Ben drew Kayla to the top of the stairs

Are you ready?

Kayla took a deep breath - Let's do it!

Ben offered his arm and Kayla threaded her arm through his.

Both forcing a wide smile, they slowly descended the stairs to the function room. Their prey for the evening were the two immaculately dressed CEO's of the company.

Twins Jake and Jasper were conversing with staff when they noticed the excited murmurs around them. Curious they looked up towards the staircase to see who was causing the sensation.

Jake's eyes widened and Jasper who had just taken a sip of his wine choked.

The stunning couple descending, smiled as they realized their appearance had had the desired effect.

It had only been a week ago that they had come up with the Jealousy Plan. It had seemed perfect in theory, but in practice not everything always goes as expected.

For one of them the night would end in happiness and hope for the future. For the other it would end in regret, hurt and near death.

..........................................

The small boy sat in the dirt crying and cradling his scraped knee. His little friend hugged him until the tears ceased.

It's OK Benny! , Look I have a band-aid! - She patched him up once again.

Any onlooker would think they were siblings playing in the park together. Kayla was a head taller than Benjamin, but they were actually the same age.

Their mothers had been best friends forever and now they were too. Being inseparable their mothers had married two more best friends, and ended up living next door to each other. Kayla and Ben had been born in the same hospital only hours apart.

The two families were so close that strangers, and often even neighbors were confused as to who belonged to who.

As they grew up, the children spent most of their waking hours together. They attended the same small school and were always in the same classes. They walked to and from school together, spent the afternoons playing or doing homework together. They were inseparable and that was the way they liked it.

Their parents allowed sleepovers on weekends, and Benjamin would always stay at Kayla's. His parents just thought it was because he preferred the food, but really it was for another reason, that only the two children knew.

In 4th grade, the teacher had asked the class to draw a picture of what they dreamed for their future. Sitting at a table near Kayla, Ben had listened to the girls excitedly discussing drawing their wedding day. Ben sat and thought, would he get married some day? He knew he would have to leave home someday, and Kayla would want her own home and family. It made him sad to think he might be alone.

Why not draw a wedding for himself? Then he would never be alone!

By the time he started drawing most of the class had almost finished. He drew himself in a white suit standing in a garden, but what should his partner look like?

Kayla proudly showed him her drawing. She had always been talented at drawing and her Wedding picture was very detailed. A pretty Bride in a Beautiful White Dress holding hands with a Handsome man dressed in a Black suit.

Looking at that Man in Kayla's Drawing made him smile. Happily he thought of holding that mans' hand himself.

The bell rang then, and as he hadn't finished he asked the teacher if he could stay in during recess to complete it. She agreed as he was a responsible student. Ben was soon left alone in the classroom.

Fetching Kayla's drawing from the teacher's desk he looked at it again. He wanted to have the same handsome man in his picture too. An idea popped into his head.

Taking Kayla's drawing to the class photocopier, he printed off a copy. Returning to his desk he took out scissors and glue. He carefully cut out the figure and glued it to his drawing. Writing 'MY Wedding Day' at the top of the page, adding a few finishing touches, and he was happy with the result. He smiled as he placed his and Kayla's Drawings on the teachers desk.

The next day, when the children entered the classroom, their drawings had all been displayed on the wall. All except Ben's. The teacher had called him over and scolded him for drawing something silly, and thrown his picture in the bin. She told him to redo the project over the weekend and hand it in on Monday.

Sitting at his desk that morning he was hurt and confused. What had been wrong with his drawing?

Kayla noticing a tear roll down his cheek, she took his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. It wasn't until recess in the playground that he told her what had happened. Angry, Kayla excused herself saying she was going to the toilet, went to their classroom and took his picture from the bin. Folding it neatly, she placed it safely in her pocket.

Kayla had always known that Ben was a bit different to other boys. He had always been a bit shy of the boys at school and preferred to spend time with the girls.

Kayla's bedroom was Ben's favourite place. He could happily spend hours here. Listening to popular music, reading romance novels. Perusing fashion magazines, playing with make-up. Dressing up and doing each others hair. Kayla's room was bright, and colourful, and fun.

Knowing Ben preferred these things had never bothered Kayla. He may act differently but he was special to her, he was the only one who truly understood her. But she knew in her heart that it could cause problems at school, and she wanted to protect him.

When she had encouraged him to play soccer with the boys, he had reluctantly agreed. Even though he would rather be sitting and chatting with the girls, he made the effort and played well. Because he was small and fast, he was easily able to take the ball and score. The boys appreciated his talent and he was often asked to join their games. From then on soccer became his cover.

Kayla was the only one who truly knew him. He felt a little guilty that he was hiding his true self from his parents.

When Ben had asked to join a soccer team with his school friends, his parents had been thrilled. They had even redecorated his room in a soccer theme. It wasn't that he didn't like soccer, he did! The feeling of running across the field and scoring, was exhilarating and seeing the smiles and hearing the cheers of his proud parents made him happy. It was just that he never felt comfortable talking to the other boys. Even standing close to them during practice put him on edge. Luckily they had just labeled him as shy, so didn't bother him too much.

As they grew older and went into High School, they still stuck together. Ben had grown taller than Kayla and was handsome. He was popular with the girls for his looks, and with the boys for his athletic prowess. Pushing himself to smile and be friendly had become the norm. Only when he was alone with his best friend was he able to relax.

People started to assume that the two of them were partners and they never bothered to correct them. It was easier this way for Ben, but he knew that he was holding Kayla back. She had matured into a very pretty young lady with a lovely figure to match. He had noticed the boys watching her. It was his presence that kept them away. He felt both guilty and grateful!

Whenever he mentioned it to her, Kayla would just screw up her nose and say none of them were worth the bother. Then she would take his arm with a smile and pull him away.

They attended every school dance together, partnered up for every function. They depended on each other, comforted each other. The bond between them was strong.

Until sadly circumstance pulled them apart. Ben's father had been transfered for his job. Transferring to another city, Ben had started University completely alone. Coping without Kayla had been hard at first, but eventually he had found his feet. Joining the soccer team, and even trying out Surfing he soon made some friends. He studied hard, being sure to aim for a stable future. He hoped Kayla was doing the same.

It was at University that he discovered that he preferred guys. But it seemed every guy that he took a fancy to, already had a girlfriend. If only he could meet someone nice with the same interests. Seeing friends paired up he longed for a similar affection for himself.

Before long he had graduated University, with a Bachelor of Communication. He was 22 and it was time to find a job, and start building a life!

Ben had been excited to receive an offer from a small but well respected publishing company. He had been invited to an interview and company tour, were he would sign a contract if interested. The job was back near his home town, if he worked there he would be able to see Kayla again.

Flying in, he could make out the crystal clear beaches. Awesome! he muttered to himself pleased, surfing had become a favorite pastime. Landing he had a bite of lunch before hailing a cab. He was to spend the night with Jake Winter, the CEO of the Publishing company. He felt nervous, he really wanted this job. Everything seemed to be falling into place for him.

The handsome man who opened the door to the high rise apartment, was not quite what Ben had expected. He was dressed a little too formally for a start. Surely if he was just relaxing at home he would be more casual? And then he was acting as though he was uncomfortable, stretching the collar of his shirt and tugging at his long pants as if they felt too tight. Ben held in a giggle, smiled and introduced himself.

At least Jake was friendly, offering a wide smile he put Ben at ease. Ben had expected him to be firm and business like in his speech and mannerisms, but happily he was chatty, and Ben found himself liking his new Boss more and more.

The Company office space was empty when he was taken in for the tour. It was modern and attractive, spacious and airy. The desk he would be using sat in front of the large window, with a nice view over the city!

Signing the employment contract, Ben felt confident he was making the right decision.

A nice meal out topped off the evening! Jake was a good host and kept the drinks flowing. Ben felt relaxed and happy, his new Boss was turning out to be wonderful company. Maybe there would be more nights like this, he could look forward to.

The night had ended in a bit of a blur, all Ben knew was that somehow he had ended up back at Jake's apartment, laying on a bed and kissing before falling asleep.