3
Sunday dawned bright and clear. It was going to be a warm day, but not too hot for a game of basketball, particularly as they were going to play early. A couple of the guys had other commitments, so they would all be going their own ways after the game, not getting together for the usual lunch. Not that Ben cared too much; he was more interested in catching up with Spencer. He grinned as he saw Spence jogging towards him across the park from the direction opposite the carpark.
Spence had such an easy gait, as expected from someone with his build. He had the body of a runner, his limbs long and lean. He was mid height at under six feet and fit, although not overly muscled. He was lucky enough to have a body that needed very little maintenance. He kept in shape by surfing, a semiregular run, and the occasional game of whatever sport the other guys were playing and managed to rope him into.
Spence always joined in, although Ben knew he preferred his solo activities of surfing and running. He enjoyed some physical exertion but wasn’t as sports crazy as Ben. He would rather exercise the mind and was actually a bit of a geek with his fondness for reading and puzzles. Ben thought back to all the times when they’d sat around at home watching the game on TV, but Spence always had one eye on the game and the other focused on his crossword. Or maybe it was Sudoku; Ben wasn’t really sure. Whatever it was, there was always something on the go. Spence claimed it stopped him from getting bored and improved his brain. Not that it needed improving, since he’d always done much better than Ben at school.
Spence finally pulled up in front of Ben, bending to rest his hands on his knees while he caught his breath.
“Must have been some run, mate.” Ben laughed at his friend’s reddened face.
Spence stood upright, tucking stray strands of blond hair behind one ear. “Had to drop the car at the mechanics,” he panted. “Thought I’d just run the rest of the way rather than getting a ride share.”
“You should have called, and I’d have come got you.” Ben passed Spence a bottle of water.
Spence smiled. “Yeah, I know you would have. But the exercise didn’t hurt.” He twisted the lid off and took a large swig, then pulled his shirt up to wipe his face, catching a stray water droplet from his chin, the move exposing his abs.
He had a light smattering of fine, blond hair on his belly that actually seemed to glisten in the sunlight. Ben’s bit his lip as his pulse sped up.Holy shit!Ben stared, mesmerised, at the sight in front of him. When he finally realised what he was doing, he snapped his eyes up and searched Spence’s face. Spence was looking over Ben’s shoulder, and his face wore a very strange expression—sort of a cross between anger and disappointment, his lips pressed together and his features tight.Shit!Spence tugged his shirt back down and looked to Ben, his jaw clenched.
Ben didn’t know what to say.Fuck!The look on Spence’s face made his stomach drop. He took a deep breath but was saved from having to saying anything by Suzie’s call. He looked over his shoulder to see her approaching.
* * *
Spence wassure he’d seen something in the once-over Ben had given him—the extended look and the way Ben’s tongue had darted out to touch his lip. He was almost tempted to say something he ordinarily wouldn’t say to his friend—something flirty and no doubt inappropriate—but he’d seen Suzie approaching and the moment was broken.Damn!He scowled and hurriedly pulled down his T-shirt. As he did so, he met Ben’s eyes, but Ben didn’t hold his gaze, instead turning and walking away.
“Ben,” Suzie called, but Ben kept walking. Spence almost laughed as she rushed past him, barely nodding in greeting as she chased after Ben. “Ben! Hi, Ben.”
Ben finally slowed and looked over his shoulder. Suzie grabbed his arm and they continued walking towards the picnic table where the others had started to gather. With no choice, Spence followed.
Cameron was organising the game, making sure they had enough players on each side and trying to get everyone to pay attention. They were still waiting on a couple of members for each team, so they formed small groups and sat around idly chatting while they waited.
Spence took a seat at the table and finished the remainder of the water in the bottle. He passed the time by trying to peel the label off the now empty bottle, but it was a slow process. Whatever sort of glue they used was really effective, because the label was only coming off in small pieces and only after he spent quite a bit of time prying at it with his thumbnail.
As he focused on the label, he couldn’t help but overhear Suzie’s discussion with Ben.
“So you will come, won’t you?”
Spence’s blood boiled at her pleading tone and the way she pressed herself against Ben’s side, invading his personal space. He tried to tell himself that he didn’t know why her actions were pissing him off so much.Yeah, you try to tell yourself that, buddy. The ugly green beast was definitely raising its head. He frowned, now annoyed at both Suzie and himself.
At that moment, Ben raised his eyes and looked in Spence’s direction, almost as if seeking help. But before Spence could change his expression and before he could make a move to rescue Ben from Suzie’s clutches, Ben turned to Suzie and nodded.
“Yeah, sure, Suzie. It would be my pleasure.”
Spence scowled again as Suzie’s face lit up. Ben looked over to him just as Spence stood. He turned his back and walked over to the bag where the basketball was waiting. He couldn’t wait for the game to start so he could bounce the hell out of the thing and work off his frustration.
* * *
The Sunday gameusually left him feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, putting him in a good place to face the coming week. That wasn’t the case today. Today, he had sensed something change between him and Spence, and he was worried that it wasn’t a good thing.
For the first time, he’d almost got the courage to give Spence a hint, just a small hint, of how special he found him, but that look from Spence had definitely closed down any thoughts he had. It had almost been a relief when Suzie came along, ensuring he didn’t have to confront Spence’s reactions. He couldn’t handle a negative reaction, didn’t want to face anything that could put their friendship at risk.
He had absolutely no idea what to say to Spence, and that had never happened before. And when Spence had risen from the picnic table and turned his back on Ben, he’d hurt so bad, something that was a real surprise to him. The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. He wasn’t sure why, after all these years, he was finally struggling to rein his feelings in. He’d gotten to be an expert at wearing his “easy-going Ben” mask. And now Spence was going away for a week to some training seminar. Ben didn’t know whether to be happy or not. It gave him a week to sort himself out, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving things unsaid between the two of them.Is everything all right between us?
As he pulled his truck into the driveway of his parents’ home, he was grateful for the distraction of a job to do. He’d promised to clear the gutters and maybe, just maybe, doing some more physical work would stop the internal monologue. All this thinking wasn’t getting him anywhere. He pulled on the handbrake, grabbed his keys from the ignition, and headed inside. Yes, a distraction would be good.
Opening the front door, Ben flinched as he was confronted by the sounds of yet another fight, this one accompanied by a pained cry from his mother. He broke into a jog at the sound and moved quickly through the house, following the noise he could hear coming from the rear. As he charged into the kitchen, he was confronted by his mother crowded into the corner where the kitchen counter bent ninety degrees and continued along the next wall. Having nowhere to go, she was cowering with her hands to her face as his dad yelled and prodded her with each word.
“You stupid, stupid woman! How hard is it to get one thing right?! Just one thing!”
