Page 60 of Technical Advances

“Dad’s here,” he said, and my eyes went wide.

He pulled up his pants, then spoke into his phone. “Down in two minutes.” He hit send and tucked the phone in his pocket.

He buttoned up before finding and tugging on socks, muttering, “Shoes are at the door.” Then he opened the dresser drawer and pulled out something that looked like a business card.

“Graduation ticket. There’s a towel in the bathroom for you. A clean one, and a toothbrush. I’ll see you later.”

He kissed me. I pulled back and straightened that tie one more time. “See you later.”

He turned away from me, thoughts of his father waiting out front looming between us. “And Benji?”

His look was more than questioning; it was hopeful, anticipatory.

“Congratulations, lo-love.”

He smiled brightly.

“Thank you, baby.” He kissed me again and ran from the room. “Lock the door on your way out,” he yelled. I could hear the smile in his voice as he said it.

His front door had just slammed behind him when my phone rang again.

I answered.

“It’s barely eight in the morning, Beck. On a Saturday! Is the building on fire?”

“It might as well be, Ani. When’s the last time you slept in your condo?”

“About three weeks ago, a few days before last month’s board meeting.”

“You were at Beantown Prime last night, right? That’s closer to here then it is to your place.”

“Beck? Are you at my condo? Did you need me for something, or are you just checking up on me?”

“Yes, I’m at the condo, and you’re not.”

“Obviously,” I muttered.

Beck ignored my comment. “Do you need an NDA? Because you usually let me or Ross know when you’re going to hook up, just in case. It’s been a long time since you’ve been with someone we haven't vetted, Ani.”

“It has been a long time, hasn’t it?” I realized as he said it. In the past few years, I hadn’t even really had hookups in the sense that other gay men did—surfing the apps and meeting a random guy for a good time. I made choices that were then vetted by Beck before they were executed on, just like every aspect of my life that wasn’t technology related.

That condo that Beck was standing in while I was sitting on Benji’s bed? The four-bedroom penthouse with the killer view. He’d picked it out for me and hired the designer and the cleaner that came through once a week to scrub my toilets. He’d also helped me line up a trainer and a nutritionist, though I wasn’t home enough to routinely partake in the well-balanced meals Paula left for me every other week.

“I don’t need you to vet my entire life, Beck.”

“Oh God, Ani, what have you done?”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed. “It’s Saturday, Beck. I’m not coming to the office this morning.”

“Since when does it matter that it’s the weekend? I thought we could go over …”

“I can’t today. I have plans.”

“Plans?”

“Benji has invited me to his graduation.”

“Oh!” I could hear the surprise in Beck's voice. “So … did you have a nice visit with the dad last night at dinner?”