King of the Court

Ben warns her that he’s a bit sweaty, but she doesn’t care one bit.

She pats his back affectionately. “Hey there, Caleb. I heard you went to the park!”

“Ray-yin,” he answers, pointing back at me, and the woman looks over, nodding in understanding.

I give her a little wave, which she returns, then she looks back down at Caleb.

“Ohhh, you went to the park with Daddy and his friend? Bet you had fun. Are you hungry for a little snack? We can’t eat too much, Ms. Nina is fixing dinner, but I’ll get something to tide you over.”

“Apple! Apple!” Caleb begs.

“Please,” the woman stresses.

“Pwease!” Caleb repeats, replacing the l with a w and melting my heart for the hundredth time today.

While she heads to the fridge to grab an apple, Ben catches my hand and tugs me back. “Come talk to me for a second in my study. Donna’s got Caleb.”

I follow after him, slightly concerned about how serious he sounds all of a sudden. All day, he’s been so focused on Caleb. We both have, but now that we’re heading down a hallway alone, I’m reminded of last night, and it makes me curious to know what he wants to talk about.

Once we’re in his study, he closes the door behind us and turns to face me.

“I head out of town tomorrow for a few days.”

I nod. “Right. Yes, I knew that.”

“And we haven’t discussed it, but maybe you’ll stay here again tonight and head back to your place in the morning?”

I flush, thinking of spending another night in Ben’s bed. “Yes. I mean, I don’t have a concrete plan in place. I need to look up the bus routes.”

“Bus routes?” he asks, genuinely perplexed.

I smile. “You know, buses are those huge long cars you see driving on the road sometimes? Us poor folk like to take them so we don’t have to walk.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t have you on a bus. In fact, I’m not even convinced you should go back to your place.”

I laugh because what he’s hinting at is absolutely preposterous.

“I have to go back. I have a life, Ben.”

“You could continue your life from here.”

I back up, eyes wide, mouth agape. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Don’t look so shocked.”

“Ben! What in the world are you thinking? We’ve been dating for less than a day! You can’t ask me to move in with you! Absolutely not.”

“Fine. Then we’ll discuss security options and you’ll borrow one of my cars for the time being.”

“No.” I shake my head. “It doesn’t work like that. I can’t just borrow your car. Caltech has horrible parking, and you have to pay insane fees to nab a spot.”

“So then you’ll need a driver.”

At this point, I think he’s completely lost his mind.

“Ben, no car, no driver. I’m a big girl. I know how to get around. I’ll be just fine.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Raelynn

I’m not fine. Not by a long shot.

My plan starts going downhill on Sunday morning. Not right away though. The beginning of my day is wonderful. Waking up next to Ben a second day in a row is nothing short of fan-freaking-tastic. We slept wrapped around one another, touching anywhere we could. His scent clings to me and his hand rubs back and forth across my lower back, just beneath the hem of my shirt, teasing me awake. I smile, but I keep my eyes closed, forcing him to kiss me and draw me out of bed with the promise of coffee and breakfast. I mean, twist my arm, why don’t you?

I even get a little more time with Caleb, and I take full advantage, sitting close to him and helping him eat. When I share a bite of my toast with him and he tries to say “Thank you” in his little toddler voice, I can barely suppress the urge to squeeze him in a tight hug.

After breakfast, Donna takes Caleb on a walk, and I help Nina with the dishes even after she tries to shoo me away. When I’m done, it’s time for Ben to leave for the airport, so I gather my things in his room while he watches on. I don’t know why I feel anxious. I suppose I’ve come to appreciate how nice it feels to be in Ben’s home, how at peace I feel here. I’m not in a rush to complicate our relationship, but there’s no way to escape it. I have to go back to the real world at some point.

“Leave some clothes here,” he says, referring to the things Nina ordered for me. “So you’ll be more comfortable next time. There’s a whole empty closet in there.”

He points to his bathroom and I shrug as if to say, Why not? But truly, I’m so relieved by his suggestion.

Ben knows I need to go back to my house at Caltech even though he’s advised against it. If he had it his way, I’d ride with him to the airport then have his driver drop me at Caltech after. I counter with a better plan: his driver can drop me off at the bus stop right outside of Ben’s neighborhood. To me, it’s a good compromise. His driver will shorten my commute by twenty minutes, and I’ll still get to exert some sense of freedom and normalcy.