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‘He’s flirting with me.’ I thought, as a spark of heat flared through me. Ben was wantonly staring at me like a piece of prime steak.
And I liked it.
Me, a straight guy, actually liked how Ben looked at me. I had never considered being with another man until I met Ben. Especially when he’d had held onto me in the woods earlier.
The confusion that followed that encounter had me running right to Janet's side. I’d flirted more with her during the hour long walk back to the cabins, than I’d done the entire two years I’d known her prior to now.
And I don’t even know why I did it. I guess I needed to feel I still had it, that I could still flirt it up with the ladies.
Yet every shy glance Janet gave me, every giggle she sent my way, it all felt hollow.
It was Ben who excited me. And I wasn’t sure what to do with that.
Just as I was about to come up with something witty in reply, the door to the cabin swung open.
I groaned when I discovered Evans face peering around the half open doorway.
“I thought I heard your voice out here,” Evan began, opening the door a little wider to take in both Ben and myself. “Have you been to the bathroom already?” Evan asked, his face clearly implying that he knew I hadn’t.
“You know the evaluations are going to be checked by management,” Evan continued, giving me a mockingly mournful shake of his head. “I really don’t want to have to write you up for not taking part in all of the...”
“I asked him to help me out.” Ben cut Evan off.
Evan and myself turned to look at Ben.
Ben continued undeterred. “We need more firewood, and it’s getting late. Between the two of us,” Ben said as he indicated between himself and me, “I can get the firewood chopped and prepped before nightfall.”
I fought to keep the surprise from my face, as Evan passed a skeptical look between Ben and myself. He searched my face for a few seconds, his eyes squinting as though he were looking for an answer there.
Finally, Evan nodded, clearly finding whatever it was that he was searching for. “Okay then. Great!” Evan smiled, “it’s good to see you chipping in and helping out. I was worried you weren’t going to give this weekend your all. But look at you,” Evan indicated at Ben with a smile that was bordering on being actually genuine, “you’re jumping in to help! This is going to look very good on your evaluation this weekend. Well done!” Evan said with a nod, and then moved to return inside the cabin.
And with that, Evan closed the door and left me alone with Ben.
Befuddled, I turned to Ben and stage whispered for all I was worth. “You want me to chop wood?”
I’ve always been a city guy through and through. And I wasn’t enthused at the idea of the cut hands and painful splinters that awaited me.
“Too late. You’ve offered to help,” Ben shrugged as he took another bite of his apple. He made his way off the porch, taking the few steps down in a single bound, as he neatly tossed the half eaten apple core in a nearby bin.
His long legs ate up the ground, and he was already a few meters away from my dumbfounded self, when he stopped to turn around. “So, are you coming with?” Ben asked, “or are you going back to your sales prayer circle.”
As I trailed after him — because no way was I going to go back in there and deal with whatever my co-workers were being roped into in the cabin — I still couldn’t help but to repeat myself.
“Seriously,” I called after him as I jogged to catch up with Ben's fast long-legged pace. “You actually want me to chop wood?”