We were locked in a three-way stare-off when Benji’s dad arrived. “What are you three standing around for? Dump those bags and come on out. Your mom’s got a delicious bacon-cheese dip, and she hasn’t let me have any yet. You’re my ticket to snack food heaven.”
“Where do you want to stay, Ace?” Benji asked.
Ah, God. In a normal situation, I’d stay with Benji, right? I mean, I was the boyfriend coming home to meet the family. But then there was Jeremy—and years of routine. I felt at home in this house, but specifically, I felt at home as Jeremy’s best friend crashing in Jeremy’s bedroom.
“I’m cool wherever,” I said, taking the coward’s way out.
Their dad chuckled. “I see this is a time of adjustment for all of us.”
He wasn’t kidding.
“You two can stay together. We don’t have any problems with that now that you’re adults. But it’s a family weekend, so let’s just remember that the walls aren’t all that thick and there are ears everywhere.”
Benji turned bright red. “Oh my God.”
Jeremy’s eyes were turned to the ceiling. Looked like he was going to pretend his dad hadn’t just alluded to me and his baby bro having sex. Probably for the best. But what was I going to do? I looked between my best friend and my boyfriend. I couldn’t be the one to choose. Fuck. Benji would think Jeremy’s friendship was more important to me than him and vice versa.
“Maybe I should just sleep on the sofa,” I said.
“No way!” Benji said.
“Don’t be a dumbass,” Jeremy added.
The brothers looked at each other. “Rock paper scissors?” Jeremy suggested.
Benji rolled his eyes, but he placed his fist in his palm. “Best two out of three.”
“Seriously? You’re going to—”
“One, two, three: Shoot!” Jeremy called.
Benji slammed a fist out, while Jeremy threw out paper. Rookie mistake. Someone always went for rock first, and it always backfired.
“Again,” Benji said, slapping his fist back into his hand. They went again. This time, Jeremy threw out rock, but so did Benji. And again. Jeremy threw out paper, and Benji threw out scissors. “Finally!” he crowed.
“One more,” Jeremy said.
One, two, three: Shoot!
“Damn it,” Benji grumbled. Jeremy fist-pumped after securing his win, smashing Benji with a rock in the final round. “I never win that stupid game.”
I slung an arm around his shoulders. “Thanks for fighting for me, babe.”
Jeremy sighed. “Sleep wherever you want.”
He stalked off, and I groaned. “Sorry, Benji. Maybe I should have stayed behind.”
He grabbed a handful of my T-shirt and tugged me forward, giving me a quick kiss. “Don’t do that. I want you here, and Jeremy will just have to deal with it.”
“I don’t want him to ‘deal’ with it,” I said in frustration. “I want him to be cool.”
Benji nodded, biting his bottom lip. “Yeah,” he said in a small voice. “He’s your best friend. You guys have always been so close. I’m sorry I’m messing that up.”
“Hey, no.” I pulled Benji into a hug. “You’re not messing up anything.” I looked down into his eyes. “I love you.”
He smiled weakly. “Love you too.”
“What do you want me to do? I’ll do whatever you want.”
With a sigh, he gave me a gentle push away. “Go. Sleep in his room. You know he wants you there.”
“Maybe,” I said skeptically.
Benji rolled his eyes. “He does, if only so he doesn’t have to picture us here together or think about what we might be doing.”
“What, sleeping?” I said in my best innocent voice.
Benji laughed. “Yeah. Sleep is what he’s worried about.”
“Maybe I’ll sneak out for a midnight tryst.”
“Sounds sexy,” Benji murmured. “But tricky in a house full of people.”
Fair point. “Well, it’s just one weekend. Soon, it’ll be just you and me again.”
Jeremy walked past without stopping — headed for the living room after dumping his bag — which gave us a few minutes alone. Unable to resist, I dipped my head, kissing him. It was gentle, nothing to get us hard and panting, but I was thorough, imbuing it with feeling.
“That helps,” he murmured against my lips when we parted.
I smiled. “Thought it might.”
He kissed me again, hands slipping into my hair, and so much for keeping the lust at bay. He tasted so sweet, he felt so warm in my arms, I wanted to strip him down and press our bodies together.
A throat cleared in the hallway, interrupting what had gone from a simple kiss to a make out that felt like it could have lasted hours and still not been enough. With all the upheaval, I’d really needed to reconnect.
“Dad sent me,” Jeremy said quietly. “He wants his dip, and he’s threatening to force us to play Risk all night if he doesn’t get it in the next five minutes.”
Their dad was obsessed with the strategy game, and he had a way of making it last for hours. We broke apart, Benji blushing.
“We better get out there.”
“I’ll just drop off my bag in Jeremy’s room and meet you guys.”
Jeremy looked surprised. “You sure? I kind of thought…”
Benji spoke up. “Maybe we could all use some time to get used to change. Next visit, Ace will be mine.”
“And now I feel like a toy you guys are fighting over.”
“He always did want my toys,” Jeremy joked. “Watch out, Ace. As soon as I bring home a new best friend, he’s going to forget all about you.”
Benji
Dad inhaled half of the bacon-cheese dip by himself, before getting up and announcing, “It’s bird time. Who wants to learn a new way to cook a bird that is tasty and moist in half the time?”
We all exchanged glances, then fixed our eyes on the television, where a Cowboys-Giants football game had just started. Mom was a huge football fan, so she reclined her chair and settled in for a nice, long break from the kitchen.
She’d made all the pies Wednesday and done most of the prep work for the side dishes she made every year: apple-cranberry dressing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, buttery rolls, and more.
“Benji,” Dad boomed out. “You’re a grown man now. Might as well learn how to do a bird.”
I startled. Of everyone in the room, I thought Dad might pick on Ace. “Oh, but Ace and Jeremy are—”
“They’re watching the game,” he said. “I know you don’t like football. Come on, this will be fun!”
Shoulders slumped, I followed Dad to the kitchen. He was already talking about brine and aluminum foil and oven settings. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw Ace and Jeremy with their heads together, talking.
Well, that was something. Maybe they’d get over themselves and stop acting like I was—
I didn’t finish the thought. They both stood up and walked out the door.
Where were they going, and why hadn’t they mentioned their plans to me? I didn’t have time to wonder long. Dad pulled me into the kitchen and turned me toward the kitchen counter, where a very large, very raw turkey rested on a cooking sheet.