Between Friends (12 page)

I hear Jessica’s voice, prompting me
with a high pitched “Okay?”

I have zoned out to the point of
entirely missing what she was talking about. I nod in agreement and
worry I have just signed my life away.

“
Yay!” She exclaims and
leans across the table. She stirs her straw amongst the ice cubes
in her drink then adds, “I am so happy you agree. I knew you would
love to end your speech off by performing our rendition of “Baby
Got Back” that we choreographed in fifth grade. It would be such a
great finishing touch.”

I choke on my drink, and let out a few
coughs, “Really? You think?”

“
Oh Megan! I knew you
weren’t listening!” She pulls her straw out from her drink, and
flicks limey droplets in my face, “Like I would make you do that!
But honestly, this speech is important to me. You know
that.”

“
I know” I say wiping the
sticky substance from my cheek, “I’m sorry. I promise it will be
the best speech you have ever heard.”

Jessica smiles, “It better be.” and
gives me a great big drunk hug.

Within no time, the bar is closing and
we are the only ones left. The servers tidy up around us, and I
know from my previous stint as a server in college, that this is
the staff’s polite way of telling you to get the hell
out.

“
Let’s go back to our
villa” Stephanie exclaims to entice the others.

Of course Matthew and Eric agree, but
level headed Michael kisses the top of Jessica’s head, and decides
for both of them to call it a night. Jessica forces a small
protest, but with a final yawn, she gives in to Michael’s better
notions as they head off to their villa.

“
Maybe we should all go to
bed.” I say with a yawn.

“
Why are you always such a
party pooper?” Michelle says and slams back the rest of her
drink.

“
I am not party pooping, I
am just being reasonable. Besides, it’s one-thirty in the morning.”
I reply.

“
We are on vacation Megan!”
Eric shouts and nudges me as he grazes by my side. “Lighten
up.”

Ben laughs at Eric’s comment and
teasingly gives me a pout. I roll my eyes at him and shout to
everyone walking away from me, “All of you are going to be sorry in
the morning.”

They all ignore me and chatter amongst
themselves, continuing their pursuit to our villa. Ben lingers at
my side, and drapes his arm around my shoulders as we follow behind
everyone else. Once we are halfway to our villa, he ruffles my hair
and whispers, “Play along with me.”

Before I can even ask him what he is
talking about, he stops dead in his tracks and shouts to everyone
up ahead, “Megan left her purse at the restaurant. We’re going to
go back and get it. We’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

I turn bright red, thankful it is
pitch black outside. I am thrilled and nervous in anticipation of
what he has in mind. Our friends mumble a mixture of whatever, and
see you soon, as Ben and I watch them fade into the dark of the
night.

“
Are you crazy?” I laugh
and push away from him, “What do you think you’re
doing?”

Ben yanks my arm and pulls me into his
chest. He places his chin on my head and holds me in his arms, “I
wanted to be alone with you.”

His words form a tiny
prickle behind my knees. He slides his hands down my back, and
slips one hand to entwine in my fingers. He kisses the top of my
head and tugs me in the opposite direction to lead us down to the
pool area.

The water is still and
glistens from the lights reflected in the pool. Ben kicks off his
sandals, rolls up his pants, and sticks his feet in the water. He
waves me over to sit beside him and I do. I slip off my sandals and
plunk my feet into the cool calm waters.

The first thing Ben
says is, “Would you rather be able to talk with animals or be able
to speak all foreign languages?”

I of course laugh at
his ability to come up with ridiculous things on the spot,
“Obviously I would rather be able to talk with animals. You know
how much I love them.”

“
Yeah, but if you
could speak all languages, you could eavesdrop on all the
foreigners conversations” He tries to argue.

“
Yeah, but when does
that ever happen?” I say.

“
Well, you could
travel the world and communicate wherever you went.” Ben says
matter-of-factly.

“
Well, whenever I get
around to doing that, I’ll let you know.”

“
Can I come with you
when you do?” He innocently asks.

I roll my eyes “Trust
me, if I ever find myself booking a trip around the world you’ll be
the first person I tell.”

“Alright, I’m gonna
hold that to you Megs.” Ben says and gives me a wink.

“Okay, my turn. Would
you rather be able to fly or read minds?” I ask swirling my feet
around in the water.

“That’s easy. Read minds. Hands
down.” Ben lets out a low chuckle.

“Really? I thought because of
your strange obsession with Superman you would have picked fly.” I
laugh and give him a playful nudge.

“You are never going to let me
live that down are you?” he laughs.

“Anyone who has Superman bed
sheets until their junior year of high school, should be teased.
The only reason you even got rid of them was because I made fun of
you for having them.” I remind him.

“Umm, at least I am
not the one who still has an extensive collection of Beanie Babies
hidden in a box in their closet.” He bites his lip and waits for my
reaction. How the hell does he know about that box?

“I do not!” I lie.

Ben narrows his eyes at me, “Did
you forget who helped you move into your condo last
year?”

“You looked through my boxes?” I
laugh, slapping him across his rock solid bicep.

Ben innocently shrugs, “There was
some pink bear poking through the top, I couldn’t
resist.”

We both burst out laughing. This
is the Ben I love. This is my best friend.

Ben smiles and picks
up my hand up from the cement edge of the pool. He puts it up to
his lips, gently kisses it and places it back onto my lap. He lifts
his eyes to meet mine and slowly moves away. He leans back and
peels off his shirt, then tosses it onto the deck of the
pool.

“
What are you doing?”
I shout in a hushed whisper. Ben places his index finger over my
lips and silences me. He slides off his pants and dips into the
water wearing nothing but his underwear.

“
Enough of this game.
Are you coming in?” He asks, amused by my look of
horror.

“
We’re not allowed to
go in the pool past eleven. It’s against the rules.” I
say.

Ben tilts his head to
the side, blinking his dark framed lashes in my direction. I cross
my arms and legs, refusing to join him. I turn my head to the side,
“I am not coming in there. We are going to get caught.”

But Ben doesn’t seem
to understand the word no, and doesn’t ever take rejection lightly.
He glides over in my direction and places his arms on either side
of my dangling legs, “If you don’t come in yourself, I am going to
yank you in fully clothed.”

“
No you’re not.” I
entice him, calling him on what I think is a bluff.

“
I am giving you one
last chance. Are you coming in? Yes or No?” he asks and teasingly
presses his chest against my knees with a smug grin.

I pretend to debate
his request, by coyly placing my index finger on the side of my
chin and tilt my head in contemplation. Ben basks in my playful
demeanour and starts to wrap his arms around my back. I quickly
push his strong forearms away, “Ben this isn’t funny! Let
go!”

I squirm from his
grasp, but he laughs and grabs hold of my hips. I try to resist
him, but he pulls me away from the ledge of the pool, and before I
can even pull my feet out of the water, Ben takes total control of
my body. I let out a shrill scream when he submerges me into the
cool waters. I pop my head out, gasping for air, and see him
standing in front of me roaring with laughter. I wipe away the wet
strands of hair clamped against my face, and burst out laughing
with him.

My laughter hurts my
cheeks as I dunk my hair back into the water and smooth it out. I
look back up, and see a clear image of Ben in the dim lights
surrounding the pool. He looks gorgeous with his dark hair ruffled
and wet. The water drips down his smooth tanned chest and trickles
into the water. He moves closer to me, and runs his thumb along my
cheek. I stand still, watching his dark eyes study my face.
Suddenly Ben grabs onto my hips and our laughter stops. He slowly
yanks my dress over my body, but I don’t resist. Instead I raise my
hands in the air and let him leave me in my bra and
panties.

He tosses my dress to
the deck of the pool and my knees almost give out. His hands cup my
butt and he picks me up. I slip my arms around his shoulders and
wrap my legs around his waist. Just as still as the waters have
become, so have we. We don’t move or say another word as he leans
in and gently kisses me. His lips are so soft and tender, but this
time, something about our kiss is different than it was before. It
is a moment I want to freeze in time forever. Our kiss is slow and
steady. It is a kiss you think you would only see in the movies, or
a kiss you could only imagine you might have some day with someone
you trust with all you heart. Or maybe even someone you
love.

Sparks rise between
us, as Ben’s hands creep between my thighs. I let him run his
fingers in my warm insides and I kiss him harder becoming lost in
his touch. The cool water nipping against my skin, mixed with the
heat from Ben’s chest pressed against mine has me melting in his
arms. I love the way he makes me feel. I am not worrying about
whether this is right or wrong, or questioning if our friendship
will be ruined. For once, the only thing I feel inside is
beautiful.

Chapter 10

Ben and I stay
submerged in the water, kissing, touching, and dirty talking. The
mixture of wet and dark makes every rub between us electric. Ben
eyes flicker with intensity when he braces me against the concrete
wall of the pool and commands “Open your legs.”

I inch them apart, but
he can’t wait. He grabs the inside of my thighs and thrusts them
open then whispers in my ear, “I want you so bad.” The immediate
sensation from feeling him touch me with such force makes me moan
out his name without even knowing it.

“
I love it when you
say my name like that.” Ben growls in my ear. His breath makes me
dissolve into his arms before he tugs the back of my hair and
exposes my neck. He trails kisses along my collarbone, and I
seriously can’t take it anymore. I want Ben more than ever. I
quietly beg him to enter me as his lips hover over mine, but he
pulls away and places his thick index finger over my
mouth.

“
Did you hear that?”
Ben whispers and darts his eyes around the pool.

“
Hear what?” I
ask.

Ben’s ears perk up and
his big brown eyes widen, “Shit Megan. I heard
something!”

Flashlights blaze in
our direction and muffled Spanish voices echo in the distance. I
catch a glimpse of a tall dark figure dressed in what looks like
resort staff attire walking briskly in our direction.

“
I told you we’d get
caught!” I scold him.

Without a moment to
lose, Ben and I scamper out of the pool sopping wet and half naked.
We grab our clothes and run completely exposed across the resort,
laughing hysterically as we escape down to the beach.

“
Holy shit,” Ben says
between air choking laughs, “I can’t believe I’m covering my junk
with your dress right now.”

I snort back a laugh
and say, “That was humiliating! Do you think anyone saw
us?”

Ben shrugs, and his
laughter settles. He closes the space between us and runs his
finger slowly along my jaw line. I weaken at his gentle touch and
he doesn’t say another word. He wraps my tiny fingers in his and
pulls us into a secluded area on the beach sheltered by green
foliage. He tosses my dress to the sand and pulls me into his
chest, “Come here. I’m not done with you.”

Ben’s mouth
lowers to mine and his lips send me into a tremble. He cradles my
head and places me on the ground gently letting his hands wander
all over my body under the moonlit sky. He runs his fingers through
my hair, and softly kisses my forehead. His package presses me
right
there
,
before he slides inside and moans with pleasure.
He moves slowly at first, easing himself in and
out of me.
I wrap by legs around his back,
letting the cool night air prick at my skin, and for the first time
in my life, I am actually having sex on a beach.

Afterwards, we lie
together and listen to the waves crashing on the sand. Our
breathing begins to slow and he strokes my hair. I tickle down his
back, making goose bumps rise all over his skin.

“
What are you
thinking?” I say when curiosity gets the better of me. Ben never
stays quiet for too long and his silence is starting to worry
me.