CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
W e stare into each other’s eyes. We’re communicating without words. Our eyes say everything we’ve needed to say for months.
I close the box and take one last step until I am as close as I can get.
This is it. This is my guy and I need to tell him.
“Ben, I am so sorry for the past few months.” I stop, trying to gather my thoughts and put them in chronological order without success. “I’ll start by first saying that I had no idea James would be at the event tonight.”
“I know, Alex messaged me.”
“What? He did?” I asked, confused. He must have done that when he went to grab us more drinks. I’ll have to thank him tomorrow. “Anyways, where was I?” I shiver again with the cool night air circling around us.
“Let’s get you inside, and warm up.”
He takes the box of donuts from me, and curls his fingers in between mine, leading us to the second floor, and into my apartment. Once we have settled inside, and the box of donuts has been placed out of Bob’s reach, I make my way to Ben.
I pull his face down to meet mine, and I kiss him.
After a few minutes we pull apart, “You look amazing,” he says, smiling.
I smile back. Now drunk on love as well as champagne. “You look pretty good yourself,” I respond.
I wonder if we’re going to talk or just kiss for the rest of the night.
“I’m sorry,” Ben says as if reading my mind, “I’m sorry I took off.”
“It’s you,” I reveal.
His hand settles on my waist, pulling me closer to him.
“It’s you,” he repeats my words to me.
He leans down and kisses me softly. I pull away to catch my breath for a second, and I take his hand and pull him towards my bedroom.
He follows, not uttering a single word.
We walk in, and I face him when I reach my bed. I unbutton the rest of his shirt and slide it down his shoulders. He leans down and kisses me. Harder than before.
A necessity is building within me. I need to feel more of him. I want him to feel more of me. His lips trail down my neck, my wide scoop neck revealing just enough skin to allow him to tease me.
He stops and spins me around. I’m facing my bed when I feel his fingers grab the clasp of my dress. He slowly starts to unzip it until it falls loosely at my feet, leaving me in nothing but a matching black lace thong. I turn to him and see him take in every inch of me. His eyes glow with desire.
I place my hands on his waist, kissing his mouth like we did the first night he was here. Our breaths grow more frantic, his hands taking more of me. I reach for his belt and unbutton his pants. He steps away from me, his eyes never leaving mine as he takes his pants off, leaving no clothing behind.
He places a single hand on my cheek, running his fingers down to my chin. I feel his other hand grab the back of my neck, his fingers twirling between short pieces of my hair. His lips press against mine, a deep and comforting sensation that fills me with warmth. His arms wrap around me, pulling me closer. His touch is like fire, sending pleasure through my body.
He lays me down on top of my soft duvet and comes down on top of me. I feel him press into the soft fabric that’s still covering me. I watch him as his expression changes to one of bliss as he runs his fingertips down the side of my face, taking me in. He rolls onto his side, and I shift to face him, gazing at the guy in front of me. A light sound escapes my mouth when his hand takes hold of my hip.
We kiss again, our hands exploring each other. I feel his fingers move and take hold of the elastic around my waist, tugging.
I feel a rush of pleasure, and a sound escapes him as my fingers brush against his skin. He reaches out for me, our bodies pressing together, and I can feel his breath against me. I take a deep breath, appreciating the moment, and I allow myself to let go and feel every touch and kiss he settles on me.
* * *
I wake up to the smell of bacon, and roll onto my back, staring at the ceiling. I know Ben isn’t with me in bed, I can feel the lack of his presence, but I can hear him in my kitchen.
I replay last night’s events, and my heart is flooding with joy.
We had a long talk before falling asleep in each other’s arms. I told him about the seething jealousy I felt when he got back together with Mel, and he revealed how worried he was about me online dating. We talked, staying up for hours with our box of donuts in bed with us, nothing but sheets between us.
Ben makes me laugh, and I don’t think I have ever felt this comfortable around anyone besides Lucy and Briar. I can feel a genuine connection starting to form between us.
I hear Ben clear his throat, and my thoughts dissipate. Smiling, I sit up, “Good morning.”
“Good morning. I made you breakfast in bed,” he says, walking towards me with a tray in hand.
“Where did you get all this stuff, my fridge is mostly empty.” I admit, glancing at everything on the tray, my stomach grumbling in appreciation.
He sits down beside me, and I notice a plate for him as well. We adjust ourselves so we can both eat off the tray without making a mess. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the market down the street.”
“This is so good, thank you.” We eat in a comfortable silence.
When we’ve both finished, I take the tray back to the kitchen and set it on the counter to wash. Before I can move, I feel Ben press up against me from behind, and I find myself gasping in surprise.
I turn to him, my mouth meeting his instantly.
“How about we get in the shower?” I ask, my eyes gleaming with mischievousness. I feel his answer before he can utter a word.
We make our way to the bathroom, the sound of running water and warm steam quickly fills the air. We both climb in, and I immediately feel the comforting sensation of the warmth cascading over me, washing away all the troubles that have weighed me down for the past few months. As Ben takes me in his arms, I let myself enjoy his embrace and the softness of his lips as they meet mine. I feel a sense of pleasure wash over me as his hands make their way down my body.
The next two days are a blur of bliss and uncontrollable laughter.
* * *
So, I decided to date online…
by: Sofia Daria
So, I decided to date online…and he was right in front of me the whole time.
It seems that in my last article on my adventures in dating online, I may have led you to believe that I had found my match, my person. Well, let me just say this: you’re not wrong.
I did!
Let’s call him Ben because, well, that is his name.
I’ve known Ben for a little more than two years now. I worked with him. I saw him almost every day, and he became one of my best friends.
When I met Ben, I was in a relationship, and the thought of ever being with him never crossed my mind. Sorry, Ben, if you’re reading this! But I was in a relationship, and I guess Ben and I were not meant to be together at that time.
I’ve changed a lot in my two years following college. Don’t we all?
We’re thrown into this world where we have to learn to become individuals, learn to survive on our own, and start a career that we’re supposed to love immediately. We don’t yet have experience in the workplace, but all our dream jobs require experience. It’s hard, let’s leave it at that.
So, I’ve changed.
I’ve grown.
I know I’m not done growing, and I am only just starting my dream job, but now I get to share it with someone I truly care about…myself.
Kidding! I get to share it with my best friend, Ben.
Let me start at the beginning.
So here I was, a young girl out of college, wanting to be a writer.
I wanted to work for an amazing magazine or a publishing house. I also wanted to write a novel.
What I found was the cutest little bookstore and a friend.
Check out Plants, Pottery & Books, if you have yet to - you’ll get to shop for some beautiful plants and check out a cute little bookstore with loads to choose from.
This place became my second home.
I have always loved books of all kinds. But especially romance.
I wanted to live these romances that I so often read about.
I was also lucky enough to live with two parents who shared such a romance.
And so my dream of writing about it came alive.
When my relationship ended abruptly, it put things into perspective. I think I got lost along the way, and I just kept going with the familiarity. Online dating changed that.
I was taken out of my comfort zone, forced to socialize with strangers, and put myself in awkward positions that I didn’t quite know how to navigate.
But without doing so, I never would have realized my worth or the love I have around me. I realized that I don’t need to wait to write about romance. I can write about love now. Love with friends and love with life.
I can’t say I am in love with Ben yet. I mean, I love him as a friend, but we’re just getting started. I’m excited for what’s to come, in friendships and in love.
So, if you’re looking for that love, maybe start by looking within. Make sure you’re living the life you want to. One that you could be proud of. Fall in love with yourself first, and maybe don’t try so hard. He, She, or They could be right in front of you.