Page 62 of This Changes Everything

“No, Sal said it would all be on the fly.”

“Feels a little amateur hour that we’re going in knowing nothing.” Ben picked some grass off my arm.

“Oh, there is nothing about this that screams legitimate,” I agreed. “But whatever, it’s an experience.”

We checked in at the Plaza, and the first thing we did was locate the massive soaker bathtub. Ben ran the bath and stripped off his clothes.

“Get in! This is so big. We can actually take a bath together. Bathtub Ethan can suck it!”

In the bath, we watched a movie, ate pizza, engaged in some naughtiness, tested each other on how long we could hold our breath, and drank way too much wine. It was our first time in water together; Ben didn’t like company in the shower, and I couldn’t persuade him no matter how hard I tried. “There’s always a weird moment when both of us are bending over at different times, and not in a sexy way” was one of his reliable excuses.

We were acting like we were in a luxury hot tub at an all-inclusive resort. We kept topping up the bathtub with hot water. We knew full well we could have gone to a real hot tub, but then Ben wouldn’t have been able to start referring to himself as Bathtub Ben.

His phone rang as we started our second bathtub movie, The Sandlot. We still had an hour before his parents arrived, and we intended to use every minute of it.

“Shh!” He brought his finger to his mouth. “It’s my mom.”

I pulled a stink face. “Don’t answer it! She’ll know we’re in the bath.” I pinched his nipple.

“Ow!” He swatted my hand away as he answered his phone.

“Hi, Mom. What’s up?” Ben’s eyes widened when he heard his echo in the bathroom.

I mouthed, What are you doing?

“No, no . . . I’m just . . .” Ben’s smile shifted into discomfort as he pressed his mouth into the phone. “Taking a shit?”

I accidentally snorted, revealing my whereabouts.

“Yeah, she’s here.” Ben’s eyes went wide again. “I mean, no, she’s not literally with me. The door is closed. Mom, I’m a grown man. Let me . . . shit in peace.” Ben closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes, Mom, she still likes me.”

I sank beneath the water to stop myself from laughing. When I came up for air again, I could see that Ben’s face had turned red, and his mouth was in a tight line. He was trying not to laugh.

“Okay, I’m glad it was a good flight. Text me when you’re in the lobby, and we’ll come down. Yes, she’s excited, too. Love you.” Ben put the phone down, then turned to me.

“That wasn’t great.” He laughed. “That whole conversation was alarming. I feel like I need to reconsider some stuff.” I lifted my hand out of the soapy water, and Ben lifted his to meet mine, intertwining our fingers.

He pulled me toward him. “Too bad. You’re locked in.” He flipped me around so I was sitting between his legs, with my back pressed into his chest. “My parents are going to love you.”

“Yeah?” I lifted my toes above the water.

“Yeah. Please don’t get freaked out if they start saying some crazy things.” He kissed the side of my head, then leaned back against the tub.

“What do you mean?”

“They just know how I feel about you, and they’ve asked how serious this is. So they might get a little weird.” Ben turned up the movie’s volume.

I turned it back down, causing him to chuckle. “And just how serious is this?” I teased.

“It’s pretty serious, McCain.” I could hear him smile from behind me.

It was my turn for my phone to ring. It was Kara.

My anxiety started to spike. It hadn’t been smooth sailing for me and Kara since my birthday.

“Can I put it on speaker?” he asked.

“Yeah, but don’t say anything.”