Read Online Between Friends by Amanda Cowen - Free Book Online Page B

from their brown paper bags, and sprawled
everything out all over his granite countertops. I began to help
him sort through them, until he pushed me away and insisted he was
going to do the cooking. He ordered me to pour us each a glass of
wine, and to plop myself down on one of the stools surrounding his
massive island. I watched Ben work his magic in the kitchen and
whisk around from the fridge to the stove, back to the island for a
sip of his wine, then back to the stove. He insisted on playing
twenty questions, another one of Ben’s little idiosyncrasies when
it came to passing the time.
    Once he was done, he had made and
assembled the most beautifully prepared pasta. He mixed chicken,
zucchini, spinach, tomatoes and eggplant and topped it off with
shaved Parmesan cheese. He also made a mixed green salad with
homemade balsamic vinaigrette. I even saw him whisking it together
in the bottom of a large salad bowl, moments before his big reveal.
I clapped at his masterpiece and said I never knew he had it in him
to cook. Ben proudly smiled and said he was full of
surprises.
    Over dinner, he complained about how a
new client of his demanded that Ben list their property way over
its market value. Ben refused, which ruffled his client’s feathers
a bit. But I wasn’t at all surprised by Ben’s blunt approach. It
was his confidence and expertise that had led him to be the
youngest top seller with Reitman Realty LLC for the past two
consecutive years in a row. That was something I could only dream
of, and as of last year I was thankful I even made a decent sale
ranking.
    Then Ben told me about how his sister
recently lost a ton of weight (like went from Wynonna Judd size
down to an Ashley Judd zero). I was impressed over this recent
weight loss, because as long as I had known his sister, she had
struggled with her weight. Then I brought up my obsession with
Bachelor’s final three candidates, to which Ben rolled his eyes and
told me I needed to get a real love life.
    A bottle of wine later, and we had
chatted about everything and anything. When I noticed it was
getting late, I changed into a pair of Ben’s sweats and yelled out
from the bathroom door for him to go and make us some popcorn
before we started our “Seinfeld” marathon. But by the second
episode on the third DVD of season nine, I couldn’t stop yawning. I
asked Ben if I could stay over, and he smiled and said, “Of course”
while I cozied up on the opposite side of the sofa. Although I can
vaguely remember him slipping a blanket over me before he wandered
off into his bedroom, I know I can clearly remember thinking how
lucky I was to have him as my friend when I slipped into a slumber
on his leather sofa.
    But right now, all I can think about
is how great that night was, how great our friendship was, and how
much fun we had together doing absolutely nothing. While I debate
whether or not to sit with Ben, or take my own lone seat on the
bus, I yearn for that Saturday. I wish more than anything I had a
pause button to freeze that night in time before things suddenly
became weird and complicated between us. I think of Jerry and
Elaine from “Seinfeld” who were best friends that once slept
together. Heck! They even continued to sleep together in later
seasons and they got along. I purse my lips together and wonder why
we can’t be like Jerry and Elaine? So with “Seinfeld” as my
influence, I make my final decision and plop myself beside Ben. I
playfully nudge him and say, “Would you rather have a rewind
button, or a pause button?”
    Ben locks his eyes with mine and says,
“Definitely rewind.”

Chapter 7
    It was atrocious. For approximately
two hours and fifteen minutes, Ben and I created enough sexual
tension to drive me insane. The whole bus ride, every time I looked
at him I wanted to kiss him, but of course I didn’t. Every time Ben
would ask me another would you rather question, I found myself
losing focus from his voice, and daydreaming to