I had no idea what he planned on making. What stocked my fridge and pantry was a mystery to me, though I was certain Matthew would have tried to include everything he could think of on the slight chance I might have wanted any of it. It didn’t really matter, though, because Benny seemed to be happy.
My fingers trailed gently over the warm exposed skin of his back, and Benny hummed as he turned to look at me. A soft kiss was placed on my temple, and with it another broken piece seemed to fit back into place inside me.
“I thought you weren’t goin’ to the office,” he said as he took in my suit pants and fitted navy shirt.
“I’m not.”
“Then why are you all dressed up?”
I was dressedwell. I had to be if I was going into the office, and as that was the only place I really went at all, those were the only type of clothes I owned. “This is what I always wear.”
“Even at home?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have like, sweatpants or somethin’?”
“No.”
“Well, that’s gotta change.” Benny huffed. “How do you like your eggs?”
The thought of food this early in the day made my stomach twist in discomfort. “I’m not really hungry yet.”
Warm brown eyes softened, seeing too much.
“Will you try this, at least?”
Benny picked up a plate to the side of where he was cooking. Toast with peanut butter. He held the corner of it to my mouth. I rolled my eyes at him but took a bite.
“How do you like your coffee?” I asked after I finished chewing, only for Benny to shove the toast in my mouth again. I took another bite as I turned the coffee machine on.
“Milk and one sugar.”
I nodded, hoping Matthew kept milk and sugar somewhere. As I found them and made a coffee for Benny the way he specified, and my own regular black coffee, Benny kept holding the toast to my mouth, and although I rolled my eyes at him every time, I still finished it off.
“I’m going to log on to work,” I told him, my finger curling to summon him down to my level. When he bent, my hand cupped the back of his neck as I pulled him into a kiss.
There were already twelve emails from my father. Several of which were marked as urgent, even though I couldn’t tell why.
Regardless, it didn’t take me long once I was able to focus to catch up on everything I’d missed by logging on so late.
When I finally looked away from the screen, I saw the mug of dark pink tea beside me. I hadn’t even noticed Benny put it there.
A smile pulled at my lips. It tasted warm and sweet, just like him.
By late afternoon, I’d almost finished everything that was necessary to do today. My eyes were dry from staring at the screen, and I wondered how long it had been since I’d last looked away from it. Long enough for another tea to have appeared beside me, already cold.
My fingers trailed absently through short hair, but it wasn’t my yellow blanket this time.
Somehow, I’d been so focused on work I hadn’t even noticed Benny kneeling beside my seat, or that my fingers had already found comfort in the soft locks of his hair.
My chest tightened. Gratitude and guilt.
He’d been taking care of me while I worked, and I hadn’t even noticed it.
I swallowed the words that wanted to slip from my lips. Instead of telling him I didn’t deserve his care, I said, “You don’t have to sit around here, pup. If you have stuff to do, you can come back later.”
Benny shook his head without removing it from my knee. “No, I wanna be here with you.”
