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Dom had never heard this story before. Benjamin had only ever talked about how desperately in love he’d been with Holly. How their life together was a fairy tale. He swallowed thickly and nodded for him to go on.
‘She fancied me. It was obvious,’ he added with a small laugh. ‘I wasn’t easy to love, though. I was bitter and angry because my aunt forced me to go to the hearing school, and my mum didn’t put up a fight because the Deaf school was teaching everyone to speak anyway.’ His hands paused, and there was a look of old resentment simmering in his eyes. He shook it off quickly, though. ‘I spent most of my young life certain that Holly and I would be nothing more than friends.’
It was in that moment Dom knew what the man was getting at, and he tensed. ‘It’s not the same.’
‘It is,’ Benjamin insisted. ‘And you’ve been more patient than my son deserves. He’s too like his mum—afraid that he’ll be too much. He doesn’t realize that one of these days, someone else will come along and make you look at them the way you look at him.’
Dom wanted to run outside and bury himself in the garden. He startled when he felt a touch on his arm, and he realized Benjamin had risen from the sofa and was now kneeling beside his chair. ‘Be patient, but not forever.’
That sounded so damn pessimistic. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to give up that tiny sliver of maybe when it came to his happily ever after with Shiloh. But then he thought about his date with Kellen—about Sarah’s words and now Benjamin’s.
Maybe he was the biggest fool in the world for thinking that waiting around would be worth it.
He wasn’t the best of men, but he was alright. He did deserve some happiness and not just in fits and bursts.
‘I need to go help Shiloh sort out his costume for the party,’ Dom said, his fingers trembling.
Benjamin didn’t try to stop him. He rose with a grace Dom could only hope he’d have at that age, and he moved back to the sofa and picked up his guitar. The quiet, strumming chords followed him as he made his way down to Shiloh’s room, and they wrapped around his heart and told him it was probably time to make a choice.
Five
Dom wasn’t sure what to expect when he walked into Shiloh’s room. A part of him was afraid he’d walk in and Shiloh would be dressed in the costume, and he didn’t know if he’d have the strength to do anything but cross the room and kiss him.
Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—Shiloh was still in his jeans and jumper. He was holding a balled-up bit of red cloth between his hands, though, and when Dom looked closer, he saw the edges of lace.
His cock twitched, and he prayed to any god that might be listening that he could do this without entirely giving himself away.
“That’s it, then?” he asked.
Shiloh cleared his throat, then nodded. “Yeah. The, erm…the shop person said it was bright red, which sounded a bit garish?”
Dom rolled his eyes. “Halloween costumes are meant to be garish. That’s the whole point.”
“Are they?” Shiloh asked in a very soft voice, now looking down at his hands.
Dom’s heart gave a painful thud as he crept closer to his best friend. He reached out, touching the backs of his wrists with the tips of his fingers, and waited for Shiloh to look up. “I mean, I’m not a Halloween expert or anything, but I look at it this way. You either wear an exaggerated version of yourself. Like, someone might wear a sexy nurse costume, though Sarah might fling her out for that on feminist principles.”
Shiloh laughed. “Right.”
“Or you dress up as something that isn’t like you at all. Like…I dunno, the Hulk or something.”
Shiloh’s chuckle got a little bit louder, but his face fell the moment he looked back down at his hands. “It’s Little Red Riding Hood,” he said in a voice so quiet Dom had to strain to hear him.
When he did, though, his cock thickened, and his breath caught in his chest. Little Red Riding Hood. Fuck. “I…erm…Well, that…could be good.”
Shiloh looked up at him again. “It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?”
“Can I see it?” Dom asked, hating himself a bit. “It doesn’t sound ridiculous, but you know I’ll tell you the truth.”
“Do you want me to put it on?” Shiloh began, but Dom was quick—maybe a little too quick—in his response.
“No. No, I…just…hold it up, yeah? Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise too early if you put it on now.” He sounded like a fool, but he knew for absolutely certain he couldn’t take seeing him in it like this.
Alone.
In his room.
Shiloh didn’t seem bothered as he shook the dress out, then held it up to his body. “There’s tights,” he added as the silky, wrinkled fabric fell toward his thighs. “Fishnets.”
