Chapter 2
Ben sat at his desk, intently studying one of his EMT manuals. It was getting late, but he was waiting for Felicity's call. They always call each other at 9pm, which is 8pm his time in Kansas City. He really has enjoyed his classes, they were interesting and he felt like he was learning a lot. They were going to start a clinical rotation soon, which meant he would be working with a paramedic squad and observing how they do their job. He was a bit nervous, but he really wanted to see how all he was learning in class is used in the real world. Felicity had been so excited for him when he told her he was really enjoying his training. She had giggled outright when he said he could picture himself doing it. When he asked her why she was laughing, she had responded "Oh, Ben. It's not that I think it's funny, I just can't imagine helping you train for this. Can you picture us practicing CPR? We would never be able to do it, we would end up making out. It's good that I didn't come with you, because you'd never get any practice in." He laughed to himself when he thought of their conversation and what he had said next, "Oh, but that would be so much fun, I can totally picture what we would do and how I would touch you. I would kiss you on your neck, right below your ear, and you'd shiver, just like you always do," he whispered in his sexiest voice.
God, he missed her and he could not wait to touch her again, to hold her in his arms. He thought back to the one summer they had been able to spend together, their two week road trip across the country. He had been so happy and excited to see her get out of the cab, knowing she was coming with him. They had spent that day talking and catching up on what they had missed in each other's lives. He could remember how relaxed she became and when she reached over and took his hand, he felt a chill race through him. He had felt that sensation the first time he kissed her, this overwhelming force that what was happening was what should be happening, that he was meant to be with her. That night when they got to the hotel, she had been sort of nervous when she got into bed with him. He could tell she was wondering what would happen, but he wasn't worried, he just knew that he wanted to kiss her.
"Hey, you okay?" Ben asked, as he touched her shoulder gently.
"Yeah, just tired. Uh...are you? I mean, tired?" she said nervously.
"No, not really," he said and grinned shyly at her. "Hey, look at me," he said as he took her chin in his hand. "You don't need to be nervous, we are just laying here together. It feels good, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it does," she said with a small laugh. "I can't believe I am doing this, but yes, it feels good."
"I always wondered what this would be like. You know I thought about it, right" he said as he looked at her questioningly and saw her shake her head. "I did. Come here," he said as he moved her face close to his.
He kissed her and all the way to his toes he felt this tingle, and he hoped she felt it, too. She felt so good, her hair smelled amazing and he was so in awe of her. As he lay there kissing her, he thought, this is right, this is where I should be. He moved his hand gently to her back and felt her shiver at his touch and smiled. He looked at her a moment and then captured her lips once more. They lay there kissing for a long time, touching each other's bodies hesitantly, looking for permission, as their passion grew deeper. Then he felt her pull away.
"What? Is this too much?"
"No, well, I don't know, I just don't want to move to fast. I don't think we should, well, you know....at least not now....okay?" she said quietly, looking at him with a bit of fear in her eyes.
"Yeah, I know. I never meant for anything more to happen, I just really wanted to kiss you again. We can stop now, we won't do anything that you aren't comfortable with, okay? I am just so happy you are here with me, " Ben said sweetly.
"Yeah, me too. This is ....great, "Felicity said with a shy giggle.
"Come here," he said as he took her into his arms. He touched her face and stroked her cheeks as he gazed at her. "We'll try to go to sleep. And tomorrow we will get back on the road and we can stop wherever you want, we will do anything you want, okay?"
"That sounds perfect. Thank you," she said with a much more relaxed tone. "Good night, I hope we can both sleep."
"Me, too....."
Ben was startled out of his reverie by the phone ringing. He grabbed it quickly. "Hello?" he said, even though he knew who it was on the other end.
"Hey, what took you so long? I thought you had fallen asleep on me!" Felicity said with a laugh.
"Nah, I was just daydreaming," Ben said.
"Oh yeah, about who?"
"Hmmm....well let's see, it was about a girl with the most beautiful curly hair I have ever seen and she has this smile that makes me melt. And the most amazing lips I have ever kissed," Ben said as he laughed. "Seriously, I was thinking about our road trip, the first night, when we got to the hotel and we were laying in bed...you know..."
"Oh yes, I remember, you were trying to steal my virtue..." she said with a serious tone in her voice.
"I was not! I told you we would wait and go slow. I never would push you...." Ben said strongly.
"I know, I know, I'm just kidding you. That was a pretty amazing night. I remember lying there unable to sleep for the longest time because I could feel you next to me. A lot of not so innocent thoughts came into my mind."
Ben laughed and said, "God, I miss you. When do I get to see you again?"
"In about six more weeks, at the end of August. You know that."
"I know, it just seems like it is never getting here, you know? So, what did you do today? Anything fun?" Ben asked as he laid down on his bed, taking a picture of the two of them off the bookshelf to look at as he talked to her.
"Oh, just went to the museum and helped Professor Morton out with a project. It was okay, but I kept thinking about you and I was so distracted, she finally told me to go on home. Then, Noel wanted to go out to do something and got mad that I didn't want to. He is really starting to get on my nerves," she said.
"Really? How come? Did anything happen?"
"No, it's not that, it's just he keeps wanting to hang out and then spends all his time complaining about not finding a job or not having a girlfriend. And he gets mad when I want to talk about you. I don't know, I mean, his friendship is really important to me, but I have this feeling that he still...well, that he still may, you know...." she said reluctantly.
"Have feelings for you? You know he probably does, right? I mean, he, he hasn't been out on a date for a long time. But, I know that everything will be okay because all you have to do is tell him you are madly in love with me and he will leave you alone, at least he better. Or I will have to come home and teach him a lesson."
Felicity laughed and said, "I don't know, Ben, maybe this is too much on him. I mean he has been a great friend to me and I appreciate that and I want to be a good friend to him in return, but spending all this time with him, it has me thinking..."
"What?"
"That sometimes when he smiles at me, he wishes things were different and I can't and won't give him that. I mean, he has to know that I love you and he is only my friend, but sometimes I am just not so sure. I don't think he means anything bad by it, and I don't want to hurt him, but I don't know, he just makes me uncomfortable sometimes."
"Well, if that's the case, then you need to talk to him about it."
"Yeah, I know you're right, I just don't know how," she said sadly. "Enough about that, how was your day? Did you learn anything new?"
"Oh, only that I love my girlfriend more every day and that I can't wait to touch her and hold her again," Ben said lovingly.
"Oh, Ben, I love you, too. But, I am so proud of you, you are really doing so well and I know that must make you happy. When do you start working with the paramedics?"
"Next week actually. I'm pretty nervous, but I guess that's normal. I just don't want to mess up," he said.
"Ben, you won't mess up. Just think, you will be able to see all that you are learning about and then get to try it yourself. You will do great, I am sure of it. You can do anything you want, you just have to put your all into it. I am certain you will be the best paramedic ever."
"Thank you. You know, you amaze me. I don't know how I got so lucky. You are just so...I don't know, amazing. And I love you so much."
"I love you, too. Now, you go on back to studying. But you better get to bed soon, okay?"
"Yes, maam. Will do. You get some sleep, too, okay?"
"I will. I miss you," Felicity said sadly.
"I miss you, too." Ben said and then hung up the phone. He then sat looking at her picture and wondered to himself, what did I ever do to deserve her?
Back in New York, Felicity hung up the phone sadly. It felt so good to talk to Ben about her worries about Noel. Today had been so uncomfortable for her. Noel had been so insistent on going somewhere together, she had finally given in and gone to get ice cream with him. While they were there, he had touched her shoulder. She was certain at the time that he had just meant it as a friend, but she wasn't sure anymore. He had been looking at her so weirdly lately, and she almost felt like it was a look she had seen before, like back in freshman year. She shook her head and tried to get the thoughts out of her head. Noel knew they were just friends, she was sure he knew that. Just because he had told her towards the end of the school year last year that he loved her, doesn't mean that he wasn't over that by now. They had spent plenty of time together since and he had made no more remarks. She just needed to let it go, there were other things to focus on, like her upcoming senior year. She was starting to get worried about what she would do with her art major. But she knew that was normal, she was about to graduate and that is scary. But she knew everything would work out, because she had Ben by her side. Still, she thought, what is going on with Noel. She was still thinking about that when she finally got into bed that night.
Ben sat at his desk, intently studying one of his EMT manuals. It was getting late, but he was waiting for Felicity's call. They always call each other at 9pm, which is 8pm his time in Kansas City. He really has enjoyed his classes, they were interesting and he felt like he was learning a lot. They were going to start a clinical rotation soon, which meant he would be working with a paramedic squad and observing how they do their job. He was a bit nervous, but he really wanted to see how all he was learning in class is used in the real world. Felicity had been so excited for him when he told her he was really enjoying his training. She had giggled outright when he said he could picture himself doing it. When he asked her why she was laughing, she had responded "Oh, Ben. It's not that I think it's funny, I just can't imagine helping you train for this. Can you picture us practicing CPR? We would never be able to do it, we would end up making out. It's good that I didn't come with you, because you'd never get any practice in." He laughed to himself when he thought of their conversation and what he had said next, "Oh, but that would be so much fun, I can totally picture what we would do and how I would touch you. I would kiss you on your neck, right below your ear, and you'd shiver, just like you always do," he whispered in his sexiest voice.
God, he missed her and he could not wait to touch her again, to hold her in his arms. He thought back to the one summer they had been able to spend together, their two week road trip across the country. He had been so happy and excited to see her get out of the cab, knowing she was coming with him. They had spent that day talking and catching up on what they had missed in each other's lives. He could remember how relaxed she became and when she reached over and took his hand, he felt a chill race through him. He had felt that sensation the first time he kissed her, this overwhelming force that what was happening was what should be happening, that he was meant to be with her. That night when they got to the hotel, she had been sort of nervous when she got into bed with him. He could tell she was wondering what would happen, but he wasn't worried, he just knew that he wanted to kiss her.
"Hey, you okay?" Ben asked, as he touched her shoulder gently.
"Yeah, just tired. Uh...are you? I mean, tired?" she said nervously.
"No, not really," he said and grinned shyly at her. "Hey, look at me," he said as he took her chin in his hand. "You don't need to be nervous, we are just laying here together. It feels good, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it does," she said with a small laugh. "I can't believe I am doing this, but yes, it feels good."
"I always wondered what this would be like. You know I thought about it, right" he said as he looked at her questioningly and saw her shake her head. "I did. Come here," he said as he moved her face close to his.
He kissed her and all the way to his toes he felt this tingle, and he hoped she felt it, too. She felt so good, her hair smelled amazing and he was so in awe of her. As he lay there kissing her, he thought, this is right, this is where I should be. He moved his hand gently to her back and felt her shiver at his touch and smiled. He looked at her a moment and then captured her lips once more. They lay there kissing for a long time, touching each other's bodies hesitantly, looking for permission, as their passion grew deeper. Then he felt her pull away.
"What? Is this too much?"
"No, well, I don't know, I just don't want to move to fast. I don't think we should, well, you know....at least not now....okay?" she said quietly, looking at him with a bit of fear in her eyes.
"Yeah, I know. I never meant for anything more to happen, I just really wanted to kiss you again. We can stop now, we won't do anything that you aren't comfortable with, okay? I am just so happy you are here with me, " Ben said sweetly.
"Yeah, me too. This is ....great, "Felicity said with a shy giggle.
"Come here," he said as he took her into his arms. He touched her face and stroked her cheeks as he gazed at her. "We'll try to go to sleep. And tomorrow we will get back on the road and we can stop wherever you want, we will do anything you want, okay?"
"That sounds perfect. Thank you," she said with a much more relaxed tone. "Good night, I hope we can both sleep."
"Me, too....."
Ben was startled out of his reverie by the phone ringing. He grabbed it quickly. "Hello?" he said, even though he knew who it was on the other end.
"Hey, what took you so long? I thought you had fallen asleep on me!" Felicity said with a laugh.
"Nah, I was just daydreaming," Ben said.
"Oh yeah, about who?"
"Hmmm....well let's see, it was about a girl with the most beautiful curly hair I have ever seen and she has this smile that makes me melt. And the most amazing lips I have ever kissed," Ben said as he laughed. "Seriously, I was thinking about our road trip, the first night, when we got to the hotel and we were laying in bed...you know..."
"Oh yes, I remember, you were trying to steal my virtue..." she said with a serious tone in her voice.
"I was not! I told you we would wait and go slow. I never would push you...." Ben said strongly.
"I know, I know, I'm just kidding you. That was a pretty amazing night. I remember lying there unable to sleep for the longest time because I could feel you next to me. A lot of not so innocent thoughts came into my mind."
Ben laughed and said, "God, I miss you. When do I get to see you again?"
"In about six more weeks, at the end of August. You know that."
"I know, it just seems like it is never getting here, you know? So, what did you do today? Anything fun?" Ben asked as he laid down on his bed, taking a picture of the two of them off the bookshelf to look at as he talked to her.
"Oh, just went to the museum and helped Professor Morton out with a project. It was okay, but I kept thinking about you and I was so distracted, she finally told me to go on home. Then, Noel wanted to go out to do something and got mad that I didn't want to. He is really starting to get on my nerves," she said.
"Really? How come? Did anything happen?"
"No, it's not that, it's just he keeps wanting to hang out and then spends all his time complaining about not finding a job or not having a girlfriend. And he gets mad when I want to talk about you. I don't know, I mean, his friendship is really important to me, but I have this feeling that he still...well, that he still may, you know...." she said reluctantly.
"Have feelings for you? You know he probably does, right? I mean, he, he hasn't been out on a date for a long time. But, I know that everything will be okay because all you have to do is tell him you are madly in love with me and he will leave you alone, at least he better. Or I will have to come home and teach him a lesson."
Felicity laughed and said, "I don't know, Ben, maybe this is too much on him. I mean he has been a great friend to me and I appreciate that and I want to be a good friend to him in return, but spending all this time with him, it has me thinking..."
"What?"
"That sometimes when he smiles at me, he wishes things were different and I can't and won't give him that. I mean, he has to know that I love you and he is only my friend, but sometimes I am just not so sure. I don't think he means anything bad by it, and I don't want to hurt him, but I don't know, he just makes me uncomfortable sometimes."
"Well, if that's the case, then you need to talk to him about it."
"Yeah, I know you're right, I just don't know how," she said sadly. "Enough about that, how was your day? Did you learn anything new?"
"Oh, only that I love my girlfriend more every day and that I can't wait to touch her and hold her again," Ben said lovingly.
"Oh, Ben, I love you, too. But, I am so proud of you, you are really doing so well and I know that must make you happy. When do you start working with the paramedics?"
"Next week actually. I'm pretty nervous, but I guess that's normal. I just don't want to mess up," he said.
"Ben, you won't mess up. Just think, you will be able to see all that you are learning about and then get to try it yourself. You will do great, I am sure of it. You can do anything you want, you just have to put your all into it. I am certain you will be the best paramedic ever."
"Thank you. You know, you amaze me. I don't know how I got so lucky. You are just so...I don't know, amazing. And I love you so much."
"I love you, too. Now, you go on back to studying. But you better get to bed soon, okay?"
"Yes, maam. Will do. You get some sleep, too, okay?"
"I will. I miss you," Felicity said sadly.
"I miss you, too." Ben said and then hung up the phone. He then sat looking at her picture and wondered to himself, what did I ever do to deserve her?
Back in New York, Felicity hung up the phone sadly. It felt so good to talk to Ben about her worries about Noel. Today had been so uncomfortable for her. Noel had been so insistent on going somewhere together, she had finally given in and gone to get ice cream with him. While they were there, he had touched her shoulder. She was certain at the time that he had just meant it as a friend, but she wasn't sure anymore. He had been looking at her so weirdly lately, and she almost felt like it was a look she had seen before, like back in freshman year. She shook her head and tried to get the thoughts out of her head. Noel knew they were just friends, she was sure he knew that. Just because he had told her towards the end of the school year last year that he loved her, doesn't mean that he wasn't over that by now. They had spent plenty of time together since and he had made no more remarks. She just needed to let it go, there were other things to focus on, like her upcoming senior year. She was starting to get worried about what she would do with her art major. But she knew that was normal, she was about to graduate and that is scary. But she knew everything would work out, because she had Ben by her side. Still, she thought, what is going on with Noel. She was still thinking about that when she finally got into bed that night.