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"These late night phone calls are beco to start thinking you really do care about h Tristan had no doubt he’d woken up his only friend in the world He hadn’t even realized hoell he really knew Ben until recently, which was ridiculous on his part They’d e He was the only h Tristan had kept hiet closer than he realized And Ben felt even more for Tristan than he’d known

"Don’t You know this isn’t easy for me" He took a deep breath and leaned back "And you know I care as well" Ben’s friendshipin love with Josiah and then Mateo for Tristan to realize it

"Yeah, I know you do And don’t worry, I would never really think you were falling in love with an he had "Ben" Tristan’s hand twitched with the urge to hang up He still struggled to work through the feelings for the men he was in love with As h that as well?

"I’ Well, not that I think you’ll fall in love withover you You’re not that good-looking Speaking of, you would have liked thefrom the bottom bullshit He just wanted to be fucked, and for le with us"

He’d fucked Ben through college and law school He’d been the only man Tristan fucked that he’d actually wanted to be with back then The others he’d prostituted himself out to Not that Ben knew that part

It had always been a struggle between theh Ben was a top, and doive himself to Tristan Which means I should have known All that time, I should have known he was in love withmen you meet in clubs, who don’t know your name?" Tristan asked "It shouldn’t matter, Ben You’re--"

"Fuck you, Tristan You have your shit and I have ine hiding that part of hiet close, but he also didn’t lie about who he was "You’re right I apologize Any news?" he asked, hoping to change the subject He wasn’t good at apologies and didn’t want to drag it out

There was a pause, and then Tristan heard noise on the other end of the phone Ben one to his office Keys on a computer clicked Papers rustled

"Are you in trouble?" Ben asked

Tristan chuckled at that Even if he did open up easily, hoould he explain this to Ben? "No"

There was a sigh on the other end of the line "Trust me, Tristan You at least owe me that You fell in love with that kid, when I’ve always been here I get it, but we’ve talked about this before You owe et Why do you care what’s going on with a known Mexican gangbanger in New York?"

Tristan closed his eyes One, two, three, four five He focused on his pulse, knowing Ben would eventually ask And it wasn’t as though he couldn’t keep an eye on things froal aspect Yet he’d asked Ben

"What do Ricky and Javier Sanchez have to do with you? Is it your boy? I know he’s froave It was better than the huh that tried to come up his throat What was he supposed to say to that? Yes, this has to do with the man Josiah has always loved, only now I love hiroaned "So, still a one way road? Got it I have a client who’s had dealings with hio; Javier was one of the narand sche, yet there has been so on, with people much more important than hi to play with the big boys Bring Los Deutters, or at least build himself an arsenal for so nao froue He owed Ben h Just like he owed his lovers ave the those things back "Remember Josiah’s old loverwhen I told you he was back?"