Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
At the end of the dock, Liam climbs off the boat he’s rented for the day. I didn’t even know he had a captain’s license, but it doesn’t surprise me. He’s a jack of all trades, it seems.
Elle and I claim a couple seats in the shade. After setting our stuff down, we go help set up the food table. I catch Elle smiling when I steal a piece of fruit. It’s weird to think that me eating brings her joy.
After we eat, Liam offers to take people tubing. Noah passes, but Mack, Paige, Quinn, Nola, and Rhett head out. Most of us gather on the dock to watch them and cheer when Liam is able to dump one of them into the water. Next year, I’ll be out there, I tell myself. I won’t be this weak man who needs to rest every so often. A year from now, things will be different.
Elle sits on the dock and sets her feet in the water. I do the same. Something pokes my leg and when I pull it out of the water, I don’t see anything.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I got bit by a fish,” I tell Elle through laughter.
She laughs hard, harder than I’ve seen her laugh in a long time. “You gotta watch out for those trout.”
“Right?” I put my arm around her and pull her toward me. Before she can rest her head on my shoulder, my finger and thumb hold her chin so I can look into her eyes. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For caring. For being here for me.”
“I love you, Ben. There’s no other place I’d be.”
I close the distance and press my lips to hers. Her small intake of breath spurs me on. My tongue touches the edge of her lips, and her mouth opens for me. Kissing her like this brings back a flood of memories and emotions. I’m so in love with her, it hurts.
“I love you, Elle,” I say after we part. Her eyes light up. It’s like those words have brought back the spark that seemed to have dimmed over the past couple of months. I did that. I took away the glow, and now I need to work to return it. I miss seeing the glimmer of light she used to carry with her.
21
ELLE
Being at the lake yesterday was refreshing. It was like old times, and when Ben kissed me, the butterflies I have felt all my life when it comes to him, resurfaced with such vigor. I find myself wondering why I ever waited so long to act on them. Deep down, I know it’s because he was my best friend, and accepted every flaw I have without asking me to change who I am. Crossing the line from friendship into something more was the scariest thing I had ever done. I feared we wouldn’t work, and I was right. The first major fight, and Ben wanted to quit. I know he’s been invested in us longer, but what happened between us wasn’t fair. He was so quick to quit on us and quit on me. This is something we need to work on. I want to be with him forever. I want to have his children. I want to sit by his side, in our rockers, and watch our grandchildren play. If he can’t see that in me, then I need to work harder to show him.
Ben sleeps soundly next to me. Since we returned to Beaumont, things have been really great between us. I thought with everyone here, we’d have a disconnect, but we seem to gravitate toward each other. Still, I worry about him, and the germs people bring in and out of grandpa’s house. I know everyone wants to hang out, but sometimes, it’s a little too much, even for me. I look forward to when it’s just the three of us: Ben, Grandpa, and I, and we’re watching television or working on a crossword together. It’s those quiet moments that bring me calm and afford me a chance to think. It gives me a chance to process everything going on around me whether it’s Ben and his cancer, or this job I’m doing for Uncle Liam, which I really think is a front. He doesn’t want me to forget my path or stay out of music for too long. He wants me to continue to make a name for myself because more often than not, when you take an extended break, people forget you. When you email an exec that you haven’t spoken to in a while, that email tends to get pushed to the bottom of the pile. I can’t have that happen, but I also can’t leave Ben’s side. While my job is crucial and important, Ben’s health far outweighs my career right now.