Page 65 of Only Lovers in the Building

In my experience, holding out for the total package is a strategy that leaves you empty-handed. The architect’s career is crumbling. The rock star has poor impulse control. The hockey player is in training and can’t commit. We’ll make excuses. “He’s not so bad,” we’ll confess to our friends at the bottom of a bottomless-mimosa brunch. “He’s just stressed with work.”

All this to say we are not well-crafted characters but flawed human beings, and—

Lily dropped her pen and picked up her buzzing phone. There was a message from Ben: You up?

Ever since they’d started texting, he would send her the loveliest messages at all times of day or night. Then, as a palette cleanser, he’d send her something like this—a reminder that he was just a guy and not the romance hero she was building him up to be in her mind. Going forward, she would see potential love interests for who they were and not who she wished them to be—a mindset that would have saved her so much heartache in the past, starting with Darren. Had she not read too much into his sweet smile and Midwestern manners, she might have seen him for the flat tire that he was.

Lily: I expect better from you.

Ben: I’m done for the night. Can we talk?

Lily: That’s better.

It was a Wednesday night, and Ben had once again filled in for Roxanna. Her baby was colicky and needed his mother. The way Ben selflessly gave of his time only added to the myth that he was better than any main character.

Lily: Want to meet out in the hall in 10?

The hall was neutral territory. She wasn’t going to his place this late at night or inviting him over. Any friendship required boundaries. The romance genre had taught her one undeniable truth: you can meet the right person at the wrong time, and nothing you do can change the doomed outcome.

Ben: I’ll be waiting.

Ben had seen her in every possible state, and his hands had been everywhere. She should feel comfortable enough to step out to meet him in the oversize T-shirt she’d worn to bed but, again, boundaries. She grabbed her robe off the hook in the bathroom. He was waiting outside his door, a backpack in hand. His black T-shirt was rumpled and water-stained. She suppressed the urge to invite him in to take a load off.

“I heard from my agent,” he said. “They’ve agreed to our terms. She’ll forward the contract in the morning for us to take a first look.”

“Oh my God,” she murmured. “That’s fast!”

In her world, any contractual agreement took months and months of negotiating. However, this was Ben’s world, and she lacked subject matter expertise. She took a back seat and let him spearhead the negotiations. So far, he’d done an excellent job fast-tracking the deal. Good thing, too. The takeaway from their initial call with the producers of Pop Shop, a high-ranking pop culture podcast, was that there was no time to waste. A sudden vacancy had to be filled. They were looking for someone to cover a few episodes over the summer with smart and fun content until a permanent host could be found. Allison was convinced that a limited series on romance from the perspective of smart young professionals was the perfect fit. For Lily, it was an opportunity to raise her profile in the book community and earn money over the summer.

He tilted his head to study her. “How do you feel?”

“I’m excited,” Lily admitted.

The idea had enticed her from the start, though she’d been reluctant to admit it. She’d considered the negative impact on the future of her legal career and factored in her father’s opinion. None of that mattered now that the opportunity was at hand.

The elevator whirred and dinged and opened at the end of the hall. Jeremy, who Lily had yet to talk to about anything substantive, let alone his legal dilemmas, stumbled out. This time, there was no awkwardness. Ben said, “Hey.” Jeremy waved hello as if swatting a fly and rounded the corner to his apartment. It was enough to make Lily change her mind about the hall. This was no safe space. “Let’s head inside.”

Ben let her into his apartment. He switched on a soft light and dropped his backpack at the doorway. “Roxanna found a new job at a resort,” he announced. “In a few weeks, she’ll start a day shift at the hotel bar. The new schedule works for her family.”

This meant he wouldn’t have to cover shifts for her anymore. “Is this the end of your bartending career?”

“Could be,” he said. “I’d miss it.”

“Well . . . I’ll take a glass of water, please.”

“Lemon?”

“No, thanks.”

“Coming right up. Have a seat.”

Lily sat at the table. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the leather box on the bookshelf.

“Why were you up so late?” Ben asked.

“Hmm?” she asked, distracted by the box.

“Were you reading?” he asked.