Page 41 of Trial Run

“And you were okay? No panic attack?”

“None. I was a lot more tired than usual afterward. I went home at noon. But I’m going to start working half days in the clinic again.”

“That’s amazing news. It sounds dumb to say I’m proud of you, but I’m proud of you.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

She shook her head. “Of course you could. You would have left your house eventually, with me or not.”

“No. It wasn’t just that you got me out of the house. It was … I can’t explain it. I knew I could tell you about it later, like this. That I’d have someone to tell.”

I pictured your face to help me be strong.Ben closed his mouth, before the full admission came out.

“I did it because it was the right thing to do,” he said after a moment. “But also because it was the thing I knew you would want me to do.”

She shook her head. “Don’t say that. That’s not … I don’t deserve the credit for your progress.”

“I’m giving it to you.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.” She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

He put a hand on her upper arm, finally touching her like he’d been aching to do all evening. With a gentle pull, he tugged her closer to him on the couch and folded his arm around her.Her head rested on his shoulder as if it was meant to be in that spot.

“Nell. I realized something. You might not already know these things, so I have to make sure I say the words. I think you’re the most amazing, beautiful, kind person I’ve—”

The rest of his words were cut off when she turned and kissed him, hard and messy. He kissed her back, drowning in the feel of it, his hands cupping her face to hold her there. He could go on like this for hours, and it wouldn’t be enough. He would never get enough of her.

She made a frustrated sound and pushed her torso closer, not breaking the kiss. He hauled her onto his lap, her legs draped sideways across his, exactly where she was supposed to be, her weight on him sweet and warm. His hand slid up her back, under the thin T-shirt, needing more contact, more of her skin.

She had the top two buttons of his shirt undone, her hands roaming under the collar, when a click at the top of the staircase made her startle and break away from him. She slid off his lap in a rush.

“It’s Marco. The bathroom door.” She was out of breath, her lips glossy and swollen. Strands of hair had escaped her ponytail. She stared across at him, still breathing hard.

“Right.” Once again, his brain wouldn’t make words happen.

“We should stop for now. He’s not asleep yet. But Ben, I’ll do it. The three weeks.”

“The three weeks.” He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back online.

“The trial run. I’ll date you for three weeks. I want to try.”

“That’s good. I want that, too.”

“And next time, I don’t want to stop so soon.”

She was going to kill him. “Whatever you want. We can do that.”

Chapter 12

Nell sat at the counter of the flower shop, studying her phone screen. She scanned through the information on the university web page Ben had sent her. She met all the requirements for the scholarship for first-generation college students. The application page said the scholarship was competitive, and not everyone who applied received the funding. But it would cover the full cost of tuition, plus a stipend for books.

If she could find evening classes, and another babysitter, maybe—

She clicked her phone off and shoved it in the back pocket of her jeans. It was too much to plan for right now, but that didn’t mean it could never work. Maybe not this year, but next year, when she’d found extra work, saved up some money to pay a sitter.

Ben had challenged himself to do something hard, something that made him uncomfortable. She could do the same. She’d agreed to date him for three weeks, for a start.

Three weeks to get to know him, and not just making conversation. She shivered at the memory of their kiss on the couch last night.

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