At Ari’s quip, Ben gave a soft exhale that only might have resembled a laugh. After all Ari had put him through — pushing him away, ignoring his letters, acting as if he didn’t exist otherwise — Ben should have been happy to hear that Ari wasn’t feeling well. Wasn’t that what Ben, caught in the midst of of his drunken nights where he was cursing ever having known Ari, had wanted?

Wanting it in the heat of the moment and actually witnessing it were two different things. And Ben was sorely regretting ever wanting such a thing. It was as if a light had dimmed around Ari, and Ben wanted to fix it so very very much. But he nodded and took a seat in the chair near Ari. He would settle for mending things between them though. He knew they had much to talk about, but knowing where to start was like trying to untangle a ball of yarn.

“How..has it been here?” He ventured to ask. For some reason he couldn’t comprehend, this felt like stepping onto a lake just barely frozen over; but just in the center of the frigid water was Ari, and he so desperately wanted to give him a hug. To embrace him again. So Ben continued to venture forward. “Are they treating you well?”

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