Page 20 of Saved By Love at Christmas
My mind went back to holding her in my arms after rescuing her from a possible faceplant with the floor. Having her close to me like that was so right.
“We almost kissed earlier.”
Marie’s mouth formed a large O, her eyes wide. “Are you kidding me?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Come on. Let me pour some coffee and you can tell me all about it.”
I’d never been able to hide anything from my sister. She seemed to have a knack for squeezing every last drop of information from me. Maybe she could shed some light on it. I told her everything that had happened, including Ruby’s panic attack in the café the day before.
“So, how did you both react afterwards?”
“Like nothing had ever happened. We carried on with our usual banter.” I lifted one shoulder.
“I think there’s chemistry between you. There always has been. It was the way you’d look at each other when you thought no one else was watching.” She arched a brow.
Had there been chemistry? I wasn’t certain. I thought back to the boyfriends she’d had, and how I was always the one she turned to when they broke up. I’d held her when she’d cried, and we’d slept in the same bed, albeit fully clothed. We knew each other inside out. But then I reflected on when Jamie had arrived on the scene. How he used to be way too handsy with her. I’d hated him from the get-go. The feeling was mutual. He despised me. He never said anything, but his body language was enough. Especially the way he smirked at me when he held her closer or squeezed her ass.
I could still recall the evil grin he threw my way when Ruby announced she was going to Spain. In the two months leading up to her departure, he never left her side. Marie and I had tried messaging her, saying we’d like to see her before she went, just the three of us, but she always made excuses. I was surprised when she had a farewell party if I was honest, although Jamie hadn’t seemed happy about it.
“Talk to me, Ben.”
I glanced at Marie. There was concern in her eyes.
“I don’t know. This has confused me. The last thing I want to do is ruin my friendship with her. We’ve been friends for too long to risk losing what we have. Maybe it’s just heat of the moment stuff. You know, she’s relieved to be home, she feels safe. That kind of thing.” I groaned with frustration.
“Hey.” She pulled her seat next to mine and squeezed my arm. “You don’t need to do anything about it now. She’s been through enough and she’s vulnerable. You should just be there for her like you always have. But I will say one thing.”
“Please. Anything if it helps me.”
“Don’t discount the fact that you could end up in a relationship with each other. Maybe somethinghasalways been there.”
“How do you mean?” Had she spotted something in the way we reacted around each other? Maybe something we’d been oblivious to?
A soft smile played on her lips. “You went to the prom together, sent each other Valentine’s cards. And when you were dating other people, you both seemed subdued.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I’d never even given this a second thought. But I can’t do anything, especially not now. She needs to know she can rely on me.”
“Okay, I hear you. But just remember by what you’ve told me, it wasn’t only you who wanted that kiss.”
* * *
RUBY
After Ben had left, I tried to take my thoughts away from our intimate moment by sorting through the Christmas decorations with Grandad. It was a lot of fun, and we were happy that most of the lights still worked. But after that, Grandad popped out, and I was left alone with my confusion.
It was so weird that, after we almost kissed, there was no awkwardness between Ben and me. In some ways, I was disappointed Grandad had disturbed us. It left me with fantasies about how his lips would’ve felt moving over mine. I bet he’d be gentle and tender to kiss. That was just how Ben was in all aspects of his life. I felt the slight stirring of butterflies in my tummy.
No, this couldn’t happen. We were best friends. Something like this could tear us apart. In the end, I put it down to my emotional state.
My phone rang. It showednumber withheld. Probably another cold call, but I answered it anyway.
“Hello?”
Silence. I could hear breathing at the other end.
“If this is a cold call, I haven’t had a road traffic accident and I don’t need double glazing. Thank you.” I ended the call.
