AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Simon ate his dinner by himself and thought how he would’ve enjoyed it so much more if Ben had been with him. He wanted to be there when Ben tried something new, or found something he wanted to draw, or had a story he wanted to tell. He wanted to fill the rest of Ben’s life with stories, but all good ones, with happy endings. And Simon with him in all of them.
19
Ben Is Okay Being Simon’s Queer Training Wheels
Sunday, December 17
The townhouse's grand staircase
The Gold Coast
Ben met Hudson on the landing of the second floor as he climbed up to the fourth floor. Or at least tried to. Roberta had urged him to take the elevator, but Ben thought a little exercise might be good. Also, if he crapped out along the way, the elevator was still a possibility.
“Hey, kid,” Hudson said. “Wait a second.”
Hudson didn’t seem angry or upset, so Ben smiled, albeit somewhat nervously, and said, “Okay.”
The other man leaned against the wall. “I got a question to ask and I really don’t want you to freak out when I ask it, okay?”
Ben nodded silently, but he made no promises. Hudson had carried Simon’s meal to him because he’d told Roberta he’d wanted to have a word with “the boss.” Now here he wanted to ask Ben a question that clearly made him uncomfortable. Maybe Simon had talked with Hudson and decided he wanted Ben out sooner rather than later. Assuming Simon had been flirting with him had been a colossal mistake, but Ben hadn’t been able to help himself.
Hudson took a deep breath then let it out slowly. “Are you at all interested in the boss, or am I imagining that? Because I don’t think I am, but if I’m gonna be playing Cupid, I probably should have my facts straight.”
“What?” Ben opened his eyes wide in surprise. That was a question he hadn’t expected.
“Not that youhaveto,” Hudson hastened to add. “If you don’t, the boss has already promised to totally behave himself. But if you do like him, don’t expect him to make that first move. You two will be waiting for eternity for that to happen and I don’t think I can handle that level of pining for very long. If it were up to me, I’d just stick you guys in a bag like two cats and let you sort it out. But that’s not gonna work in this situation, is it?”
Ben wasn’t sure how to respond, so he said the only thing that came to his mind. “It would have to be a very large bag.”
Hudson barked a laugh. “Good point. So what’s it gonna be? I have it on good authority the boss is planning on taking you on a date tomorrow. Although he won’t call it a date because it doesn’t involve eating in a fancy restaurant with some woman he’s obviously not that interested in. Ya know, I dunno if the boss is gay or what, but he sure likesyou.”
“He likes me? Adate?” None of this could possibly be real.
“All I’m saying is that if you want… um… more from the boss, you’re gonna have to make that first move. Especially after this afternoon, he’s too terrified of scaring you silly to try anything with you. Which on one hand is great, right, because no worries about him getting handsy if you don’t want that. But on the other hand, if you want more than him standing next to you with puppy dog eyes and a thumb up his ass, you need to take charge. At least at first. He’s a smart guy and he picks up things really quick.”
Ben stared at Hudson. “What? Did you say a thumb up his ass?”
Hudson waved his hand vaguely. “Figure of speech. What I mean is you’re gonna need to put the mack on the boss if you ever want him to f—have sex with you.”
“Um…” Ben wasn’t sure how to cope with this conversation.
“Do with this information what you want. I’m not saying you gotta do shit. Only that if you wanna do some shit, you’re gonna have to start that shit. Got it?”
That was a lot of shit but Ben didn’t point that out. “Um… yeah. I guess so.”
Hudson patted Ben on the shoulder. “Great. Let’s never do this again, okay?” He started down the stairs. “I am way too old for this kind of bullshit. It’s like we’re back in middle school, for fuck’s sake.”
Ben slowly climbed to the room he’d been given and got ready for bed. When he slipped into the bed, which had been made up at some mysterious point with freshly washed sheets, Ben found he had far too much to think about to fall easily asleep.
Hudson knew Simon. That much was obvious. They were a lot closer than driver and employer. So as crazy as it all seemed, maybe he was right. Lying in bed all by himself, the entire premise seemed one hundred percent crazy, but Ben promised himself—and Hudson—that if Simon did really take him on a date the next day, he would keep an open mind.
Monday, December 18
The fourth-floor guest room
The Gold Coast
“Have you ever been to the Christkindlmarket?” Simon asked Ben the next day.
