Chapter Fourteen – You Never Tell Me What You Want

“Oof!”

Harry didn’t need to open his eyes to know that Danny had just decided to use his chest as a landing board from when the small boy had leapt onto the bed.

“Get up, daddy!” Danny told him in a sing-song voice and Harry didn’t need to open his eyes to know that it was an ungodly early hour – on a weekend – and he wondered for a fleeting moment if Danny was really his son because Harry liked nothing more than to sleep in as late as possible while Danny was always up early.

“Sleep,” Harry mumbled, clenching his eyes shut and suddenly, he felt like he was ten years old again and his mom was bugging him to get up for school. “For the love of god, go to sleep.”

Danny giggled. “Mommy’s already up and so is Chris and Uncle Toby is here too!”

“Why is he here?” He asked, refusing to open his eyes. The instant he did, the day would start and he wanted to stay in bed for just a little bit longer.

He had been having such a great dream about him and Anne and a very dirty, hot sex session shared between them. They hadn’t had sex like that like what they had been doing in his dream for a long time – definitely before the birth of Danny. The sex between them was still amazing and Harry was never bored when he and Anne were finally able to spare an intimate moment between them but sometimes, he missed the kind of sex that left her screaming his name and both of them panting and sweating.

It was hard to have sex like that in a small apartment with two young children sleeping in the room on the other side of their bedroom wall.

“What’s your Uncle Toby doing here?” Harry asked. “It’s too early for him to be up.”

“Dad, everyone’s up,” the boy answered in such a matter-of-factly tone, Harry couldn’t help but laugh slightly.

Anne was standing at the stove in the small, slightly cramped kitchen when Harry entered, still wearing the boxers and tee-shirt he had slept in, with Danny on his back, the small boy laughing as Harry bounced up and down, making horse sounds. Toby sat at the round table, eating a strip of bacon and holding the bottle of milk so Chris, sitting in his carrier on the table, could suck on his breakfast as well. For once, it didn’t seem as if Toby was trying to nurse a hangover from a night out at Humpy’s. Instead, to Anne, it simply seemed as if he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

Every weekend, Anne took the time to make her family a hot breakfast instead of cold cereal and bagels and that morning, she had made chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and fruit salad with the fresh berries she had bought at the neighborhood farmer’s market the day before.

Upon seeing the feast, Harry gently slid Danny back down to his feet on the floor before slipping himself behind Anne, wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to the back of her head.

“I love you,” he murmured quietly to her, wishing he could tell her about his dream.

“Only because I feed you,” Anne smiled teasingly, turning her head and looking at him over her shoulder.

He grinned. “Well, that’s the main reason,” he said before kissing her cheek, giving his arms around her a squeeze and her smile softened, tilting her head up slightly and he took the hint, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. He then grinned again when she held up a plate of pancakes and bacon for him to take. He kissed her once more before turning towards the table, plopping down in the empty chair across from Toby. “What the hell are you doing here so early?” He asked, leaning over so he could help Danny cut up his own helping of pancakes.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Toby shrugged. “And I didn’t want to miss Anne’s weekend breakfast feast. Sadie doesn’t know how to cook,” he added.

“You’d go to Humpy’s last night?” Harry asked.

“No…” Toby then sighed heavily. “Are things serious between Olivia and Ben Norfolk?” He asked suddenly, causing both Harry and Anne to snap their heads over to stare at him. “I mean… what are they doing? Are they dating?”

“Why do you care?” Harry asked, finally able to find his tongue once hurdling himself over the initial shock of Toby’s unexpected question. “You’re getting married.”

“So?” Toby frowned. “Olivia’s still one of my best friends. I can’t ask about or be worried about one of my best friends?”

“No,” Harry answered bluntly. “Not when it comes to anything that has to do with Olivia and Ben. Just stay out of it, Toby.”

“Why?”

“You know why.” Harry finished cutting Danny’s food up for him before giving Toby a stern stare. “Just stay out of this, Toby.”

Toby stared at him for a moment before shaking his head slightly. “I can’t do that, Harry.”

..xx..

Olivia laid on her stomach, her hand resting on the empty spot next to her. It was cool to the touch. She wondered what time he had left. It must have been early. It was only eight-thirty and the left side of the bed already looked as if no one had slept there the night before.

She sighed softly, situating the pillow underneath her cheek to become more comfortable. She didn’t feel like getting out of bed quite yet. She had things her mind had to see to. For instance, why had Ben come to sleep over if he was just going to slink out in the middle of the night? And in addition to that, what was going on with her and Ben in the first place?

She sighed softly, closing her eyes again.

She felt the rising sun outside slowly begin to warm the bedroom but she felt a shiver go down her spine. She pulled the goose down comforter up over her head, engulfing her like a cocoon. The darkness swallowed her and she welcomed it. She had woken up slowly, still almost dreaming and she had rolled over, intending to touch him. She wasn’t sure why but she had wanted to wake up touching him. His absence was something she did not care to wake up to.

Rick, the man who lived on the floor above her, was obviously awake. His television was up on that deafening volume again – it being so loud that she could hear perfectly that he was watching an episode of “Project Runway”.

She groaned, burying her head underneath her pillow. It was far too early in the morning to hear Heidi Klum. Olivia wondered if there was ever a right time to hear her. She tried to plug her ears but that was to no avail. She groaned dejectedly. Rick had won this round. He was a nice man to live by but he was a musician, a drummer to be exact, and his hearing was anything but great, hence the television being turned up as high as it would go.

She couldn’t think in such a situation and she needed to think. Things were beyond the point of confusing. With Ben, whatever this thing was that they were sharing with one another, it intrigued her, infuriated her, confused her, mystified her… aroused her.

She shook her head slightly. Lying next to him in bed last night had been a bit more challenging then she had first anticipated. Despite being completely exhausted, the moment he laid down next to her, the mattress sinking with his weight, the heat radiating off his body, Olivia became very much awake.

She had studied him as he slept. His dark buzzed hair that made her want to scratch his head, his face with the sharp features and bones that made him look hardened but it all melted away whenever he smiled, which seemed to be more and more often around her now, the hard lean muscles of his pale frame.

She stared at him, not thinking about how strange it was that Ben Norfolk was sleeping in her bed, but thinking about how oddly right it all felt to have him there.

Rolling onto her back, she pushed the covers from her face and stared up at the ceiling. Their kisses were phenomenal. But even she knew that that was putting it lightly. Each time they kissed, which she knew was further complicating things between them, she couldn’t help but one more and more. She literally had to cling to him as her knees shook and her legs became unreliable holding her up. His lips were addicting. He could kiss her with so much passion and yet, his caresses on her body and lips could be so gentle. Olivia nearly swooned just thinking about them.

None of it made any sense. It all confused her. Looking back on the past few months, it had all started with her birthday – her least favorite of all days. And that one day turned into many and many and before she knew it, she and Ben were something. They were friends, yes. That was without argument. But there was something more there. Something that was more than any friendship she had ever had.

And it drove her crazy to let it exist without a label of some sort. She wasn’t even sure whether or not she could discuss this with him. Perhaps she was seeing something that wasn’t there.

Olivia shook her head slightly. Or perhaps these thoughts were too many to be having at such an early hour in the morning. She needed coffee. And then she could proceed with over-analyzing everything. Maybe she could even make a list spanning their entire friendship or relationship or whatever this dance they were involved with one another called.

Yes. That’s what she would do. She had yet to make a list that failed its purpose.

Pleased that the morning wasn’t turning out to be a complete disappointment, Olivia slid out of bed, immediately stretching, grunting slightly as the muscles in her body pulled. She tugged the sweatshirt off over her head and slid on a tank top. Her apartment was always a bit warm in the mornings with the windows facing east and the sun pouring directly into the rooms. She hopped happily into the kitchen, all but now forgetting that Ben had snuck out without waking her up, and opened the refrigerator, searching for the jug of cranberry raspberry juice she had bought the day before at the store.

“Juice, juice, juice,” she sang to herself, practically diving into the refrigerator on the hunt. Her tongue felt swollen in her mouth from her thirst. And when one had a taste for cranberry raspberry juice, nothing else would do.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ben asked, suddenly appearing behind her, catching her by surprise so much, that she nearly fell into the shelves.

His arm snaked around her waist, catching her. She immediately elbowed him in the chest making him back away so she could turn around and face him.

“And where the hell have you been?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to ignore the fact that his hand was still resting on the dip of her hip.

That was something she definitely had to add to her list. His touch, no matter how innocent or brief or even unintentional, always, without fail, sent the temperature in her body spiking upwards a few hundred degrees.

With a roll of his eyes, Ben turned slightly, his hand still on her body, and took a piece of paper from off the counter, holding it up for her to see. “I told you I was going for coffee and something to eat so I could bring it back here. You have absolutely nothing to eat.”

“That’s not true!” Olivia exclaimed, turning around again to face the still open refrigerator. “I have eggs…”

“Two,” Ben interrupted. “We both can’t be full off of two eggs.”

Olivia sighed, elbowing him again. He laughed, finally stepping away from her but not without kissing her cheek affectionately. She felt her skin flame up in a blush but he didn’t notice as he went to the counter, taking the cups he had bought from the coffee shop down the street.

“Here. One mocha frappuccino,” he said, holding the appropriate cup out to her. He then opened the paper bag he had also brought back with him. “And…” he pulled out two muffins, one blueberry and one banana nut. She smiled, taking the banana one just like he knew she would. “Do I deliver or what?” He asked with a grin and she laughed softly.

Walking past him, she patted his arm and pecked him quickly on the lips, not wasting the time to add to her headache by analyzing that action, going into the living room and collapsing onto the couch.

“I woke up this morning and I thought you had left,” Olivia admitted, her lips tingling.

She stared at the blank television screen, munching on her muffin and trying not to watch Ben from the corner of her eye as she saw him still standing in the kitchen, taking off his shoes and stripping back down to his tee shirt and boxer shorts.

“I was trying to get back before you woke up,” Ben said, collapsing down next to her with his own coffee and muffin.

He reached onto the coffee table and took the television remote, sinking back down in the cushions. Beginning to flip through the morning shows, which consisted of infomercials and anime cartoons, he began to gulp down the coffee, not being bothered at all by it searing his throat as it went down.

“How’d you sleep?” He asked, turning his head to look at her.

She nodded. “Really good actually.” She took a small bite from her muffin. “Don’t flatter yourself though,” she quickly added and he smirked, shaking his head.

Ben looked back at the television, stopping his flipping on a rerun of “The Dog Whisperer” on the National Geographic Channel, which was probably his least favorite show on the network but there was nothing else on at the moment.

He had slept good the night before too. Real good in fact. He thought that maybe he wouldn’t have with her being so close but as soon as he felt the warmth from her body, her soft breathings, he had instantly been ushered into his own slumber.

During the night, he had felt their bodies touch – nothing serious. Just their feet touched but he felt it in his sleep and it had found its way into his dreams.

He gulped the rest of his coffee then rolled the empty cup between his hands for a moment, not really watching the show but instead lost in thoughts of none other than Olivia Grange. She was staring out the window as she ate her muffin, taking small bites, a few crumbs falling onto the boxer shorts she had slept in. She was so imperfectly beautiful in the mornings. Her hair was a tousled mess, her clothes were rumpled, there was a pillow mark on her right shoulder and yet all of that made him smile.

It was her imperfections that reminded him that she was very much real.

He cleared his throat. He had had a thought in his head and he needed to get it out before it stayed in there and became a victim of over-analyzing. “Hey Olivia?” He asked, his voice coming out a bit croaked in his opinion before he cleared it again.

“Hmmmm?” She said, still looking out the window, now sipping her frappuccino.

He scratched nervously at the back of his head. “Do you want to go out to eat with me tonight?” He asked her rather quickly.

Olivia turned her head to look at him. “Where? Humpy’s?”

He wished he had more coffee to swallow. At least that would give him something to do. The muffin was making his mouth far too dry to finish. It now sat ignored on the coffee table. “Actually, there’s this steak house on the north side by Wrigley… I was thinking about going to. What do you think?” He looked at her, hopeful.

It took a few passing moments for Olivia’s eyes to light with understanding. “Oh,” was all she said for a minute. She took a sip from her coffee. “Are you talking about a date?”

He nodded his head, trying to describe her tone. Was that disgust? Or approval at the suggestion? He thought he knew her tones but now he definitely wasn’t sure. He awaited nervously for an answer. His heart nearly collapsed with relief when her mouth turned upwards into a faint smile.

“That sounds lovely,” she smiled, her cheeks breaking into a light blush. “I can’t wait.”

Ben broke into a grin. “Me neither. I think getting eating dinner at some place quiet, where we can actually hear one another talk, would be the best. Unless you wanted to go somewhere else…”

“No,” Olivia shook her head, still smiling faintly. “I think that that sounds perfect.”

“Yeah?” Ben asked.

Now that she had agreed to an official date with him, he wasn’t sure why he was now more nervous than when he had initially asked her. She nodded her head again, smiling a bit wider, and he almost laughed.

If someone had told him months ago that he would be excited and most of all happy to be going out on a date with Olivia Grange… It amazed him. Something that seemed so improbable just a short time ago was now about to happen.

He was nervous with anticipation of the evening but he knew that everything was going to be fine. He and Olivia had gone out together plenty of times. The only difference now was this was official. They were going to be going out on a date. It almost blew his mind. He was going out on a romantically charged date with Olivia. He couldn’t believe that he had gathered enough courage to even ask her. But now that he had done that, why stop?

Ben stood up and Olivia watched him as he began to pace back and forth between the coffee table and the television. Her brow furrowed.

“What is it?” She asked, almost preparing herself to have him take it all back, her stomach twisting at the unpleasant thought.

He shook his head slightly. “Fuck,” he mumbled to himself over and over again before stopping suddenly, facing her. “Okay. This is it. I hate when people have things to say to one another and they never say it because they’re too scared or too stupid,” he began to ramble. “And yes. I know I didn’t tell you about who I was for a long time but that is the only thing I’ve ever kept from you and it’s the only thing I plan on ever keeping from you.” He scratched at the back of his head again before he sighed heavily. “Fuck it.” He turned and stared straight into her eyes, not daring to look away from those deep brown orbs of hers. “Olivia, I like you.”

She returned his stare. “I like you too Ben.”

He shook his head. “No. I LIKE you. Like, like you.”

“I know Ben. And I like you too,” she said again. She said it so casually, he wasn’t sure if she still understood the exact meaning of his words. He stared at her, confused, and she smiled. “I like, like you too,” she furthered with almost a look of relief upon her face, hoping that it clarified it for him.

But he continued to stare at her. She stood up slowly, her stomach a weave of heavy knots. She couldn’t believe that she was just coming out and saying this. She had planned on never telling him. She was going to be one of those people that never spoke of their feelings towards the person she harbored them towards. She had done it with Toby. Sadly, she had gotten pretty damn good at hiding her true feelings for the men in her life.

“I like you, Ben, like a girl likes a guy.”

That must have cleared it because his face broke into a grin. “Yeah?” He asked and she smiled, almost laughing, nodding her head. “Wow,” he breathed. “What a morning.” She did laugh at that and he grinned widely at the sound. “Olivia Grange likes me.” He laughed shortly. “You like me. You really like me.”

Laughing, Olivia leaned over the coffee table and pushed him playfully, but Ben caught her wrists and pulled her towards him, almost pulling her over the table. Cupping the back of her head in one hand while holding both of her wrists with the other, he kissed her, neither caring the least for the morning breath or coffee still hot on their tongues. The kiss was hard and passionate and it was leaving no room for her to misinterpret her feelings for him. When they finally broke apart, both were breathless.

She opened her eyes slowly and stared at him. “So… tonight?”

He continued to grin, nodding. “The steakhouse, Neela… my family owns it.”

“Of course you do,” she teased. “What doesn’t your family own? Do me a favor and make a list of everything your family owns. No more surprises.”

He smirked, coming around the coffee table, managing to keep his hands on her head, his fingers tangled in her hair. She smiled up at him and he couldn’t help but kiss her again. So he did. He lowered his mouth to hers and he felt her fingers curling around the material of his tee-shirt at his hips, tilting her head up, allowing him, inviting him to kiss her deeper.

She moaned softly when he swiped his tongue into her mouth, slowly beginning to tangle it with hers, and he reveled in the sound, pressing his body against hers, determined to illicit another moan from her. Olivia had the sexiest moan he had ever heard and he reveled in the knowledge that he had gotten the sound from her.

“I have to tell you,” she panted once their mouths separated. “I don’t sleep with a man on the first date.”

He laughed, his arms dropping down to wind around her hips, bringing her body securely against his. What was this woman doing to him? He couldn’t seem to stop touching her and Ben had never been much of a cuddler with women.

“That’s alright or did you already forget?” He joked. “I already got you into bed.”

..xx..

A/N: Thank you for reading and thank you for the warm reviews and continued support. I am still on summer hiatus – since summer really has only just begun – so updates, unfortunately, will be few and far in between. I am warning everyone now but I am continuously blown away by the warm reception this story gets from those who read it.

Also, some stories are deleted from my account: Winter Solstice, The Beginning of Eden, Dark Side of the Moon and Crazy and Beautiful. I am trying to clean my account up and I do not see myself updating any of these. Also, The Waverly Myth, Ghetto Gospel, and When Night is Almost Done will be taken down to one chapter for I am hoping to edit these in preparation for publishing purposes.

I promise now though that More than Anyone and Better Together will always remain up in full tact on my account.