Seconds after his statement, we are still staring at each other. “What do you mean you are not broke?”
We have been on an unofficial date. I loved our movie date but if he’s not broke, why did he lie? Doesn’t he want to go on a real date? Ben rakes his hair, I roll away from him when he tries to kiss me and start searching for my gown. His kisses are addictive, they mess with my brain. He is trying to distract me.
“Gracie, wait,” Ben says. My hands close around my gown, he extracts it from my grip and hugs me from behind. I suck in a rush of air. He’s bare chested. “I’m not broke,” he mutters, “I just don’t have money.”
He makes no sense and I am glad the lights are off because the look on my face will hurt his feelings. I let him carry me back to the bed but I place a pillow between us to reduce the temptations of touching him.
Legs crossed, eyes cast down, he says
Me: I dropped a letter for you.Let: What about?Me: You will have to get it to find out ;)I shove my phone into my backpack as my boyfriend approaches me. His arms slide around my waist and he lifts me off the ground to drop me on the bonnet of my car. Standing between my legs, he drags my lip between his and hugs me again. I lean into his embrace taking a whiff of his cologne. I love this guy.“Who was that?”We are alone in the parking lot but I whisper in return, “No one.”Ben folds his arms, flexing his biceps. I stroke his forearm. He is mine. “And you were smiling like that?”“Are you jealous?” I tilt my head and pout.“If it’s another guy? Yes. I want to be the only guy making you smile,” he says with so much sincerity.Butterflies erupt in my stomach at his words. I drag a hand over his shirt, stopping to press my hands fl
“Daniel thinks next Saturday will be great,” Maria tells me. We are headed to the library to get her another set of textbooks. She went during lunch but forgot to pick some texts. Maria links our hands and guides me through the thin path leading to the back of the library. She grins with an excitement I don’t feel. “What do you think?” Ben has a fight this Saturday, I am not sure about next week. “Is that okay?”“I’ll have to ask Ben,” I say and scratch the base of my neck. It’s almost laughable that I can’t make plans without consulting my boyfriend. Maria spares me a glance, a sound between a snicker and sigh escapes her but she says nothing. I push ahead of her and stop at the foot of the short stairs leading to the door of our destination. “Soo...” She glances up and I look away to the tall fence. “You and Daniel are dating?”Colour rises to her neck, she covers he
I pluck a strand of hair from Ben’s bushy brows. He winces. “Stay still,” I command. He stares up at me with a frown and I placate him with a kiss. The naughty boy puckers his lips for another kiss. “Almost done.”His hand hanging over the couch reaches for the remote to unmute the TV and a play comes on. None of us pays attention to the show. He props his legs on the arm of the couch and I smile at how comfortable we both are. This isn’t such a bad arrangement. I kick the empty can of soda at my feet and his eyes flit to mine.The parlour is a mini mess from our movie marathon. We are on a break and I am taking the opportunity to tackle his overgrown brows and hopefully get some information about Let. Noah runs in Ben’s clique.“Does Noah have a brother?” I try to keep my voice flat and uninterested but Ben’s eyes remain on me. When he doesn’t stop staring, I let out a nervous laugh. “He&rs
Ben groans. He does that a lot when I ask a question about his family. My fingers run over his jaw, he nibbles on my fingertips and a shudder skitters down my spine. A moment or two later, he sighs again. “I need to be home with them.” With an eye roll, he says, “I don’t want to but I have to.” Ben is eighteen years and old enough to make decisions for himself but I guess his age doesn’t matter in the agreement with his mother. His head falls back on the couch. I trail a line on his chest. “Christmas is compulsory.” My hands slide under his shirt, I trace the space between his abs. “At least you get to see Asher.” “Yeah.” He looks down at me with a half-smile. “I guess so.” His voice lacks excitement, he tightens his hold on me and my cheek presses to his chest. I look out the window across us and pry Ben’s hands from my waist. The sky is fast turning grey. A gentle breeze rustles the curtain and Ben sits up. The clock on the wall above th
My bath lasts all of ten minutes. I hop to my room while humming a tone I am not sure where I heard it. Hayden is on my bed, snacking on the batch of cookies I made earlier this week. I was hoping to see Ben so I could give some to him and his brother. I have missed Asher’s sweet comments about my baking.Hayden scoops more ice-cream into his big mouth, I walk over to him and smack the back of his head.“Yo,” he says, turning his head to me with a deep scowl. His eyes rake over my wet body and he plugs his nose. Stupid. He’s the worse sometimes. I squeeze the water out of my hair and splash it on his face. “Was that necessary?” Batting my scanty lashes, I nod. “That’s not cute, Tessa.” Ben will gladly disagree.I flash my teeth, well aware he will beat the hell out of me if we were ever to engage in a real fight. He and Coach Greyson are the reason I can fight. “That’s my ice-cre
Ben and I are still holding hands as we walk down the stairs. A thin sheet of snow covers the pavement and the street. The height of the snow is nothing to worry about. As kids, we loved to play in the snow. My favourite part was smashing Hayden’s face into the snowman. I always cried when he did the same.We stroll to a car parked in front of our garage, Ben brings out a fob. A beep sounds, the front and back lights blink. Ben drags me to the passenger side and opens the door. I place a hand on the car’s hood.“What’s going on?” I ask, a note of doubt creeping into my voice. “Where’s your bike?”We are the only two out in the snow which is slowly nipping at my skin. Ben scratches the back of his head. “At home?” He pushes me gently into the car but I refuse to budge. “Gracie, go in. I’ll explain.”With that disapproving frown etched on my lips, I slide i
“Who was your first crush?” I ask Ben. We are nearly done with our meal. Well, I am. Ben has done nothing but watch me. The place is a bit more quiet. I nibble on my lips as his eyes grow intense. He smoothens the front of his tux with a wink. “Answer me,” I say with a smile. Why do I feel like it’s someone I know? Possibly Olivia. “You first,” he mutters. He starts on his meal before I get another word out, I shake my head. The lights in the restaurant grow dim, waiters move about the place silently and soft music plays in the background. I sneak a peek at my phone which lights up. We have been here for over an hour. I place the phone face down to avoid any distractions. It is a few hours until Christmas and our anniversary. Does he remember? Poking my cheeks with my fingers, I stick my tongue out. “My first crush was Brian.” Ben sets his fork down, then the knife. His brows furrow, he leans
I am wearing my boots. The combat boots my boyfriend gifted me on our anniversary. I catwalk to the front of my mirror and twirl. Hayden groans behind me. I spin in another circle to annoy him and he sends a pillow flying at me. I duck and the pillow hits the mirror. Picking it from the floor, I launch it at his head.“I swear to God if you smile at that shoe one more time I’ll stab myself in the eye with a fork.”My face contorts at the imagery his words provoke, he shoves a fistful of popcorn into his mouth. If he’s so pained, he shouldn’t be sprawled on the bed in my room, eating my snacks. Turning to the mirror with a bigger smile, I lower myself to my seat and inspect the boots on my legs. I can’t get over them.They are so soft and bloody expensive. The heels are perfect, a few inches to boost my height. I tried not to check the price but that didn’t end well. It cost a fortune. The best part is t
I feel like sexual assault against the male genders is not talked about as much as in the case of the female genders. As a friend to a few males who have been molested by people who were supposed to care for them, I knew I had to write about it someday. And I hope I was able to bring awareness to this, however little, through Ben. It’s never okay to molest a child. It’s never okay to molest anyone. That being said, here are some fun facts about this book; 1. It’s my first attempt at teenfiction. I was almost certain readers would notice and call me out on that. 2. BBTB was supposed to be a short story project. I was so worried it would be a flop so I planned to make it between 40-80 chapters. But the story grew wings and took off on its own. 3. This is the longest story I have ever written. I am just as surprised as you are and I was pleasantly shocked to see comments wanting their lovestory to go on for much longer. Those comments kept me going even on the bad days. So, thank y
It hurts too much. My body is on fire and it’s not yet right to push. Why isn’t it time? I need them to get the baby out of me. Not later, now. Sweat drips down my forehead and my eyes sting with tears. The doctor has stopped the bleeding. I have been cleaned up, changed into a hospital gown. They say everything is fine but it’s not. The contractions are ripping me from inside out and all Ben does is mutter unintelligible gibberish. He put the baby inside me, he should experience the pain too. “Are you okay?” Ben asks. I glare at him. How can I be okay? Whatever the doctor gave me is keeping me awake so I have no respite from the pain. Ben pushes my hair away from my sweaty forehead and I lean into him for comfort. I’m tired but I’m glad our son is okay. “I’m sorry, Gracie,” my husband says. Pushing past my pain, I offer him a questioning glance. Maddie is fine, right? My parents are okay too, right? Ben wipes the tears spill
I am packing up for Maddie’s weekend getaway when Ben strolls into her room. He picks a toy from the floor, tosses it into the air and catches it. I stall when he crosses over to me. All his attempts to take over the packing from me are futile. He protests by shaking his head. I am pregnant, not handicapped.When the bag is zipped up, I lower myself to the bed to catch my breath. Maybe I should have let him do it. But he never lets me do anything.Worried eyes stare into mine as Ben kneels between my legs. I’m fine, just tired. I pick the stuffed bear he dropped on the bed and sniff it. It smells like Maddie. And if I listen closely, I’ll hear her voice as she sings along with her favourite characters on TV.Maddie’s grandparents—my parents are in town because I’m due next week. They don’t want to miss it. She’s spending the weekend with them.Ben pries the bear from me and traces the
Laughter erupts from the living room, a kid’s voice follows and my lips curve in a smile. I pause the YuuTube tutorial I’m watching and set my tab down on the counter. I’m trying a new recipe I found online. Ben has been working extra hours so he can’t cook as much anymore and I’m tired of takeouts for dinner.With a hand under my belly, I meander to the living room. Maddie is on her feet, clapping and giggling at the television. There’s an old show playing. A family series I starred in one year after graduation. I clear my throat and my baby girl spins to face me. She grins and everything feels right. The nine hours of labour, the screams, the pain. They don’t matter.Running towards me, she stops a few inches from me and grabs my hand. “See Mummy,” she says, pointing at the television. I’m helping the second male lead set up his outfit for work. Her blue eyes flash with childlike innocence when she run
I feel the stare before I turn to Maria. “Will you stop?” I mutter. She says nothing but her eyes lower to my swollen belly, making it so obvious she had been staring. “Maria Vega.”“Theresa Carter.”Pink colours my cheeks. I hide my face in my palms and she bursts out laughing. It still feels so surreal being Mrs Carter, Ben’s wife. Our wedding was small and private like we both wanted. Aside from our family, we had our friends. Maria. Leah. Mira. Calum. Olivia also showed up. She and Ben are still in contact. We are kind of cool.Thinking about the wedding makes me smile and I twist the ring on my forth finger. My promise ring remains on my middle finger.I sit up and cross my legs. There are some pictures from the wedding scattered all over the living room floor. Maria didn’t get a chance to see them before her flight. She had a concert that day. I rub a hand over my stomach. Ben didn’t
Where is Ben? We will be late.I step out of the bathroom in only a towel and sashay to the wardrobe to get the gown for our date. There are a few options but I select a navy blue off-shoulder gown. Flipping through my playlist, I settle on Maria’s new single and settle down in front of the vanity to make myself up.A smile curves my lips as I brush my hair. I don’t look so bad at all. The makeup tutorial classes on YuuTube and Maria’s extra sessions come in handy as I apply foundation to my face. My gaze flies to the door. I’m in my room. Ben wasn’t in his room when I checked but he should be getting ready.The door creaks. I look up but Ben doesn’t walk in. My eye makeup is done. I apply a bright red lipstick and the door finally opens. Ben stalks into the room wearing a tux. My man is hot but in a suit and Oxford leather shoes, he is hotter. He closes the door with his foot and leans on it so I can assess
The drive to Ben’s office is a blur. I’m out of the car and in front of his office in a flash. I miss him. And I haven’t seen him in eight hours.I knock once on the door and open before he ushers me inside. Locking the door behind me, I bridge the gap between us and crush him in a hug. We live in the same house but God, I want to be in his presence all the time.“You’re back so early,” Ben says against my lips. I kiss him hard to make up for the hours without any kisses. Ben chuckles and hoists me on the edge of his desk. Then, he stands between my legs. “I missed you too, babe.”I grin. “I missed you more.”Ben touches his forehead to mine. “You’re here,” he says. His smile is sad. I nod against his body and his hands slip into my gown. I help him with the zip and pout. “I didn’t think you would make it today.”I had a pho
The mixer whirrs to life. I throw in more flour, add three eggs and whisk the batter into a smooth mix. Calum, my unwilling apprentice, watches from behind the counter. He came in last night. On my command, Calum oils the pans for the cake and turns on the oven. Done, he edges close to me. I swat his hand before he dips his finger into the mix. “Come on, Tessa. I came all this way, let me have some.” I roll my eyes. He came all this way, uninvited but I’m happy to see him. I empty the batter into the small pan. We will eat from that. “Just a taste.” “Fine.” I shove the spatula in his face and he snatches it from me. My face scrunches in disgust when he licks the spatula clean like a hungry dog. “Calum, what’s wrong with you?” He shrugs. “Nothing?” It feels like there’s something but I continue emptying the batter into the pans. When I’m done, I bring out the ingredients for the icing. Today is Ben’s
A look of fear flashes across her face. She levels me with a stare that shows she’s trying to control her temper. It’s unfair that I have to watch her kiss other guys under the guise of it being part of the job. “You are just making up scenarios that don’t exist,” she says. “Your job doesn’t even require it, Benny.” “But your job does...” I twist my hands so hard they ache. She doesn’t get it. “...and I don’t like it, Gracie.” Various emotions flicker on her face. She opens and closes her mouth twice without saying a word. The third time, she murmurs, “You asked me to trust you when Elena was involved, right?” I did. And I’ve established boundaries at the office, at school too. For fuck’s sake, she’s my screensaver, I wear my ring. They know I belong to Gracie. “So, can you please trust me on this one? It’s just a job, babe.” “Babe, it’s not the same.” Gracie stomps her feet in annoyance. I grit my teeth. She’s not the only one getti