Page 8 of One Weekend in Perth

“Why did you?” Clara asked the question that had always been in the back of her mind. She never thought Fern was good for Ben. Had always thought her skewed feelings for Ben was the reason why she didn’t think he loved Fern. Yet, he just confirmed what she’d thought.

Ben shrugged. “I don’t know. I think,” he scraped a hand down his face, “I believed it was what I should do next in life.”

“That’s not the greatest reason to ask someone to spend their life with you. You aren’t checking a box off your to-do list, Ben. You’re asking someone to commit to you and only you.”

“But she wasn’t committed to me,” he argued right back.

“Seems like you both shouldn’t have taken this next step,” she said.

“Maybe.”

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she was glad for the reprieve from this heavy conversation. Something they should’ve had a long time ago. Clara frowned when she saw who was calling her. She held her phone out for Ben to see. “It can’t be you who’s calling me because you’re standing in front of me. Unless you’re an impersonator and the real you is calling me to warn me to stay away from you.”

How the heck she could find herself making jokes when everything in her screamed that her and Ben’s relationship was about to change in a way that could be monumental, was beyond her.

“It can’t be Reed,” Ben said, his brow furrowed as if he too was confused as to who would have his phone. The buzzing stopped but started up almost immediately. “Looks like I desperately want to talk to you.”

“Looks that way.” Clara hit the accept button. “Hey Ben, what’s up?” She shrugged when Ben rolled his eyes at her greeting.

“You know it’s not my fiancé, Clara. Where is he?” Fern screeched so loudly that she had to pull the phone away from her ear. With the way Ben’s face hardened, he’d heard Fern as well. She was surprised the whole street hadn’t heard her if she was being honest.

“I don’t know where he is,” she fibbed, and crossed her fingers that she wasn’t going to be struck down by a random bolt of lightning.

“Stop lying! I know he’s with you. I heard Reed talking to you. I know what you’re doing!”

Clara sighed. In some ways she deserved Fern’s wrath, considering she lied about being with Ben, but she didn’t have to take it. “Okay, yes I’m with Ben, but he needed a friend and that’s what I am.”

Fern scoffed loudly. “Friend! You’re no friend. You want him. You’ve always wanted him. I saw the way you looked at him. But guess what, you can’t have him. I’m the one he asked to marry. Not you. I’m the one he loves.”

Clara kept her attention on Ben, knowing that he was hearing everything Fern was saying, she was talking that loudly. She knew she was about to stoke the flame, but she didn’t care. Fern was the one who was doing the cheating, not Ben. “Yet, he’s here with me and not with you. What does that tell you?”

Fern’s screech of frustration made Clara pull the phone away from her ear again. Before she had a chance to say more, Ben took the phone from her grip and held it to his ear.

“I’m here, Fern.”

“Ben! Where are you? I need you!”

Like she suspected, Ben could hear everything of her conversation with Fern, Clara was able to clearly hear everything Fern said to Ben. Her stomach twisted a little at Fern’s words but Ben’s demeanor didn’t change even after what Fern said.

“Do you really need me, Fern?”

“I do, Ben. I really do.”

People slowed down as they passed, as if they could tell something juicy was happening, and they wanted to know all about it. Curiosity may kill the cat, but in the current age of social media, curiosity sometimes led to going viral. No way wasshe going to allow Ben and the fallout from his relationship from being one of the most streamed videos of the day.

She gave Ben a little push and, because they knew each other so well, he took the hint and began to walk off to the side so they weren’t standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

“I find that hard to believe, Fern. I saw you today. Saw with my own eyes that I’m not the man you need. Or want. Or love. Why don’t you go find him and tell him again how much he means to you?”

Knowing it probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do, Clara grabbed hold of Ben’s free hand and entwined their fingers together. At the contact, a fissure of heat spiraled through her. She knew she should ignore it and take her hand back, but the way Ben squeezed it, it was clear he didn’t want to let go either. She embraced the warmth for once and allowed a seed of hope to take root inside of her.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Even after all of Ben’s accusations Fern was still rebutting him and she still hadn’t lowered her voice either.

“Don’t, Fern. You berated Clara for lying to you, don’t do the same to me. You know you don’t love me. Don’t drag this out. Go be happy with the guy you were seeing behind my back. Go to what was supposed to be our reception tonight and party with him. Show your parents who you really want. Be happy, Fern.” He ended the call.

Somehow, Clara managed to take the phone from Ben’s outstretched hand and pop it back in her pants pocket. She didn’t allow herself to think of the consequences as she pulled Ben into a hug. The moment his arms closed around hers she melted against him. This wasn’t the first time they’d hugged but for her it felt different. As though this was the start of something new between them.

Was she being ridiculous? She didn’t know, but maybe this was her and Ben’s time.

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