Love Scene, Take Two

by Alex Evansley

  “It wasn’t his fault! He accidentally mentioned something when we were playing Ping-Pong and I hounded him for details.”

  “I guess I can’t blame you,” she says. “I just—sort of wanted to be the one to tell you.”

  “You know, the fact that you wanted to is just as good,” he says. Bennett’s staring down at her feet in the water again, fingers now tucked underneath her legs. Teddy slides a hand over the nape of her neck, and Bennett hesitates when she looks up, eyes shifting to something behind him.

  “Pretty sure Liz is watching us right now.”

  “Good,” Teddy says, pulling her toward him. Bennett smiles into the kiss, and it’s just the right kind of overwhelming—like Teddy’s either going to launch into space forever or completely collapse in on himself.

  They break apart after who knows how long, with Teddy grinning like an idiot as Bennett tries to hide the blush working its way across her cheeks. They wander back up to the house to rejoin the party, and Teddy’s so blissfully dazed he almost doesn’t catch when Liz makes a side comment about how she didn’t know Bennett was so into PDA. Teddy can’t get himself to care, though—not with the way Bennett keeps smiling over at him like he’s the only person worth smiling at.

  The party begins to slow just after it gets dark. A long day of drinking in the sun seems to take its toll on everyone at once, and people begin to trickle back to their boats to call it a night. The Caldwells are saying bye to the McGearys down at the dock when Liz looks pointedly at Teddy and says, “It was so nice to meet you, Teddy. Have a safe trip back to LA tomorrow!”

  “Uh, thanks,” he says, hoping the smile plastered on his face is somewhere close to being sincere. How the hell does she know he’s flying back tomorrow? “It was nice to meet you, too. Tell Will I said bye, will you?”

  “Uh-huh,” she says before turning and hugging Bennett. “I’ll text you later, Bennie!”

  It’s a long boat ride back to the Caldwells’ house—longer than it felt on the way to the party. Mrs. Caldwell and Tanner both fall asleep in the front of the boat before they get back. Bennett leans into Teddy with one leg crossed over the other, her knee pressing into his. Teddy sneaks his arm around her to pull her closer, and they stay like that until the boat slows and Mr. Caldwell quietly guides them back into their dock slip.

  “Bennett, can you get the lift?” Mr. Caldwell asks, and Teddy hates the chill that replaces her when Bennett stands and climbs out. She unlatches the gray box on one of the dock’s support beams and the lift roars to life, waking up everyone in the process.

  “What time is it?” Tanner yawns.

  “After ten,” Mrs. Caldwell says. “We’re all gonna sleep well tonight.”

  Teddy nods in agreement, even though he isn’t so sure.

  Liz mentioning his flight back to LA earlier left a pit in his stomach—one he isn’t equipped to deal with as Bennett leads him up the boardwalk, their fingers playfully hooking and rehooking, but never fully coming together.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Once everyone gets back up to the house, the Caldwells say good night while Tanner toys with the idea of staying up a little while longer. He ultimately decides against it. He grabs a water from the fridge and wanders off to his room, leaving Teddy and Bennett alone in the kitchen.

  “Tired?” Bennett asks.

  “No.” Teddy tries to poke her in the side. “Are you?”

  She bats his hand away, and he could swear he sees her eyes dart toward the basement steps before looking back at him. “What do you want to do?”

  And, well. There are a few answers to that question.

  “Wait, what time’s your flight tomorrow?” she asks.

  “At one,” Teddy sighs, running a hand over his forehead.

  “Are you packed?”

  Teddy’s bag is never not packed (a habit from traveling so much), but at this point he’ll lunge at an opportunity to get Bennett downstairs with him.

  “Not really. Wanna come help me?”

  She hesitates, and it feels like the longest two seconds of his life … until she nods. Teddy ignores the spasm of nerves that hits him and grabs her hand, pulling her toward the stairs. Bennett lets him lead her all the way down to his room, but she lets go and puts a few feet between them when she sees his bags by the closet.

  “You liar, you’re totally packed. And you made your bed this morning,” she snickers.

  “I always make my bed. Don’t hate.”

  “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Now, now, Caldwell,” Teddy says, watching her mosey around the room. “Fess up—what you mean is I’m actually devastatingly handsome and/or refreshingly good company.”

  “Real talk, I couldn’t hear you over all the adverbs you just threw at me,” Bennett says.

  “You would use a comeback about grammar.”

  “Well, you would have the temperament of a romantic comedy.”

  “Oh my God,” Teddy guffaws. “What does that even mean?”

  Bennett’s straight up giggling now. “That’s exactly what you are: a portable romantic comedy.”

  “No, no—see, if I actually had the temperament of a romantic comedy, I would have thought of something a lot wittier to say a minute ago; you would have swooned, and then I would’ve kissed you with a full three-sixty panoramic shot of the whole thing while a nineties one-hit wonder played in the background.”

  “You’ve clearly thought this through.”

  “I’m an actor. It’s my job.”

  “Yeah, except the only problem with this is, I don’t actually swoon.”

  Teddy cocks an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, right. All girls swoon. All dudes swoon, too—we’re just better at hiding it.”

  Thank God for that.

  Bennett looks like she’s not buying it.

  “I bet I can get you to swoon right now if I wanted to,” Teddy adds, feeling a surge of confidence coming on as he walks toward her. She puts her hands up between them and steps back, but Teddy reaches out and catches her around the waist with one hand, splaying the other across her hip so she can’t wiggle away.

  “Now, if this were, indeed, a romantic comedy, this would be the part where I explain how adorable I think you are by naming off all the little quirks you have that both delight and infuriate me,” Teddy says, smiling down at her. “Which would include all that freaking sarcasm you’ve got going on, how you somehow always manage to come up with something funny to say at my expense, and how you’re actually a gigantic nerd who’s completely oblivious to how hot you are.”

  Before she can protest, Teddy moves his hands down to the backs of her thighs and lifts, hoisting her legs up around his waist. She squeals and grips his shoulders.

  “After that,” he goes on, feeling brave, “I’d start talking about how at first I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to stay the weekend because I couldn’t gauge your reaction, and how I made it my mission to make it up to you somehow before the weekend was over.”

  She leans back, looking unconvinced. “Are you kidding me? I told you I—”

  “No, no,” Teddy interrupts. “I’m talking; you’re supposed to be swooning, remember? Roll with me here.”

  He takes Bennett sliding her arms around his neck as his cue to continue.

  “So, anyway. You’d respond with something cute and a little bit self-deprecating, to which I would again remind you of how gorgeous and smart and wonderful I think you are, before finally telling you my true feelings. The camera would spin around us, the music would surge, and then I’d true-love’s-first-kiss you and we’d live happily ever after. The end.”

  Bennett stares at him for a minute, eyes locked on his. “That’s some serious Academy Award material there, Buzz. Nice work.”

  Teddy nods seriously at her. “But all that depended on whether or not we were actually in a romantic comedy, and since we’re not, I’m gonna go ahead and do this—”

  He barely gets the last part of his sentence out before he crushes the
ir mouths together, nearly dropping her in the process. That certainly gets another squeal out of her, but a second later she’s kissing him back—actually, full-on making out with him is probably a better way to describe it. It’s nothing like their kiss on the dock earlier. It’s wild and rushed, and soon Teddy’s walking them back toward the bed. His kneecaps nudge the mattress and he turns to sit down, positioning Bennett in his lap before scooting back. Bennett has a fistful of his hair, right behind his ear, and Teddy can’t do anything about the groan that escapes his mouth when she gives it a little tug, tipping his head and snickering in between kisses.

  “The hell are you laughing at, Caldwell?” he asks with no intention of letting her answer. Instead he bites down on her bottom lip and lies all the way back, taking her down with him. Bennett stretches out on top of him, tangling their legs together, and Teddy uses it as an opportunity to slide his hands low over her jean shorts, just to test the waters a bit.

  These damn jean shorts.

  Teddy rolls them over after a moment, reaching down to shift her shirt up just enough to expose a little ribbon of skin. Then he traces the length of the top of her shorts all the way across her stomach with his thumb, grinning when she has to stop midkiss to catch her breath.

  He goes for the button next.

  “Jesus—wait.” Bennett freezes.

  Alarmed, Teddy leans back to give her some air and catches the expression on her face. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “This is such a bad idea,” Bennett mutters, pressing a hand to her forehead.

  “What, why?”

  “Because you’re leaving tomorrow.”

  “So?”

  “So?” Her gaze snaps to his. “And I’ve only known you, like, two days.”

  “Okay, but—”

  “Holy shit.” She pushes him all the way off so she can sit up. “And I don’t know if or when I’m gonna see you after I drop you off at the airport tomorrow—January’s a long-ass time away.”

  “Jesus, Bennett, hang on a sec.” Teddy sits up with her and smooths his hands over her shoulders. It’s meant to be consoling, to shake her out of whatever’s going on inside her head, but instead she shrugs him off. And that stings. Teddy waits another moment to let her get her bearings, then tries again with, “Hey—talk to me here. It’s okay, okay? Everything’s good.”

  “Sorry, I—this is all…” She shakes her head. “God, I don’t even know what to say.”

  “Wow, Bennett Caldwell at a loss for words?” he teases gently. “Would it help if I did another hypothetical romantic comedy monologue?”

  It doesn’t work. Instead, Bennett exhales a slow, ragged breath, and Teddy’s heart drops a little.

  “Bennett,” he says, trying to calm himself down now. “There’s absolutely no way I’d ever ask you do anything you’re uncomfortable with, okay? But can you at least talk to me here?”

  Bennett stays quiet and picks at the duvet, and after one of the most agonizing awkward silences Teddy’s ever experienced, she finally puts him out of his misery.

  “Definitely lied about swooning,” she says, and once again, it’s all the way from left field.

  “Huh?”

  “You heard me.” She gives him a tiny smile. “That whole romantic comedy thing you just went on? Yeah. Loved every second of it. And before you go and get all smug about it, just remember that I’ve been writing full-length novels since I was thirteen. I’m biologically wired to romanticize everything.”

  Teddy smirks to hide how relieved he is. “And you tell me not to be smug?”

  “Just being honest.”

  “Okay,” he says slowly, wanting to reach for her but worrying he might scare her off again. “Well, while you’re at it, want to tell me what else is going through your head?”

  Bennett eyes shift away from him. “I don’t know—this whole situation just makes me nervous, I guess.”

  “Why, though?”

  She shoots him a look like the answer should be obvious.

  “Because…” She covers her face with her hands. “Because there’s nothing kind of about the way I like you, either, and I hate that you’re flying back to LA tomorrow.”

  Teddy’s heart has an unhealthy reaction to that, but the warmth that starts in his chest and spreads all the way out to his fingertips makes up for it. Bennett might as well have wrapped him around her finger, right then and there.

  “And despite how much I’d like to continue what we were just doing,” she says, her words muffled by her hands, “I don’t know when I’ll see you next, and it doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “Bennett.”

  She still won’t look at him.

  “Bennett,” Teddy repeats, figuring it’d be okay to gently pull her hands away from her face. He gives her a soft smile when their eyes meet and says, “I mean, I can’t say I’m not a little bummed out over here … but for real, I get it. And I respect that. It scares me, too.”

  “Sorry to disappoint,” she says, looking down at the duvet again.

  “You didn’t,” he insists, and he hates she’s even thinking it. He scoots closer. “But you will if you don’t stay and snuggle with me at least.”

  * * *

  It’s still dark outside when Teddy wakes up to Bennett trying to wriggle out of his arms. Even half asleep he still registers what’s happening, so he pulls her right back in and ruins all the progress she’d made.

  “I have to go upstairs,” she whispers in the dark, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “My parents will kill me if they catch me down here.”

  “Mmm—the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward, am I right?” Teddy says. His eyes aren’t open, but he can still picture the look he probably earned for that one.

  “I’ll come back and get you in a few hours.”

  “Hey.” Teddy sleepily catches her arm as she slides off the bed. Maybe it’s because he’s half asleep and warm and already missing her next to him, but he feels like he needs to say something big and important and charming here.

  What comes out is, “You know you’re kind of stuck with me now, right?”

  Bennett chuckles softly. “I know. Go back to sleep, Teddy.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “You ready to go?”

  “No.”

  “Come on. Cheer up, Buzz.”

  Bennett grins at him from his bedroom doorway later that morning, but Teddy can tell this is bothering her just as much as it’s bothering him. He stands from the bed and shoulders his duffel bag, then holds up his phone, which he forced himself to turn back on when he woke up. “Will you put your number in?”

  “I guess.” She sighs, pretending like it’s an inconvenience as she crosses the room toward him. Teddy studies her while her head is bowed over his phone. It’s easier to look at her this morning when she’s not looking back. He doesn’t have to worry about her seeing anything in his expression that might give away how dramatically dejected he is. She hands his phone back when she’s done but doesn’t meet his eyes. “Come on. Time to go.”

  “Fine,” he says, and he tries not to drag his feet as he follows her upstairs.

  “Heading out now, Teddy?” Mr. Caldwell calls across the kitchen. He and the rest of the Caldwell clan are seated at the counter eating breakfast and watching TV.

  “Yes, sir. Time for me to get outta here,” Teddy says, forcing a smile.

  Mr. Caldwell claps him on the back when he shakes his hand. “Glad you stayed, man. Come back the next time you’re out this way.”

  The prospect pulls a genuine smile from Teddy. “Absolutely.”

  Mrs. Caldwell comes over and gives him a hug next, reiterating what her husband said and asking if he needs anything for his flight. Teddy shakes his head, thanking her anyway.

  “Tanner, you better up your Ping-Pong game for the next time I’m here,” Teddy says, giving him a high-five.

  Tanner scoffs. “Whatever, dude. Any time, any place.”

  “Bye, guys. Thanks again for havin
g me.” Teddy waves one last time before he and Bennett head out through the garage. Saying bye to her family just makes him feel worse as he trudges down the driveway, his rolling bag hitting every rock or crack along the way.

  Bennett pops the liftgate to her Jeep, and the look on Teddy’s face must be particularly pathetic, because a second later she grips his wrist and pulls him toward her.

  “Teddy.”

  He tosses his duffel in. “Hmm?”

  “Look at me.”

  And he does. For the first time since she came to his room this morning.

  “Quit moping. You’re bumming me out,” Bennett says, grinning up at him like she knows how much of a sucker Teddy is.

  Teddy tries to even the playing field by nudging her back against the trunk of her car and ducking his head toward her. Once his mouth is almost touching hers, he replies, “Sorry, Caldwell. Won’t happen again.” He pulls back to watch her reaction.

  “It better not,” she says, gripping the front of his T-shirt and tugging him back toward her. “But now you owe me.”

  Teddy doesn’t even hesitate, and after a small kiss he wishes was longer, Bennett wiggles away and opens the driver’s side door.

  The trip to the airport is just as miserable as Teddy expects it to be. He and Bennett keep the conversation light and about anything that doesn’t involve the three thousand miles Teddy’s about to put between them, but somehow not talking about it feels worse.

  They’re in the car for about twenty minutes when Teddy’s phone vibrates in his pocket. Thinking it’s one of his parents calling to check in on him, he digs into his shorts pocket, pulling out his phone and wallet at the same time. Then sees the name on the screen and accidentally drops everything he’s holding onto the floorboard.

  “Easy there, Buzz,” Bennett says as Teddy scrambles to pick up his phone again.

  He taps the ignore button and shoves it back into his pocket. “Sorry. Preflight jitters.”

  Bennett easily accepts that lie, which only mixes guilt into the massive amount of unease building up inside Teddy’s rib cage. He steals a quick glance across the center console at her. She has her elbow resting on the windowsill, head leaning against her fist, and today’s prop to hide behind is a pair of black wayfarers.