On Point (Out of Uniform 3)

“Sure.” If part of Ben was hurt that Maddox didn’t want to be more public, didn’t want to proclaim this thing to the world, he quickly tamped down that flicker of pain. Maddox was just being practical. They didn’t need the whole world knowing their business right off the bat. Because he’d been the one to frame this as an experiment, something that they could walk away from and get back to the real business of their friendship.

And Ben honestly wasn’t sure what he was hoping for here—that the experiment would softly fail and they’d get over their weird attraction or that it would work. He wasn’t sure he could even visualize “working” but maybe he didn’t have to. Maybe it was enough to try, to give Maddox that much. Maybe the details could take care of themselves.

“All right.” Maddox speared a large piece of broccoli salad. “This may be your craziest idea yet, and considering you followed me over the side of a cliff that’s saying something, but all right. We can date.”

“Knew you’d see reason.” Ben couldn’t help the wide grin splitting his face. Felt like he might bust in two with the relief of winning the argument. Now, just to make sure Maddox didn’t regret the choice.

“Dinner didn’t hurt,” Maddox drawled. “And do I smell pie? Really didn’t want to turn you down before you have your pie.”

“See? This is going to work out just fine.” Ben felt better already, same way he did after a successful HALO jump—adrenaline properly managed, threat avoided, nervousness a thing of the past. He helped himself to more potatoes. “Now tell me about your class.”

“You really want to know?” Maddox raised an eyebrow.

“Idiot.” Ben rolled his eyes. “Yes. And I’d want to know even if we weren’t dating. It’s all you’ve been able to talk about all week. Tell me all of it.”

Maddox’s shy smile was everything and made Ben’s stomach do a funny wobble. Mad launched into a story about two sisters from the class who wanted to open a place called Twinsies that served everything in doubles. Ben laughed at all the right parts and asked questions that kept Maddox talking through a second helping of chicken. Maybe this dating wasn’t so hard after all.

“You want the dessert?” Ben asked as he cleared the table. “It’s not as good as something you’d make, but I thought their cherry pie looked okay.”

“Too much crust, not enough filling.” Maddox made a face as he pushed up from the table. “I’ll make you a real pie on the weekend. I had a ton of samples at class too, so I’m kind of full. But you have a slice while I load the dishwasher.”

This kind of domestic wasn’t something he’d had a lot of, and Ben wasn’t sure what to make of it as Maddox balanced on one crutch to rinse dishes and he leaned against the counter with his pie. Felt like a million other nights and like something brand new at the same time.

“Switch,” he ordered as Maddox wobbled, trying to get the plates in the dishwasher rack. Moving quickly, he took the last bite of pie and pushed by Maddox. He might still have only one workable hand, but he wasn’t likely to crash headfirst into the dishwasher either.

“Alright, alright. Bossy.” Maddox moved back to stand near the fridge, sipping from the soda he’d had with dinner. Ben supposed a classier date would have had wine, but he wasn’t about to call his dad to find out what would impress a guy who wanted education in wine nuances. Nope. Organic soda had been the better bet.

“You like that about me,” Ben said confidently as he lined up the plates and serving dishes. He wasn’t as exact as Maddox would be, but he got the job done, tossing one of the dishwasher pellets in and closing the door one-handed.

“So...what do you propose we do for a second date?” Maddox asked, voice less steady than it had been a moment before.

“Second?” Ben dried his hands on his pants. He crowded Maddox back against the fridge and plucked the drink from his hand, set it on the counter. “I’m not done with the first yet.”

“What are you doing?” Maddox’s voice had gone low and soft.

“I think you know.” Ben grinned up at him, trying to disguise a sudden attack of nerves. He was finally going to do what he’d been wondering about for years.

“Now?” Both of Maddox’s eyebrows went skyward. “Like right here?”

“What? Is kissing not a first date thing for you? If I ask nicely can we hold hands on the couch? Or is it the kitchen being a weird location for a first kiss?”

“It’s a you being weird thing.” Maddox pushed lightly at Ben’s chest, but Ben wasn’t moving. “And I assumed kissing was part of this thing. It’s just...” His hand on Ben’s chest wobbled. The same hand Ben had seen win marksmanship medal after marksmanship medal.