Page 90 of The Bartender Special

“If it didn't hurt, I'd throw a pillow at you,” he ground out.

Callum continued to be amused.

“Good thing for me, you're bad at throwing things, too.”

Benny rolled his eyes.

“And while everyone in town thinks you a saint, I take solace in being one of the few who knows just how annoying you can be.”

Callum caught Jack’s eye.

“He’s also bad at math, pukes on roller coasters, and he’s terrified of goats,” he offered. “And if he tells you he knows how to do his taxes, don’t believe him. Just go ahead and send me the files.”

“Callum!” Benny whined.

“Goats?” Jack repeated at the same time.

Callum laughed.

“Sorry,” he acquiesced. “I’m actually here to bring joy.” He looked back to Benny, smile losing its annoying factor. “I was going to see if y'all wanted to eat dinner here tonight? I'm watching Justus tonight and saw Jack’s truck and thought we could make a night of it, bring back our watch parties.”

Benny popped his head up. Excitement pushed all vestiges of grumpiness from him.

“Really?” he asked, smile also hurting. “We haven't done a movie party in a long time.”

“You haven't been home for this long in a long time.” Callum turned to Jack again, no longer in older sibling teasing mode. “You might have read the blog but don’t let it fool you, you only get the real Benny when he’s sitting in his PJs in front of the TV. His true colors come out loud and questionable. He finds a way to yell at at least one character per movie. No matter the movie.”

Benny was already sitting up, sunburn be damned.

Jack’s brow rose.

“I'm not that bad,” he tried. “I mean, I am, but it works for our movie parties.”

“And what exactly do your movie parties entail?” Jack asked.

Benny was nearly vibrating now.

It had been years since they’d had a real one.

“We pick an older movie—it doesn't matter if we've already seen it—get snacks that match the movie in some way, get into our PJs, make a pallet on the living room floor, and then⁠—”

“—Then this one here talks through the entire thing, telling you what he would have done in the characters' places,” Callum interrupted. “He really becomes the worst when it’s a scary movie. He points out every time he would have jumped out of a window to his death to avoid the scarier death. And, spoiler alert: no matter the movie, that’s usually his answer a lot. Benny here wouldn’t make it past minute five in most.”

Benny felt no shame.

“I'm sorry I'd rather die instantly than be dragged into an unknown hellscape by a demonic long-haired girl. I’m just practical.”

“Well, I don't know if we'll go super scary tonight because of Justus, but we can probably find a fun one he can watch. Maybe we can do Beetlejuice? He’s been waiting to watch it with you since it’s one of your favorites.” Callum nodded to Jack. “Fair warning, if you do join, just know we will not meet the Robertson standards you might be growing accustomed to. You will be responsible for your snacks and your drink of choice. That goes for you too, Benny. I already told Justus I'd bankroll him, and I know he’s going to take advantage of that.”

Benny’s train of thought split into two connected carts.

The first was about snacks, and not only what he could get, but what he could advise Jack to pick. Maybe even come up with an option they could share.

The second cart didn’t hold a question.

It held a truth.

He’d forgotten that he wasn’t actually dating Jack.