Page 139 of Between the Blue
His eyes flutter open, and when he sees me above him, there’s a split second where I wonder if he forgot where he was. But then he blinks, seeming to come to, and the lazy grin returns to his face.
“Why are you here?” I ask him.
His smile melts away then, tilting down in to a frown instead.
“Because I’m failing,” he says.
“At what?”
“Staying away from you.”
I blink down at him. “Is it such a bad thing? Being around me?”
Ben tilts his head back. “I think it may be the best thing that’s happened to me in a decade.”
My heart thuds against my chest. “Then what’s the problem?”
He opens his mouth, but closes it again, looking like he’s lost in thought. Suddenly, his face screws up and he starts squirming around. He lifts his back up slightly, slipping his arm behind him. When his hand reappears, he’s holding my book.
“You read?” he asks.
“Believe it or not,” I nod.
“You’re so talented,” Ben mumbles as he flips through the worn pages, and I have to chuckle in response. “A Story Between The Storiesby Sara Cooper,” he recites. “What is this ancient relic you’re spending your Friday night with?”
“His name is Bennett James. And I think he might be more sensitive than he lets on, so be nice.”
Ben rolls his eyes at me, letting out a puff of air in a fashion that his sober self never would, making me laugh again. He holds up the book to my face, raising his brows, clearly still wanting an answer.
“It’s my favorite book,” I tell him, chewing on my lower lip. “Actually, it belonged to my mom. It was her favorite too.”
He peels his gaze away from the book’s cover, looking up at me. “Was?” he asks, his voice quiet.
I press my lips together. He’s three sheets to the wind, and, of course, he still caught that. “Yeah,” I nod. “Was. She passed away when I was four.”
“How?”
I hold out my hand, and Ben hands me the book back. “Cancer,” I say, taking it from him and turning to set it down on my side table.
When I turn back, Ben’s staring up at the ceiling with a glazed expression, his lips rolled into his mouth. “I’m really sorry, Cherry,” he whispers.
I cock my head to the side, searching his face. “It’s okay. I mean– Thank you. I…” I stammer, then sigh. “It’s been a long time. And I don’t have many memories of her.”
Ben’s head slowly turns to the side. He lifts his hand, tracing over my sun tattoo with his pointer finger. “Your Nana… She raised you, then?”
My brows pull together. “You have a good memory.”
“I just listen to what you say.”
I guess it makes sense. He has a lot of extra time to listen when he talks so little. But it still sends a warm feeling through my chest.
“My Nana did raise me. She didn’t exactly have a choice, since I never knew my dad and my mom didn’t have any other siblings that could take me in. But she’s never acted like it.” I smile, thinking about her. “She’s my best friend.”
“And you’re her sunshine,” he exhales. Ben swallows, his finger trailing further down my arm. “Tell me what the other ones mean.”
He stops on my Cherokee Rose tattoo, looking up at me.
“For Georgia. It’s the state flower.”
