Page 45 of Only Lovers in the Building

“No,” he said with a quirky little smile.

To be ten and worshipped by a little Ben Romero! Lily would have changed places with that girl in a second.

“We’re not going to read this book tonight, are we?” Ben asked.

“Not likely,” Lily replied.

“Should we watch a movie?” he suggested.

Nothing on a screen could be more entertaining than this.

“How about you tell me your war stories and I’ll tell you mine,” she said. “Let’s talk about the breakups that broke us.”

“We’d be up all night,” he said.

“Nothing heavy. We’ll keep it to the highlight reel,” she said. “Feel free to change names to protect the innocent. I don’t mind telling you that one of my exes is named Brad. Don’t hold it against me.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s a financial consultant.”

“I hate him already.”

“Wait,” Lily said. “It gets better.”

“I love a good story.” He inched closer. “Tell me everything.”

“He took me on a few dates to noisy jazz bars and complained he couldn’t hear my laugh over the music. I suggested slower, quieter dates. We met for ice cream at the park and visited museums after dark. He worked long hours and welcomed the slower pace. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Brad didn’t have a job. He hadn’t worked in months.”

“If I were to play devil’s advocate for a minute,” Ben said, “I’d point out that women are not kind to broke men.”

“You’re my advocate,” she reminded him.

“How did you learn the truth?” he asked. “Was his platinum card declined at the ice cream shop?”

“We made plans for my birthday, dinner at a new French restaurant I was dying to try. Thinking back, I made those plans, reserved the table, everything. All he had to do was meet me at the restaurant.”

“He stood you up on your birthday?”

“No,” Lily said. “He ghosted me the day before, ignoring my calls and texts. Like an idiot, I thought he might be planning a surprise. He wasn’t. When I didn’t hear from him on the day, I gave up and had dinner with my parents. It was hellish.”

“I’m sorry he put you through that,” Ben said gravely. “And I’m sorry I wasted my breath defending him.”

“Aw. Thanks.”

“Did you ever hear from him after that?”

“The feds got him,” Lily said. “He’s under indictment. No time to date, I guess.”

“No fucking way.”

“Yes way.”

“That’s better than the plot of the last book we read.”

“My life is stranger than fiction.” Lily joined her hands with a loud clap. “That’s my sad story. Your turn!”

“Sadly, I’m the villain in my stories.”