Ben sucked in his bottom lip, wondering just how honest he should be. Some people would take advantage of too much honesty, but he sensed Gabriel wouldn’t do that. I don’t like disappointing people. He hit send, then plucked his lip with his fingers, waiting for Gabriel’s response. He straightened the moment the new text message appeared.
You can’t please everyone. At the end of the day, you need to make sure you can look at yourself in the mirror and be happy with who you see staring back at you.
He hadn’t realized he was nodding in agreement. The day he had been arrested, he’d caught a faint glimpse of himself reflected off the glass of the police car and hated himself for having made such a mistake. He closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths, debating if he had enough courage to send the next text. He chose the safer answer instead. I prefer to text. The pause before the next text took an eternity.
Do you realize you’re bilingual?
He stared at the screen with a frown. No, just English.
Did you realize you just said NO to me and we’re still fine? :)
Ben chuckled. No. :) He was on a roll. He imagined Gabriel throwing his head back, laughing, and that dimple making an appearance.
English and ASL. They are both languages used to communicate. You have to learn ASL just like everybody else. And to make it even more complicated, the signs aren’t universal. Did you know there are over 100 different sign languages?
He sat up straighter in bed. Gabriel was both a fortune cookie and an encyclopedia No. Really?
You’ll become a NO master by the time we’re finished tonight.
Ben smiled as the next message appeared.
Other parts of the world have their own sign language and it sometimes varies from one region to another with different dialects.
I didn’t know that. Ben responded as he pursed his lips.
I learned a lot from Gramps.
The subject change to family eased the tension from Ben’s shoulders and spiked his curiosity. Tell me about your grandfather.
And he did. Gabriel texted about his beloved grandfather—his quirks, habits, and their weekends together. The loss of his grandfather was a deep cut, deepened only by the loss of his mom less than six months later from a ruptured brain aneurysm. His sister was a big part of his life while his relationship with his father was somewhat strained. It was a topic Ben suspected was best avoided. And since he didn’t want to dive into his own family history, he steered the conversation elsewhere.
They texted about Gabriel’s work and Ben’s love of junk food and sweets.
Before he had realized it, they had spent hours texting, getting to know each other. Breakfast would be served in a few hours, and as much as he tried, Ben could barely keep his eyes open anymore. He bit his lip and didn’t hesitate as he swiped across his screen and tapped the video app.
Within seconds, he was rewarded by a smiling—and very tired—Gabriel staring back at him.
“Hi,” Gabriel said. His hair was a tousled sexy mess and his expression relaxed. More pieces for the fantasy puzzle.
Ben smiled back. He flattened his right hand and placed the tips of his fingers on his chin, and then moved his hand out and forward until his fingertips pointed at Gabriel.
“Thank you,” Gabriel said, emphasizing the word by pointing at him.
They texted a good night at the same time. They stared at each other for another moment until finally ending the video call.
Ben sighed, unable to rid himself of the silly grin he knew was plastered on his face. Even though that mystical dimple was powerful, Ben suspected it would be the man who ultimately weakened him. The way Gabriel sensed when to back away from a subject or when to probe deeper. The simple way he explained something without sounding superior. Skillful ways he managed to raise Ben’s confidence, never once making him feel as if he were less than.
Nothing could have stopped Ben from initiating that video chat before going to bed.
Or from grabbing a screenshot of that easy sexy look on Gabriel’s face. Tapping through the screens, he found the new pic in his gallery. He swapped out the photo he had saved to his contact record a few hours before. He stared at it until his screen dimmed. Maybe he should set it to be his wallpaper? Or