Page 6 of All My Love
“Let’s steer you away from those guys from now on, alright?” He takes a pull from his beer. “What do you think of it here so far, aside from losing your creditcard?”
“Of the apartment, or ofParis?”
“Both.” He takes another sip of his beer and licks the corner of hismouth.
“I like it,” I tell him. A soft breeze tangles through my hair and goosebump plump over the back of my neck - not because the breeze is too cold or uncomfortable, but because it feels like nature herself is a goddess tucking me in and giving me a goodnightkiss.
“The apartment, or Paris?” The way Ben spreads his knees gives me a tickle in the bottom of my belly. When you see men with their knees parted like that on the subway they’re met with derision and mocking. But the way he’s doing it is…sexy. Yes, in an odd way, he’s taken something that’s usually cringe-worthy and made it look good. Maybe it’s because he isn’t spreading too much. He just looks laid-back and confident. And it’s his own home, after all. He can man-spread all helikes.
“Both.” I close my eyes and let the breeze melt over me likehoney.
“Don’t get too comfy,” Ben says, lulling me back to the real world. “I have something to show you. Comeon.”
He stands and leads me to myroom.
I watch as he puts his foot on the window sill and reaches up to the ceiling, leveraging himself with one hand and grabbing a little rope swinging from a button. His untucked shirt rides up a little, showing off a gloriously tanned stomach and the thick, name-brand band of his underwear. My cheeks get hot as he lets out a little grunt while tugging on therope.
“What’s up there?” I take a curious step forward. He pulls down a little ladder and waves meon.
“Grab your keys, and take alook.”
I take a breath, grab the keys from the desk, put my foot on the bottom rung, and feel like I’m entering Narnia for the first time. When I get to the top of the stairs I feel Ben’s hand on my waist. It sends a flutter through my body that I can feel all the way down into the marrow of my bones. He takes his hand away just as quickly, though, and I feel itsabsence.
When I get to the top of the stairs I poke my head up through the cutout on thefloor.
“This is very nice,” I say, mildly confused, “it’s…an attic. I’ve…always wanted one of these. Is this where you store your Christmasdecorations?”
“No Liz,” Benjamin chuckles from behind me. “Keep going. Go through the door upthere.”
I brush my hands on my jeans and walk to thedoor.
When I push it open, an entirely new world opens up for me. We’re on the roof of Ben’s apartment building, enclosed on all sides by a stone ledge. There’s a table and chairs set up against one of the ledges and strings of lights are hanging casually on every corner. Behind me I hear Ben shift a little and then a flip is switched and all of the lights flickeron.
And as if this wasn’t enough, that’s when I see the view. The Tower is unobstructed, lit up against an inky black-blue sky. My feet carry me to the ledge and I put my hands on it, old stone beneaththem.
“I must be dreaming,” I whisper back at Ben, warm in the wonder of my ownvoice.
“That’s what I thought when I first got this place,” he says, coming up next to me. He puts his hands on the ledge next to mine and for a second a random thought flitters through me. This would be a wonderful place to bring a date. This is the money shot. It’s romance incarnate. Any man who is terrible at flirting could bring a woman up here and make her fall in love with him just based on this view alone. “This wasn’t my doing, though I wish I could say it was. The last occupant was a couple employed by the university and their daughter had set up the lights and everything. When I came by to see the apartment to take measurements they were still living here and I said I’d pay her a few hundred bucks to leave behind the table andchairs.”
“And thelights.”
“Yes, the lights,too.”
I’m falling in love with this city and I’ve barely just met it. I’ve only had a taste with my eyes and I can’t wait for more. And I also can’t wait for Benjamin to be myguide.
“I’ll let you get freshened up and then I’d like to take you out to dinner,” Ben says next to me. I feel myselfsmile.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you already had plans.” I’m already so grateful just to be here. He could leave me alone up here with a ham sandwich and some warm iced tea and I’d be more than thrilled with it. At the same time, though, I haven’t had a man talk to me like this in a longtime.
It feels so simple - the breeze, the lights, the tower looming and illuminating Ben and me. I try to study his face without being too obvious, but self-consciousness flows over me like sunlight on a warm day. I can feel my vulnerability showing, and for some reason it isn’t making me feel exposed or flirting with the edge of harm. It feels good, and oddlyrefreshing.
I never thought I’d like it somuch.
He didn’t ask if he could take me out to dinner. He also didn’t say flat-out that he was taking me to dinner. He kind of inhabits this perfect half-way point. He made his feelings known and he didn’t hedge. He plainly said what he wanted. I don’t know why it’s making me feel so warminside.
“Are you tired?” heasks.
“No.”
