Picky Eater

Ch 22: What's wrong now?

Grimacing, Ben looked around his beautiful apartment and his chest squeezed. To avoid looking dramatic, Ben held himself back from hugging the wall or wrapping himself around the stair railing and held onto a throw pillow instead. The last thing Ben wanted to do was leave. Ben had taken root here. It was safe. Comfortable. All he's known for five years. Now, Nino was going to have to violently rip him from the ground.

"We need to be safe," Nino said, aging by the second.

"I know," Ben said, but that didn't make it better.

"They probably already know we're here."

"I know."

Sighing, Ben held onto the throw pillow tighter. He was laid on the couch with a weighted blanket on top of him to help keep him from losing his mind as if he was an old southern woman suffering from the vapers.

"And it's just for the rest of the summer," Nino reminded him. "You're moving anyways, right?"

Getting choked up, Ben admitted. "You're right." He hadn't even started processing letting the apartment go forever. He hated saying goodbye.

Evie raised her hand. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of Ben. "Where are we going?"

"That's something we have to figure out," Nino said. He grabbed his laptop, pointing at the screen. "I think we need to go somewhere remote, out of the way, and the last place they'd ever look for us."

On the world map, Nino pointed at Texas. "We have no connection here and I assumed Ben wouldn't want to leave the country."

"Correct," Ben said. "But is secluded that great of an idea? I mean, I think it'd just sketch me out more."

Evie raised her hand again.

"Yes, Evie?" Nino said.

"I wanna go to the beach."

Nino's eyes widened. "The beach?"

"Oh, that would be nice," Ben agreed, thinking a margarita on the beach would lessen the ache of homesickness.

Nino shook his head. "A beach means the heat and the sun, which means more blood and more magic to keep us from frying alive."

Evie shrunk a little, wilting before Ben's eyes. Nino was the needle bursting Evie's balloon. Sitting up, Ben let the pillow and blanket fall to his lap as he spoke up for Evie. She never volunteers for what she wants, so Ben wasn't going to let this moment go to waste. "I agree with Evie. It's summer. I'd like to go to the beach."

"Beaches are crowded."

Ben shrugged. "Which means there will be too many witnesses around to kidnap Evie in broad daylight." This didn't make Nino's forehead wrinkle disappear, but before he could make any good points, Ben jumped back in. "And you wanted us to go somewhere unexpected, right? Vampires at a beach isn't my first thought."

"Yeah!" Evie agreed, already more chipper.

Nino crossed his arms, making time to glare at them both. "I don't like that you guys are teaming up against me."

Ben smiled and touched Nino's cheek, who was nowhere near as amused as Ben was. "This team has an open spot if you want it."

"Let's play for it," Evie said. "Rock, paper, scissors. If I win, we go to the beach. If you win, we'll go to a boring deserted ranch."

Ben curled back his lips, letting a laugh escape his nose. He glanced at Nino as Evie scrambled to her feet. Nino winked and Ben thought about jumping over this coffee table to kiss him. A man like this deserved to get his tongue down his throat.