Picky Eater

Ch 7: First time?

Lincoln furrowed his brow, glaring at the inside of the moving truck. He was taller and leaner than Ben with round wire-rimmed glasses. In the summer, Lincoln typically shaved his head and as a joke he wore overalls over his "Banned Books are Sexy" T-shirt. He had soft brown eyes and warm brown skin decorated by tattoos.

"It's all very pink," Lincoln commented when there was nothing nice he planned on saying today.

Yesterday, Evie decided she wanted all pink furniture: a princess bed that included a pink canopy, with a matching pink desk, shelf, and nightstand. Her sheets were pink. The twinkle lights were pink. And yet, all the clothes Evie brought were black, white, and the saddest beige. Bianca must've done all the choosing.

Upon meeting Lincoln, Evie shook his hand. "Thank you for coming."

"It's a pleasure," Lincoln said as hesitant as he would to the children of the corn. Ben was getting used to it. Actually, Ben was finding Evie cuter by the day. Weird. But cute. Sharp. But sweet.

Together, Ben and Lincoln went down first to inspect the load while Nino spent the morning hours convincing his modeling agent off a ledge as he insisted she needed to cancel every engagement. Any predetermined contract, Nino promised he'd pay it back.

Since the moment Lincoln stepped into the apartment, he hadn't stopped grimacing. On the streets of the city, Lincoln crossed his arms and looked Ben up and down.

"What?" Ben asked.

Lincoln shook his head. "Do you know what I dread the most if you call me on the weekends?"

"That I need help moving furniture?"

"No," Lincoln cut him off. "That Nino is back in town."

"It's not that bad."

"You're that bad."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, you're different when Nino's around. No glasses? No time for your friends? He says jump and you don't even need to ask how high. You're a stop in the city on the way to his other friends or parties or whatever. And now look at what's happened." He motioned to the moving truck. "Nino is taking advantage of you, Ben. He always does. This is a new level of audacity from this man."

"He doesn't," Ben snapped. He glanced up at the front door where Nino stood. Ben briefly caught his eyes, but had to look away. The pinch in his chest left from yesterday just twisted. Ben wasn't a stranger to rejection. In a contest for what people desired, Ben always landed in last place. In matters of importance and survival, Ben Robinson was expendable... but he thought maybe he was a tiny bit special at least to Nino.

Avoiding them, Nino dipped his head and strutted down the sidewalk, making people do a double take as he passed. Softly, Ben told his friend, "You don't know him like I do."

Lincoln rolled his eyes and Ben's anger ignited at the base of his feet and buried him in the flame. "What? You can't say I don't. You only see glimpses of Nino."

"Right, but I know you. You're my best friend." Sighing, Lincoln climbed into the truck, shimming to the back end of the box with Evie's new bed frame. "When we first met, you told me your dream guy was tall, handsome, and with a 401k. You wanted to find a guy that wanted to move to the suburbs and drink coffee on the porch when it rained. Your dream could've been an insurance commercial."

"Get to the point, Professor Lincoln," Ben begged, wrestling with his end of the box as Lincoln carefully guided them back down to the sidewalk.

"I asked why, and you said you wanted someone stable. You wanted a normal, safe, and happy life."