[OLD] Say You Love Me | Boy x Boy

Asher - Stay With Me

I shouldn't have given Ben the letter. He didn't have to know about the heart attack that killed my dad three and a half weeks ago or that he wrote my sister and I out of his will after mom died of breast cancer when Mia was a year old and I was fourteen. I could have used the alibi of my dad's abuse to account for why I don't sleep at night. I'll keep working weekends and night shifts and everything else so we can both stay in school and Mia can stay in daycare when I'm working. It's hard for her to be by herself when I'm away at night, but there isn't much I can do about that. And I guess when we're forced to sell the house in a few days, I can get a studio apartment or a one-bedroom and work more hours.

But can I really? I already work all night and turn down almost every invitation my friends give me. I don't know how I'll ever be able to afford college, especially when I have to support Mia and I at the same time. It's not good for Mia's development to spend so much time apart from her family, and now I'm the only family she has left. This type of shit is supposed to happen to guys like me, but it's not supposed to happen to innocent 5-year-old girls like Mia who have already lost their mother. All I can do is thank fate--I'm atheist, so I don't believe in God--that dad never laid a hand on Mia. That bastard could whale on me to his heart's content--and he did, except for the part about being content. The only good thing I could say about the man is that he never hated me for being gay or judged me for being an emo. He just hated Mia and I for existing in a world where my mom doesn't.

I sigh as I stick Ben's keys into the ignition and text Tate to tell him that we're leaving to pick Mia up from daycare then going home. I also apologize for leaving the two of them behind. Tate says it's okay and to tell Mia that he says hi. A few minutes later, Ben climbs into the passenger seat. As soon as he does, I high-tail it out of the lot and to the daycare, which thankfully, is only a few blocks away, so we make it there 2 minutes before they close at 9:30. I tell Ben to wait in the car and that he's driving then hurry in and pick up Mia. The front-desk clerk used to hate me because I'm always late to pick up Mia, thus forcing her to work late--but when she learned that my dad died, she cut me a break. She smiles sympathetically--I hate receiving pity, but I guess it's better than hatred--as she opens the door for Mia, who runs to me and hugs me tightly, burying her head in my waist.

"Hey, puffball," I laugh as I pick her up. "Ready to go?" She nods, resting her head on my shoulder as she twists one of my earrings contentedly. It's a bit annoying, but Mia is at a stubborn age, so I've gotten used to it. When we get out, Ben is waiting for us.

"Who's that?" Mia points to him.

"That's Ben," I inform her. "He's just a friend. You'd better enjoy this, because I don't have your car seat. You can be brave and ride without it for now, right?"

She nods dutifully, eyes shining brightly at the prospect of riding without a booster seat. I deposit her in the backseat. She tries to pull me in with her, but I resist.

"I'll be there in a second, okay?" I squeeze her hand. "Ben and I need to talk. Can you wait here by yourself like a big girl?" She reluctantly relinquishes my hand and nods again. "Thanks, fluffy." She giggles at the nickname as she always does, waving as I go even though I'm still only about six feet away.

Ben immediately begins speaking at a fast-paced whisper. "I'm not pressuring you at all and you can do what you want to, but I made a few phone calls and pulled a few strings, and..." he bites his lower lip. "My mom said that as long as she didn't have to do anything herself or basically interact with you at all, she would be willing to accommodate the two of you and pay for your needs until the two of us graduate high school.

My eyes widen with shock. Nobody has ever done something so generous for me; I can't help but wonder why Ben would.

Ben monitors my expression carefully, cheeks flushing bright pink. "Sorry," he mutters quickly. "Did I do something wrong? Because if I did something to make you nervous then I apologize, I was just trying to--"