by Amali Rose
A contented sigh escapes me and I think how lucky we both have been to find each other again. Turning over, I roll on top of him and pop a chaste kiss on his lips.
“Wanna get lucky again?”
SKYE: Soooooo….
BEN: Soooooo?
SKYE: Cassidy is insisting on meeting you.
BEN: The infamous Cassidy. I don’t know whether to be excited or terrified.
SKYE: Terrified. The answer is terrified.
“Stop that!”
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
I glare at Cassidy as she continues to tap her nails on the table top.
“Can you please stop, you’re driving me insane.”
“He’s not coming, is he? Spanky’s standing me up.”
“Like I’ve told you about thirty times in the last twenty minutes, he is coming, he messaged me and he’s just running a bit late, that’s all. And oh my god he has a name, Cass, please use it when he gets here, I beg you.”
Cassidy rolls her eyes and my frustration mounts. “I’m not making any promises. I’m going to use the bathroom, be right back.” As she sashays away, I bury my head in my arms and suppress a loud groan. This has disaster written all over it. Cassidy and Ben are both way too eager to meet each other, and the butterflies in my stomach are telling me that there’s a train wreck ahead.
Sucking in a deep, calming breath, I raise my head to indulge in some people watching; one of my guilty pleasures. The restaurant is a bustling hive of activity, and my eye is immediately drawn to what appears to be a father and his young daughter a few tables down. They are sitting across from each other and the girl’s eyes shine with delight as her father lavishes attention on her. The little girl appears to be telling him a story and he is as enthralled as I find myself to be. He listens in rapt silence and as I examine his face I feel a small tug of jealousy that I never got to experience this with my father. He was never around much when I was little, preferring to work or be with his friends watching a game and drinking. And then he was gone.
A hand grasps my shoulder, giving it a small squeeze and startling me out of my melancholy. I almost jump out of my seat and look up to see Ben watching me intently.
“You okay, Squeak? You were in another world there.”
The smile that always follows Ben’s appearance lights up my face. “I’m good, just got a bit lost in my head for a second, that’s all.”
He sits down in the chair next to mine, leans over and places a soft kiss behind my left ear, his lips leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.
“You look gorgeous, babe.” I feel my face heat at his compliment and offer him thanks.
“I might need to fuck you in the bathroom at some point tonight.”
“Well, aren’t you just a fucking pervert then.” Cassidy plonks herself down, sitting on the other side of me with her attention fixed solely on Ben. “Nice of you to join us, Tarzan.”
Ben looks quizzically between the two of us and all I can do is shrug. I have no idea what is going on in that head of hers, and honestly, I think it’s probably safer not to know. Ben, however, doesn’t know her well enough to realize this.
“Tarzan?” he queries.
“Skyballs told me how you call out like Tarzan when you come. You know, ah-ah-ah-ah!” She does her very best Tarzan impression until I slap my hand over her mouth to shut her up. Ben’s eyes are as wide as saucers and I have no clue how this is going to play out.
Finally, a loud laugh escapes him and I sigh in relief before turning my attention to my possibly ex best friend.
“I did not say that, Cassidy Jensen, you dirty little liar!” And then there were two. My head swings rapidly back and forth between the two of them as Cassidy joins Ben in his laughter and they seemingly take great joy in my discomfort.
“I knew I was going to like you, Cassidy,” Ben says when they finally manage to calm themselves. “But I have the distinct feeling I may need some alcohol tonight, so how about we order?”
“You’re a man after my own heart, Benjamin,” Cassidy replies and then turning to me she says in a mock whisper, “See, I can use his name.” She pokes her tongue out at me.
I sigh. It’s going to be a long night.
Four hours later, all my fears have proved to be unfounded as the three of us sit around the table laughing uncontrollably as Ben tells the story of how he and his friend Mason ended up thrown out into the street, in only their boxer briefs, after a game of strip poker went horribly wrong in college.
“Oh my god, that’s gold!” I exclaim as I try to tamp down my giggles, but every time I try I imagine Ben lying on the pavement in only his underwear and beautiful smile, and more laughter escapes. Turning my head, I catch Ben staring at me. No longer laughing, a small smile is playing at his lips and his eyes are filled with an emotion I’m too scared to identify.
“What?” I ask softly.
“You’re just really beautiful, you know that?” He reaches over, tucks my hair behind my ear and pulls me firmly to him, kissing me gently. Just as he pulls me closer and starts to deepen the kiss, a cough interrupts us.
“Gag me, guys,” Cassidy says, pulling a face. “Although, I suppose I should be grateful you were able to prevent yourselves from the public fucking you were promising earlier.”
“The night’s not over yet, I may just drag Squeak away yet.”
“Okay, explain the Squeak thing, it’s so cute it’s cringeworthy.” After examining me in a way that makes me super uncomfortable, she continues, “It suits her though.”
“I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted,” I throw right back at her.
“Yeah, don’t look too closely at it, Skyballs.”
Chuckling to himself as he watches our back and forth, Ben answers her question simply and with a shrug. “She’s a pipsqueak. Your turn. The Skyballs thing. Explain.”
“Well, your girl here has a real issue with eyeballs. They completely freak her out. Did you ever see that episode of Friends?” He shakes his head no and she continues, “Well, you should watch it. Skye is a complete Rachel and it amuses the hell out of me. And that, my friend, is how Skyballs was born.”
We continue to sit and laugh for another hour or so and I could not be more thrilled with how tonight is going. Ben and Cassidy have instinctively fallen into an almost quasi sibling relationship and it triggers a visceral reaction in me. Cassidy is essentially my family, the most important person in the world to me, and seeing the two of them like this opens my heart up to Ben even further.
As we settle the check and prepare to leave, Cassidy throws her arms around Ben in a full-on bear hug, almost knocking him off his feet. After a brief moment of surprise, he wraps his arms around her and squeezes her tight.
“I like you, Ben. But, I love her. So, trust me when I say, if you hurt her I’ll cut your dick off and use it for my own very special brand of turkey slap.”
“Noted,” he says, smiling into the top of her head.
I feel the sting of tears at this exchange until I notice her hands snake down to Ben’s delectable ass and give it a squeeze.
“Get your hands off my man’s ass, Jensen.”
“I’m only human, Balls, and that ass? Bravo, Ben.”
As I sit in the back seat of the car on the way back to my apartment, curled into Ben’s side and enjoying the warmth of his body, I consider all the things his dirty mouth is going to do to me in the not too distant future, when my phone dings. Pulling it out I see Cassidy’s name on the screen.
CASSIDY: He’ll do.
“Pass me one of those sugar cookies, Skylah, I can’t resist them any longer.” I smile at Juliet’s request and, using the tongs in the jar, I remove the biggest cookie and place it on a napkin for her.
Taking the treat with a smile, Juliet continues, “I’m so proud of you, my love. My accountant told me that the last month has been the shop’s most successful in the last two years. Those changes you implemented have certainly worked.” My smile widen
s at her words. I had been nervous about making changes to what had been a winning formula, but the risk had paid off and we had seen an increase in our profits over the last month.
“Thank you, J, that means a lot. I still have a few more ideas that I’m working on, but I don’t want to make too many changes too quickly.”
“Absolutely. Now, enough business talk, tell me how things are going with your young man.” Upon hearing Juliet’s question, Layla suddenly appears in front of us, plops herself down on a stool in front of the counter, places her chin in her hands and looks at me expectantly. Juliet chuckles while I roll my eyes.
“You know, it’s so easy to forget that you’re related to Cassidy. Until you pull shit like that, Lay.”
She shrugs and widens her eyes innocently.
“Us Jensen’s like the gossip, what can I say? Now spill!”
I try to present an air of nonchalance, but on the inside, I’m a giddy child. These last few months with Ben have been incredible. Since that day at the Botanical Gardens, things have progressed with a speed and intensity that I never would have imagined I would love. Every day I fall a little harder. The man has the kindest heart and he makes me laugh like no one else. Ben makes me feel safe and it would be so easy to become consumed by him. And for the first time, the thought of that doesn’t terrify me. I have, however, tried to temper my enthusiasm when it was pointed out to me that I may be talking about him a little too often. “It’s going so well, I’m really happy. He makes me happy,” I answer simply.
“I’m so pleased to hear that, Skylah. It’s about time you allowed yourself to be swept away by some debonair gentleman.”
“From what I hear, he’s not much of a gentleman, if you know what I mean.” Layla waggles her eyebrows at us.
“Layla, that’s enough of that!” Juliet chastises before following with, “We need some wine if we’re going to go there.” She throws a wink my way with a sly smile.
Then as if all our talk has conjured him up, the bell to the front door jingles and Ben walks through. As he looks around the shop I take this moment to appreciate his physicality before he notices me. Tall and broad, he dwarfs me in every direction, and I adore the sense of security that gives me when I am with him. His face is beautiful, in a completely masculine sense. Dark brown eyes, that remind me of melted chocolate, are filled with mischief more often than not. The imperfection of a slight bump on his nose only adds to his appeal, and a strong jaw, that is usually covered in a slight scruff, has my thighs clenching anytime I stare too long. His huge smile has the ability to light up his entire face, which is exactly what is happening now as he spots me from his position in the doorway.
Moving quickly, his long legs eat up the space between us in no time, and he stops right in front of me. I can feel a grin on my face that matches his in size and brightness.
“Hi,” I whisper.
“Hey, Squeak.” He leans down and, cupping my face in both hands, he places a soft kiss on my mouth that makes my every pulse point jump.
Breaking our kiss before it has a chance to really begin, Ben looks over at Juliet and Layla who are almost swooning where they stand. Reaching out to shake their hands, he introduces himself. Layla, her face a bright shade of red, briefly takes his hand before rushing off to finish shelving the new arrivals. I sigh as I watch her go. That girl is as shy as Cassidy is outrageous, and I really do worry about her sometimes.
Turning my attention back to Ben and Juliet, I see them quietly conversing as if they’ve known each other forever. It’s a wonderful skill Ben has, the ability to put people at ease immediately, and one that I admire greatly.
Wrapping my arm around his waist, I give a squeeze as I listen to Juliet telling Ben about her retirement, and I bask in the peace this moment fills me with. When there is a lull in the conversation I turn to Ben and ask what he’s doing here.
“I was able to finish work early, so I thought I’d swing by and surprise you. Maybe hang around and watch you be all bossy until closing time and then take you out to dinner,” he replies.
“That sounds like an awesome plan. I am feeling particularly bossy today, so you lucked out.” I laugh.
“Skylah, you two head out now. Layla and I can close up, it’s only a half an hour anyway, off you go,” Juliet says.
“J, I can’t ask you to do that. He can wait, can’t you, baby cakes?” I throw at Ben.
“Of course, I can.”
“Nonsense, I won’t hear any arguing. Off you go.” She shoos us away like we’re an annoying bug.
Ben and I look at each other and I shrug. “Well, if she insists, there’s no point arguing.”
“Exactly,” Juliet replies as she reaches down under the counter and hands me my purse and jacket. Taking them from her, I give her a kiss and thank her.
“Have a wonderful night, my love.” My heart swells from the look in her eyes. I miss seeing her every day, and today’s visit has reminded me exactly how much. Before my mood dampens, I take Ben’s hand and head for the doorway, calling out goodbye to Layla on our way. On the other side of the door, Ben drapes his arm over my shoulders.
“I know a great little restaurant not far from here, how do you feel about Italian?” Ben asks.
“Um I feel like I would kiss your special place for a good lasagna right now.”
“My special place?” Ben guffaws at my attempt to be discreet. “Are you offering to suck my dick in exchange for Italian food, Squeak? Because if that’s the case I can get you lasagna every damn day.”
“Oh my god.” Laughing, I turn and hide my face in his shoulder. “Just feed me.”
“I’m trying.” Ben laughs.
“Food, Mackinnon. Feed me food!” And with that, Ben grabs my hand and practically drags me to the restaurant.
Later, as we sit chatting over coffee after enjoying a delicious meal, Ben’s attention is drawn to the register where a tall man with tousled light brown hair and an expensive-looking suit is staring solemnly at his phone.
“Mason!” Ben calls out, and the man looks over and smiles when he sees Ben motioning for him to join us.
As Mason ambles over to us, Ben throws me an apologetic glance.
“You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not! It’s about time I got to meet him.”
“Yeah, he’s been working crazy fucking hours lately. I’m kind of glad to see him out of the office.”
Mason arrives and Ben stands up and pulls him into a hug with a firm back slap.
“Hey, man, it’s good to see you. Have a seat and meet my girl,” Ben says, pointing at a spare chair at our table and sitting down.
“Mason this is Skye. Skye, Mason.” Mason reaches across the table to shake my hand.
“Skye, great to finally meet you. I’m sorry it hasn’t happened sooner, work’s been kicking my ass lately. But rest assured I’ve heard all about you by text. Ben’s been gushing like a pre-teen girl talking about Bieber.” Mason’s last statement causes me to laugh out loud.
“Well, I’m glad to meet you too, Mason, I’ve heard a lot of stories about you, that’s for sure, so it’s nice to put a face to the name.”
Mason groans in response. “None of it’s true, I swear.”
“So, you didn’t strip Ben naked and leave him lying under a tree on campus once? I’ve got to say I’m disappointed,” I challenge him.
“Oh, well that’s absolutely true. But in my defence, he was drunk and getting handsy with me. And I did leave him a pillow, so I think I’m the good guy in that story.”
“The good guy, seriously dude?” Ben interrupts. “I woke up surrounded by a bunch of people laughing and taking photos of my junk; which was definitely not at its best considering how freezing it was. That shit could’ve scarred me and my dick for life.”
“I will admit that I may have been slightly inebriated myself, so my judgement wasn’t the best. But if I recall, the pictures didn’t hurt your manwhore status at all, in fact they may have eve
n helped,” Mason swiftly retorts.
“Manwhore, huh?” I question. “Now this he never mentioned.” Mason laughs at this.
“Doesn’t surprise me. Until the Amber incident, Ben was legendary on campus.” My eyes widen slightly at this statement and seek out Ben’s. He has vaguely mentioned in passing about a messy romantic history, but hadn’t gone into specifics and I didn’t want to push him. The air is thick with tension. Mason, realizing that he may have put his foot in his mouth, looks around the restaurant awkwardly, and Ben refuses to make eye contact with me. Thank goodness Mason’s food arrives at that moment and he makes a hasty retreat.
“It was great meeting you, Skye. I’m sorry if I fucked up just now. That’s all in Ben’s past, he’s a different man now, and he really cares about you. Don’t listen to a word I say, okay?”
“It’s fine, Mason, please don’t worry about it; I’m not.” I stand and give him a brief hug to show there are no hard feelings.
“You don’t have to leave, Mase, it’s fine. Stay and eat with us, we were planning on another coffee, right, Squeak?”
“I definitely won’t say no to another,” I reply.
“Thanks, but I can’t, I have to get back to the office.”
“It’s Friday night, man, you can’t take the night off?” Ben asks.
“No, we’re trying to push a deal through at the moment so everyone’s working around the clock to meet deadlines. Things should settle down in the next few weeks though, maybe we could all have dinner then?”
“Sounds like a plan, make it happen, okay?” Ben stands, slaps Mason on the back and returns to his seat.
“It was nice to meet you, Mason, I’ll look forward to that dinner.” He returns my smile before turning and walking out of the restaurant.
“So, manwhore, huh?” I say with a smile.
“He’s exaggerating,” he scoffs.