Glow (15 page)

 

“Sorry,” I dug into his pocket. Ooop- there goes a nail.

 

“It’s okay, take your time,” she watched patiently.

 

“Here you go,” I handed the registration lady his black-Gucci wallet.

 

“Thank you,” she took his drivers license out and ran it through a scanner.

 

“Do you know his phone number?” she asked.

 

I scrolled through my contacts and gave it to her, she typed away adding it to
the computer.

 

“Insurance?” she looked at me.

 

“If he has any, which I’m sure he does, it should be there in his wallet.” I
smiled. She found his insurance card and added in the information.

 

“Thank you,” she handed me Ben’s wallet.

 

“You’re welcome,” I threw the wallet in my clutch.

She moved the curtain then wheeled her computer out of the room
backwards. I stared at her brown corduroys and slightly laugh. I will never be
like that when I get older.

I looked over at a sleeping Ben. He looked so peaceful and well, swollen. I
smirked. I was so scared when he nearly stopped breathing, I thought he was
going to die.
I stood up taking a few steps to his bedside. I grabbed Ben’s hand holding it
tightly as I ran my fingers through his hair with the other. Poor, Benjamin. To
be honest, he is kind of growing on me. I felt a little pang in my stomach
when I saw him all over Karen. It really shouldn’t have mattered to me either
way which I found odd that it did.

I leaned down slowly, letting my lips hover centimeters from his forehead.
No matter what my feelings are or what they will be for Ben, I will never let
him know. I will never succumb to the disaster of relationships. I refused to
become one of my readers that fell in love so easily and ended up with a
broken heart. I will stay single for the rest of my life, I don’t really care.

My lips graced his soft skin, I kissed his forehead. My feelings, or whatever
this is will remain a secret. My secret.

 

“Vanessa?” Chase pushed the curtain away.

I quickly dropped Ben’s hand making a loud clink as the bones of his hand
hit the metal railing on the side of his bed. That’s going to bruise. I clenched
my teeth.

“Chase,” I turned and smiled at him as he checked Ben’s vitals.

“I have a few minutes,” he shrugged. “Do you want to get some coffee? I
mean, the coffee from the cafeteria here isn’t the greatest, but it suffices.” he
laughed.

“I shouldn’t leave him,” I frowned.

 

“His vitals are great, breathing normal,” he looked at Ben then back at me.
“He should sleep for another hour or so,”

“Coffee…” I thought about it for a moment. I could use some and what a
better way to forget about whatever it is I am feeling for Ben than to have
coffee with the sexiest doctor in all of New York?
“I’d love some coffee,”

Ben’s POV

 

I groaned as I felt a stabbing pain from the side of my left hand and down
through my fingers.

 

What the hell happened to my hand?
I wondered, fluttering my eyes open as I
heard beeping in the background.

The smell of disinfectant burned my nose, I find myself in the emergency
room. I smiled…
Vanessa
. Thankful that I was now breathing freely, I took a
deep breath as I tried to sit up but failed miserably as I felt completely weak
and slightly lightheaded. I blinked rapidly a few more times not being able to
open my eyes completely. I reached my sore hand up and lightly touched my
eyes, they were seriously swollen. How ridiculously embarrassing. I am such
a dumb-ass leaving my Epipen on my dresser. I usually just stay the hell
away from fish. Now my plan is a complete and utter failure.

“Oh, my gosh, you did?” I could hear Vanessa laughing outside of the room.

 

Who is she talking to?

 

“Yes, I did…” a guy laughed with her. I didn't recognize the voice.

I slowly sat up and turned my body so my legs were hanging off the side of
the gurney. After ripping the vitals machine cords off of me, I took a second
for the dizziness to wear off before I staggered to my feet.

“Because I had mixed up the files I had told an eighty-five year old woman
she was pregnant, and the seventeen year old she had high blood pressure and
diabetes.” he laughed.

Vanessa laughed hysterically. “I bet the eighty-five year old's face was
priceless,”

“It was!” he then mocked an old woman’s voice. “Well, throw me in a
manger and change my name to Mary. It’s a miracle as my eggs are dried up
like raisins, and I haven’t had sex since John F. Kennedy was in office.” It
was hilarious,”

I was starting to feel a little jealous as I could clearly tell that this guy was
hitting on Vanessa. Out of annoyance I gripped the cream and white striped
curtain in my fist throwing it open.

Vanessa jumped, the smile quickly erased from her face. “Ben!” she said
shocked to see me standing there.

 

“Hello, Vanessa,” I smirked the best I could with swollen lips. I wondered if
this is what woman who get Botox feel like right afterward?

“You shouldn’t be standing up just yet,” the tall, muscular doctor stood from
his seat then tossed his coffee cup into the trash. “Can we go sit for a moment
so I can check you’re vitals and ask you a few questions? Then I can let you
get out of here,”

“I’d rather just leave,” I said in monotone, staring at him blankly.

“Benjamin,” Vanessa said sternly. “We aren’t leaving until he gives us the
okay to leave. Now let’s go,” she pointed to the room as she walks past ‘Dr.
Love’. She turned me around and gave me a light shove back into the room.
I sat back onto the bed and let the doctor listen to my heart and check my
pulse.

“Can you breathe okay? Any trouble swallowing?” he studied my face.

 

“No,” I attempted to glare over the facial swelling.

“I’m sure the worst is over now,” he was writing in my file. “I told your
friend Vanessa that I am sending you home with a few scripts to help with all
the swelling. But I suggest you stay with someone so they can watch you for
any other signs of upper respiratory distress.” he smiled at Vanessa.

He needed to stop smiling at her like that.

 

“Well, princess, I’m staying at your place tonight,” I waggled my brows at
Vanessa who cracked up.

 

“Okay, fine… just don’t do that until your swelling goes down.” she laughed
again. Well, isn’t someone in a chipper mood. I huffed.

 

“Thank you so much for helping Ben, Chase.” Vanessa shook his hand.

 

Chase?

 

“You are very welcome, Vanessa,” he smiled again. I wanted to kick his ass
every time he smiled like that. “Text me,”

 

“I will,” her cheeks turned red as he disappeared behind the curtain.

 

“Seriously?” I asked her.

 

“What?” she sighed dreamily. “He is so hot,” she giggled like a school girl.

“What happened to the new Vanessa? You’re blushing, and doing your
giggle thing.” I pointed at her. Little does she know that I remember her
saying something about her changing. But thanks be to the lack of oxygen
because right when she was about to tell me why, I passed out.

She shook her head slightly. “I am not blushing,” she rolled her eyes.

 

“Uh, yeah you are,” Not only do I have to deal with Jordan, but now this
douche-bag.

 

“Come on,” she grabbed my hand. “Video store, pharmacy, then home,”
Home?
I felt my heart skip a beat.

I smiled as she lead me out of the emergency department. I mean, she could
have said ‘my house’ instead she referred to her house as ‘home’.
That's
what I'm talkin' 'bout!

~

We stopped at the video store choosing the movie Ted, got my medicine, and
are now back at ‘home’. I took my so nicely ripped, blue dress shirt off and I
am sitting on her new plush, cream colored sofa in my jeans and white
undershirt. I’m watching Vanessa looking sexy as hell in her PINK sweats
and tank top as she stood in the kitchen reading the info sheets for my
medicine.

“Okay, Benjamin,” she sighed squinting at the papers. “This one,” she held
up one of the bottles of pills. “You don’t need until tomorrow and it is only
once a day.” she put that paper and bottle down picking up the next one. “But
this one, you can take now,” she smiled at me before turning around to grab a
bottled water.

“Why do you want to make me want you, Vanessa?” I asked her as she
walked into the living room with the water and my pill. She stopped dead in
her tracks and stared at me for a moment.

That’s right, princess, I remember.
I smiled.

 

She blinked and continued towards the couch. “I have no clue what you are
talking about. Now here,” she handed me the water and pill.

“I just remember what-”
“You must have been dreaming, I said nothing like that.” she huffed out of
frustration of being caught. “Why would I want you to want me? It was the
lack of oxygen to your brain,” she puts the DVD in the player and sat next to
me.

“A dream,” I nodded as I stared at the flat screen. I know better than that. I
remember her crying, yelling at the other cars… I remember everything she
had said. I threw the pill in my mouth and swallowed hard not needing the
water. I sighed.

“How are you feeling?” she placed her hand on my leg.

 

“I’m good,” I smiled. “Did I fall out of the car or something?” I rubbed my
left hand.

 

“No, why?” she adjusted herself so she was comfortable.

 

“Because my hand hurts,” I studied my hand and the hint of blue beneath my
skin.

 

“Oh, yeah…” she nodded quickly with her lips pursed. “You fell out of the
car. Shh, Ben, the movie is starting,”

I watched her grab the blanket from off the top of the coffee table and
wrapped herself in it. Leaning into the corner of the couch, I sat up, then
grabbed Vanessa. I wrapped her in my arms then pulled her down in front of
me. She didn’t protest at all. She surprisingly snuggled her back against my
chest trying to get as close as she could. With my arm around her waist I
pulled her closer to me, my face buried in her hair smelling her sweet
shampoo.

Vanessa fell asleep in my arms about fifteen minutes into the movie. She had
rolled over, facing me now with her face buried into my chest, her warm
breath giving me goosebumps. I pulled her closer to me as I watched the
movie. The part where the little teddy bear told his hot co-worker that he
wanted to give her a ‘dirty-fuzzy’ was funny as hell and made me laugh
hysterically. Vanessa’s head bounced with every laugh making her groan.

“Sorry,” I whispered in her ear as I held her tightly to my chest.

The next thing that Vanessa did shocked me. I saw a slight smile play across
her lips as she reached up and caressed my face with her fingertips. I closed
my eyes at her touch. It felt so good.

Her hand stopped moving, she cupped my right cheek. I looked down at her
to see her staring at me, her heavy eyelids fluttering gently against the
lighting of the television and the kitchen.

“What?” I whispered thoughtfully as I smiled a her. She was beautiful, the
most gorgeous woman that I had ever laid eyes on.

 

She traced my lips gently with her fingertips. “The swelling has gone down a
little bit,” she whispered. “Does it hurt?”

 

“No,” I stared into her blue eyes, the flickering of the television making them
sparkle.

 

“I like it here,” she scooted up a little bit, we were face to face.

 

“Me too,” I whispered. “Your place is comfortable, it’s not so dark,” Like my
place is dark, lonely, quiet, and cold. I hate it.

 

“No, I mean, I like it here... in your arms,” she stared at me, her eyes an
ocean with giant waves of feelings and emotions just drowning me.

 

I touched her face softly with my hand, she closed her eyes. I leaned in
slowly, my heart was racing.

 

“Ben?” her warm breath brushed against my lips.

 

I swallowed hard. “Yes?”
Vanessa opened her eyes. “Kiss me, please?”

I slowly leaned in closer. I placed my lips on hers and held them there for a
moment. I kissed her gently feeling Vanessa let her body melt into mine. She
moaned onto my lips then traced her tongue along my bottom lip wanting the
intensity of our kiss to rise a notch. I gladly accepted. Her fingers running
through my hair, she pulled me closer.

I had never felt this way while kissing someone. It felt as though my heart
was going to burst and I, my friends, was on cloud nine. I felt sparks flowing
through my entire body, her lips made mine feel like they were on fire…
well, unless of course it’s due to the slight swelling that is still present, but I
doubted it. As Vanessa is pressed against me, I could also feel that her heart
was racing too.

She pulled away completely breathless. She looked into my eyes.

 

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“I know, right?” I said with full understanding of how she felt. The shock
wave of heat her kisses gave me, the sparks from every touch of her
fingertips upon my skin that ignited a warmth below my waistline. It was
unbelievable.

“Ben,” she whispered as she stared into my eyes. We were both still
breathing hard, our lips were only centimeters apart.

I was so elated at this moment that I wanted to burst. I grabbed her, kissing
her fervidly as though the only way to make this explosion inside of me stop
was to keep kissing her. She wrapped her legs and arms around me,
squeezing me tightly against her with so much need. Between her legs was
hot against the bulging crotch of my jeans, I pressed myself against her
harder making her moan. After our little-sensual-touching rendezvous the
other night I should have known that us actually kissing would be this
intense.
She pulled away again staring into my eyes searching for something. My next
thoughts told her what I think she was searching for in my eyes.

I love you, Vanessa.

“Make love to me,” she whimpered
.
"With pleasure, princess," I whispered against her lips.