Oh.
Oh no.
Mother f—
My phone vibrates with a call and this time I don’t ignore it.
“I’m sorry, I realize my face is pretty bad,” I say to him, skipping the hello altogether.
“What? Your face is beautiful. I was calling to tell you not to look,” Benedict says, calm and happy as ever.
“Well, I did,” I sigh.
He clears his throat before asking, “So did you see the bit about the houses?”
“Yes.”
“Then you realize we’re going to have to, you know, live together.”
Every cell in my body tenses up, “I figured.”
“Just for a while, alright? We’ll make a big show of it at the end of this week when I’m back, then some adorable apple picking, as per your schedule,” I hear what sounds like him moving his mouth like he’s looking away, “some kissing, some walking home hand in hand and that’ll be it.”
I smirk, “Don’t think I didn’t miss how you threw kissing in there.”
“Oh, heard that, did you?” I snort and he teases, “Listen, love, I’m just trying to solve the problem.”
“The problemIcreated. I get it.”
“Well, therewasthe issue of the unread spreadsheet,” he goes on, clearly smiling. “Joint effort all around.”
“True!” I smile back, “but only one of us has a zoomed-in pop-out feature of their neck in every tabloid in America.” He doesn’t say anything. “Crap. And the UK! And…oh, okay, I get it. Every tabloid in the world. Awesome.”
He chuckles, “It’s usually a very sexy neck.”
“It was having a bad day.”
“Well, its husband didn’t watch asingleYouTube video about how to make a scarecrow. What can one expect really?”
I laugh again. We discuss logistics for apple picking this weekend and then say our goodbyes.
I lock my phone and close my laptop, feeling better. It’s amazing, really. After talking to him I always feel better. Every time. I knew he was fun. Funny, too. But I didn’t expect the…comfort of him.
Weird.
And bad!
Alert!
I cannot find him handsome—which is only okay in an observation from afar kind of way. And I cannot start thinking he’s hot—which takes any feels from my brain straight down my body. And I most definitely cannot think a combination of those AND find him comforting. Feels explosion!
I have got to get a handle on this.
I can think of one sure-fire way to do so.
I pick my phone back up and go to the old, saved album I keep just for moments like this.
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