Page 166 of Between the Blue
He doesn’t answer me. A few moments go by, and I gently reach for his face, raising his head up so that he has to look at me. When his amber eyes meet mine, it’s like I witness a switch clicking into place.
I touch the bridge of my nose to his.
“I don’t think I want to be your friend anymore,” I exhale.
Ben’s eyes snap shut again.
I follow suit, closing my own, bracing myself, but he completely surprises me, releasing me all together.
I fall back against the door as he steps back all at once, spinning away from me.
My mouth falls open, a rush of cold rejection washing over me as he runs both hands through his hair, shaking his head. I feel exposed and on display as he slowly turns back around to face me, and I find myself adjusting my clothing for something to do with my hands.
But when his face comes into view, it completely changes my own expression as I see the sheer embodiment of conflict spanned across his features. His brows are pulled together, a deep crease formed in his forehead, and there’s a pained look in his eyes. And, to really complete the picture, he has his hand balled into a fist and is actually biting down on his knuckle.
I don’t understand the reaction, but, then again, I’m not sure I’ve ever understood Ben.
Not really.
As much as I may wish I didn’t, I so clearly want him. And if it wasn’t obvious that he wants me equally as much, it certainly is now.
So what’s holding him back?
I take a single step forward.
“Ben?”
His spine steels, and he drops his fist from his mouth, looking me up and down as he shakes his head.
“Fuck it,” he mutters.
And then he charges me.
Ben’s arms circle my waist, locking me in his embrace and pulling me up off the ground. I let out a gasp of surprise, and he swallows it with his mouth on mine.
And, just like that, everything else melts away.
And we’re right where we left off. But so much better.
I wrap my arms around Ben’s neck, and he immediately responds by reaching for the backs of my thighs, hiking me up and guiding my legs to wrap around his waist.
Even though we’re entirely pressed against one another, it’s clearly not enough for either of us.
I’ve barely managed to rock against him once before Ben is walking us backwards, pressing me against the wall to steady us. Once I’m securely in place, he lifts his hands to my face, cradling it as he continues to kiss me like it’s all he’s been dreaming of for years rather than months.
“I missed you, Cherry,” he mutters against my lips.
“How much?” I gasp as he moves his lips to my neck.
He shifts his hand to my ribcage, digging his fingers in and making me shudder. “Enough that I don’t want to do it anymore. Being so close to you every day, but so far…it’s fucking killing me.”
“Does this mean you don’t want to be my friend anymore?” I ask.
Ben rests his forehead against mine. “I have enough friends.”
“Don’t you have, like, one?” I ask.
“Two,” he corrects me, and my brows pull together.
