“Is everything all right?”

Cal hadn’t noticed that it was Ben who had squeezed through the crowd around him and pressed up against his side at the bar. At least not until he spoke. And there was no mistaking the concern in his voice either.

Ben had been a bit confused when Cal had suggested taking him out rather than meeting at the motel like usual. Even after Cal had explained that he thought he’d been selfish, and that he hadn’t been fulfilling his promise to show Ben the ropes as far as dating went, Ben still looked at him as if he was talking a foreign language. But they found themselves at one of the bars he used to frequent back before he’d given up on dating and, despite feeling a little like he was in a meat market, it was too late to change his mind.

“I’m fine,” Cal lied. “I just didn’t want to be a third wheel and making you uncomfortable. Besides, we really did need a refill.”

Ben looked a little confused. “If anyone’s a third wheel, it’s me. He’s your friend after all. I’m just trying to make a good impression.”

As far as impressions went, Ben really had nothing to worry about in that department. Even though he had seemed a little apprehensive about coming out with Cal, as soon as he stepped into the room, the eyes of every man there had been on him. Not that Ben noticed. Cal knew he’d been worried about stepping out of his comfort zone and going somewhere where there was Lady Gaga on the jukebox rather than sports on a big screen, so it was hardly surprising when he’d walked in and made a bee-line for Cal waiting for him near the door, hardly taking his eyes off him all night.

Under different circumstances Cal would be reveling in his undivided attention. Except, of course the whole point of him bringing Ben to the bar was to try to fulfill his obligation. Ben had asked for a friends with benefits arrangement that was exactly what Cal was going to provide. He wasn’t about to let own feelings interfere with that. He also promised to help Ben get used to the idea of dating and he couldn’t think of a better place to start.

And to be fair, it had all been going tolerably well until he felt a hand on his shoulder and got a cheerful smile from Drew. Cal hadn’t seen him in a while so the made sense that Drew would want to catch up. It didn’t help that it seemed as if that wasn’t the only thing Drew seemed intent on catching as soon as he realized Cal and Ben weren’t an item. From that moment, Drew had been intent on quizzing Ben about his life, touching Ben’s arm, tipping his head back to laugh at Ben’s dumb jokes, and licking his lips while dropping innuendos that had Cal bristling.

Not that Cal could blame him. Ben looked—amazing—his shirt rolled up to display his muscular forearms, the buttons on his shirt holding on for dear life across his expanse of chest. Cal wanted to fucking ruin him so it was hardly surprising Drew was making a play. And Drew being Drew, all lean muscle and that boy-next-door thing that had men dropping to their knees at his feet in the street, he could see why Ben was falling for it. Hell, even Cal had once upon a time.
“I didn’t—,” Cal tried not to choke on his words. “I didn’t know about your job.”

Ben frowned. “You know I work in construction. We’ve talked about that.”

“I didn’t know you owned the company,” Cal hissed, feeling inexplicably foolish. It wasn’t as if they told each other everything. Hell, it was an unspoken agreement between the two of them that they shouldn’t get too tangled up in each other’s lives. But it had stung when Ben had offered up that tidbit to Drew so easily after he’d asked what Ben did for a living.

“Does it—does it matter?”

Cal felt a bit sick at the confusion on Ben’s face. He looked so worried, hurt even, and Cal couldn’t really fathom why. “No, I just—” Cal shook his head and tried to get the barman’s attention again. “You go back. I can get these myself.”

When Ben didn’t say anything or attempt to move for minute, Cal looked over to find him distracted, looking everywhere but at Cal. He only spoke after Cal touched him lightly on the chest. “Actually, I was wondering if we could get out of here.”

“Already?” Cal wasn’t sure exactly why he was protesting. He been itching to leave, expecting to, for the last hour. Except, of course, he’d anticipated leaving alone—leaving Ben to hook up with someone. “The night’s just beginning.”

“Yeah, well.” Ben glanced around, rubbing the back of his neck. “I said I’d give it a try and I’ve tried. I just—it’s not really my thing. Can we go somewhere else? Somewhere quieter?”

Cal had to shake his head a little bit to rid himself of the surprise. “Really? What about Drew?”

“Oh.” Ben frowned. “Do you think he’ll want to leave too?”

“No, I—” Cal huffed out a laugh. “I figured you might want to spend some more time with him.”

The frown deepened. “Are you trying to set me up with him?”

Cal almost laughed at how offended Ben sounded. “Not exactly, I just—you don’t like him?”

“That’s—he’s not really my type.”

The sweeping wave of relief Cal felt at those words wasn’t something he wanted to think too closely about. “No? What is your type?”

The corners of Ben’s lips curled up slightly and he took Cal’s hand, as if he was already thinking of drawing him toward the door. “I’ll let you know. I’ve got other things on my mind right now.”

Cal smiled, knowing he couldn’t help but follow. “Yeah? Maybe we should find somewhere quiet and you can tell me all about it.”