Page 18 of Give My Everything
“Nothing you said,” I say in response to his unspoken inquiry. “Just laughing at something stupid inside my own head.”
His lips tilt up.
“Anything you want to share with the class?”
I shake my head, my lips pursed in faux irritation. “Not a chance, mister. What goes on up here is strictly for me and me alone.”
He nods, but his eyes are floating around the room. “Is there anyone in particular here you want to see us together?” he asks.
“Not tonight,” I say, knowing I should take Ben over to talk to my dad but not ready to do so. “Besides, I think the fireworks are going to start soon.”
“Well then,” he replies, slipping his hand back into mine, “let’s head outside and make sure we get the best view.”
I chuckle but allow him to lead me out to the courtyard that overlooks the green, my long dress flowing out behind me as he moves us quickly.
“Where are we going?” I ask, giving in to my desire to laugh as we maneuver through people and over behind a manicured bush.
“You’ll see.”
We aren’t moving for much longer before Ben stops abruptly and spins around, the two of us colliding just enough that he has to lift his hands, bracing me so I don’t fall over.
I straighten, suddenly realizing how close we are. How tall he is. How good he smells.
Apparently that’s a thing in pregnancy; I read about it the other day. Heightened hormones increase your sense of smell, and holy shit does Ben smell good right now.
“So where are we?” I ask, my breaths coming out in pants as if I’ve been on a run or walking up a steep hill.
“The place with the best view,” he says, his eyes focused on mine.
I shake my head. “You can see fireworks from anywhere in the courtyard,” I reply. “We didn’t have to move. We could have watched with the crowd.”
If it’s possible, I feel Ben shift even slightly more forward, the length of him pressed along the length of me.
What was it I told myself? That he was nerdier when we were younger?
That may have been true, but whether he’s nerdy or not, someone has been spending time in the gym. I can feel his strong body, toned muscle, and sinewy figure as it presses against me, our faces only inches apart.
His eyes drop to my mouth.
“You know, Remmy, I try to be a fairly calculated person in life, and you are…incredibly unexpected.”
My breath hitches.
My body hums.
I don’t know where this is coming from.
This sudden physical connection, the heightened awareness of him.
I’ve always known Ben is handsome. In my opinion, he’s much more handsome than his brother, Wyatt. I’ve never been into the bad boy look, preferring the kind of soft charm and easy smile that come along with the cleaner style.
Ben isn’t a bad boy like Wyatt or clean-cut like Lucas.
He falls somewhere in the middle.
Leave it to a Calloway to create his own category.
He’s not soft, that’s for sure, and his smiles don’t necessarily come easy. There is a flexibility to him, though, a way he bends and moves that makes me feel like he’s slow-rolling thunder as opposed to a violent storm.
