“Hey,” Thomas greeted, sounding relaxed.
“You busy?”
“A bit, but I can spare a second for you.”
Warmth flooded his chest and he felt the heat rise in his cheeks. Beside him, Lara laughed under her breath.
“I wanted to do something special for you birthday.”
“Don’t tell him.” Lara elbowed him in the ribs, and on the other end of the line, Thomas laughed.
“Tell Lara I said hi.”
“He says hi,” Ben dutifully repeated.
Lara snatched the phone out of his hand. “Thomas. Hi.”
Ben stole the phone back and put it on speaker, dropping it onto the counter beside the laptop.
“Is everything okay over there?” Thomas asked.
“Everything is fine,” he promised.
“Ben wants to know if you have any plans for your birthday.”
“I don’t,” Thomas said. “Besides celebrating with him, hopefully.”
“That’s honestly adorable,” Lara said, holding Ben’s stare. “If you don’t have specific plans, don’t make any. Ben has it all under control.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
“I’ll need you from Friday night after work to Sunday night,” Ben said.
“You’re taking a trip,” Lara interjected. “And that’s all you need to know.”
“I can take a day off if you like,” Thomas volunteered.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know,” Thomas said slowly. “But I’m not against spending more time with you. Especially if it’s away from here.”
Something about the lilt of Thomas’s voice made Ben wonder if he’d been wrong about Thomas being okay with being as out as he was, but he tamped it back down for another time. He was planning a birthday getaway, a divorce celebration, and he wanted it to be special.
“Monday then,” he said. “So we can take our time.”
“Monday it is.” Thomas cleared his throat. “Will I be seeing you tonight?”
“If you wanted.”
“I always want.” Thomas’s voice went low and raspy, and Ben grabbed the phone, flipping it off speaker before he could say any more.
“Mine or yours?” he asked.
“I’ll come over when I’m off work,” Thomas answered.
“Bring me food.”
“So demanding.”
