by P. L. Harris
Ben pulled up beside the porch and jerked the gearstick into neutral with one hand while stabbing the switch beside his window with the other.
Connor Winters leaned in, their faces no longer separated by glass or distance or time.
“You made it! Great!” Connor said, his enthusiastic expression causing Ben’s traitorous heart to leap. But then those bright blue eyes fell onto the cupcakes in the passenger seat. “I don’t know if I can wait until tonight to sink my teeth into one of those. I’ve been dreaming about your cupcakes since you stopped bringing them to school back in tenth grade.”
Ben refused to focus for too long on that chiselled face, or on the way those jeans gaped over Connor’s abdomen, which was just visible beneath the polo shirt he was wearing.
“Where do you want me?” Ben asked.
“Best park you near the kitchen. Follow me.”
The drive around the back to the industrial-sized kitchen barely took half a minute, but it felt like an eternity of being forced to watch Connor’s backside tense and untense in front of him. Damn it, did Connor have to be even hotter now than in his memories? No wonder he was getting married. He probably hadn’t spent a week without a girlfriend since high school.
“Be glad for him,” Ben muttered. “He’s getting his happy ending. Not everyone does.”
He ripped up the handbrake with more force than was necessary and shoved the door out of its frame before Connor could open it for him. Avoiding all eye contact — and definitely not letting his gaze fall any further south — Ben grabbed the nearest container of cupcakes and barely managed to keep himself from tossing them at Connor.
“Why did you stop bringing these in anyway?” Connor asked. If only that look of hunger was directed at Ben instead of the frosted delights.
“Got too busy,” Ben lied.
“Right. Makes sense.”
Ben pulled at his shirt, guilt causing perspiration to gather beneath his collar. “What made you think of me when you wanted wedding cupcakes? I’ve only been in business for two months.”
“Your mum likes to check in on my sister once a week, or had you forgotten about that?” Connor’s laugh was deeper than remembered — and sexier, too. “We’ve got no secrets when those two start talking.”
Ben darted around him and hurriedly entered the kitchen, only to stop dead when he saw Lisa, Connor’s sister, sitting at the counter in her bathrobe. It had been years since he’d seen her, and many more since he’d caught her balancing a cigarette between her fingers. He did notice that she was wearing an engagement ring, so it looked like there was another wedding in the siblings’ future. Maybe they would get someone else to do her cake and spare him going through this again.
“It’s not lit — don’t give me that look!” she pleaded, misinterpreting Ben’s gaze. “It’s the caterer’s fault for ringing and saying they’ll be later than expected. I need to keep my hands busy with something or I’ll explode with stress. Oh, hello by the way. You’re all grown up. I think he looks great — don’t you, Connor?”
Ben’s heart stuttered in his chest. He dreaded the answer.
“Ease up, Lise,” Connor said. “He just got here.”
Funny how he could get his hopes up over nothing and then have them dashed like that.
Lisa was now squinting at Ben. “He’s Gary’s size, isn’t he? He looks it.”
Who the hell is Gary?
He set down the cupcakes and went back outside to get more of them before they melted in the summer heat. It was already inching past thirty-five degrees at two o’clock. He supposed that’s why the wedding was scheduled for the evening.
“Are you going back to Sydney immediately?” Lisa asked when he returned.
Ben shrugged. “Don’t have any other plans. Scenic driving isn’t my thing.”
The sudden gleam in her eyes filled him with worry. She was two years younger than him and Connor, but always the one who got into the most trouble. Connor had worn her indiscretions for most of high school. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his baby sister.
“How would you like a free feed?” Lisa asked. “Bonus entertainment — some dancing, watching drunk relatives make fools of themselves, that sort of thing. This new family we’re getting hooked up to is pretty wild.”
“You’re inviting me to the wedding?” Ben asked, confused. Did she have a right to do that? It was Connor’s big day, not hers.
Connor sighed, an indication that he knew he had no choice.
Lisa waved the cigarette at her brother, effectively shushing him. “Connor’s plus one bailed on him and we’re not doing the traditional bridal table thing, so my bridesman here has an empty seat beside him. The food’s all paid for. No sense in it going to waste. What do you say?”
“Bridesman? Come on, Lise.” Connor shook his head. “I thought we weren’t using that term.”
Ben stared at the pair of them. Bridesman? It was a silly term, but that wasn’t the reason he’d been struck speechless.
Oh my God, Connor’s not getting married. Lisa is.
His stupid, glutton-for-punishment heart started tapping out a frenetic new beat.
“If you’re worried about the suit, we’ve got one,” Lisa said quickly.
“I, uh...” Nope, that wasn’t what Ben was worried about. He was worried he’d enjoy it too much and end up heartbroken all over again. A night of pretending to be Connor’s real plus one, not just a guest who got roped in at the last minute by an old friend...
Connor looked thoughtful. “It’d be great to catch up and I don’t know many people in my sister’s new family. I’d have someone to hang with. We’ve barely got anyone from our side on the guest list.”
“You want me as your plus one?” Ben clarified.
“Absolutely,” Connor said, that sexy smile of his sneaking its way out of hiding.
Ben was powerless to resist and he knew it.
“Sounds good,” he said, then half-sprinted out the door so that he could bring in the last of the cupcakes — and take some time to wonder what the hell he’d just done.
LISA’S FACE GLOWED as she walked down the aisle, unescorted and fiercely independent, as always. Connor couldn’t help but smile, despite the situation she’d landed him in.
She’d been too busy having her hair pulled into some ridiculously complicated updo for Connor to take her aside and demand an explanation from her. She’d known about his crush on Ben for half their lives and she’d promised never to say a word to anybody, especially the close-minded aunt and uncle who’d raised them (and who were definitely not invited to the wedding).
Maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t had the chance to have words with his sister. If he’d confronted her, Lisa would have just pointed out that when she put him in charge of the cupcakes, he’d had a lot more options than begging her to get Ben’s number for him.
And she would be absolutely right.
The ceremony wasn’t very long, only about twenty minutes, but Ben’s face was in the audience for every excruciating second. Connor did his best to keep his eyes on his sister. This was her big day and she deserved to be the centre of attention. Except he kept finding himself drawn back to Ben’s slim figure, the dark scruffy hair that never needed a comb, and those deep hazel eyes that spoke of secrets and promises. He’d always envied Ben for never needing to hide a part of himself, for never being afraid that he’d been tossed out onto the streets by his guardians.
What had he been thinking, calling Ben? It had been years.
And now he had to spend the whole night by his side.
A more delightful torture there wasn’t.
It was a relief to escape into the function hall, where the air conditioning was bracingly cold and the alcohol already flowing. When he sat down beside Ben, who was wearing the suit Connor had picked out for his boyfriend before having his heart broken a handful of weeks ago, Connor was sure he should have invited Ben to be his plus one all along.
“Why is th
e flower girl old enough to be your aunt?” Ben asked in a whisper.
Connor grinned. “No idea. Lise made all the big decisions. I was only in charge of the cake.”
“So, you’re no longer covering for her mischief!” Ben laughed. “About time. She’s had you wrapped around her pinky finger since you were kids.”
“Yeah,” Connor said quietly, watching his sister make the rounds with her new husband.
“Going to miss being the only one looking after her?”
Connor glanced at Ben, startled, and also relieved that someone else had put his thoughts into words. He nodded. “It was just the two of us for so long and I guess I got used to that. I’m glad she’s found her happy ending, though. The world owes her that much and more.”
“You deserve your happy ending too,” Ben told him.
They locked eyes. His breath whooshed out of his lungs.
God, why did Ben look so good in a suit that wasn’t even tailored for him? Sharp and taut in all the right places — just like the body beneath it. Ben had always looked after himself, always burning off more cupcakes than he ate.
I have no idea how I’m supposed to talk to him anymore.
Deciding on a safer option, Connor reached for the bottle of wine sweating onto the tablecloth.
It wasn’t long before Ben suggested they hit the dance floor. The other guests were arranged in lines for ‘The Nutbush’, which had been drilled into everyone back at school, so Connor couldn’t say he didn’t know how to dance. Unbalanced, he managed to slam into Ben instead of executing a proper turn and would have hit the ground had Ben not caught him. Laughing, Connor tried to get back into the rhythm, but the crowd was already two turns ahead. He grabbed Ben’s hand and led him away, flushed with exertion and alcohol and possibly something else.
Lisa blocked the exit, hands on her hips.
“We’re doing the cupcakes soon,” she said, her tone more amused than disapproving.
“Just need some air,” Connor protested.
And some time alone with Ben!
As if she’d read his thoughts, or because she’d been hoping this would happen, his sister smirked and waved a hand at the table beside her. “You’d better grab your cupcakes now because there won’t be any left later, I promise you that.”
Ben quickly scooped up two of the cupcakes and escaped the hall, Connor right on his heels. The night air was still warm but Connor had lost his jacket at some point during the dancing. He wasn’t the only one; Ben was also down to his shirt and didn’t have cufflinks either, choosing to roll the crisp white sleeves up to his elbows. The casual look suited him. Connor tried to find some way to articulate this, but the words tripped over his tongue and then his feet found something to trip on as well.
Ben was there to catch him. Again.
Once Connor was steady on his feet, Ben steered him towards the lounge chairs that were set up outside on the porch, probably so guests could stargaze or snooze off hangovers, depending on Lisa’s intentions. Taking the chair immediately beside Connor, Ben offered him a cupcake in a hand that trembled.
Guess he’s had a bit too much to drink. And I haven’t? Nah. A couple of drinks wouldn’t make me lose my footing. It’s all you. It always has been.
He reached out and swiped the cupcake. Half of it was in his mouth before he remembered to throw out a muffled “fanks”. Chewing became difficult as he watched Ben loosen the tie around his neck and release the top two buttons of his shirt.
Connor swallowed. Hard. “You haven’t given me a cupcake in years.”
“Like I said, I was busy,” Ben said.
“I didn’t buy that earlier and I don’t buy it now,” Connor said. Maybe it was the alcohol. Or maybe he really did have the same ‘can’t let it go’ genes as his sister. “What’s the real reason then?”
Connor took another bite of the cupcake, his teeth sinking into the centre and finding it filled with a soft chocolate paste.
Oh my God. Heaven.
Yeah, he really did want to know why Ben had denied him absolute heaven for this long. And no, he didn’t just mean the cupcakes. He’d missed Ben.
“Forget about the cupcakes,” Connor told him. “You stopped speaking to me entirely.”
“Sorry,” Ben said in a strangled voice.
“Thanks, but I want to know why.”
Damn it, Lise, you’re rubbing off on me.
Ben sighed and looked down at his own cupcake. The icing was melting onto his fingers. He lifted them to his lips and licked the smear of chocolate off them.
Connor held in the groan of frustration.
Ben shook his head and smiled, as though amused at himself. “I guess I was too scared to ask you out. So, I kept giving you cupcakes. And then you shacked up with Debbie Ang. There was no way I was going to keep hanging around you after that. My heart couldn’t take it.”
Connor stared at him. “You never said anything.”
“How could I?” Ben asked, setting the cupcake down. “I didn’t want you to see me as that loser who pines after his straight best friend.”
Oh. Oh. That explained a lot. It wasn’t like Connor had ever advertised his sexuality.
Connor couldn’t help the stupid grin. “Ben, I’m bi. You totally had a shot. I’d have asked you out myself if I hadn’t been so scared of being kicked out of home.”
“I see,” Ben said quietly.
“You still have a shot, by the way,” Connor went on. “I’m single right now. And I’m thinking about all those times at school when I could have backed you up against the wall and kissed you silly. And I’m about two seconds away from jumping you, just so you know.”
Ben didn’t give him those two seconds, but Connor certainly had no complaints when Ben grabbed his tie and tugged him into a firm kiss that tasted better than any cupcake Connor had ever received from him. And that was saying something.
Connor’s fingers curled possessively around the ones anchored on his tie, keeping Ben’s hand there, not wanting to let go. Not just yet. He was sure Ben could hear the thundering of his heart as the kiss deepened.
“I’ve wanted to do that for years,” Ben said hoarsely when he finally drew back.
There were a lot of things Connor wanted to say to Ben after so long, but the words refused to come. His eyes fell to the treat resting on ground beside Ben and his stomach grumbled.
“Are you going to eat your cupcake?” he asked hopefully.
Ben shook his head, his hazel eyes sparkling. “It’s all yours. And so are the hundreds of others I’m going to bake you from now on.”
“I can think of something else I’m hungry for right now,” Connor mused.
“Glad to hear it, since cupcakes aren’t the only thing I’m good at,” Ben said with a grin.
His next kiss was even more commanding and the others that followed kept Connor safely away from the dance floor for the rest of the night.
Sunflower Love
Frances Dall’ Alba
Sophie ignored the ache in her knees as she expertly applied the final brush strokes to the posters for the festival float that night. She sat back and rubbed the base of her neck. Exchanging a conspiratorial grin with her dad, she turned to her mother.
“So, umm...Mum...you’ve chosen the bathtub scene from Pretty Woman for your float?”
Sophie’s mum stretched her legs to catch the midday sun, taking another sip of her coffee. “Sure have. Any scene from a movie they said. I thought it’d be perfect.”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “So, who are you putting in the bathtub?”
“Billy and John. They work the after-school shift.”
Sophie laughed. “Which one will play Julia Roberts?”
Sophie’s dad chuckled as he folded up the newspaper. “Let’s hope they don’t fight over it.”
Sophie smiled, stooping over the posters again. Absorbed in her task, she drew in the familiar smell of paint as her parents finished their lunch.
“It’s good t
o have you home, Soph.”
Sophie glanced up at her mum, whose worry lines etched deeper with each visit. “Same here. Work’s a bit stressful.”
She didn’t go into detail. Why worry them? Her parents meant well. So what if her life wasn’t turning out how she planned? It was nothing new. They’d long given up asking too many questions.
Her father rose and squeezed her shoulder. “We’d better leave you to it, or you’ll never get them finished.” Sophie nodded as her parents returned indoors to work the afternoon shift at their busy convenience store.
A SLEEK, SHINY BMW pulled up across the road which caught Sophie’s attention.
The paint brush dropped from her numb fingers as she stared at the man who stepped out. Seven years was a long time for a gangly seventeen-year-old boy to fill out and grow into a man...and a long time to miss someone, when you had no idea where he’d gone.
She shrunk back into the shrubbery as he turned to stare at her parents’ store. She eyed his handmade Italian shoes and the BMW. Everything about him oozed wealth and good fortune. As he returned to his car and drove away, Sophie’s heart pounded inside her chest, raising the question of why he’d returned.
“I’LL PARK THE TRUCK behind the shop, Dad. I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.” Sophie waved her father off, insisting he join her mother at the festival. Their store was one street down and it would only take a few minutes to park the vehicle behind the shop’s security gate and walk back. Now that the street parade was over, they could relax and enjoy the night.
Her mother called out, “Soph, can you wrap-up all the tinsel and put it in the garbage bags? I left a couple on the front seat.”
Sophie nodded as she clipped on her seatbelt and inched forward, watching for children running across the street.
It was quiet behind the store as she stepped out of the truck. Before locking it, she reached across the seat for the garbage bags.
Her heart leaped in her mouth when she heard, “Hello, Sizzling Sophie.”
