38. The Supply Closet
Ben ledGia away from the table and down the hallway into the restaurant’s dry storage room, hoping to get a moment of the privacy he’d hoped to have during their interrupted lunch. He carried their drinks, carefully setting them on one of the lower pantries.
“Gia,” he began, taking a deep breath. “I need you to know that I came back here for you. For Aiden, of course. I want to know him. The truth of the matter is that I came back for us. To see if there could ever even be an us again. I know it’s complicated. I know we both have a lot of… emotional baggage, for lack of a better word. Our history is dicey, but I want to make it up to you. I’m in a place where I can do that now. I want to be in your life and Aiden’s—and the others, of course.”
Tears began to form in the corners of Gia’s eyes, threatening to stream down her face. “Ben, I wanted you to come back for so long. Even after Steve and I got together, I hoped so hard you’d change your mind. But you didn’t. You stayed. Now, I just don’t know. Everything is harder.”
“I tried… it was too late. Maybe it doesn’t have to be harder. We are lucky enough to get another chance to at least see how things go. Don’t tell me you don’t feel the connection between us. I know you do. You can’t tell me it isn’t still there.” Ben reached down and held both of Gia’s hands. “It’s always been there. You can’t deny it.”
“You’re right. I can’t deny it, but like you said, it’s complicated. You don’t even know my kids—one of whom is your own son.”
“So, let’s start slow. But let’s start somewhere. It’s not fair not to try at all. Listen, can I still meet Aiden after school?”
Gia wiped away a tear that had escaped down her cheek, looking Ben in the eyes. “Yes,” was all she said, pulling him close and burying her face against his chest. Ben wrapped his arms around her and held tightly, breathing in the sweet smell of lavender from her skin. He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. They stayed in the embrace for several minutes, feeling the comfort of home that only their connection with each other could offer—the home that had been missing for so long.
Finally, Gia lifted her head off Ben’s chest and tilted it upward to look into his eyes. “We should try,” she whispered. “I do want to try.”
Ben gazed at her, placing his hands on either side of her face, cupping it gently, and bent to press his lips against hers first softly, then harder. There was a sense of urgency behind the kiss that hadn’t been there the last time. It was as if they were diving headfirst into something neither had the power to stop—a rush of passion that consumed them like wildfire, a desire rooted in nostalgia, lust, apprehension about the future, and a deep longing that burned like embers from a past flame that was never fully extinguished.
Gia’s tongue separated Ben’s lips, finding its way inside to dance with his. She felt lost in the ecstasy of his embrace, yet somehow found at the same time—as if she’d been aimlessly wandering all this time and only now discovered where she truly belonged. Ben’s hands wandered, tracing fingers across Gia’s sundress and exposed skin. “I missed you,” he murmured as he pushed her back gently against the wall on the far side of the room.
“I—missed—you—too,” Gia managed to say, pulling away to speak each rushed word between Ben’s kisses. “And I want you.”
Ben pulled away slightly, gazing into Gia’s eyes with lust, taking in her natural beauty. “Oh my God, Gia. I want you so bad it hurts,” Ben said, running the fingers of one hand softly across the top of her chest, then dipping lower, crossing her scoop neckline. His other hand moved downward, playing with the hem of her dress as he bent to kiss lower, down and across her neck.
Gia tilted her head back, then to the side as Ben moved across her neck with his lips. A small moan escaped her mouth as she ran her fingers through his hair. Over the thin material of Gia’s floral dress, he cupped one breast in his hand and squeezed gently, causing her to moan again, this time more deeply. He pinched her nipple through the fabric, then reached behind to unclasp Gia’s bra, raising her arms and lifting it and the dress over her head, tossing it aside.
Gia lifted Ben’s muscular arms, pulling his shirt off. Her hands wandered over his strong chest, tracing the curvature of his solid pectoral muscles. She kissed him passionately again, holding his face in her hands, then began to move downward, trailing her tongue over his neck, then kissing all across his chest and down his torso. As she bent her knees, she caressed his ass and teased, running her fingers across his abdomen, just under the waistline of his pants.
“Gia, you’re driving me crazy,” Ben said, breathing heavily.
“Good,” she whispered, fiddling with the button of his pants. “That’s what I’m?—”
She was stopped mid-sentence by a click and squeak—the sound of the door to the storage room opening—and Carla’s surprised voice. “Oh my God, I’m sorry. I—I’m so sorry.” Carla took a step back, covering her eyes. “Don’t you know how to lock a door? What the hell?”
Gia rose quickly, grabbing her dress from where it had landed on a shelving unit and covering her practically naked body as best she could. “I—we—we were talking,” Gia stuttered.
“I see that. Talking.” Carla rolled her eyes. “Half-naked talking. Listen, I’m the last one to judge. You can get your jollies off however and whenever you want, but I was coming to tell you that you—or I, if you’d like to stay here and… finish—need to leave to get your kids off the bus. Like, now-ish.”
“What?” Gia glanced at her watch. “Oh my God! We just got in here. How did the time pass so quickly?”
“It happens,” Carla said, smirking. “Trust me.”
“Ben, I’m sorry. I have to go. Now,” Gia said, her embarrassment over the situation clouded by the urgency of ensuring someone was at the bus stop to pick up the kids. She frantically pulled her dress back on and smoothed it out.
“Can I come?” Ben asked.
“I mean… I already interrupted that, but maybe you guys could try again later.” Carla chuckled to herself, clearly pleased with her joke. Ben rolled his eyes, grabbed his shirt, and put it on.
“Gia—can I come with you?” he repeated.
“Yes. But we need to leave right now.”
Ben grinned, realizing the implication was that she would allow him to meet the kids. “Let’s roll,” he said, adjusting his now-tighter pants and the rest of his clothes to appear more presentable.
“Let’s take your car. It’s closer. We can discuss the details of how we’re doing this. It might get complicated. Aiden isn’t stupid or a toddler. Carla, can you or Matt drive my car home whenever you leave?”
“You got it!” Carla said, giddy with the knowledge that her meddling had led two former lovers back into each other’s arms—and would potentially be reuniting a father with his son.