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“How about you,” Uncle Barney asked from the back, “what are you scared of, Ava?”
Benjamin raised an eyebrow with a smile on his face.This marriage? Me?
“Heights,” she answered immediately. “I’m scared – no, terrified of heights.”
“No,” Barney said and leaned back, smiling.
“It’s true. I still get all jittery when I think of heights. Oh, and I have this thing about flying in airplanes.”
“You’re scared of flights?” Benjamin asked.
She nodded, “Scares the heck out of me.”
“But you have been on a flight, haven’t you?” Benjamin followed up on his first question.
His uncle chimed in before she could respond, “Ain’t nothing wrong with being scared of flights. I mean, I try to use my truck as much as I can.”
Ava giggled. “Thanks, Barney, but yeah,” she looked at Benjamin, “I have flown a few times. I got sick of my fear, so when I was in college, I decided to get on a flight for the first time.”
Benjamin scoffed and shook his head. “You were terrified of flights and yet you did it just to overcome your fear?”
Ava looked at him as if she was waiting for him to say something mean.
“That’s pretty amazing. My bad-ass wife, as Barney would say.” He couldn’t help but admire her for that.
Ava’s mouth hung open, her words broken off as she reached for a response, then Barney’s voice cut through her stutter.
“Dang right I would say that.”
“It’s not like I jumped out of a burning train,” Ava said blushing. “But you’re right, I am pretty bad-ass,” she then teased Benjamin with a pretty smile. He loved it. “Although in all fairness,” she added mumbling, “I am still afraid of flying.”
“You look like a strong woman, I’m pretty sure you’ll get over it,” Barney blurted out.
“You never said that to me about the swan,” Benjamin pouted.
“Yeah, but that’s because they are pretty, fluffy things, not metal cages thousands of miles up in the air.”
Benjamin couldn’t help but throw Ava a grin. She smiled right back at him. It warmed him from inside out.This woman must have the prettiest smile I have ever seen.He couldn’t help but let his eyes wander off to her full lips. They looked so soft. He blushed. Knowing her eyes were on him, he jerked his focus back on the road and mumbled something about putting on some music, to which his uncle said, “not that millennial crap you kids listen to. Turn on some country.”
Looking ahead at the gleaming skyscrapers, the evening sun descending slowly, they were coming up to the “diner” that Benjamin had referred to.
“Oh look, we’re here,” Benjamin chuckled and turned off the radio before Barney’s song had even played. Uncle Barney sighed and the exchange between the two made Ava laugh.
As they all got out of the car and Benjamin watched Ava and Barney walk up to the restaurant, he couldn’t help but admit for the first time since marrying Ava Burns that he was truly enjoying himself—more than he had in a long time, even before he had been forced into this unusual marriage arrangement.
Benjamin had been right when he called the place a regular diner. It had some sort of 60’s theme to it and most people were sitting in vinyl-covered booths.
Benjamin walked up to the bar as Barney and Ava exchanged confused looks.
“What?” Benjamin asked.
“Well, this place doesn’t look like the usual Radcliff hub,” Barney mumbled. Benjamin laughed.
“I didn’t know there is such a thing as the usual Radcliff hub, but yeah. I am a normal human being who likes normal restaurants and bars as well. Besides, this place has the best fries in town.”
“Fries?” Ava repeated with a teasing smirk. “Not caviar?”
Benjamin nodded. “Yup, fries. My favorite food. People think they are all the same but oooooh no. It has become increasingly rare to find places with amazing fries.”
