Page 74 of Only Lovers in the Building

“We’re on the second floor,” Dave said. “Elevator or stairs?”

They took the stairs. On the climb, Lily mulled over Ben’s last question. When did her mind ever go blank? Always. Whenever he looked at her intently, brushed her arm with the back of his, or said things like Read to me. Or like yesterday evening, when they strolled back to the building after oysters and beer at a nearby bar and he said, “Give me your hand.”

Upstairs, Dave went off to retrieve a set of keys. Lily tried one last time to get Ben to understand her state of mind. “When I’m nervous, I tend to ramble,” she whispered.

“I love the way you ramble.”

Her mind went blank.

The studio was smaller than Lily had anticipated. She and Ben were seated across from each other at a narrow table fitted with microphones. Dave took care of some housekeeping.

“I don’t know how familiar you are with what we do here, so I’ll give you an overview. Our subscribers appreciate our laid-back vibe. We offer the experience of hanging with friends, talking about the pop culture issues of the day. You don’t have to carry the whole show. You’re new to this, so we’ve decided to keep your segments short. Talk about the books you love and be yourselves. No pressure to perform. What you two have done at BookTap will translate well here. Any questions?”

Ben tapped his mic. “How do you turn this on?”

“Good question.”

When Dave finally went into the recording room, Ben asked her, “Are you okay?”

“No.”

How many times did she have to tell him? She was not okay.

“It’s fine if you can’t handle it,” he said. “Leave it to me. I’ll do most of the talking.”

Lily glared at him. Not only did this man know where her buttons were, he knew the unique pushing sequence to get the exact reaction he wanted. “Don’t worry. I can handle it.”

He returned her glare with twinkling eyes. “I thought so.”

“All right, you two. We’re ready to go,” Dave said through hidden speakers. “At my prompt, introduce yourselves.”

Pop Shop

A Pop Culture Podcast

Category: Arts

Rating: 4.1 stars

June 28: The Sweetest Lie by Teresa Star

with Lily Lyon and Ben Romero

Lily: Can people change? For as long as I’ve known Ben, which isn’t long at all, we’ve clashed over this central question. Our opinions on this matter have fluctuated over time, but it’s central to Teresa Star’s contemporary romance, The Sweetest Lie. We’ve read it, enjoyed it, and posted our reviews on BookTap. Today, we’ll discuss how well the second-chance-at-love trope holds up in real life, if at all.

Ben: Lily, I love how you’ve laid that out. How about a quick and dirty synopsis to get us started?

Lily: I can do quick and dirty. Emma and Max have been dating a couple months when Max gets drunk while on a business trip in Vegas and wakes up married. Emma promptly dumps him. Years later, annulment secured, the couple meet again at a wedding in Malibu. Obviously, she takes him back, and they sail off into the sunset, on a houseboat no less. Was it a mistake, though?

Ben: Waking up married in Vegas is a rite of passage in certain cultures.

Lily: Ben!

Ben: He’s truly sorry. He’s sober. He’s gone to therapy. He’s groveled like no man has groveled before. Where’s your mercy?

Lily: On the Pacific Ocean floor.

Ben: The guy hit rock bottom, and he’s repentant.