Chapter 13

She smiled, "I'd really like that."

"Yeah?" Ben asked, grinning. Miranda nodded. And she would. Ben was easy to talk to and he seemed genuinely... kind? "Okay, how's tomorrow night?"

"That's kind of soon, no?" His eyes widened. "I'm kidding. Tomorrow night is perfectly fine, Ben Warren." The two of them exchanged numbers and she walked into her apartment building. Looking out of her window, she could see Ben and Kenny leaning against the car, talking. Miranda watched Ben and how relaxed he was. The simplicity of his actions turned her on. The two men shook hands and Kenny walked in. Ben went to the driver's side and looked around before getting in the car. Seeing her, he waved. His lips moved. She opened her window. "What's that?"

"I said: 'Are you checking me out?'"

"And if I am?" She said, wickedly.

"Then, you might as well come back down and get a closer look," he replied.

"N-no, I'm good up here."

"Do you have plans for today?" She shook her head. "Me either."

"Okay?"

"Want to go to a movie? Or something?"

Miranda scrunched up her face. "Now?" He nodded wildly. "But we have plans for tomorrow."

He laughed. "We can do both, Miranda."

The way he said her name, made her run her tongue along the top row of her teeth. "I have to catch up with my brother. Sorry."

"Uh, I'll be fine," Kenny responded startling her, "I have other friends in this city, little sister." She squinted at him. "Go, have fun." He came to the window next to her. "She'll be down in a bit." Miranda turned to her older brother and hit his chest. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For you making plans involving me without my permission!"

"That's literally my job," he laughed. She reached out to hit him again. "Stop now!" His laugh got bigger. "If you really don't want to go, don't. It's no big deal. Just say you got called into the hospital. I'm sure it's not the first time you've used that excuse."

Miranda stuck up her middle finger. Peering out of the window to see that Ben was leaning against his car again. Grumbling, she brushed her teeth again and grabbed a jacket. At the door, she said: "You are a jerk, do you know that?"

"I've been told."

Stepping out the building, Ben met her halfway. "You look beautiful," he said.

"I'm wearing the exact same thing."

"Beautiful then and you're still beautiful."

Miranda felt her cheeks get hot as he held the door open for her. "Thank you," she told him as they pulled off. "Um, so what's playing?"

"I have no idea."

"Which theater are we going to?"

"I don't know."

She laughed. "What do you know?"

They were at a red light and he looked at her. "I know that when Kenny told me about you, I knew I wanted to meet you and now that I have, I'm mad it's taken so long." Miranda heart was beating swiftly. His answer was honest and it touched her. They drove some more and Miranda noticed they were going further and further out of the city. And she didn't mind it. She also didn't mind when Ben held her hand. He pulled into a theater parking lot. Instinctively, she opened the door. "I got it."

"Right," she said closing the door. When he opened it again, he held out his hand for her. "Thank you."

"I will always open doors for you... until we get married and then you're on your own," Ben chuckled.

Miranda joined in. "So, you think we're getting married?" His brazenness was comical and she felt herself being pulled in.

"Oh, yeah." In the theater, they scanned the list of movies quietly. "What are we watching?" He asked. Miranda smiled. "I'm scared."

"Don't be. Go get the snacks, I'll get the tickets," she told him.

He taking out his wallet, retrieving his card. She waved him off. "If I don't pay, your brother will never let me hear the end of it. Please." Taking his card, she watched him get in the short line at the concession stand. After getting the tickets, she met Ben in line just as it was their turn. Since she picked the movie, she let him pick the snacks. "Okay, so, what are we watching?" He asked again.

"Close your eyes and I'll guide you," she said.

"Are you serious?"

"Do I strike you as the kind of woman to not be serious?" He turned to look at her, grinning. "Just do it." Since the theater was mostly empty, they had their pick of seats. Getting settled, Miranda lifted the seat divider. As the movie began, Ben dropped his arm around her shoulders. "What do you think you're doing?"

"The movie's getting scary," he said.

The screen flashed brightly and she could see that he was smiling. "You're a joke." She pushed his chest gently.

Finally figuring out what movie it was, he leaned over and whispered in her ear: "I wanted to see this." Miranda's body shuddered when he turned his attention back to the screen. Now there were butterflies floating in her stomach. Trying not to panic, she told him she was going to the bathroom. Just outside the theater, she called her best friend, Callie Torres, who answered on the third ring.

"Bailey, hey," Callie said in a chipper voice.

"Um, I'm on a date, I think," Miranda said forgoing a greeting.

"That's great!" Miranda made a noise. "You're nervous?"

She nodded. "Yes," she hissed.

"Who is it?"

"A friend of my brother's." Miranda played with the automatic faucet. "And he's nice and he likes me and I...," she sighed, confused. "I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do."

"First of all, you have to relax. Second of all, the heavy work is done, he likes you. And lastly, you need to get off the phone with me and go be with him."

Miranda let out a laugh. "We almost kissed earlier."

"Wow! You two don't waste any time, do you?" They laughed together, calming her down some. "Do you like him?"

"I should go." Callie squealed and told her to call her back later as Miranda ended the call. Walking out of the bathroom, she saw Ben in the hallway.

"Hey," he said looking up. "I got worried. Are you okay?"

Reading his face, she saw the concern and touched his cheek. "I'm fine."

"Good," he said taking her hand as they walked back into the theater. During the movie, Miranda would occasionally look over at Ben just to see him looking at her. As the ending credits rolled, she stood up. "That was a good choice."

"I'm a good chooser," she told him as they walked out of the theater. The sunlight hit her eyes and she grinned. "I'm always sleeping or working when the sun looks like this."

"Yeah?" Ben was still holding her hand and she never wanted him to let go.

She nodded. "I'm something of a workaholic." They got into the car and he pulled away.

"I've been there," he said switching lanes. Miranda took in his purely gorgeous profile. He caught her staring out of the corner of his eye. "But I realized that work can't just be it, you know? I want to do other stuff."

"Like?"

"Like... fall in love, have a family, kids, live the carefree life my parents never got to. You know what I mean?"

Miranda could only nod. She knew exactly what he meant. Those were things she wanted as well. But her career was also important and demanded so much time and effort that finding a balance wasn't something she thought she could achieve. Before she knew it, she was telling all of this to Ben who listened intently. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Yes."

"Let me guess... Janet Jackson?" She laughed as he turned into a parking deck. "Where are we?"

"Well, I figured your brother could be without you for a few more hours," he said. "So, I thought we could go to the Sky View." She cocked her head to the side. "You ever been here?"

"No."

"You'll love it. I promise."

"Fine," Miranda relented. "I'd better." Inside, he paid the admission fee and they stepped into the elevator with a few other people, rocketing to the top in less than two minutes. Miranda kept her eyes on the video that was playing, so intrigued by the city she knew absolutely nothing about. When they stopped moving, she forgot where she was and who she was with momentarily. Remembering, her heart smiled and she really wanted to hold his hand, to touch him, but she'd hit her max of "bold" with this man. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but it excited her.

Ben touched the small of her back, guiding her off of the elevator. She gasped as she looked around the top floor. The windows were huge and clean, so clean, they were almost non-existent. Even before approaching the window, she could see the mountains, the city where she lived and worked and the bay. Feeling her hand being taken, she finally exhaled. "This is amazing, right?" He asked.

"It is," she said looking up at him. "It's breathtaking!" Pulling out her phone, she snapped a few pictures. Including one of Ben as he read a plaque. A woman tapped her shoulder. "Yes?" Miranda saw that she was wearing a nametag signaling that she worked there.

"Would you like me to take your picture?"

"Sure. Thank you." Miranda turned and smiled as the woman took the picture. "Thank you very much."

"With your... husband, too?"

Smiling, Miranda said: "We're not married." She tapped Ben's arm.

"Huh?"

"Um, this very nice woman wants to take our picture."

He screwed up his face, looking both confused and surprised. "Do you want to?"

"If you want to?"

"Yes, I want to," he responded, his voice deep and sure. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and she slid hers around his waist.

"Nice. Say 'Sky View Observatory'."

"Sky View Observatory," they said breaking out into laughter. The woman handed Miranda her phone and she looked at the pictures, only to see that one of them was actually a video, the two of them laughing would always have a special place in her heart.

The two of them ordered drinks from the bar and a charcuterie board from the café and sat in a quiet corner. "And to answer your question, it wasn't Janet Jackson." His smile threw her off. He was always smiling. Or did he only smile when he looked at her? Was that a weird thing to think? Was it narcissistic?

"Um, what are you talking about?"

"Being in love." She took a sip of her margarita, nodding, as Ben picked up a bagel chip. "I was in college and her name was Tracey Willis." She asked what happened. "I don't think there was only one thing that drove us apart. But I can say that as much as it hurt, I don't regret the decision." Miranda picked up a piece of cheese with a toothpick. "What about you? Have you ever been in love?"

"Yes."

"Who's the lucky guy?" Ben asked drinking his beer.

"Well, if you must know... I discovered Wilson Pickett at a young age and was convinced that I was going to marry him." Miranda and Ben shared another laugh.

"But, seriously."

Miranda cleared her throat, running her sweaty hands over her pants. "I was married... until two years ago."

"Married? Really?" She nodded. "And what happened with that?"

"I wanted this, he wanted that. I gave him that, but he wanted something else. Just a never-ending cycle of me giving and him never b-being satisfied." A lump rose in her throat thinking about her ex-husband, Tucker. She'd loved him so much and she was sure that he'd loved her, too, but they were the perfect example of people who love each other not actually being good for one another. "But, that's all behind me now."

Ben reached over and picked up her hand. "And, hey, there's still time to marry Wilson Pickett."

Miranda tried to not to laugh, but she caught Ben's eye and they cracked up loudly. "You're a fool." The two of them talked until he pulled up in front of her apartment and she was surprised that they had so much in common and they never ran out of things to talk about. He found a park and they walked up the block to her building, holding hands. At her door, she said: "This was... really nice. I had a good time." Miranda swallowed, making eye contact with the man standing before her.

"Yeah. I'm glad you liked it." He took a breath. "So, do we count this as a first date or just a prologue?" She shrugged. "Either way, I had a great time with you."

She nodded and they hugged before she opened the door. Ben kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Miranda."

"G-goodnight," she said with a smile before going inside. There was a note next to her house phone from Kenny saying that he went out with friends since they'd ditched him. Miranda chuckled at her brother's dramatics. After grabbing a glass of wine and settling onto the sofa to "watch" a movie and process the day, there was a knock on the door. "Kenny, I shouldn't even let you in." She peered through the peephole. "Ben?" She asked opening the door.

"Hey."

Miranda gave a small wave. "You're a little early for tomorrow night," she told him with a short laugh. What was he doing here? Her eyes grew wide. "Did I forget to give you back your card?" She rushed to her pocketbook, taking items out.

He laughed. "No, you gave it back when we were in line for popcorn," he reminded her.

"Oh, then...?" She watched him take a deep breath and walk over to her. "Yes?" Miranda was shocked at how steady her voice was; it betrayed just how nervous she was.

"You are so gorgeous," he said putting both arms around her waist, pushing their bodies together. Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it was going to explode. "And I wanted to do this earlier, but I lost my nerve." Miranda felt his lips before she knew what was happening. But when she figured it out, her arms found themselves on his shoulders, holding him in place. After seconds that felt like minutes, they pulled apart. Her entire body was tingling and her head was spinning in a way that she could only describe as delightful. Touching the back of his head, they kissed again—this one longer, more satisfying, more delicious.

"I think you found your nerve."

His arms tightened around her and she smiled as they stared at each other. "You're not mad?" He asked. Ben's brown eyes roped her in some more. No, she wasn't mad. How could she be mad when he was holding her like this and kissing her like that?

"I won't be if you do it again."

"My pleasure." Her tongue struck against his, creating a type of heat she hadn't felt in a long time. A soft moan escaped as he inhaled her bottom lip, sucking on it. His fingers dug in her sides gently and all she could see were images of them on her kitchen table, on her sofa, in her bedroom.

"Whew, okay, okay, okay," she said exhaling, ripping herself from the kiss. Ben's face held a devilish half-smile. Miranda wiped her mouth quickly, but methodically. With her other hand, she swiped her thumb over the corners of his lips, retrieving her lipstick. Her phone rang and with wobbly legs, she moved toward her purse, answering it. "Bailey here. Mmhmm." She watched Ben who was still in the same spot. "Got it, I am on my way." Walking over to him, she said: "I have to go in."

Ben smirked. "Alright."

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I will text you later."

A smile inched across her face. "That's not necessary."

"What do you mean?" He asked as she picked up her purse and went to get her ID.

"I mean..." She stopped. "I don't know what I mean, but—" He was kissing her again. Miranda's hands went to his face. "Fine."

"That's better," Ben responded, winking at her.

Outside of her building, she took a deep breath. "I'm this way," she told him.

"I'll walk with you," he said taking her hand.

Miranda unlocked her door and he opened it. "Thank you."

"Have a great day and night, Miranda."

"Thank you, Ben."

On her drive to work, Miranda beamed. She didn't ever want to get used to what she was feeling. Her entire body was buzzing from the day. And depending on how things turned out, maybe she'd have to thank her brother for introducing her to Ben. Maybe.

The End