“Not in some foreign country, don't worry,” Ben said, sounding amused. “Actually, I had a question for you. Do you guys have off from classes on Monday?”
“Monday and Tuesday,” I said. “Why?”
“Do you have study meetings or anything like that that you have to go to this weekend? Just, I was thinking about what you said about how you haven't been camping in a while, and really, that's a bit of a tragedy.”
“You want to go camping this weekend?” I asked. “For four days?”
“I mean, if you don't want to, we don't have to,” Ben said, and I could practically hear him wince. “Sorry, it was just a thought.
“No, I'm intrigued,” I said. “I'm just tired; it's taking me a minute to process everything. Jeez. I mean, do we need permits or things like that?” Then, a bigger issue occurred to me. “Wait, it's already November,” I said. “Isn't it too cold for camping at this time of year? I mean, unless you have really specialized gear.”
“Well, I wouldn't suggest tent camping at the moment,” Ben said. “But I know a really cozy little cabin that we could stay in, getting nice and toasty by the campfire...”
I swallowed hard, suddenly wondering if he was thinking of what I was thinking of. That sounded very romantic, and perfect for that special first time that we…
“Like I said, if you don't want to go, that's fine,” Ben said, and I could tell that I had paused for too long.
“I like the idea,” I interrupted shyly, before he could take the idea off the table. “I'm just...nervous, honestly.”
“Hey,” Ben said. “You don't have to be nervous. “Remember, we're not going to do anything that you're not comfortable with. I'll sleep on the couch if that's what you want.”
“I don't want that,” I said, a bit breathless at the thought of us sharing a bed. Even if we didn't have sex and we were actually just sleeping next to one another, there was no denying how...intimate that was.
“So I'll pick you up tomorrow?” Ben asked. “When are you done with classes?”
“3:45,” I said. “But then I'd need to pack and stuff too.”
“So why don't I come get you around 5 and we'll get dinner on the way?” Ben asked.
“Okay,” I said.
“Great,” Ben said. “I'm going to let you get some sleep now, because it sounds like you could use it. But sleep well, and I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I said. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
The next day, I was almost full-out panicking by the time Ben came to pick me up. “What's wrong?” he asked from the doorway of my room.
I spun around, shocked to see him. “How did you get up here?” I asked.
Ben shrugged. “The guys at the front desk recognized me, so they let me sign myself in,” he said easily. He came over and pulled me close, kissing me gently. “You look totally worried,” he said.
“I just...don't know what to pack,” I said, indicating the mess of things spilling out of the bag on my bed.
Ben laughed. “Sorry, I don't mean to laugh, but...every time I get to thinking that you're just not a normal girl, you go and do something like this and show me exactly how girly you really can be...”
I blushed and ducked my head. “Sorry,” I said. “I know it's stupid, just… Like I said, I haven't been camping in a long time. I don't know what I'm supposed to bring.”
Ben dumped out the contents of my bag and then started sorting through all my things. I blushed worse as he held up a pair of lacy black panties. “Well, these are definitely coming with us,” he said.
I snatched them out of his hands, balling them up and shoving them back into the backpack. “Yeah, okay, the underwear part, I have down,” I said. “Just. Jeans? Or are we going to do some hiking and stuff? Is there someplace to run, near this cabin of yours? Do I need anything...nicer?”
Ben reached up and caught my face in his warm hands, looking seriously down into my eyes. “You're adorable,” he said, then leaned in to kiss me again.
I fell into his chest, wrapping my arms around him, using his warmth to stabilize me. When we pulled apart, I took a couple deep breaths, surprised at how much better I felt. “Okay,” I said.
“Jeans are a good idea,” Ben said. “I don't think you're going to need to bring anything nicer than that; it's going to be just the two of us up there, and I plan to have you out of your clothing and snuggled up in blankets with me for as much of the weekend as I can get away with.” He winked at me, and I blushed. “I'm pretty sure you could find somewhere to run even if you were locked up someplace, so yeah, you'll probably want some sort of athletic wear. Maybe something a little warmer, if you have it. Although I don't know how cold it'll be yet—definitely colder than it is here, but shouldn't be anything too extreme.”
“Okay,” I said, frowning at my options. To be honest, I felt a lot better about picking clothes now that he had said he wanted me out of my clothing for as much of the weekend as he could get. As silly as that sounded…
I quickly grabbed enough stuff to put together at least a couple outfits, plus one set of running clothes, plus a warm sweater. Then, I threw on a hoodie, grabbed my water bottle and keys, and nodded. “All set.”
Ben smiled at me and then held out his hand, leading me down to his car.
Chapter Fifteen
I woke up to someone picking me up. I flailed a little, but the person's grip on me didn't falter. “Easy there,” Ben said. “Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.”
I blinked up at him and realized he was carrying me out of the car and up towards the cabin. “I can walk,” I protested.
Ben shrugged as much as he could with my weight weighing heavily on his arms. “Or I can carry you,” he said, smiling at me. “Sorry, you just seemed so dead to the world that I thought it might be easier if I carried you up. It's not far.”
When we reached the front door, I realized that he had already run up and opened it in preparation—or at least, I assumed that was what had happened, since the lights were already on and everything. I hadn't even noticed that we'd stopped the car.
In fact, I couldn't really remember falling asleep. “What time is it, anyway?”
“A little after one in the morning,” Ben told me.
I grimaced. “Sorry, I probably should have stayed awake to keep you company.” That meant we'd been driving for about six hours, and the last time I could remember having looked at the clock, it had been about 9pm.
“No problem,” Ben said. “I put on some music and just kind of relaxed. I like driving.”
I shook my head and burrowed against his chest a little. “If you say so,” I said. Ben set me lightly down on the edge of the bed and then started to undress me. I pushed his hands away, blushing. “I'm, uh...” I didn't know how to say that I didn't really want anything to happen tonight, not when I was half asleep and not when we had the whole weekend to do whatever we wanted to do.
Ben shook his head. “Sorry, I'm not trying to start something,” he said, accurately reading my train of thought. “But you probably don't want to sleep in jeans and a teeshirt, right? I brought up your bag; it's right over there.”
I shook my head at him, smiling. “You're too nice,” I said. “I keep wondering when we're going to find the deal-breaker...”
Ben laughed. “I'm pretty much perfect,” he said, winking at me. “I'll be right back.” He stood up and went to turn out the lights in the rest of the cabin. Then, he came back into the bedroom. “Is it all right if I stay in here with you?” he asked.
“Of course,” I said.
“Is it all right if I strip down to just my boxers?” he asked carefully.
I nodded slowly, watching as he very deliberately began to remove layers of clothing. After a moment, I began copying him, stripping off first my teeshirt and then my jeans. I hesitated for a moment and then reached up to undo my bra as well. Then, I dropped my eyes shyly to the floor. “Panties are going to stay on,” I said. “But...”
> “Come here,” Ben said, his voice husky.
I slowly walked over to him, letting him pull me close, until I was pressed against him, bare skin coming into contact with vast expanses of bare skin. “Is this okay?” Ben asked. I nodded, and he leaned down to kiss me, his lips working against mine. He nibbled and sucked at my lower lip, causing me to gasp a little. “Is this okay?” he asked, nuzzling at my neck.
“Y-yeah,” I stammered breathlessly. “But Ben...”
Ben pulled away from me, giving me a serious look. “We aren't going to do anything that you're not comfortable with,” he reminded me. “And for now, all we're going to do is go to bed, all right? You go first; I'll get the lights.”
I nodded and walked over to the bed, glancing back over my shoulder at him. The very air in the room seemed to be charged with electricity. I could only imagine what it would be like if we came into this with intention, if we were there to make love all night. I had a feeling it could be incredible.
But I also knew that I didn't want to do this while I was groggy and half asleep. I wanted everything to be perfect for that first time. And for now, it was better to just lie there, pressed back in Ben's arms, and let sleep claim me. We had all weekend, after all.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning, Ben was awake before me too. I blinked groggily at him as he came into the room and set a tray down on the bedside table. Then, I yawned widely, belatedly bringing up my hand to cover my mouth. “Morning,” I said sleepily.
“Good morning,” Ben said, smiling sweetly at me. “How are you feeling?”
I stretched a little. “Really good,” I told him. “I mean, I think last night was the best night of sleep I've had in a while—it helps to not have to worry about anything.”
“Yeah, I'll bet,” Ben said.
“What about you, how did you sleep?”
“Pretty well,” Ben said, reaching out to lightly touch my cheek. “Always helps when I have a pretty girl to cuddle up to.”
I blushed a little and looked curiously over towards the tray.
“I made breakfast,” Ben explained.
I gaped at him. “So last night I passed out in the car, and this morning you were up before me for long enough that you could bring me breakfast in bed?” The guy was practically a saint.
“Yeah, you seemed like you could use the sleep this morning, same as last night. I know you love running, but sometimes I wonder if maybe you're pushing yourself too hard.”
I laughed a little. “Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “It's more just the late nights that are killing me lately. The running helps me wake up.”
Ben grinned and climbed back into bed with me, kissing me lazily. “Well, I hope you like omelettes” he said. “It's one of the few things I know how to make well.”
“Sounds great,” I said. “Honestly—you brought me breakfast in bed; I'm not going to complain no matter what it is.”
Ben laughed and grabbed the tray, balancing it over both of our laps and beginning to remove the lids off the dishes. Sure enough, he had brought each of us a delicious-looking garden omelette, some plain yogurt with a swirl of honey, and a small dish of fresh berries. Plus there was coffee.
“Oh my god, a guy that brought me coffee in bed,” I said, putting a hand over my heart. “I swear, I'll love you until the day I die.” Then, I realized what I said and pinked a little, putting a hand over my mouth. “I mean—I mean, not that I don't love you—I mean, I don't mean that I love you. Not that loving you would be a bad thing, just… I don't think we're...to that point yet. Maybe we never will be. I just mean-”
“It's quite all right,” Ben said, looking amused. “I understand what you mean; you don't have to qualify it.”
I ducked my head a little. “Yeah...” Before I could say anything else stupid, I took a bite of omelette. “Oh!” I said in surprise. “Wow, this is actually really good.”
“You didn't expect it to be?” Ben asked, raising an eyebrow at me. “I think I mentioned at one point that my mother's Italian? I grew up learning how to cook. Well, when I wasn't away at school, that is.”
I shook my head, not even sure where to start with that one. “You mentioned it,” I finally said. “But I guess I hadn't really...thought about it. So you must be really good at pasta dishes, right?”
“And pizza,” Ben agreed. “But really, once you have the basics of cooking down, everything is pretty much the same process. You just have to be able to think through what you want things to taste like.”
I shook my head. “I should warn you now, I'm a terrible cook. My mother always reminds me that I'll make a terrible housewife, when the time actually comes for that.”
Ben shrugged. “To be honest, I'm not really looking for the typical housewife,” he said. He gave me a wicked smile. “I'm not sure I'm looking for a wife at all!”
I blinked at him and then shook my head. Now wasn't really the time to have a conversation like that, but suddenly I started wondering whether coming away with him for the weekend might not have been a mistake. There were so many discussions that we should have had before we started…committing to this. And that's what it felt like this weekend was: it felt like this was a commitment to something. To an 'us'. If we weren't looking for the same basic things…
“Hey, hey,” Ben said, looking worried. He slung an arm around my shoulders. “Sorry, that was a joke—but not a good one. I absolutely am looking for someone to marry—eventually. It doesn't have to be tomorrow or even next year, but at some point… Yeah.” He trailed off, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand.
I picked at my food. “Sorry,” I said, feeling as though I'd just dragged down the fun, lighthearted mood of the morning. “I don't mean to make things so...serious. I just… I guess I still don't really know what you're looking for with me.”
“You're my girlfriend,” Ben reminded me, as though that meant something.
“Yeah, I know that,” I said. “But I mean...” I waved a hand vaguely, not expecting him to understand.
But Ben was nodding sagely. “Eventually—and I mean it when I say that I don't really have a timeline on this stuff, although I'm not ruling out that it would happen sooner, rather than later… Eventually, I would like to have a wife and maybe a couple children who could inherit the family business—if they wanted to, of course; I wouldn't force them into something that they weren't interested in. I'd like to do more travel as well, though. I'm thinking of maybe going away for a couple months this summer. If you were interested, maybe you could join me for at least part of that time...” He trailed off.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to have a conversation like this over breakfast,” I said, even though inside, I could feel my heart starting to beat with excitement. If he was already looking ahead to the summer and thinking that maybe I could join him traveling, he had to be pretty serious about this, right?
“Yeah, me neither—and I think I'm the one who opened that whole mess, so don't you start apologizing!” Ben said. He held up a blueberry as though it were a sort of peace offering, and I automatically opened my mouth to take it, sucking lightly at his fingers as he withdrew them from between my lips.
For a moment, Ben just stared at me. Then, he cleared his throat a little and adjusted how he was sitting. “Well,” he said.
I blinked at him. “That turned you on?” I guessed. Ben snorted but didn't respond to that. I didn't know what I wanted him to say, anyway.
“So what did you want to do today?” he asked after a moment.
“I don't even know what my options are,” I said. “I mean, we could laze about the cabin, or...”
“We could laze about the cabin,” Ben agreed. “We've got a bunch of movies, or we could also do a puzzle. Maybe play some cards. But the weather's pretty nice today, so I was thinking that maybe we could go for a little hike, if you were feeling up to it. This area's really pretty—maybe not quite so much at this time of year, but I still think it's pretty imp
ressive. Lots of great peaks in the area, but a little bit smaller. It actually kind of reminds me of England in some ways, although the color palette is a little more somber here.”
“That sounds nice,” I said. “As long as you don't make me sprint up one of said peaks!”
Ben laughed. “Nah,” he said. “I mostly just want to have a lazy weekend with you, or as lazy as I ever get. Just a little stroll through the woods, nothing major. Then we can come back and start up the fire and cozy up this evening—how does that sound?”
“That sounds really nice,” I said. Truthfully, I was already dreading having to get out of bed, because I was comfortable and warm here with him right now, our skin pressed against one another's. But I knew that we couldn't just stay lounging around like this all weekend; we'd go stir crazy by the end of it since we were both active people. A hike would be the perfect way to get a little energy out while still giving us enough time to be lazy in the evenings.
Take Me Away: A College Romance Story Page 7