A door on the second floor landing opened, and Van stepped out, all smiles. “Hey,” he said. “Morning.”
“Hey back,” Joshua said. He climbed the steps first. The way they creaked and groaned beneath him made Benji nervous about both of them being on the stairs at the same time.
They all met on the landing, which was barely wide enough for the three of them. Van leaned toward Joshua, then hesitated, a question in his eyes. Joshua answered it for him by planting a firm kiss on his lips. Benji was a bit disappointed by the innocent kiss, but he suspected Joshua didn’t want any peeping neighbors to get a big show. Benji mimicked the action, loving how easy it was to kiss Van the same way. A natural greeting for someone he cared about.
“Please, come in,” Van said. “Mine’s the open door straight ahead.”
They stepped into a very narrow lobby-like area that had three doors close together. The original floor plan of that story had been chopped up into three apartments, and Van’s door was in the middle. It opened into a small area that contained a couch, a single chair, a tiny four-person dinette, and a galley kitchen. Everything in the place screamed mid-century, especially the dinette and avocado refrigerator.
Benji was immediately drawn to the small bookcase in the living room. Full of books, he scanned the titles, finding mostly nonfiction. Everything from healthy eating to Dirk Benedict’s autobiography.
Joshua had gone the opposite direction, straight for the food set out on the dinette. Van stood in the middle, probably unsure of the next step now that they were all three together again and spread out across his place. Benji wasn’t entirely sure, either, but eating seemed like the logical step.
“Book fan?” Benji asked.
“I like to learn about new things,” Van replied. “I borrow from the library a lot, plus I have a tablet, but that’s my keeper shelf. The ones that have special meaning.”
Curious, Benji pulled a random book off the shelf. “Patty Cannon Administers Justice.”
Van chuckled. “That one’s written like fiction, but it’s also based on the true story of a Delmarva legend. Supposedly she murdered travelers who stayed with her and buried them in her yard. She also helped return runaway slaves to their owners.”
“Huh.” He’d never heard the name, but now he wanted to Google her to learn more. The book in his hand was weathered, the dust jacket falling apart and protected by a plastic sleeve, so he didn’t even consider asking to borrow it. He shelved it instead, and then drifted to Van. “Fan of local legends?”
“I picked this area to be my home, so I figured I might as well learn some local lore. There are a lot of fascinating stories and places to visit, like a haunted swamp. Patty Cannon’s homestead site is still there with a historical marker. The house isn’t the original, though.”
“Maybe we can visit some of the these places while I’m here. I’d love to see them.” Benji really did, too, and not because the legends were important to Van. He was a fan of spooky stories and scary movies, so this was right up his alley.
Van’s smile widened. “My work hours are nocturnal, so I have my days free. I’d love to show you around.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Both of you.”
“I’m in,” Joshua said. “Are we eating?”
Benji laughed. “He’s always hungry. High metabolism, the lucky jerk.”
“Hey, you weigh less than I do.”
“I’m also shorter than you, genius.”
“Eat away,” Van said. “It’s all good, healthy food, anyway.”
He and Benji joined Joshua at the table, and Benji took in the spread. A bowl of fresh tropical fruit salad, a loaf of something called Ezekiel Bread, hummus and guacamole, cut veggies,cooked chicken breasts sprinkled with some kind of seasoning, and a pitcher of something orange that was not juice.
“Mango smoothie,” Van said, pointing at the pitcher.
“Good grief, this looks amazing,” Joshua said. “You eat like this every day?”
“For the most part. I don’t eat beef anymore, but I supplement a mostly raw diet with some chicken and seafood. You can eat the breasts like that, but I like to make a sandwich with guacamole as a spread.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Benji dug into what was probably the healthiest meal he’d ever eaten. The sandwich was divine, and Van admitted to making the guac fresh, as well as the hummus, which Benji scarfed down with slices of cucumber and red bell pepper. The mango smoothie was velvety and sweet, and he made a mental note to demand that recipe.
Van repeated some of the personal stories he’d told Benji yesterday, for Joshua’s benefit. “To keep us all on the same page,” Van said. Perfectly reasonable, too. They really hadn’t defined what they were doing, but treating each other like equals was key. All points had to be equidistant from the others to create the perfect triangle.
“So that’s my exciting origin story,” Van said with an overly dramatic sigh that was totally adorable. “I know you guys met in college. Tell me about your first date.”
Joshua choked on a gulp of smoothie. Benji burst out laughing, not only at Joshua’s reaction but also to the vivid memories.
Van’s eyebrows arched. “Okay, now I definitely need this story.”
