Under the Orange Moon (16 page)

“Have a good night,” Ben said. He headed for the door and, before he could open it, Ruth called once more.

“If you love her, you’ll take my advice. Let someone else love her so that she never has to feel the way I feel now.”

Ben spun around to face her. “You feel this way because you never tried to heal. Your victim rights expired a long time ago, Ruth.”

She smiled sweetly. “I love you, Benjamin. However, I feel nothing but pity for the girl that you
love
.”

Ben rushed out of the house, unable to hear another part of his mother’s torturous words. He knew that she was ill, but never imagined she was capable of such undeserved hatred towards him.

He jumped into Jonah’s car and slammed the door.

Jonah jumped. “Whoa, take it easy on the car.”

“Shut up,” Ben snapped. “Just drive.”

Jonah knew Ben and this was the side he didn’t feel the need to agitate. “Right,” he said under his breath. He obliged quietly and drove off into the night.

“She’s so goddamn sick in the head,” Ben growled. “When is she going to stop it with this shit?”

“Is Ruth giving you grief again?” Jonah knew without needing to ask. “C’mon, man. You can’t let her get to you like that. Actually, you usually don’t,” he said with a puzzled look. “What did she say this time?”

Ben knew he couldn’t really divulge Ruth’s comments without revealing his secret. He slowly calmed as Dylan’s face flashed into his mind. His pounding chest slowed when he remembered he was on his way to see her, his Dylan. 

“Ben?” Jonah’s voice awakened him.

“It’s not important,” Ben sighed. “Sorry about your door.”

“You’re so damn psycho,” Jonah said in a chuckle. “Talk about a flip.”

Ben laughed. “It was the door slamming. It must’ve helped.”

“I guess so.” Jonah shook his head and continued to drive.

Dylan stepped into Oilies and sighed dramatically at the thought of her approaching night. New Year’s Eve was always a reunion of sorts for everyone that grew up in Phoenix. The year before, Dylan made over four-hundred dollars. She was even able to sneak out at one, quite wasted herself due to Michael’s lack of rules on that particular evening.

This year, she wanted nothing more than to be alone with Ben despite the amount of money she knew she was capable of making. She thought of nothing but pressing her lips to his as the New Year was welcomed.

In honor of the holiday, she decided to ditch her regular jeans and T-shirt to go with a more flattering, shorter and sparkly outfit instead. She was pretty sure her tips would be positively affected by this and she was absolutely convinced Ben would go mad watching her all night, making the end of her evening even more interesting when she was finally alone with him.

She unintentionally smiled to herself as she began to set up her bar and prepare for the celebrating patrons to arrive. She had become giddier, which only made her slightly ill at the thought.

“Where’s your hat?” Michael asked from behind her.

“I’m not wearing that thing again.”

Michael laughed. “You have no idea how adorable you looked last year.” He looked her up and down with widened eyes. “This is nice too, though.”

I didn’t wear it for you!
She held back on yelling her thoughts. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she would say anything to put an end to his flattering comments once and for all. Sometimes she felt violated by the way he looked at her. Michael was no creepy stalker, though. This was something she only wished for to ease her incredible guilt.

“Are your brothers coming in tonight?” Michael asked, ignoring the roll in Dylan’s eyes.

“Yep,” Dylan answered without looking at him. “They should be here soon.”

“Ben, too?”

Dylan turned and glared at Michael with one hand on her hip. “Yes.”

Michael’s hands came up defensively. “I was just wondering.”

Dylan groaned angrily. “Michael, let’s make a deal. You stop saying Ben’s name in my presence, and we’ll stay friends, okay?”

Michael’s head snapped back in astonishment. He looked more surprised than hurt by her deal. He stepped closer to Dylan and narrowed his eyes while he chewed on his lower lip.

Dylan retreated only partly. “I like working for you, but your backhanded questions about Ben need to stop.”

Michael’s shoulders sank. “You’re right. Truce?”

Dylan poured two shots and handed one to Michael. “Thank you,” she said, clicking his glass with hers and saying cheers to the New Year. It was a peace offering that she knew she couldn’t regret this time. The date was hopefully behind them, including the dreadful kiss involving his tongue.

The night carried on as any holiday would in a bar. Dylan was quite pleased with herself for wearing the outfit she chose. Unlike the year before, she felt equally matched in looks with a lot of the other females that stood in front of her. She felt feminine and pretty, feelings she was sure only Ben was guilty of pulling from her.

“Oh, bartender?” Ben called with a slight taunt to his tone. “More shots please.”

Dylan floated over to him. “What would you like?” she asked flirtatiously.

Ben leaned forward and looked around. His eyes met hers as he smiled mischievously. “You,” he said in a whisper.

“You have me,” Dylan sighed.

“I don’t have you now,” he said with a slight hint of disappointment. “I definitely don’t have you in that tiny sparkly thing you call a dress.”

Dylan laughed. She thought long and hard about pulling him over the bar by his tie. Would anyone really even notice? She looked around and realized that not a single person was watching them to see what they would do. No one suspected their secret world. No one knew what they did when they were alone.

Dylan stared at Ben seductively. “It’s almost midnight,” she warned.

Ben’s lips curved. “I know.” He raised his eyebrows and leaned forward. “They’re not going to even notice.”

Dylan scanned the room and watched as each oblivious brother concentrated on everything in the room but her and Ben. She finished setting out all of the champagne flutes and shots along the wooden bar and walked around to stand beside Ben.

Michael stood on the bar and called out to everyone as they gathered up closely. “Let the countdown begin!” he yelled. “Grab a drink!”

Dylan passed out the champagne and took her place beside Ben with a shot glass of her own. They stood in front of each other, pressed against the bar, smiling as if no one else was around.

Dylan’s stomach twirled inside her. She shook from excitement. Ben’s smile was so genuine and warm. His eyes seemed to see only her in that moment. She didn’t care who was around and she knew they wouldn’t even notice as they all kissed each other one by one.

The countdown began with ten. The group smiled and yelled out numbers as the clock gradually made its way to midnight. Dylan thought it was slower this year, only because she was mad with impatience.

Ben’s lips were on hers before the crowd could even make it to two. Dylan’s arms wrapped around his neck while she stood up on her toes and moved into him. His tongue slid into her mouth secretly but beautifully and, in that moment, it was just the two of them there in that room. There was no sound or movement around them. They were alone in their world and wanted so badly to stay.

They were forced apart too suddenly for their liking; it was almost painful to walk away. They had to keep going around the group for the traditional New Years greeting; however, they didn’t break apart unsatisfied. They snuck in their midnight kiss and they were very aware that there was more to come when they would finally be alone later on in the night.

As Meredith hugged her, she whispered into Dylan’s ear. “No one else noticed that, but I certainly did.”

Dylan smiled, knowing she was caught. “I don’t know what you mean,” she lied unconvincingly.

“By the way he looks at you, I would never imagine him to be what I’ve been told,” Meredith whispered again. “He doesn’t look like a womanizer.”

Dylan looked at Ben and smiled. “That’s because he’s not.”

Ben climbed the stairs to Dylan’s room in the dark. He had made this trip so often in his life he didn’t even need the wall or railing to guide him. If his shadow left a permanent cast along the wall, it would always lead to that same room. It would grow a size every year, charting his progression to manhood by the path to Dylan’s bed. 

He slowly opened her door and gently closed it behind him. He was sure she was asleep because it took Jonah forever to pass out. He impatiently thought about punching him, knocking him out cold, if he had gone to sleep any later. He made a promise to himself after to make sure he never allowed Jonah to drink an energy drink mixed with his vodka again.

The moon glowed through her window and seemed to light up only Dylan as if she was being presented to him in a fairytale of some sort. She was so naturally flawless. Even when they were children, Ben was secretly affected by her beauty. It was hard for him to even glance at her sometimes.

He removed his shirt and pants before crawling into her bed. He moved closer to her warm body and felt the thrill of just holding her against him. He brushed her long hair from her moonlit face and kissed her forehead.

Dylan stirred and opened her tired eyes. She smiled. “What took you so long?”

“Your brother wouldn’t shut up.”

“I missed you,” she whispered.

Ben’s heart slammed inside his chest. He felt the falling of his feelings as he spiraled out of control, knowing that she truly was the only one for him. He felt proud that she belonged to him and he couldn’t wait to tell it to anyone that would listen.

“I missed you, too,” he replied, nearly choking with surprise. He couldn’t remember a single time in his life that he had ever even uttered those words. Ben only said things to please people if he wanted them to leave him alone. This was genuine. 

Dylan snuggled to his chest and kissed his collarbone. Her warmth enveloped him as she wrapped her leg around his waist. She was his and he was hers. There were no barriers with Dylan. She knocked them all down the minute he pressed his lips to hers.

He wanted to whisper that he loved her, but he couldn’t find the words without crying them out. He thought it would be foolish of him to say something like that through a sob of tears. That would surely make her run with fear.

Come with me
, he thought.
Don’t make me be without you
.

She could live with him in
Cambridge. Her job clearly allowed that. It was easier for her to come to him. He couldn’t leave school, even though he would if she asked him to. She never would, though. Did that make him so selfish?

Ben imagined a life with Dylan. They could have a small, one bedroom apartment. She could paint masterpieces on the walls and he would watch every stroke. They could brush their teeth together, sleep together every night, make food together
—naked, of course. They would never wear clothes unless they had company.

He rubbed his nose to hers. He kissed her lips, her neck and her forehead. He nearly cried when she put her hands to his cheeks and looked at him like he was her everything. Her expression mirrored his and he could tell that she knew what he was feeling then.

“Ben,” she whispered, “I never want to be without you again.”

His heart burst with feelings, a release from himself and all the walls he spent years building. He had always known it; he only belonged to Dylan.

Dylan smiled when the sunlight from the window touched her face. She moved and nuzzled into Ben’s perfect arms. She buried her cheek into his bare chest and sighed as his hands moved into her hair.

She looked up at his face and saw that his eyes were still closed. “You’re smiling,” she said pointedly.

Ben grinned, keeping his eyes shut. “No, I’m not.”
             

“You’re dimples are showing,” she teased.

“I don’t have dimples,” he said, squeezing his lips together to keep his absurd expression in check.

“You’re a liar.”

“That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

“Whatever,” Dylan replied with a giggle.

Ben stretched his arms out over their heads and turned into her hold. He pulled her closer and kissed her gently.

“Do you think they’ll notice if we stay in here all day?” Dylan whispered. “Maybe everyone will forget we exist.”

“Possibly,” Ben answered before kissing her neck.

Dylan pulled back and stared into his eyes. “What will happen when you leave next week?”

It was a fair question, Ben knew. He sighed. “I wanted to talk to you about that, but not now.” He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face.