It was hard to keep the smirk from his face. “For you having to go get measured with my mom today, without me.”
Yes, he did have to study and spent some hours this afternoon doing so. But it was hard to admit, even to himself, that maybe he hadn’t been brave enough to go with her. She met his mom at the neutral location, but he’d still been hesitant to go. Afraid that his mother would see them for what they really were. Afraid to be called out as insincere, or worse, for being in love.
“Meh.” Kenya’s shoulders lifted a centimeter, her focus on the screen. “It’s always been on my bucket list to be a pincushion.” She shimmied a little, catching his attention. Her eyes danced, onyx orbs catching all the light in the room, keeping his eyes glued to her face. “Extra points to do so in the presence of your feisty mom.”
23
HE MAY HAVE STAYED UPway too late last night. He should have just ended the evening on a high note after Kenya left. Instead, he decided to study for hours after her departure. His body had protested all day from the lack of sleep.
“Today seems like a good day to quit,” he growled.
“You say that every other day.” Ben reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone with an attached credit card holder. Setting his eyes on the vending machine, he sauntered toward it.
“But today I really mean it.” Solomon leaned against the wall of the triage area of the emergency room. “This shift has drained me. Is there a rugby match in town that we haven’t heard of? Or did all the kids in the surrounding area go and do flips on trampolines at the same time?”
“Something like that,” Ben agreed. “Thankfully, I’ve got some free time coming up. I think I am over my limit.” He grabbed a soda from the vending machine and guzzled down half of it.
Solomon cocked an eyebrow. “What happened to your diet?”
“Ahh.” Ben lowered the can. “I’ve never been on a diet.”
“Okay then, insert whatever word you use for your various eating emphases.”
Ben nodded his head, giving a slight frown of respect. “I’mimpressed with that word arrangement. You make my food choices sound more elevated.”
Solomon chuckled and sighed. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Nah, just too good in paradise, maybe. Or too boring?”
“Sooo...”
“So basically, she wants us to move to something more ... more committed.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing.”
“Dude, commitment gives me the creeps.”
“That sounds like words every woman wants to hear.”
Ben sighed and started down the hallway. Solomon followed him into the break room. Some of the tables were filled with other medical professionals, with one doctor snoring unabashedly on the couch. Par for the course. Everyone did what they could on days like these.
And it was only 1:00 p.m. on a Wednesday.
Ben sat down with a huff. “I know it’s been a while since a woman has graced your threshold. Unless of course you’ve been seeing more of your friend from our bowling night.”
Solomon kept his expression neutral. Ben didn’t need to know that in fact said bowling womandidgrace his threshold yesterday, but not in the way that would matter for Ben. And it was none of his friend’s business that he and Kenya played video games, watched a movie, and talked longer than they should have. A second date for the books.
“My whole life has changed.” Ben continued his complaint. “She is rearranging my things, cooking elaborate meals for me. Get this, the other day she organized my pantry.”
“You have a pantry?”
Ben shrugged. “It came with the apartment. But I barely have anything in there, and she’s already got containers with those printed sticker things...”
“Labels?”
“Sure. But I mean, what are we doing here? What is happening to my bachelor pad?”
“A woman you love is happening.”
