And Spence continued to hold Ben, focused on the man in his arms, not even noticing the others slip from the room.
* * *
Ben smiledat the sound of the front door opening. He sat up straighter, ignoring the twinge in his bicep as the stitches pulled. Ignoring his aches and pains was easy when he had Spence’s homecoming to look forward to.
Spence entered from the hall, carrying his bag and dropping it against the wall in the lounge room, the same place where he’d left his stuff countless times before.
“Back in a tick,” he said before ducking into the kitchen area.
Ben relaxed against the cushions with a sigh. Having Spence back in his home, in his life, was amazing. He could get used to hearing Spence potter around the kitchen, the comforting sounds of him doing everyday tasks. Ben vowed to himself that he would never let Spence go again. He just had to make sure that Spencer understood how important he was to him, and that meant he finally needed to get the courage to let Spence know the true depth of his feelings.
He waited impatiently while Spence fiddled in the kitchen, brewing a pot of coffee and then returning with two steaming mugs. Ben took his gratefully, inhaling the aroma of the coffee, which smelt so much better than that awful stuff at the hospital. And on the plus side, the big dose of caffeine would hopefully fortify him for the admission ahead.
Spence went back to the kitchen and this time brought back a large glass of water before sitting down on the sofa beside him. He reached across for the pharmacy bag that was on the coffee table, removing a bottle of pills and shaking a couple into his palm, then handed them to Ben.
Ben looked at the small white tablets, reluctant to take anything that could cloud his thinking before he’d had the important conversation with Spence—the most important discussion of his life. But acknowledging it was better to deal with the pain, he threw them into his mouth and swallowed them down with a large drink of water. “Thanks.”
“Here, let me take that.” Spence took the glass and put it on the table. “Let’s get you comfortable.”
Ben lay back, and Spence started messing with the cushions, putting some behind Ben’s neck and using one to prop his injured arm, giving it the support it needed and ensuring it wouldn’t get bumped. “You don’t have to fuss. I’m all good.”But God, it feels good to have him looking after me.
Spence snorted. “You sure? The doctor said you needed to immobilise that arm, and knowing you, you’ve been doing stuff while I was out getting my things.”
Ben shrugged as he thought back to the quick tidy he’d done of the kitchen and bathroom—he hadn’t been expecting guests when he’d left home the last time, after all.
“Thought so.” Spence shook his head. “Anyway, I’m here now, so there’ll be no more stacking the dishwasher one-handed or attempting loads of washing.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’d be fine.” Spence chuckled. “You have them lining up to help you. I almost had to wrestle Cameron and your mum for carer’s rights.” Spence flushed and briefly turned away, finally meeting Ben’s gaze from under hooded lids.
God, Ben wanted to make sure Spence knew how much that meant to him. “I—”
“We need to talk.” Ben barely had a chance to open his mouth before Spence suddenly seated himself, this time in the armchair, elbows on his knees as he faced Ben. “I’ve got some stuff I need to say.”
“Wait,” Ben interrupted. He had to speak now, to get it off his chest, or he wouldn’t be able to focus. “There’s something I need to tell you first.”
Spence looked at him expectantly, concern evident in his tilted head and warm brown eyes. So Ben launched straight into his confession before he lost his courage.
“The weeks you’ve been away have been the worst weeks of my life. Even worse than getting hurt. In fact, I’m glad I was injured, because it got you to come home.” Spence gasped, but surprisingly Ben realised he meant that with every fibre of his being. It was a small price to pay to get Spence back by his side. “You’re my best friend. You’re the person I feel closest to in the whole world, and with you gone, I was so lonely. I was also fucking worried about you and hated not knowing if you were okay and if you were happy.” He inhaled deeply. “I love you, Spence.”
Spence looked back at him with a serious expression. A gentle smile played at his lips. “I love you too, Ben.”
“Yeah… but… well, here’s the thing. When I say ‘I love you,’ I mean it like I’min lovewith you.” Ben refused to take his eyes from his friend as he finally said the words out loud. “I’m in love with you.” He held his breath.
Spence was still for a moment, then a big smile broke across his face. “I know.” He moved back across to the sofa, and this time, instead of simply sitting next to him, Spence snuggled into Ben’s uninjured side. “I know.”
