21 Shades of Night, page 385
I laughed and wiped away a little wetness on my cheek. "Shut up. I'm great at handling stress."
"If by great, you mean terrible."
"You already said that."
Ben pulled me into a close hug and I held tight to him, thankful for the gravity he lent me.
"Now what?" I asked, as I pulled back from him.
"Take the break you've earned. I mean that. Time to rest."
I nodded. "I know."
"And as for the rest of it–and I know this sounds cliché–but do it one day at a time. Help your grandfather in any way you can. Be a good granddaughter and bake him cookies. Whatever you need to do."
I straightened my shoulders a bit and lifted my chin. "I'm a terrible baker," I said, grinning. I leaned forward and hugged him again. He laughed as he looped his arms around my lower back, lifting me so I stood on the balls of my feet.
"Now that we have that all heavy stuff out of the way, what do you say we walk to the river?"
"Sounds like a plan. I'd like to be back by lunch though - I don't want to desert Harding for too long." I stepped away from him and started toward the street but I hadn't taken two steps when Ben grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.
"Whatever happens, Allie, please don't forget that I'm here for you. If you need me, for anything at all, call me and I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Okay, Ben. I won't forget." His tone of voice sent fingers of worry down my spine.
"Promise me. Promise me that you'll call me if anything happens."
"What is this about? Are you okay?"
"I'm worried about you." His chest lifted with the deep breath he took and his fingers slid down, interlacing with my own. "I don't want you to feel like you have to go through anything on your own."
I took a step back from him and smiled. "I know." And I did know. For the first time since I'd broken up with Colin, I was absolutely sure where I stood with Ben. He was too important to me to just let our friendship slip away. "I'm glad we had this chance to talk, Ben. I really am."
He winked. "Forget I'm being so serious, okay? Today's not the day for grand...anything."
Permission to forget. I grinned. "Right you are. To the river, then?"
We strolled out of the alley and into the bright sunshine, arms brushing together.
* * *
THE REST OF my afternoon had gone by quickly. After a short stroll with Ben, I treated Harding to lunch at his favorite sushi place. We were back on solid footing by the second round of Saki and out of the city by nightfall.
I was exhausted by the time we made it home. I'd crawled into bed without much fanfare and waited for sleep to come.
I nestled down into my feather comforter as the cool wind blew through the windows. I listened to the rustling leaves in the woods beyond the house–their distant whisper caressing me as I closed my eyes–and took a deep breath through my nose, enjoying the heady smell of salt that drifted all the way from the Hudson, several miles away.
Deep within the woods, above the whisper of the wind in the leaves, I heard the cracking of small branches. I rolled over on my back and held my breath, listening carefully.
Again, the cracking noises.
The crickets chirping in the undergrowth ceased their endless lullaby, cut off by a sharp snap that echoed through the silence. I sat upright in bed and listened.
Utter silence.
I rolled out of my bed, keeping low as I crossed to the windows overlooking the woods. I peered through a small slit in the blinds, searching the empty yard for any sign of movement.
The sound of footsteps thudded on my front porch but went no further. I dropped away from the window, crossed over to my bed and grabbed the bat I kept underneath. Looking down, trying to avoid making so much as a whisper against the wood floors, I crept to the bedroom door. I waited behind it, out of sight from the front and back windows.
Minutes passed without so much as another sound. I waited, my palms sweating against the lacquered wood.
After almost fifteen minutes, a lone cricket began its long aria, and not long after, his chorus joined him. I gave up then and let the bat drop to my side. Taking several deep breaths, I crawled back under my covers and buried my head between the pillows, trying to convince myself my imagination had run away from me.
Chapter 12
THE TRAIN RATTLED so hard under my feet that I found it hard to tap out the message I was trying to finish.
-So someone uploaded this paper that had all this information about other creatures. Vampires are mentioned, of course, since that's what they're so obsessed with, but there's also a lot about shape shifters, fairies, and witches. It's like reading a who's who of fantasy creatures.
I'd spent the last three days trying to fill Ben in on all the details of Carter's ParaLine group. He was more interested than I expected. His reply came quickly.
–How long did it take you to read all this?
-Longer than I care to admit.
–What time does your train get in?
I checked the scheduled time before texting my reply. Laura had concocted a pretty grand plan for the Fourth of July Weekend. Swank hotel room in the city, with a room facing the river for a premium firework viewing experience. Shopping, time at the spa, time at the beach. My whole body felt like liquid just thinking about it. She'd told me to give her a check for a paltry amount to cover expenses, and I knew it wasn't anywhere near enough. We fought on the phone about it a few times, but she eventually told me to shut up. Ben encouraged me to send her the check. And shut up.
I was hoping I'd be able to sneak some time in with him, but I'd tried to avoid telling Laura anything about the phone calls and texts he and I had exchanged over the past few weeks. I didn't know enough about what was happening between us to even try to define it.
As the train hurtled underneath the hot streets of New York, I tapped my foot and clung to the plastic hand strap. The subway was packed with holiday tourists and I'd missed my first connection. I glanced at my watch; being twenty minutes later than I'd planned was far outside my comfort zone. Laura had promised me that the front desk would have a key for me regardless of when I arrived. Her train wasn't due until later in the evening.
When I arrived at my stop, I was ejected from the car, bag in hand, as the wave of people thrust out of the station. I followed the swell up the stairs and out onto the street. It was a sweltering, sunny day and the streets were alive with the energy of a long holiday. I hitched my backpack higher up on my shoulder and flagged a taxi. Sliding into one of the yellow cabs, I gave the cabby the address for a hotel a breath away from the Hudson River. I sagged into the sticky vinyl seat and closed my eyes as we zipped into traffic. It wasn't a long trip from the subway to the hotel, but I had zero interest in hoofing it.
The cab dropped me off at the door of a red brick building, with a glass-walled atrium that stretched to the roof. I gave in to the urge to crane my neck back, taking in every detail of the glittering facade. With a happy sigh, I strolled inside. After dropping Laura's name at the front desk, I was given a white keycard and directed to a bank of elevators on the opposite side of the enormous lobby. Despite the number of people in the space and the fact that the whole room was open to all the floors above, there was a certain quiet dignity to the place. The elevator took me up fourteen floors, to a room bigger than my house. I dropped my bag on the floor next to the door, and took my time exploring the suite.
Two bedrooms, a dining and living room, and an enormous bathroom with a tub I could swim in. Perfection. Everything was shades of white and charcoal gray, and a huge bank of windows stretched along two walls in the living space. The view over the river was breathtaking. White sailboats skirted in the water, arcing toward the Statue of Liberty in the distance. A girl could get used to this.
I grabbed my phone from my pocket and opened a text to Ben.
-I'm in heaven. Shutting this phone down and sinking into the bathtub with some kind of bubble bath that smells like bergamot and lemons.
–I don't know what bergamot is.
-It's delightful, that's what.
–Can you eat bergamot?
-Yes.
–You're killing me here.
I grinned and shoved the phone into my backpack. I set it on the king bed that dominated the smaller of the two bedrooms, grabbed a thick, white robe from the closet, and made a beeline for the bathroom. Laura's train was scheduled to come in around eight, and we had plans to spend the evening at the hotel's rooftop bar. A heavy amount of primping was required, and I still had to iron my dress.
The bergamot and lemon gel created luscious mounds of white bubbles in the jacuzzi tub. I dipped my head under the surface of the water before coming up for air and leaning back against the edge of the tub. I'd never been so grateful that my closest friends had told me repeatedly to shut up. Totally worth it.
Just as the water started to get cold, I heard the door to the suite open and close. Two voices echoed in the living room, both unfamiliar, and both male.
"Hello?" one of the voices called out.
I jumped from the tub, sloshing water over the side and across the tiled floor. Snagging the robe off a hook on the door, I wrapped it tight around myself, and panicked. Who the hell had come into my room?
There was some talking outside the door and I heard footsteps just outside. The knob jiggled.
"Hello?" The same voice.
Wincing, I double-checked the lock. After several silent moments, I took a deep breath and decided that someone had to break the stalemate. I was in a fancy hotel in New York. A keycard was required to even get to this floor. The odds were good that no one in the living room was going to murder me.
I checked the belt on the robe and gingerly opened the door. "Hello?" I said, peeking my head out of the bathroom.
Two men were standing five feet away, wearing khaki shorts and shit eating grins.
"Hello." The taller of the two, a man with chestnut brown hair and green eyes, spoke first. He dragged the word out a little, like we were all starring in a movie.
"Who the hell are you?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Surprise!" The other guy's grin broadened and he stuck out his hand. "You must be Allie. I'm Seth. This is Kyle."
My eyes widened. "Seth? Laura's Seth?" I didn't take his hand.
"In the flesh," he answered. "Laura said you had no idea we were going to join you guys this weekend, but I think I screwed up the time. She's not here yet, is she?"
"Um, no." I folded my arms in front of my chest. Any sense of relaxation I'd built up in the tub had evaporated. I looked between the two guys, trying to puzzle out what exactly was going on. Seth was shorter than I'd imagined, and in person, lacked some of the charm that he seemed to have in photos. His blond hair was a sandy mix of gold tones, and he had dark brown eyes. I could sort of see what Laura saw in him, but they hadn't moved to let me out of the bathroom yet. I was growing less impressed by the minute.
"Well, we're ready to party whether she's here or not!" Kyle held up a huge case of cheap beer and let out some sort of party whoop. Seth, at least, had the decency to look a little embarrassed.
"Ok. Well, before we can do any of that, I'm going to get dressed and see if I can talk to Laura. You guys just make yourselves comfortable, I guess." I slipped past them, still clutching my robe closed, and darted into the bedroom. My phone was beeping even as I entered the room. There were four texts from Laura.
–Stuck on a call. Probably won't make the 4. Going to try for the 6.
–I may have failed to mention that we'd have guests joining us tonight. Hope you don't mind.
–Hope you got my last message and you're decent. They're on their way.
–Call me when you get this. Seth says they caught you in the shower.
It flashed with a new message as I finished reading.
–Please don't kill me.
My annoyance dropped off some. In all fairness, she'd at least tried to warn me.
-I'm probably going to have to.
–I wanted it to be a fun surprise. They were supposed to meet us at the bar.
-What time do you think you're going to be here?
–Train won't get in until after 9. By the time I catch a cab - probably close to 10.
I tapped my fingers against the back of my phone, trying to come up with a game plan. I really wasn't feeling hanging out with Seth and Kyle until Laura showed up, but I wasn't about to hole up in a hotel room either. I opened a new message to Ben and hesitated. I'd wanted to see him, had been scheming for days about how to see him without ditching Laura. Now that there were two new additions to our weekend, I didn't feel guilty about taking off for a bit.
-What are you up to?
I began working my fingers through my tangled brown hair as I waited for him to reply. If I didn't get it brushed out, the natural waves in it would turn into a humidity-soaked rat nest.
My phone beeped.
–Nothing much. How's the bathtub?
-Had to bail. Got plans for tonight? Looks like things have changed over here.
–Nothing I can't cancel.
-Come meet me in the bar. 12th floor, outside. How soon can you get here?
–Give me an hour. Margaritas are on me.
I tossed the phone on the bed. After fiddling with my hair a little more, I put on a gray skirt and white top. A little lip gloss, a little mascara and a few more tweaks to the hair. Ready.
Kyle and Seth were seated on the balcony, a six-pack nestled on the table between them. They were watching some sort of video on Seth’s phone and the tinny sound carried into the hotel room.
I popped my head out the door and gave them a small smile.
“Listen, sorry for being kind of an ass earlier. You guys just surprised me.”
Seth nodded. “No worries.”
“Ok then. Well, I hope you guys have a good night.” I started to turn and head out, but Kyle stood from his chair and came to the door.
“Where are you headed?” He gave me a big grin. It was the sort of smile that probably got him laid a lot in college, but it didn’t do much for me.
“Out for a drink, with a friend.” I waved my arm toward the hotel room. “You guys will have plenty to keep you occupied, I’m sure.”
“You can drink with us,” Kyle answered. “We brought more beer.”
I grinned. “I think I’m good. I’ve been promised margaritas.”
* * *
BEN WAS SEATED on a long, low couch against a brick terrace wall. The glinting river stretched behind him, reflecting the evening sun. I grinned when I saw him and as our eyes met, he stood up to greet me.
"Hey," he said, pulling me into a huge hug as soon as I got close enough. "You look amazing."
"So do you," I said, as I wrapped my arms around him. He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves pushed up and a pair of dark jeans. I had no idea what we'd do after this, but I didn't care. If I could spend the night staring at him, it'd be fine by me. Those weeks of phone calls and texts came rushing back. What had we said? Where had all those conversation taken us? I wasn't calling this a date, but as I drank him in, a small part of me wished I could.
"Do you want to get something here?"
I stepped back from him. "Laura hasn't even left Boston and she invited Seth and a friend of his to hang out with us this weekend. I want to get out of here before they try to talk me into a game of beer pong."
He grimaced and shook his head. "Let's ditch this place and get some food."
Chapter 13
AFTER GRABBING SOME sushi at a place Ben picked out, we found ourselves in a small bar that was supposed to be the best place in town for anything featuring tequila. The only waitress working at Boe's Tavern that night approached our table, with our drinks and Ben's appetizer balanced on a small bar tray. I smiled at her, but received no real reaction aside from a blank stare and a nod. Ben thanked her and received a small, false smile for his efforts. She moved off to another table without asking if we needed anything else.
"With service like that, who cares if the liquor's watered down?" I said, swapping our drinks across the table. Ben didn't exactly strike me as a margarita man, but who knew what kind of impressions our server had formed? Maybe she thought I was the kind of woman who thoroughly enjoyed a whiskey shot with a Guinness chaser.
As he picked up a chip to stir the guacamole dip, he smiled at me, his deep blue eyes lighting up. "Are you suggesting something amiss about this fine establishment? Should I be offended at your judgment?"
"I'm sure this is a wonderful place. I bet you bring all your dates here." The words were out before I could stop myself. I looked down at my neon-yellow cocktail, tracing the half-assed rim of salt with my finger, and wondered if it was enough liquid to either drown myself or get seriously drunk. Either would be suitable, but I doubted my good luck.
Ben raised his eyebrows when I caught his gaze. "Are you calling me a man-whore or saying we’re on a date? I can’t tell.”
I blushed. "That makes three of us," I replied, thinking back to that night so long ago. Had it started there? A failed date with Colin had landed me at this table, in this crappy, over-priced nightclub? Was there a map for that somewhere that I'd missed reviewing along the way? I felt another strange twist in my stomach and took a sip of my cocktail before trying to start our conversation up again. “So, you've been working a lot?"
"Yeah. We've been busy. Things have been weird, but yeah, overall. We're doing really well." He stared down at his hands, fumbling with his cocktail napkin as much as he had his words.
