Picky Eater

Ch 5: We're not together

Blood rushing out of his face, Ben ran for Nino, reaching for his phone. He whispered yelled, hoping he could shout at Nino without sounding like a crazy person in front of Tim. "Give me back my phone!"

"Uh, this is Tim?" Tim said. "Who's Nino?"

"I'm staying with Ben this summer. He's busy tonight, so he won't be able to join you."

"I think I'd like to hear that from Ben. Thank you."

"Give me that!" Ben grabbed his phone, even though it seemed like Nino was giving it back anyway. "Sorry about him. He's..." Ben glanced at Nino who did that sullen arm crossed thing again. "He's an old friend and—"

"We're busy," Nino whispered.

"And," Ben restated, gripping his phone tighter. "Nino is staying with me with his niece. He's sort of down on his luck and needs a place to crash."

"Oh, that's terrible."

"Yeah, there was a scandal, and he lost sponsors and he got kicked out of his house..." Ben barely glanced at Nino, and he saw it. He noticed his jaw tightened and Ben couldn't keep the shit-eating grin off his face, and he couldn't stop. "I think the guy's great, but he's a bit of a deadbeat. Like you can ask Lincoln, he always crashes on my couch when he visits."

"Wow, it sounds like he's lucky to have you to help."

"He is." Ben couldn't agree more.

"Well, if Saint Ben can find the time, I'd like to see him."

Tim did it again.

He pulled the rug right out from under Ben.

Flustered, Ben turned away from Nino so he couldn't see him blush. "He'll have time. I promise."

"Alright."

"I'll talk to you later."

"Talk to you later." Ben hung up and smiled at his phone until Tim's picture disappeared. It was a selfie he sent Ben when he somehow got ink all over his face. Tim had that boy next door kind of look with floppy dirty blonde hair and kind brown eyes. Maybe not a super model, but he certainly made Ben do a double take when they first met.

"Who's Tim?" Nino asked.

"Just a guy."

"I don't trust him, and you can't trust him either. Anyone could be working for Gabriel."

Ben grimaced. "I was talking to Tim and dating him before I met Evie."

"So, you're dating him?"

"Kind of," Ben said, just to annoy Nino. He wasn't sure if it was working, but he was certainly annoying himself. "And Lincoln was the one who introduced us."

"I don't trust Lincoln either."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Now you're just being ridiculous."

A light bulb flashed over Nino's head as the realization dawned on him. "It's the Tim guy! Tim must be the reason my guy called me. It's all his fault."

"I feel like ignoring you," Ben said and left Nino to sit with these thoughts. He glanced around the living room. "Evie?" He called out, swearing he heard the bathroom door open. "Evie?"

"In my room!" She called.

"Your room?" Ben said to himself. He walked up the stairs with Nino tailing him this time.

"How often have you brought that guy over?"

"You mean Tim?"

"I already forgot his name."