Long Away

Chapter 10

Roger and Ben had thrown on their coats and were now walking to the bus stop side by side, the freshly fallen snow crunching beneath their feet. It was a nice, quiet evening. Not many people were in the streets.
"So, are you finally gonna tell me where we're going?", Ben asked. Roger shook his head with a grin.
"It would not be a surprise if I told you, would it?"
"Actually, I think if you told me now, it would still count," Ben said. Roger crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I'm still not gonna tell you." He leaned against the bus sign in the same manner he had leaned against the wall in the store the first time he flirted with Ben. The same teasing smirk on his face. Ben shyly looked away.
"Alright then, keep your secrets."

While they were waiting for the bus to come by, Ben remembered what he had heard Freddie say to Roger earlier.
"Um, Rog? I'm gonna be honest, I was in the kitchen while Freddie and you were talking in your room. I really didn't mean to, but I overheard a bit of what he said. That you thought I wasn't actually interested in you and that I wasn't the kind of guy to do... something. What did he mean by that? Did someone treat you poorly on a date before?" Roger drew in an audible breath.
"I don't really want to talk about it," he admitted.
"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Ben stammered. Roger shook his head.
"No, I'm glad you were honest about hearing it. And I appreciate your concern, it's just really not something I want to talk about, especially not right now. I'd rather just have a fun night out with you." He smiled at Ben, but he could tell he was faking it. His smile didn't reach as wide as it usually did. Ben mustered up all of his courage and put his hand on Roger's arm to give it a comforting squeeze.
"I will do my best to make this the most fun it can be," he promised. Roger's smile turned ever so slightly more sincere before he looked away onto the road.
"Our bus is coming," he said. He pulled out his wallet from his pocket.
"I already went and got us tickets this morning," he said. "But I'll be keeping both of them on me so you can't see where we're going."
"Clever," Ben acknowledged.

The bus stopped in front of them and its doors opened. Ben followed Roger, who was holding up the tickets for the driver to see, and they chose two seats next to each other. Ben let Roger have the one by the window. The bus wasn't full, but there were still a bunch of other people. Ben reminded himself to take Freddie's advice and be careful. He wondered if he would even get a chance to hold Roger's hand tonight, let alone kiss him. Not that he thought this was very likely to happen anyway, but it was something he had been thinking about for a while. Roger's lips just looked so soft, surely they would feel incredible on his. As so often, Ben caught himself staring, and this time Roger did too. Embarrassed, Ben cleared his throat and looked away. The ugly arcade carpet style print on the seat cushions was suddenly very interesting. He thought he heard a little chuckle from Roger, but he couldn't be sure over the rumbling sound of the engine as the bus drove off.

They reached their destination after about twenty minutes. Right next to the bus stop was a parking lot and some sort of arena. Ben spotted a sign by the entrance. He looked at Roger in surprise.
"An ice disco?"
"That was plan A, yes. But there's also a restaurant near by if you don't like that idea." Ben shook his head.
"No, it's a great idea. But I'm not good at ice skating." Roger smirked.
"Too bad. You're just gonna have to hold on to me." Ben saw right through his scheme. This way they could be as close to each other as they wanted without raising any suspicion. Ben smiled. "Alright, I will give it a try."

They entered the arena. Behind a counter a young woman collected the entry money and handed out ice skates for those who didn't bring their own. Ben and Roger got in line behind a group of teenagers. Music sounded from the next room, which must have been the ice rink. Despite his embarrassing skating history, Ben felt a rush of excitement course through him.
"Have you been here before?", he asked Roger.
"A few times last year. It was fun, but I was never in such excellent company."
"Oh. Thanks." Ben was flustered. He really needed to find the confidence to flirt back. Usually, that wasn't a problem for him, but Roger somehow made him feel like a twelve year-old with his first crush all over again. Before he could think of a better response, the teens in front of them were done. Roger stepped forward to pay for him and Ben.

"Hello!", the staff lady greeted them enthusiastically. "Are you two paying together?"
"We are," Roger confirmed. Ben noticed the woman was looking at Roger with a little too much interest for his liking. He wanted to reach out and put an arm on his shoulder, but remembered in the last second that that was a bad idea.
"Alright. Do you need to borrow skates?" Ben cringed. She even spoke in an annoyingly sweet tone. Roger didn't seem to notice, or if he did he didn't care.
"Yes. Ben, what size do you need?" Ben shrugged.
"I'm not sure." The woman bent over the counter to get a look at Ben's shoes. For a moment Roger seemed to have forgotten why he was here. He kept his eyes locked on her cleavage for just a little too long. Ben was baffled. If this was any indication of how their date was going to go, he wasn't so sure if he wanted it anymore. The woman hummed to herself as she looked through a box of skates. She took out a black pair and placed them on the counter.
"I think these should fit you. If they don't, just let me know. But they're adjustable, so it should be fine."
"Thanks," Ben murmured and grabbed them. They were heavier than he remembered. Next she layed out a white and gray pair in front of Roger.
"These should work for you." She hesitated, looking at Roger with her head tilted.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?", she asked. Oh please no, Ben thought.
"Possible," Roger said. "I used to be the drummer of Smile." Her face lit up.
"Oh, that's right! I watched you guys perform a couple of times. You were really good, why did you stop?"
"Well, I didn't. Our lead singer bailed on us," Roger explained. "But we started a new band called Queen. We only need to find a bassist, and then we'll be back."
"Really?" The woman seemed intruiged. "I happen to play bass." Ben interrupted her before this could go out of hand.
"Freddie and I actually already have our eyes on someone," he told Roger. He looked at Ben with a confused expression.
"You do? Since when?" Ben bit his tongue. 
"Uh..."
"Well, doesn't matter," Roger said. "In case that doesn't work out, it's always good to keep your options open." Ben stared at him dumbfounded. He wasn't sure, but it looked like Roger just winked at the woman. She scribbled a phone number on a piece of paper and scooted it over to Roger.
"Just hit me up if you need me. I can also just fill in until you find someone." Roger looked way too excited about her offer. 
"I'm Emma, by the way," she added.
"I'm Roger. And this is Ben." Ben put on the most fake smile he had to do in a while. Emma just briefly smiled back at him before continuing to stare at Roger, who still wasn't doing anything about it. Ben had enough.
"Could we pay now or what?", he said a little more harshly than intended. Emma faltered.
"Oh, right, of course. That'll be... you know what? My treat. I'll let you in for free." Roger smiled.
"That's really nice of you, thanks." Ben couldn't believe what he was whittnessing. There was absolutely no way Roger didn't realize how blatantly this bitch was flirting with him. 
"Yes, very nice, but let's go now." Roger seemed confused about the annoyed undertone in Ben's voice.
"Um... okay. Bye Emma, it was nice talking to you."
"Bye Roger. Have fun," she cooed.

***
Hey guys. I'm sorry, did you think this was going to be wholesome? Well, it wouldn't be fun without any drama, would it? Let's just hope it doesn't get any worse next time...

Tay