Jasper didn’t touch Bennett again after the kiss.
Not because he didn’t want to. He wanted to do this right.
Bennett retreated to the desk like it was a safe zone, phone in hand, posture too straight, attention scattered. Jasper recognized the signs. Processing. Recalibrating. Trying to fold something new into an old framework.
Jasper let him.
He sat on the bed and answered a few emails he did not need to, more for the illusion of normalcy than for productivity. The room felt different now. Charged, but not fragile. Like something had shifted and settled instead of breaking.
Eventually, Bennett spoke without looking up. “You are being very quiet.”
Jasper smiled. “You asked to slow down.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to stop existing.”
“I’m still here,” Jasper said. “I’m just not crowding you.”
Bennett’s shoulders eased, just a fraction. “Good.”
They worked like that for a while. Separate tasks. Shared space. The quiet hum of something unspoken but understood.
Later, Jasper closed his laptop and stretched. “I’m going for a walk.”
Bennett glanced up. “Outside.”
“Yes.”
“It’s still cold.”
“I will survive,” Jasper said. “You’re welcome to join me.”
Bennett hesitated. Jasper waited. He always waited.
Finally, Bennett shut his laptop. “Fine.”
Outside,the snow crunched under their boots. The sky was overcast, heavy with the promise of more weather. The air felt sharp and clean, like it stripped things down to essentials.
They walked in silence at first.
Jasper broke it gently. “You okay?”
Bennett exhaled. “Define okay.”
“You didn’t bolt,” Jasper said. “That’s a good sign.”
Bennett huffed. “Do not congratulate me for basic human behavior.”
“I will congratulate you for courage,” Jasper replied.
Bennett glanced at him. “You really think that was courage.”
“I do,” Jasper said. “Wanting something when it doesn’t fit your identity is terrifying.”
Bennett’s jaw tightened. “You make it sound like a diagnosis.”
“I make it sound like being human.”
They stopped near the edge of the path where the snow lay undisturbed, the world quiet and wide.
