Page 57 of Standing Still

“There are books in there?” I shake my head. “Way to make me feel like an asshole. Here,” I take them from her before she can stop me. This box is heavy. I note the definition in her arm muscles though, and the look she gives me at taking the box, like I just offended her. “Sorry, it’s the way my mom raised me,” I tell her.

“Well, okay then. I could manage, but thank you.” she shakes out her arms and knocks on the door. “You never said who you are.”

“Ben?”

We both look up to see Elle standing in the doorway, staring between the two of us. She is shocked to see me, that is for sure, but she’s more confused about finding me talking to this lady on her doorstep.

I stare at her. Her hair is clipped up in a messy bun and she has a white sundress on that almost reaches her ankles. With the sun shining in behind her through the large windows, it’s almost see through, the outline of her legs clear through the fabric.

My eyes fixate on her face and everything else around me ceases to exist. I don’t care that a beautiful woman is standing right beside me, because all I can see isher.

“What are you doing here?” she asks me.

“This is heavy,” I point out.

“What? Oh, sorry.” She turns her focus to the woman. “Jenna, you didn’t buzz.”

“Someone opened the door as I got here, and your friend, Ben, is it? He helped me inside.”

Elle snaps back to reality and steps aside. I indicate for Jenna to enter before me, then follow the two women inside. Elle keeps casting glances back my way as she leads us through a beautiful open space with expensive and confusing looking art on the walls, across to a round dining table sitting next to another huge window that looks out over New York. I place the box down on it and turn to see the two women looking at me.

“Been a long drive. Mind if I use the bathroom?”

“Oh, yes. It’s just through there, second door on the left,” Elle says, running a hand up her throat as she watches me, still clearly at a loss for how or why I’m standing in her home.

I’m glad her friend is here. It’s taken the shock out of seeing me, and tampered down any negative reaction that could have come my way, like telling me to get lost. I head to the bathroom. I don’t need to go, but figure Elle needs to gather herself. I grin when I hear them whispering as I round the corner out of the line of sight.

The bathroom is almost dazzling when I turn the lights on, all white marble with black counters. The shower takes up one wall and has a wall of glass up to the ceiling, like it’s a separate room, with doors in the center. There is not a thing out of place in here. How does she live like this?

I wash up, then after a good five minutes, walk back out. They’re still standing by the dining table when I come back. They’veemptied the box and made three piles of books. I note the bare-chested guy on the front with an eyebrow raise.

Jenna grins at me. “Aren’t they awesome?” she holds one up to show me it better.

Elle chuckles as I scrunch up my nose and look over the top of the book with a non-committal shrug. “I’m not qualified to comment,” I tell them, making them both laugh.

“Call me when they’re all signed,” Jenna says, grabbing her phone from her pocket when it rings again. “I’ll get them picked up when you’re done. I better answer this before he sends security out looking for me.”

“Thanks for bringing them over.”

“Nice to meet you, Ben,” Jenna calls. While Elle isn’t looking, she gives me a wink and a thumbs up.

“You too,” I tell her, confused by that gesture, as Elle sees her to the door.

“Adam, you don’t need to ring me twenty-eight times a day,” I hear her saying as Elle pecks her cheek and watches her walk away.

She comes back inside and closes the door, standing still with her back to me.

I wait for her to turn around and face me.

Chapter Twenty-One

After taking a couple of deep inhales, I turn and look at Ben. It is so odd he is standing here, in my living room. In New York. I can’t believe he is here. When I opened the door and saw him standing there, my heart leapt into my throat, and I barely got his name to fall from my lips. At first, I didn’t even see Jenna standing beside him.

I’d been expecting her. But not him.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, still rooted to the spot.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

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