward the daunting-looking machine to their left. “Let’s get you started, then.”
It was more of a taster than an actual shift, and Christian took extra time making the drinks so Patrick could watch closely. There was no tension from earlier, much to Patrick’s relief, and even though it was work—which always sucked—Patrick found himself enjoying it.
Christian showed him how to use the till, and by the end of his shift, Patrick was taking orders and making drinks on his own.
“So,” Christian said, leaning back against the counter as Patrick pulled off his apron. “What do you think, gonna come back?”
“Yeah, definitely.” It had been a long afternoon, but Christian was fun to work with and a good teacher.
“Excellent.” Christian smiled and clapped his hands together. “Any chance I can interest you in a celebratory pint?”
