Page 174 of Between the Blue
The waiter comes by shortly after, and, over the next thirty minutes, we have some of the best wine, appetizers, and steak I think I’ve ever had in my life.
Just after we order a dessert to share, Ben’s phone starts ringing. He pulls it out of his jacket pocket, letting out a sigh before he silences the call and returns it back to his pocket.
“You can take that if you want,” I tell him.
He shakes his head. “I don’t want,” he says, taking a sip of his wine. When I tilt my head at him in question, he explains, “It’s my agent.”
“Ah,” I tut. “Still avoiding him?”
“Something like that, I guess.” He swirls the wine in his glass, looking at me over top of it. “I’ve been a little busier than normal recently.”
“Right, I suppose you have.” I rest my elbow on the table, holding my chin in my hand and feeling the warmth of my face. “And, out of curiosity, what’s your excuse been when your agent’s asked?”
His lips pull into a smirk. “Extra strength training.”
“Seems like a great use of your time to me.”
“I’m sure it does.”
We both chuckle, taking sips from our glasses. After a few moments of silence rest between us, I speak up again.
“You’re going to stay with the Storm though, aren’t you? I mean, is there any reason you wouldn’t want to stay in Texas?”
Ben taps his finger against the table, appearing to think for a moment before he opens his mouth.
“Here we are,” the waiter says, suddenly reappearing. He sets the plate of cheesecake we ordered between us.
“How are things going with COBO?” Ben asks as soon as the waiter walks away, picking up his fork.
“Good, I think,” I say.
“You think?”
Ben and I each take a bite of cheesecake.
“I feel like I’ve made a good impression when I’ve been invited to things,” I muse. “And I keep getting invited back.”
“Those are good things,” Ben says.
“I know,” I nod. “I’m just…antsy, I guess? The few hours here and there of living my dream aren’t enough. I want more. Sometimes, I wish I could just see the future and know that everything will work out so that I can stop stressing about it. So I can stop questioning every move I make and just know that it will all be worth it.” I blow out a breath, shaking my head. “Does that make sense?”
When I glance up at Ben, I find him already looking at me.
“More than you know.”
Ben holds the door for me as we leave the restaurant.
I cross my arms as the cool evening breeze wafts over us, and, a second later, I feel a jacket being slipped over my shoulders.
I turn around, finding Ben behind me no longer wearing his.
“Thank you,” I say, my lips tilting up at the corners.
The light changes, indicating we’re able to cross the busy street, and Ben takes off. When I don’t immediately follow, he spins around, holding his hand out to me.
I take it, letting him guide me across the street.
I expect him to drop it when we reach the sidewalk on the other side, but he doesn’t.
