Can't Buy Me Love

Part 2

Joe honest to God didn't expect to hear from Ben again. After a few days and no contact from him, he thought he was in the clear. He had told Rami about the date, playing to off nicely. It did go well after all. There was no lying there. Rami didn't mention Ben ever contacting him so he figured the blond finally took the hint and let him off easy.

Joe did his part. He went out on the date and that was all that mattered. He could say with a clear conscious that he did what was expected of him. He could carry on with his life without a single regret. He was scot-free and loving it.

And then he got a text from Ben. A text explaining that they would be still having that second date if Joe agreed to it. He thought about deleting the text but he did have to admit, he was curious about it.

He gave him an address and a time and a day and Joe were biting his inner cheek because he was free. Nothing is written in his book. No meetings or casting calls. The entire day was open and if he made an excuse now he was fairly certain the Lord would strike him down.

He agreed, perhaps against his better judgment. When the day comes, he dresses casually. He had money but he didn't like to show it off. He didn't wear designer clothing or nice shoes. He had sneakers and jackets and regular shit. He had on his sunglasses as he walked to the location, which turned out to be a park.

A dog park, in fact.

What the actual fuck.

At first, he thought it was a joke. Maybe Ben was fucking with him and purposely sent him the wrong location or maybe Joe put in the wrong address, but he was wrong on both accounts.

Ben was there, standing off in the distance. When he noticed Joe, he beamed a smile and made his way over. While he hurried to him, he reached down and scooped something up into his arms.

That something was a puppy.

A scrappy little beagle that looked so precious that it left Joe more speechless that he had been when he saw Ben for the first time. He had always been an animal lover but never got around to getting a pet of his own when he moved out.

"Right on time. Joe, please allow me to introduce Frankie. Frankie, this is Joe."

The brunet stood there, unsure of what to do. He reached out, shaking the small animals paw graciously. "Hi Frankie," He spoke softly.

"Hope you don't mind but I thought we could have a bit of a doggy day. This little one has been getting somewhat neglected as of late. I mean come on, who could resist that face?"

Joe had to admit, the dog was cute. Fuck, he was so soft for animals. Going on a date at a dog park was a bit odd, but he had to admit, it was rather clever. He followed Ben towards the gated area where the dogs were allowed to roam. Ben was speaking softly to the animal, insisting that she was going to have a good time and make lots of friends.

Placing the pup on the ground, both men watched as the small creature sniffed at the grass and walked around a bit, trying to get a taste of the park before taking off running after some of the others dogs.

Ben and Joe found a bench to sit on and kept their gaze out into the distance to keep their eye on Frankie as she played on.

"So." Ben began softly.

"So." Joe mimicked, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He relaxed into the bench, trying to get a hold of why he was there.

"Did you miss me?" Ben asked.

Joe couldn't stop himself from snorting. "No." He answered. "I barely know you."

"Ah, but don't you see? That is the best thing about going on dates. You get to know the person more and more until you begin to miss them when they are not around."

"That's usually how it goes," Joe answered back.

He was being sarcastic and his voice was dry and his tone was bored, but Ben was unfazed. He was smiling still, looking back and forth between Joe and his dog. Joe asked him about Frankie, how long he had her and what not.

He had gotten her recently, wanting his loft to have a bit more life to it. She was a lively puppy and he liked having someone to take care of even if she farted in her sleep and constantly pissed on the carpet. "Baby steps and all that." He waved it off casually.

Joe didn't know how this was supposed to be a date since all they were doing was just sitting there, but he had to admit he didn't hate it. Rami would be pleased. He was out of his office, out of his house. He was existing out in the open, in the fresh air of all places.

When Ben decided that Frankie had enough play time, he expected it to be over, but he told Joe to follow him. They left the park and went to a completely different one. This time meant for humans. There was a hot dog truck and Ben didn't hesitate to grab his wallet. He bought three hot dogs, handing Joe his without even asking if he wanted one.

It was covered in ketchup and mustard and Joe didn't even remember if that was what he liked on his hot dogs but he didn't argue. They found another bench to sit on at they ate their lunch, with Frankie on the ground chewing on her own.

It was so oddly casual that Joe didn't know what to make of it. Ben was talking still. Talking and eating at the same time should have been annoying but he listened anyway. It was like the blond had too many thoughts going through his head to actually stop and swallow before speaking again.

Joe found it charming in an odd way. He spoke along with him, making comments here and there. Ben was asking him decent questions that he didn't mind answering. It was odd, having someone give a damn about what he had to say outside of a movie studio.

They just sat there talking and eating, getting to know one another. Joe felt like a broken record, constantly thinking of how nice and casual it was.

Joe hadn't been casual in such a long time that doing so now just seemed so strange. Going out on dates had once been so important to Joe. He would take his lady love out on the town and want to show off. He wanted to give her everything.

But then it all came crumbling down and he was left having to pick up the pieces of his life. He stopped worrying about his heart and instead focused on other things like his work. That became his life and it paid off in the end but to those around him, it wasn't enough.

Joe wasn't falling in love with Ben by the time the two went their separate ways, but he did have to admit he liked him more than he thought he would. And whether something bloomed out of it or not, he appreciated the effort the blond was putting into it.

He didn't remember the last time somebody put so much effort into wanting him to have a good time. He didn't know if they would have a third date, but when he got home from the park, he found that the thought wasn't as torturous as it had been previously.