AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He picks up the first packet, taking two, and one out of another. “Thank you,” he responds.
I fiddle with the hem of my blouse. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in pain?”
When he gazes at me, I can’t decide whether to look away or to never look away. So much is hidden behind those intense eyes. So much I want to question, and for him to answer. But I don’t. Instead, I wait for him to respond.
He breaks eye contact for a split second, and my body jolts slightly. My shoulders lose their stiffness like he let me out of his grasp.
“Because I didn’t want you to leave,” he admits, his voice hoarse as he takes another tablet from the third packet.
My eyebrows pinch together at his answer. “Why would I leave?”
“They make me tired within thirty minutes of taking them.”
My eyes widen a fraction at his declaration. “You needed them when I first asked earlier, didn’t you?”
He runs a hand softly across the back of his neck, and I lick my dry lips at the sight of his arm bulging. “Yes.”
“Ben, you can’t do that to yourself,” I lightly scold, but then clear my throat, not wanting to make him feel worse than he already does. “I mean, if you wanted my company that badly, I would have agreed to come back just to play the game. You didn’t need to be in pain.”
He chuckles. “I’ll remember that.”
“Do you need me to take you to bed or anything?” I close my eyes briefly when I hear how dirty that sounded.
He grins. “Are you offering to take me?”
“Yes. No. I mean, if you need help, I’m not going to let you struggle.”
He laughs at my unease. “Immy, I’m good. But thank you for offering.”
“I’m going to put these in the dishwasher,” I offer.
“No, you’ve already put the others away. I can do that.”
I arch an eyebrow. “How? You aren’t supposed to lift anything for another week yet. It will only take me a few minutes. And it’s the least I can do, since you let me eat two bowls.”
I pile it all onto one tray and lift it up. As I hit the doorway, Ben responds. “I love how unapologetic you are about loving food. Some girls will barely eat one plate, too embarrassed to eat in front of someone.”
His words catch me off guard since Zach only ever made negative comments about how much food I consume. If he knew what the other females could eat in my family, I dread to think what he would say. Hayden is the skinniest by far yet can eat any person under the table. Except maybe her dad. I don’t even think her dad has a stomach.
“Did I say something wrong?”
I turn to address him, clearing my throat. “No. You’re just one of the very few people outside of my family who has never made me feel awful for my love of food.”
His jaw clenches. “Never let anyone make you feel bad for it,” he orders in a gentler tone. “Plus, I think it’s the first thing my mum fell in love with about you. It would break her heart if you didn’t eat her food.”
I laugh at his apt declaration. It is the first thing his mum loved about me. She invited us to her restaurant, and I got so overwhelmed by all the aromas, I wanted to try everything. Any time something new would come out, I would bounce in my chair, softly demanding to try that one too. She loved it.
“I would never want to disappoint your mum,” I admit with a smile.
Stepping into the kitchen, I place the tray down on the counter, only hitting the edge. Before the bowls and cutlery can fall to the floor, I block them with my body, causing the sauce to spill onto my white blouse.
“Shit!”
“Everything okay?”
“Um, yeah, just a minute,” I call back. I quickly load the dishwasher, putting on a cycle before leaving the kitchen.
Ben’s eyes widen. “Shit, that’s going to stain if you don’t quickly wet it.”
