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Dusk had just started to settle over Walford, and a freshly-showered Ben was dressed in a burgundy button-up with black jeans. He slipped on an apron and got ready to make a special Valentine"s Day dinner for him and Callum.
***
That morning in bed, the pair of them gave each other their cards and presents. Callum gave Ben a photo album full of their many selfies since their first date, whilst Ben gave Callum a plush teddy bear with the older man"s initials stitched into its bottom paws.
"You"ll get your main present later," Ben whispered into Callum"s ear, as he slowly sucked on the skin of his fiancé"s neck.
"If it"s a book of gay sex positions," Callum softly chuckled, as Ben continued working on his neck, "you can keep it."
Ben leaned back against the headboard.
"Hand on heart," he promised. "Although..."
"Piss off," laughed Callum. "Now let"s get dressed before Lexi decides to barge in."
That afternoon, the pair of them went to visit Denny"s grave with Lola and Lexi in tow. Kneeling at the headstone, Ben laid down a bouquet of red and blue roses, then pressed a kiss to his finger tips, tracing them over his stepbrother"s name.
"Miss you, mate," he muttered, sniffing back his tears.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the park. Callum and Lexi were in the playground, as Ben watched on from the nearby picnic bench with hearts in his eyes.
"Earth To Ben!" Lola said.
"What? Sorry. Did you say something?" Ben asked.
"I was just saying, he"s good with her. Callum and Lexi."
"Yeah," smiled Ben, as he took a sip of coffee. "Jay said the same thing the other week."
Over in the playground, Callum had just received a text message.
"That was Rainie," he said to Ben. "She"s over at the nightclub. Wants too know if we fancy joining her. Apparently Stuart"s planning a surprise evening for her."
"You don"t mind looking after Lexi for a bit?" Ben asked Lola.
"Nah, we"ll be fine," she replied.
Ben was just about to stand up when he had an idea.
"Actually," he said. "Cal, you go on ahead. I"ve still got your main present to sort out."
"You sure?" Callum asked.
"Sure," smiled Ben.
"Then I"ll see you a little later."
With that, Callum planted a kiss on Ben"s forehead, and made his way to Ruby"s. When he was out of sight, Ben pulled out a few twenty pound notes from his wallet, and handed them to Lola.
"Why don"t you take Lexi out for the evening?" He insisted. "Cinema. Bowling. See if Mum and Bobby wanna tag along."
***
Ben was just pouring his dinner into a ceramic oven dish, when there was a knock at the back door. He poked his head out to find Callum standing in the yard, with two Galaxy chocolate bars. He eyed the taller man up-and-down as he mentally undressed him.
"Well isn"t this my lucky day," Ben smiled. "A gorgeous stranger showing up at my door with some chocolate." He paused and pretended to think. "You ain"t one of those male escorts, are ya? If not, then you should be. I"d hire the fuck out of you."
Callum looked downwards and let out a little chuckle as he shook his head.
"Nah, sorry mate," he answered, looking back up. "Only got room in my life for one sod, and his name"s Ben Mitchell."
"Well if you"re here for Ben," the younger man replied, "then I shall go get him for you. One moment please."
What a twat, Callum thought as he smiled to himself when Ben closed the door. No sooner had he done so, when he re-opened it, holding a black rose blindfold from his toybox.
"First of all, Babe," he said, "I need you put this on."
Callum leaned forward as Ben slipped the blindfold over his head. He handed the chocolate bars to Ben, who placed them onto a nearby worktop. With Callum"s hand in his, Ben guided his fiancé through the kitchen, and shut the back door behind him, making their way to the hallway.
"Where is everyone?" Callum asked, as he and Ben made their way to the stairs.
"Dad"s still over at The Vic with Sharon and Albie," Ben answered. He still had no idea as to why the pair were still close, despite their recent divorce. "And Lola and Lexi have gone out, so we"ve got the place to ourselves for a few hours."
When they reached the stairs, Ben gave Callum a light smack on the bottom, earning a small moan from the older man.
"Secondly," Ben instructed, as he slipped off the blindfold, "I want you back down here, showered and dressed, in half an hour."
Callum gave Ben a kiss and made his way upstairs.
With a splash of aftershave, Callum dressed up in his usual date-night attire; a dark blue button-up and black jeans. When he returned to the bottom of the stairs, there was a note on the door to the front room.
Authorised Personnel Only
Once again, Callum couldn"t help but crack a smile as he knocked on the door. Whatever Ben was doing on the other side of the door, he must be putting in a lot of effort for Callum"s main present.
"One moment, Babe!" Ben called out.
Ten seconds must have passed when the door opened.
Just as he did earlier, Ben poked his head out of the door and mentally undressed Callum.
"Your the male escort from earlier, right?" He joked.
"Ben"s fiancé, actually," laughed Callum.
"Well forgive me for the déjà vu, but..."
Ben passed over the blindfold, as Callum slipped it on, being mindful of his freshly-gelled hair. Callum felt a brush of lips against his own, followed by something slowly and softly rub against the bottom of his neck.
"You smell nice," said Ben, "talking of which."
With his fiancé"s hand in his, Ben guided Callum over to the front room table and sat him down.
"Yeah, something does smell nice," said Callum.
Ben rested his chin on Callum"s shoulder, wrapping his arms around him to hug from behind.
"All the best for my fiancé," he agreed. "Now then."
Ben took the blindfold off, and Callum was greeted to such a beautiful sight around him. The front room was basking in a low glow of light. A tropical-scented candle took pride of place at the centre of the table. And the pièce de résistance? A steaming-hot traybake of chicken pasta, topped with crusty cheese, and a plate of garlic bread.
Callum looked up to Ben, who was now standing behind his own chair with his hands behind his back, a shy smile on the younger man"s face.
"So..." Ben asked. "...what d"you think?"
"This is lovely, Ben," smiled Callum. "You really didn"t have to do all this."
"I wanted to," insisted Ben.
He paused, trying to finding the right words to say.
"Besides," he continued, as his voice went quiet, "we never got to do this last year."
Ben looked up to the ceiling, trying to blink back the tears threatening to fall. When that inevitably failed, he brought a hand up to his face, wiping away the tears with the sleeve of his shirt.
"I thought-" he sniffed, "I thought I was gonna lose you."
Ben rested his free hand on the back of the chair to prevent himself from rocking back-and-forth on his feet.
"I..." He continued. "I"ll never forgive myself," he sniffed again, "for what Keanu did to you."
Ben looked up once again as his breath became shaky. He slipped an object into his jean pocket and turned the other way, rubbing a hand over his face. Callum got up from his chair and ran a hand through Ben"s hair. On instinct, Ben turned around and wrapped his arms around Callum"s torso, as Callum planted his nose into Ben"s hair, catching a hit of coconut shampoo.
"You don"t need to say anything," he said, stroking the back of Ben"s head as his eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Some time had passed when Ben pulled back to look Callum in the eyes, his own shining red.
"Fuck. I"ve ruined your shirt. Sorry," he apologised quietly, nodding to a wet patch on Callum"s shirt.
"It"s fine," reassured Callum, as we wiped his thumbs over Ben"s cheeks, "I can change it."
"Or I could just rip it off now and skip to dessert," joked Ben, "but first, I ain"t given you your main present."
When Callum returned to his seat, Ben slipped his hand into his jean pocket and pulled it back out to reveal a red velvet box. Inside, there were two simple silver bands, both decorated with a ring of sparkling sapphire blue running through the middle. Ben handed the box over to Callum to get a better view of the bands.
"Well?" He asked nervously.
Callum was gobsmacked and lost for words.
"They"re perfect, Ben," was all the older man had to say. "Fuck," he chuckled and sniffed. "You"re gonna set me off in a bit."
Ben took Callum"s left hand into his own, and with his other hand, he slipped one of the bands onto his fiancé"s ring finger. Callum rotated his hand slowly back-and-forth admiring how the sapphire sparkled in the light as a single tear flowed down his cheek. In his peripheral, he noticed Ben delicately place his old ring onto the table service. He looked towards the ring, and then to Ben, who was now seated.
"You know," said Callum, "I"ve probably still got a gold chain somewhere from when I was sixteen we can put it on."
"Thanks," he smiled, and poured some rose for him and Callum.
"To us," the older man declared, as he and Ben clinked their glasses. "Happy Valentine"s Day."
"And to Paul and Chris," Ben added, looking upwards and raised his glass. "They"ll be so proud of us."
After clearing the table and washing up the dishes, Ben and Callum made their way to the sofa. Ben turned on the TV and opened up the menu for Disney+.
"You choose, Babe," he said, as he handed the remote to his fiancé.
Callum opened up the search bar and typed Robin Hood.
"Me and Stu use to watch this all the time," he said.
Some time after the movie finished, Ben and Callum were both lying across the sofa, naked and sated from dessert with a blanket draped over them. Ben was nestled in between Callum"s legs, as the pair of them brushed their lips against one another"s.
"I love you," smiled Callum, as he brushed Ben"s earlobe in between his finger and thumb.
"I love you too," replied Ben, giving Callum one last kiss as he turned around, pressing his back against the older man"s chest.
"Shouldn"t we get dressed before everyone comes home?" Callum asked. "Don"t fancy Lexi, or your dad, walking in on us naked."
"Yeah, well, Dad will probably spend the night at The Vic," said Ben. "And Lexi will be too tired to even notice."
He brought Callum"s left hand towards his face to admire the ring, followed by a kiss to the pulse point on his wrist.
"Besides," he continued, as he handed the remote to Callum, "I"m sure we can squeeze in another film. So what d"you fancy now?"
"Hmm..." Callum thought, as he typed in another title. "How about this?"
"If you wish," answered Ben, as Callum pressed play for The Aristocats.