A Shade Of Blood(43)

“What? It’s the scene of your first crime!”
“How is that a good memory? And for the record, I was framed.”
“Yes. You told us that story many, many times. It was Jenna who put the dress in your bag.”
“It’s true.” I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.
“I’m not refuting that.” Ben raised his hands in surrender. “But this place holds a good memory for me, because this is where I first realized that you had a crush on me.”
“And how exactly did you come upon that revelation?”
“Weren’t you there because you were stalking Jenna and me?”
I covered my face with both palms. “That’s so embarrassing. You knew?!”
“Of course I knew…”
“So all this time, you knew I had a thing for you? How would you even…”
“It doesn’t matter how. I just knew.” He leaned back on his car seat, his eyes set forward.
“But you were never interested in me… Not in that way at least…”
He gave me a wry laugh. “Never interested in you? Sofia, I had a crush on you from the first time I met you. Do you have any idea how cute you looked when I first shot you in the face with that water gun? I’ve had a thing for you since then…”
“Then why didn’t you ever say anything? I had to watch you have all those flings and date all those girls… I don’t understand.”
“I always thought of you as the girl I would eventually become serious with. The only explanation I can really give you is that I wasn’t ready to settle yet … I was being a jackass.”
Then Derek came along and you got a taste of your own medicine? Is that why you’re so interested in me all of a sudden? It’s definitely not because you want to settle down.
“Anyway,” Ben drummed his fingers over the steering wheel “we’re here because I thought this would be a great place for you to look for a prom dress.”
“Prom dress?”
“Yeah. Come on…”
I stared at him incredulously. “Do I have to?” I whined.
“You can’t go to the prom with me if you don’t have a prom dress, Sofia.” He took my hand and coaxed me out of the truck. “Besides, it’s about time this place gave you a good memory or two.”
As we walked toward the boutique’s front door, I quipped. “Who ever said I was going to prom with you?”
He was clearly amused considering the way chuckles began escaping his lips. “Of course you’re going. That’s going to be date number three.”
It was decidedly the best date I’d ever been on. After we picked out my prom dress and his suit, he brought me to our favorite ice cream shop. He knew what to order me without needing to ask: mint chocolate chip. He hated that flavor… kept telling me that it tasted like toothpaste. His favorite was actually strawberry, something he never admitted until high school, because as a boy, he always ordered rocky road. He thought strawberry was too girly because it was pink.
Every venue we visited contained a memory of the eight years we spent being best friends. It was a reminder of how well we knew each other, of how well-acquainted we were with each other’s quirks and idiosyncrasies. It was as if he was reminding me why he still mattered, why we mattered.
It was interesting to sneak into our middle school and fool around on the swings. We reminisced over the first fight he’d ever gotten into. We would’ve stayed longer, but the old security guard – Enrique – chased us out.
We then had lunch at the restaurant where we both worked one summer. The manager who looked over us was still working there. We got free dessert. Finally, we took a winding stroll through the park near the hospital where Ben stayed after he contracted appendicitis.
“You were with me every single day until I got out,” Ben recalled. We were seated on a park bench and he was holding my hands, playfully tugging at my fingers. “I just want you to know that I noticed all that, Sofia. I appreciate everything you’ve ever done for me.”
No words could explain the way this made me feel. There were still so many questions, so many doubts running through my mind, but beyond all the disagreements we’d been having because of The Shade, I had to accept that Ben was the one constant in my life for the past eight years. He was there for me when no one else was. Not even The Shade or whatever feelings I held for Derek could take that away.
When Ben leaned over for a kiss, it was the first I shared with him where he had me completely. As our mouths explored each other’s, not a single fiber of my being was paying attention to Derek Novak. On that particular day, I was Ben’s and I was his alone.