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Riley is mercifully game, and we start withDirty Dancing.When the credits roll and we switch toReturn to Me, I start to get slightly restless, unable to stop thinking about a certain blond man with a penchant for boat shoes. I’m both shockedand ever-so-slightly disappointed Ben doesn’t come looking for me. But then, thisiswhat I wanted, isn’t it?
Leandra appears with a tray of snacks ten minutes into the second movie. “Someone thought you ladies might need refreshments,” she says with a wink aimed my way, and I realize Ben didn’t quite leave meallthe way alone.
Once again, he’s giving me space while also taking care of me. The tray holds two kinds of popcorn—regular butter and a sweet kettle corn drizzled with chocolate and caramel—and boxes of candy, just like a real movie theater. Danny follows a moment later with a wide smile, an appreciative glance for Riley, and a bucket of drinks on ice.
The moment they’re gone, Riley clinks her glass bottle of soda to mine. “Here’s to catching your own white whale.”
I want to protest but instead smile before downing a handful of the chocolate and caramel drizzled popcorn. Which is, of course, delicious. I owe both Tao and Ben a round of thank yous.
The credits on the second movie are rolling, and Riley and I are finishing up a box of Junior Mints when Ben barrels into the room, clearly done giving me time. But he still gives me space, standing just inside the door with his hands shoved into the pockets of his khaki shorts.
My heart catches at the sight of him. The memory of last night comes flooding back, the way he held me, touched me as he kissed me over and over again, the way he whispered promises against my lips.
My face flushes, and I bite my lip, forgetting every reason I had for avoiding him. He looks good.So good.It’s all I can do not to stand up and fold myself into his embrace.
“Are you avoiding me?” he says, without preamble. “It feels like you’re avoiding me.”
“Um …”
My eyes dart to Riley. She’s smart enough to read the room and immediately jumps up. “I’m gonna go see how Ana and Jasmine are doing,” she says. She gives me a little wave, then slips out of the theater room, closing the door softly behind her.
“Hi, Ben,” I say, feigning a nonchalance I definitely don’t feel. “How are you?”
He lifts an eyebrow, slipping his hands from his pockets to cross his arms over his chest. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“I was just watching a movie,” I say. “You know—hanging out with Riley.”
Ben studies me for a moment, then crosses the room, tugging me up so I’m standing in front of him. He waits one more beat, eyes locked intensely on mine, and then wraps his arms around me, pulling me into the hard planes of his chest.
Despite my doubts and questions and propensity toward avoidance, I offer up exactly zero resistance.
“I missed you,” he says, lips ghosting over my cheek. “I’m not good at waiting.”
“You did pretty well,” I say through a smile.
“Until now.”
“Until now,” I agree.
Cradling the back of my head, Ben presses his lips to mine. The greediness in his kiss makes me weak-kneed and limp. I can tell he’s been out on the deck because he smells like sunshine and tastes like salty sea air. I lean into the kiss, tilting my head for a better angle. I run my hands up his strong arms and over his shoulders until my fingers thread through his hair.
“That’s what I think about you avoiding me,” he says when he finally pulls away, his low voice sending shivers up my spine.
I don’t often see the commanding, bossy version of Ben, but it suits him. I am not mad about it at all.
“Tell me what’s going on,” he demands.
He spins and drops into the chair, tugging me down so I’m sitting on his lap.
“There’s nothing going on,” I lie, but I don’t resist when he wraps his strong arms around my waist. It’s completely disconcerting to want to resist and also melt into him at the same time.
“Sadie, you stood in the pantry for fifteen minutes while I was getting my coffee this morning.”
Busted.“You knew I was in there?”
He’s quiet for a beat before he asks, “Did I overwhelm you last night? Is that what this is about? I said too much, moved too fast? I’m really out of my depth here.”
“No!” I quickly say, but the word feels wrong as it comes out of my mouth. Hedidoverwhelm me, and something makes me want to be honest about that. “I mean,yes,” I amend. “But not in a bad way. You didn’t do or say anything wrong.”
