Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
Avril
As we ride up in the elevators, all I can think about is how this is my penultimate night as Ben East’s roommate.
Two nights left together. Two nights to show Ben East I’m not in love with him, and despite one minor-slash-major time-out, which neither of us has discussed since, we have kept things purely platonic.
Kinda. Sorta.
It’s not been businesslike between us, but apart from our time-out, it’s not crossed any kind of sexual lines. Hopefully that counts, as far as Ben’s concerned.
The rack of clothes that arrived from Saks are still where the doorman left them earlier in the week.
When Ben said I needed to dress for fancy dinner and drinks, I decided to make the most of it, and selected the short red dress with tulle ruffles that’s a short version of the one I wore to Aurora’s engagement dinner.
It might be boring, but I figure if you find a style that suits you, it’s perfectly okay to stick to it.
“You look beautiful,” Ben says, as I take off my coat and hand it to the hostess at the restaurant. His eyes trail down my body, and I have to stop myself from laughing as it takes a second for him to refocus on my face. “I really like your shoes.”
Now I can’t help but laugh. He’s definitely a shoe guy. “Thank you,” I say. “You look very nice too.”
“Thanks,” he says, but he frowns like he doesn’t quite believe it.
I think back to our conversation about how someone is always using him.
Is that what I’m doing? I guess so. I want him to fix my problem in Boston.
That’s why I’m here with him right now. Is it why I complimented him?
No. He does look nice. Handsome. Tall. But most of all, he looks kind.
But I think I can see that because I know how kind he is.
“We have your table ready for you,” the hostess says. “Please follow me.”
She leads us to a table by the window, with a perfect view of the Empire State Building. Against the blackness of the sky, the city lights sparkle brighter than stars. It’s an iconic New York experience.
“This is nice,” Ben says, almost like he’s surprised at his own choice of venue.
“Did you arrange this, or was it your assistant’s idea?” I ask.
He laughs. “I have to take all the blame and all the credit. I just didn’t expect it to be so nice. I’ve never been to this restaurant before.”
“Then why did you—” Before I finish my sentence, I realize why we’re here.
“Oh, it’s like in Sleepless in Seattle,” I say as we sit.
Then I realize he’s organized this restaurant, this exact table, because of the movie we watched together.
My heart tugs in my chest. How incredibly sweet and thoughtful.
He nods as our waitress brings us two glasses of champagne, even though we haven’t ordered anything. This is what it’s like being in Ben’s world. Champagne as soon as you sit down.
“You remember she ditches her fiancé at the restaurant, right?”
“Right. Because of the sign.”
“No, not because of the sign. She makes the decision and then she gets the sign. Remember.”
He chuckles. Of course he remembers. He’s just teasing me.
“I wasn’t trying to recreate the movie,” he says. “I thought it was an appropriate thank-you to the woman who introduced me to rom-coms and reality TV.”
“Good for me for teaching you how to rot in bed.”
He grins at me, a slow, warm smile, like he’s looking right into my soul. “I very much enjoyed it.”
“I think the cookie baking last night sums this week up perfectly,” I say. “I bring home canned cookie dough, which I manage to burn—Both the cookies and my finger. Whereas you whipped up from scratch, perfectly crunchie cookies that might be the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.”
“How does that sum up the week?”
“Well, I’ve taught you how to rot in bed. You’ve taken me on thoughtful, romantic dates. It’s uneven. And I got the better end of the deal.”
“Ahh,” he says. “On the cookies, that’s definitely true. Mine were better than yours were ever going to be. I’m not sure we’re too uneven on the rest of the week. But if we are, you have to remember, I am trying to make you fall in love with me.”
We both look at each other, questions in our eyes but nothing reaching our lips.
“So, did it work?” he asks eventually.
I shake my head. “Of course not. No one can fall in love in a week.”
“Interesting,” he says. “I chatted to Worth when we went over there, and he told me he fell in love with Sophia the moment he laid eyes on her.”
I laugh. “But that’s Worth. That’s not me.”
“You’re a harder nut to crack?”
“The hardest,” I say, resolute. Although, beneath my surface, I’m not sure exactly how confident I am that I haven’t fallen for Ben.
No, of course I haven’t fallen in love with Ben. That would be crazy. And even if it were true, I could never admit it because it would just be too embarrassing, because he was so sure it would happen. It’s just that I do like him. And I think he likes me, and I’ll kind of miss him when I move out.
“I figured.” He makes a face like his plan has been thwarted.
“What do you mean, you figured I was a tough nut to crack? You said I’d fall in love with you in a week.”
“Week’s not over yet.”
I laugh and glance out of the window. “Look,” I say, as the illuminating lights on the Empire State Building change from white to pink. “The color is changing.”
Ben is grinning, but he’s not looking out of the window, he’s looking at me. I glance back to the window and watch as a heart appears on the Empire State Building, just like it did in the movie, and then, more than that, some writing starts to appear.
My name is spelled out above the heart and then, Ben’s below.
I turn to Ben, not quite getting it.
He’s grinning at me. “You see,” he says. “Avril loves Ben. It’s written in the city sky. It must be true?”
I turn back to it. “How on earth did you arrange for that to happen?”
“Well, I had to top the movie, right?”
I laugh. “No, you didn’t, but…” I look out at the message written there. “It’s funny. And really cute.”
“It actually turned out better than I expected,” he admits.
“How did you make that happen?”
“You might not know this about me, but I have connections,” he says.
I can’t contain my grin. “I did know that about you.”
He laughs. “Comes in useful sometimes.”
“If I was ever going to fall in love with you, it would be right here, right now.”
He smiles at me, holding my gaze. He’s so freaking handsome, it’s almost obscene. And somehow he seems to have gotten better looking over this week we’ve spent together.
“If I was ever going to fall in love with you, it would be tonight, too.”
“You really like these shoes, huh?” I ask.
He grins. “Maybe not tonight, actually. Maybe it was…” He trails off.
“What?”
He shrugs. “I think you’re funny and kind and hardworking, and I’ve really enjoyed having you as a flatmate.”
An elastic band twangs in my stomach. I’m going to miss him. Which is ridiculous because this was some stupid bet. But it’s true.
“Are you sure you haven’t gotten irritated by my snoring?” I ask him. “Or the way I leave my shoes in the hallway?”
“I haven’t noticed either,” he says. “But if I did, I wouldn’t care.”
More elastic bands twang and my heart inches higher in my chest. He is completely and utterly charming, but it doesn’t feel unctuous anymore. I don’t think Ben would say anything to me that he didn’t mean.
If I weren’t so invested in Boston, who knows what would have happened this week.
Except, if I wasn’t so invested in Boston, I would have never ended up in Ben’s apartment.
We probably would never have seen each other again after Aurora and Deacon’s engagement party.
Our paths would never have crossed again.
There’s a crushing feeling against my breastbone—a real sense of loss, at even the thought of not having gotten to know Ben more.
“Even without the fancy restaurants and you knowing exactly what to say at exactly the right time, you’re still a really good guy, Ben.”
His smile falters slightly, and I reach for his hand.
“And if it makes you feel any better…” I nod toward the window, our names still on the most famous building in America for everyone to see.
“I was close to falling in love with you.” I take a breath.
He might not think I’m being serious, but I absolutely am.
“A couple more days and who knows what would have happened.”
He rolls his eyes at me. “Let’s have dinner and you can stop teasing me.”
“Oh, I have no intention of stopping teasing you,” I say.
He holds my gaze for a second, then two, then three. “Good. I wouldn’t want you any way other than how you are.”
I don’t think any man has ever said anything more romantic to me.