Chapter Twenty-One
“The final thing we want you to do this weekend is very simple, but something I bet a lot of you have overlooked,” Annie said.
Sam leaned in close to Ben to whisper in his ear. “If this is housework, I’m leaving,” he murmured.
To his delight, Ben chuckled.
“For some of you, it might be something you haven’t done since your wedding day,” Annie continued.
“Sex?” Ben whispered, making Sam laugh this time.
“Before you go today, you need to tell your partner that you love them, in front of everyone here.”
Sam’s stomach dropped. Ben was going to hate that, and there was nothing he could do now to save him from it.
“So I want you all to face your partner and hold both of their hands, and we’ll go around in a circle,” Annie finished.
Sam had changed his mind. She was actually evil.
He didn’t mind saying it. Sam’s instinct was to tell everyone he cared about that he loved them, as often as the mood struck him.
Not Ben, though. Ben had enough trouble saying it in private that Sam couldn’t imagine him saying it in public.
“It’s okay if you wanna tap out for this one,” Sam said softly. “I understand.”
To Sam’s surprise, Ben only met his eyes and raised an eyebrow.
Maybe it wasn’t as bad as Sam thought it was. Maybe since Ben knew he was acting, he wouldn’t have any trouble with it at all.
The thought made Sam’s stomach sink again. Of course Ben intended to act. They’d had one good weekend after being apart for years.
Ben had been saying all the right things, but none of them had beenI want a committed relationship when this weekend is over.
Sam kept forgetting that what he wanted wasn’t necessarily what Ben wanted.
Instead of letting himself get worked up about it, Sam took a few deep breaths to combat the nervousness swirling in his gut.
He’d already said it once, and Ben hadn’t run away or anything. He obviously wasn’t offended by Sam’s feelings, regardless of where he was with his own.
It was okay that they weren’t quite on the same page right now. Sam could be patient.
Now that he knew there was even apossibilityhe could have Ben, his patience would stretch out until the day he died.
Ben was his soulmate. Maybe that was a stupid thing to believe in, but Sam believed it. He felt at peace around him in a way he’d never felt with anyone else.
If anything was worth waiting for, that was it.
Based on the way the circle was going, their turn was coming last. Sam wished now that he’d volunteered to go first, since it’d all be over and done with by now, and he and Ben could have been watching instead of waiting.
All the same, their turn came around before Sam was really ready.
He’d thought in the beginning that this would be easy, but the more time he’d had to contemplate it, the more difficult it had become.
He jumped when Annie put a hand on his arm to tell him to go, then swallowed.
“I love you,” he said, most of his worries fading by the time he’d gotten the words out. Ben squeezed his hands, the tiniest of gestures, but enough to let him know that he wasn’t mad. That maybe, even, the sentiment was appreciated.
Ben cleared his throat.
