Sam didn’t need to be told twice, happy to collapse into the plush couch that had replaced the old one. This one felt a little sturdier, probably because it wasn’t on its third owner.
He could hear Ben moving around in the kitchen, the sounds of coffee being made filtering into the living room as background noise.
The couch smelled of Ben. The whole apartment did, really, in a faint, almost imperceptible way. It was nice to be surrounded by Ben’s life.
Much nicer than the hotel room Sam was going to end up staying in, but that was life. He couldn’t push Ben any further. Ben was probably sick of his face by now, too used to being alone to be ready for this much company at once.
Ben came back with two generous mugs of coffee and handed one over. Sam took it gratefully, wrapping both hands around the mug as Ben settled next to him.
He wanted to askso, where to from here?
The timing seemed wrong, though. Ben would need space. Time. Room to breathe, and think, and decide what he really wanted from Sam.
“You got a place to stay lined up?” Ben asked, as though he’d read Sam’s mind.
“I’ve got, uh… leads on places to stay,” Sam lied, sipping his too-hot coffee.
“Bullshit,” Ben responded, seeing right through him. Ben had always been good at seeing right through people. Especially Sam.
“I was thinking, I mean, no pressure and only if you want to, but you mentioned needing a nap after the weekend, and it seems kind of cruel to send you to a hotel room or an Airbnb or something when I have a perfectly good bed here.”
Sam swallowed. Maybe he was wrong, after all.
“Are you asking me to stay?”
Even thinking of the question seemed like getting his hopes up too much, but he wanted to stay more than anything. He’d been separated from Ben for too long. He didn’t want to lose any more time with him.
“I am,” Ben said, his voice suddenly much more confident. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“Okay,” Sam said. “Then I’m staying.”
Relief washed over him as he sipped his coffee, a comfortable silence falling between them. Ben wanted him to stay, and he was going to.
Everything else… everything else they could figure out together.
