The Romance Novel Cure (9 page)

I was so tired after the previous night’s sleep, after the whole weekend. I tried to stay awake until Ben came home, but I ended up falling asleep, and didn’t even hear him come home. I had written and read until suddenly what I was reading and writing blurred into a dream where Caspian became Silas who became Ben.

The next day, I got a text from Ben, asking me if I were free for dinner that evening. We made plans to meet in Old Town. I had that excited
I have a date
feeling all day at work. I smiled as I handed out orange slices to the toddlers at snack time.

“These so
spicy
!” Cole said.

“Spicy!” agreed Tameryn.

I laughed, imagining telling Ben about this little moment. I used to always tell him funny things my students said, and it always made him laugh. I had stopped doing that in the last year.

After parking, I hurried to San Felipe church, where we were to meet. I saw Ben standing there, and my heart started beating really fast. He turned, and smiled at me, and I slowed as I approached him. My mouth dropped open, and I stood in front of him, just staring. New, modern haircut. Brownish red cashmere sweater. Scarf. Five o’clock shadow. Slim fitting, flat front pants. Same old Doc Martens. He seemed taller, older, more sophisticated, urban, and… hotter.

“Ben,” I said, looking up at him. There was something different about his face, his eyes looked bigger, somehow.

“Hi, hon,” he said, softly, his eyes never leaving mine, as he reached around and pulled me close. He held me for a moment and I leaned against him. His mouth landed on my cheek and he kissed me slowly. I felt the gentle scratch of his beard.

“Ben, you look so handsome,” I breathed, my heart racing.

“Thanks, but you’re the one looking so gorgeous, I can’t stand it,” he said, his full lips curving into a smile.

“Me?” I laughed, “after a day of play- dough, and glue, and glitter?”

“I think you’ve got a little on your cheeks,” he said, brushing them with his thumbs, so gently, looking into my eyes and then at my mouth. Very softly, he let one of his thumbs graze my lower lip. Without even thinking, I parted my lips and reached up on my tip -toes. Ben’s eyes widened for a split second, and he began to lower his face to mine. My stomach flipped.

“Look, it’s Ms. Greta!” I heard a woman say. I turned, in a daze, and saw one of my little students, Eddie, and his mother.

“Oh, hi!” I said, my voice sounding high pitched. I introduced Ben to them and they went on their way, Eddie smiling shyly at me, waving.

Ben rocked back on his heels, his hands in his pockets, smiling ruefully at me. I blushed, I could feel it.

“So, you must be hungry after a long day of toddler herding,” he said.

“I would never hurt the toddlers!” I exclaimed.

“No,” he said, “herding, like…”

“I’m just kidding! I knew what you said,” I laughed.

Ben rubbed his chin, smiling at me. “It is so damn good to hear you laugh.”

I ducked my head, nodding. I looked back up at him.

“Are you hungry? Does your head feel better?” I asked him.

“Even if my head feels better, will you still read to me?”

“Um, yeah. Would you read to me, too?” I felt myself blush again.

“Would you like that?” Ben’s voice got lower. “We could… take turns.”

I swallowed, darting a glance up at him. His eyes looked so dark. I shivered.

He took my hand and started walking toward a restaurant.

“
Ba da da da da — read dirty to me
,” he sang in my ear.

I burst out laughing.

When we got in front of the restaurant, I stopped and looked inside, through the window. It was colorful, bright, and warm looking. People, looking animated, were conversing and eating and drinking. I felt reluctant to leave the cool, darkening evening. I looked down at Greta and took her hand.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

“Yes, but not as though I can’t wait, why?” She squeezed my hand gently.

“I want to go home. I want to be alone with you,” I said, my voice sounding rough. Her eyes widened and I saw her throat move as she swallowed. Last thing I wanted to do was make her feel pressured. I didn’t want to rush her.

“I don’t mean it like that, yet,” I grinned, summoning a little swagger from somewhere. “I admit, though, I want to kiss you. If it’s okay, I want to kiss you.”

She smiled and ducked her head, squeezing my hand again.

“Come on,” I said, taking a few steps backward, tugging her hand gently. “I’ll make you an omelet.”

“Sounds
perfect
,” she said breathlessly.

I walked her to her car and watched her drive off. I took a shaky breath and walked quickly to my car. For the entire ride back I took deep, even breaths, trying to get a handle on myself. I could not stop thinking about kissing Greta.

We pulled into the parking lot at the same time, and walked upstairs together. I said a silent prayer that we would not run into our neighbors, Amy and Mark. We didn’t. Once inside, I put on some music and started assembling ingredients for spinach mushroom omelets. I put some rice in the rice cooker and got a bottle of wine from the refrigerator. Greta came into the kitchen and sat at the table, watching me. I handed her a glass of the cold, white wine and went back to cooking. She told me about something that happened at work, speaking a little quickly, sounding excited, or anxious. I made myself take my time, hoping it wasn’t obvious how out of control my feelings were. The omelet didn’t break apart. I served our meal and sat down.

“Oh wow, yum,” said Greta, taking a big bite. She ate a few more bites, but I had put my fork down, not having eaten any, and watched her. She looked at me.

“What?” she smiled in embarrassment, wiping at her face with her napkin. I threw mine onto the table and got up quickly and went around her side. I took her hand and pulled her up into my arms. I took her face into my hands and I kissed her.

I kissed her.

Her lips were warm and sweet against mine. I pulled my head back, with difficulty. I reached down and grabbed her hands and placed them on my chest.

“Tell me to stop, Greta, push me away,” I said, my voice sounding unfamiliar, it was hoarse with tension and desire. “Do you want me to stop?”

With a small cry she wrenched her hands out of mine and reached up around my neck, pulling me down into another kiss. Words, thoughts — everything seemed to leave except this burning need to kiss her more. The feeling of her lips sliding against mine, of her hot mouth opening, her slick tongue against mine. I was gone. She pulled me closer, my hardness encountering the softness of her belly. I saw stars, breathing as fast as though I’d just run a race.

Our doorbell buzzed.

It buzzed again.

Greta pulled away from me, catching her breath. I swore, my chest heaving. Dimly, I was aware that my phone had chimed a few times with incoming texts. I took a deep breath, rubbing my face. Greta put a hand up to her forehead as though checking for fever.

Silently we went to the door.

It was Scott, looking upset. He ran his hands through his straight, blond hair and his green eyes looked even greener than usual, because they were reddened, as though he’d been crying.

“Come in,” I said, “what’s going on? Did you just text me?”

“I’m sorry,” he said grimly, taking in our flushed faces and the dinner table with one swift glance. “I thought Patrick might have called you, or stopped by. I can’t find him.”

“Come sit down,” said Greta, worriedly. “Do you want a glass of wine? Something else?”

“No, no thanks.” He ran his hand through his hair and sat on the edge of a chair in our living room. “We had gotten some possibly good news about an adoption, and then found out that it was not happening. Patrick took it really hard. It has been this roller coaster, you know?”

I grabbed my phone and checked any messages, but there were just two from Scott.

“He hasn’t called me, hasn’t contacted me all day. Scott, I’m sorry I missed your call.” I sent a quick text to Patrick, asking him to get in touch with me, asking if he were all right.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry to barge in.” He stood up. “I’m going to keep calling him, keep looking for him. I just thought he might have brought the rest of the pants over. He said, after you left, that you were the kind of friend who you could talk with about anything. He doesn’t  open up much around people, so I just thought…”

“First of all, you are not barging in,” I said. “I’m glad you came by. I’m sorry this has been such a rough time. Maybe he’ll show up here. If he does, I’ll call you. Maybe he is already on the way home.”

“Yeah, I’ll check,” he said, sounding unconvinced, as he went to the door.

“Please tell him… tell him that I’m thinking of him,” said Greta, quietly.

We said quick good-byes and he was gone.

Greta and I just looked at one another. I couldn’t believe we’d been kissing just moments before.

“Let me heat up the food,” I said.

“I’m fine with it cold,” she said, sitting down and resuming eating. I sat across from her and we finished eating quickly. I kept my phone on and in my pocket. We cleaned up quietly and turned the kitchen light off.

“Do you want to watch
Downton Abbey
?” Greta looked up at me.

Didn’t she know I would do anything to be with her, to be near her? I smiled and nodded. We both got changed. I put my phone on the coffee table and we started watching. I was completely lost but I didn’t care.

“I hope Patrick’s home now,” she said at one point, interrupting Lady Mary being snarky to Lady Edith.

“I’ll check,” I said, and sent a brief text to Scott.

I didn’t hear back.

When the episode was over, we sat quietly.

I cleared my throat.

“Kissing you, Greta…” I took her hand.

“Yeah,” she breathed, and smiled shakily.

“Was it okay?” I moved closer to her, looking into those blue eyes.

All throughout the episode of
Downton Abbey
, my lips tingled with the memory of that kiss. Everything tingled from the memory of that kiss. It had been so hot, but also tender. I could not stop thinking about it. I kept remembering too, when he had stopped me in front of the restaurant, wanting to be alone with me. That had been so romantic. So
hot
.

When Ben and I were sitting together, after watching
Downton Abbey
, he asked me if it had been okay that he had kissed me. His eyes were so dark and full of concern. I melted.

“Okay?” I said, my voice wobbling, “Ben.
Yes
.”

He smiled and took my hand, his thumb rubbing my fingers gently. He pressed a kiss on my knuckles.

“Well, I want to stay up, a little longer, to see if I hear back from Patrick or Scott,” he said, “you ready for bed?”

“I’ll stay up with you for a while,” I said, looking down.

“Yeah?” he smiled. “You want another episode, or you want a bedtime story?”

“A story?” I asked, confusedly.

“Okay, then, a story it is,” he said, and got up and got his iPad. “I’ll read to you this time, how about that?”

I sunk into the couch pillows, nodding, looking down. I already felt my cheeks heating up.

“I read a little more since last night. Now, every word I read? I hear it in my head in your voice.”

I looked up, startled.

He read:

* * *

Sera opened her eyes and smiled. Silas came into the bedroom, naked, carrying a tray.

“Mmmm. The morning after the third date is looking good already,” she mumbled, smiling widely.

He carefully placed the tray on the bed.

“I didn’t know what you liked,” he said, sounding unaccustomedly unsure of himself, “so, I made you coffee, and tea, and I’ve got some slices of apple here, and toast.”

Sera’s heart clenched as she looked at the vulnerable look on Silas’s face.

“I love coffee and tea and apples and toast,” she said, her voice scratchy. “Thanks.”

“Hey, least I can do for my life saving… girlfriend,” he said, trying to grin cockily. But his eyes were dark, locked on hers.

Sera took a sip of tea, handing him the coffee.

“Girlfriend?” she whispered.

He grinned quickly, looking down at his coffee, taking a sip. He clamped his lips and kept looking down.

“Hey, boyfriend,” she said, her voice low, “I need a little sugar…”

“I’ll get some…” Silas started to rise, but she grabbed his hand. She set her cup down on the bedside table and took his mug and set it down. She tugged his hand, pulling him down to her so she could kiss him. She nuzzled his neck and kissed his lips softly, pulling him down onto the bed with her. She rolled on top of him.

“Mmm, sweet,” she said, kissing his lips again, and again. “Gimme.”

* * *