This isn't weird.

Rule of Threes

Ben started the next day with a kink in his neck and a greasy rectangular indentation on the side of his face where his phone had pressed against it for the past five or so hours. There was a cat wedged into the V-shaped crook behind his bent legs, and another in the hollow between his knees and his chest. It felt a little monstrous to disturb them by straightening his body, but it had to be done. After a bit of indignant grumbling, Billy Shears hopped down to the floor and plodded off in search of something to yell about, but George readjusted his position and stayed next to Ben, purring. They remained that way for ten peaceable minutes before Ben finally stretched out and sat up. He took a quick shower, careful this time to lock the door and avoid any feline interference until after his legs were thoroughly dried, and headed downstairs.

Walt was gone, real life having pulled him back to his gainful employment (a situation Ben himself was simultaneously dreading and looking forward to for himself), but he'd left a box of blueberry muffins on the counter, water in the kettle, and a note reminding him where his stash of teas was tucked away in the pantry. Ben opted for a blueberry tea to match his muffin, then sat alone at the kitchen table, and finally looked at his phone.

His heart stopped.

Fifty-three text messages. Impossible. He had literally most half the night with his phone stuck to his face.  How had all those notifications not woken him up? WHY WAS HIS PHONE ON SILENT? It had to be Millie! Fifty three messages! She must have been desperate to reach him. What if she was hurt? Or stranded? Or horny? Okay, that last one might have been wishful thinking, but what if she thought he was ignoring her?

Unlocking his phone, he was equal parts relieved and disappointed to see he had, in fact, received a long string of increasingly incoherent text messages from Dustin. Sighing, he scrolled to the top and began to read.

1:01 am: Hey bro you up?

1:03 am: Probably not huh, you're on a boring normie sleep sched these days

1:03 Fuckin nerd

1:04 am: Nah jk proud of you bro takin care of yourself thats dope af

1:04 am: Nerd

1:04 am: If you are up tho call me we need to talk

1:04 am: Wait sorry that makes it sound super serious

1:04 am: I mean its kind of serious but not like serious serious you know dude?

1:04 am: Its like chill

1:05 am: I mean i hope its chill wit you

1:05 am: Its not about work btw

1:05 am: I mean its kind of about work in a w ay i guess but its not like, aboutwork about work

1:06 am: But its not about you at work

1:07 am:I mean its kinda about you but not about you about you

1:08 am: Ffuck im makin it sound like it is but its not its just somethin we need to talk about i probably should have talked to u about sooner

1:11 am: Just u know hwen you have some time call me or whatever

1:16 am: Not tryna rush you to come back or anything btw taek all the time you need cant wait to hear about it

1:17 am: heard u went to texas that sounds dope af are there hot cowgirls there

1:18 am: jk i know u only care about one hot cowgirl amirite bro