Heartlines

24: Can't Stop

I'm standing in Ben's kitchen trying to make him breakfast while he's still sleeping soundly in his bed. Since giving me the house key at Christmas, I have pretty much moved in with him.

When I went to the townhouse the girls would glare at me or snap at me for things I didn't do. I got the sisterhood speech at least once a week about how rude I was for choosing a local boy over them. I would cry the whole way to Ben's house because of the way they treated me. I was still a human being with emotions, and they did everything to cut me down to tiny pieces.

Last night when I was at the townhouse, they asked me to empty my bedroom and move out. Not knowing what else to do, I packed a suitcase and grabbed everything I cared about. When I pulled up to Ben's house, I left everything in my trunk until I could figure out what to do or at least what to tell Ben.

Ben would be happy about the news because he had been begging for me to move in with him since we got back from Vancouver. A small part of me felt it was so he could keep a closer eye on me.

To know I was safe.

The curtain around the bed flies opens, and Ben pokes his beautiful head out. He looks confused and a strand of hair falls into his gorgeous face.

It has been three months since Ben went all GQ on me on New Year's, but he was keeping up with the look. After weeks of convincing, he accepted the money and credit cards. We took a weekend and went to New York for a mini shopping spree. It pains him to admit he loves how soft the designer denim is, but the tight t-shirts are my favorite look on him.

"FLIP THEM!" He shouts

I blink at him confused, "what?"

Ben points at me and I turn to look behind me. There is a giant cloud of smoke from the frying pan, and I hurry to grab the flipper. When I get it under the pancake, I quickly flip them, but the damage is done. I want to cry. The pancake is as black as night and completely inedible.

"Shit." I shout at the wall.

Ben hurries into the kitchen and reaches around me to turn off the stove. Laughing, he pulls me into his naked chest and kisses my forehead. "Guess we'll be going out for breakfast."

"No." I pout. "I wanted to cook you something nice and stay in for the entire day. I have a giant list of movies to watch, because all I really want to do is cuddle on the couch. I ruined the first part of the plan."

"Ally, you haven't ruined anything. The best part of this whole thing is waking up to you, in our kitchen, cooking for me butt-ass naked." He laughs.

Giggling, I smirk at him. "Correction. I was attempting to cook in our kitchen butt-ass naked. Now, I'm just naked and embarrassed that I can't even make pancakes."

"It's not pancakes I want right now." He caresses my face.

"The girls kicked me out of the townhouse last night." I blurt. "I didn't know how to tell you, so I left everything in my trunk."

"What do you mean they kicked you out?" He looks down at me with a frown.

"They gave me until the end of the week to get my things out of the house. They want to find a different roommate."

The next thing I know, I'm sitting on the kitchen floor, crying into my knees. I guess I'm not dealing with the news as well as I thought. I don't like to be forced into decisions. Ben has been asking me for months to move in with him, but I like having a space to escape to if we are fighting or if we need space from each other.

Ben sits in front of me and pulls me to his lap. "Babe, I'm sorry. This is a good thing, you can finally move in with me." He sounds excited.

I touch his face and smile. "Are we really ready to live with each other? This place doesn't allow us to have our own space when we need it. Ben, moving into together is a huge step towards the next commitment. The word that makes you sweat."