Chicago City Lights

Another two weeks went by and Ben was still not playing. Evelyn knew he was frustrated, but he didn’t show it. He had been allowed to start a light working-out routine again, and he had fully taken advantage of that, often going for runs. Most of the time, Evelyn went with him.

The Chicago winter that usually extended well into April was interrupted by a string of sixty degree days that February, which surprised no one who had lived in Chicago for more than three months. The weather was spastic at best. Evelyn and Ben took advantage of going for runs, their most recent journey taking them to walking path along Lake Michigan.

They ran in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. As they reached the Adler Planetarium, he slowed to stop and grabbed her wrist, making her stop too. Evelyn looked at him curiously.

“Are you okay? Are you dizzy?”

He shook his head, “I’m fine. Can we talk?”

Evelyn sucked in a breath and nodded, as he pulled her to a bench along the lake. She feared the worst. The tone in his voice was filled with dread and it made her nervous.

“What’s up?” She asked, trying to sound casual, but failing horribly.

“Uhm, well… I just…” He started, looking nervous.

“Ben,” Evelyn said, grabbing one of his hands with both of hers.

He smiled and scratched the back of his neck with free hand, “Where do we stand?”

Evelyn frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Like… how serious are you about us?”

Still not knowing what Ben meant or where the conversation was heading, she hesitated, “I’m in this, Ben. Maybe it’s stupid because we’ve only known each other six weeks, but I really care about you.”

He grinned, “Thank god.”

Evelyn smiled lightly, “What’s this about?”

He sighed, “I kind of told my parents about you.”

She grinned now, “And you were worried I’d have a problem with that?”

He nodded.

“Why?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know. I was worried you weren’t that serious about us, I guess.”

“Ben…”

“No, Lyn, listen. You are honestly my first real relationship. Even with Katie, we were teenagers… After her and before you, I didn’t date.”

“Really?”

“I was kind of a one-night-stand kind of guy.”

Evelyn grimaced and Ben laughed.

“Sorry,” He told her, pulling her into a hug. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Ex boyfriends..?”

She grimaced again, “You don’t really want to hear about that…”

“Try me.”

She sighed, “Ryan.”

She didn’t mean to practically spit his name out, but she had.

“Whoa,” Ben let out, not laughing. “We don’t have to talk about this… especially here.”

Evelyn looked up into his blue eyes and smiled, noticing and loving how different they were from Ryan’s. She smiled.

“No, its okay,” She told him. “I should talk about him.”

Ben nodded.

“He… started out great, and then he turned controlling. He was so jealous of me having any contact with a male not in my family…”

Ben made a face.

“He told me that either we broke up for I ditched all my guy friends…”

“So, you broke up?”

Evelyn shook her head, “No.”

“What?”

“Ben… he had me convinced he was the only person who loved me, who could love me. He fucked with my head.”

Ben reached up and cupped her face with his large hand, “That’s not true.”

His tone was firm and she smiled, lightly breathing out, “I know that. Now.”

He pressed his lips to hers lightly and when he pulled away, he asked,

“Have you told your parents about me?”

“Uh, yes?” She laughed.

Ben laughed, too, but he was frowning.

“To be fair, I haven’t talked to them since before the wedding, my brother either.”

He nodded and his smile brightened when she continued, “I’ll tell them tonight.”

He laughed and kissed her again, pulling her up off the bench. They started walking now, holding hands.

“Hey, Valentine’s Day is a few days away.”

“Oh, yeah,” She laughed. “I forgot about that…”

“Well, I didn’t. I know we’re both kind of home-bodies who are most comfortable at home with take-out, but…”

She grinned, “You planned something?”

He nodded and she smiled as he blushed.

“Well,” He told her. “Dress nice. I’ll get you at seven. Our reservation is for seven thirty.”

“Where are we going?”

He shook his head, as they reached his apartment building, “You coming up?”

“I should really get home and shower.”

“You can shower here,” He laughed, pulling her into the building.

She laughed too and followed him in, wrapping her arms around him from behind as he walked.

“I like how even when I’m sweaty and gross, you’re all over me.”

“I just can’t get enough,” She joked, as they walked into his apartment.

He called the shower first and left Evelyn sitting on the couch. She took off her hoodie, leaving her in her shorts and tank top. Ten minutes later, Ben walked out from his bathroom in just a pair of sweat pants. She grinned as he plopped next to her, kissing her cheek.

“My turn!”

She smiled and walked into the bathroom, stripping off her clothes, borrowing his soap to wash her body and hair, since he had no shampoo.

When she stepped out of the shower, she realized she had no clean clothes to put on. She sighed and wrapped one of Ben’s towels around herself, laughing as it barely covered her.

She walked into the living room, standing behind the couch.

“Ben?”

“Hm?” He mumbled, not tearing his eyes away from the ESPN show on his television.

She sighed and stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the TV. She smirked as she watched his eyes widen and trail up and down her only towel-clad and still wet body.

“Whoa…”

She laughed, “I need some clothes.”

“Uh… yeah… yeah!” He stuttered out, running into his bedroom.

Evelyn followed him and closed the door behind her, staring down Ben’s half naked body. At the sound of his door closing, he turned to her, a shirt and a pair of shorts in hand, his eyes wide.

“Ben…” She said, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his bare and muscular torso, leaning her head up to catch his lips with her own.

He pulled away, “Lyn… If you’re going to stop this… Tell me now.”

She winked at him, asking in between kisses to his chest, “Stop. What?”

He looked down at her, trying to figure out if it was finally going to happen. When she pushed him backward, making him fall onto his bed, he knew it was going to. She climbed on top of him, still in only a towel, straddling his waist. She smiled, being able to feel his arousal through his sweat pants.

She kissed his jaw and pulled away, grabbing her towel and pulling it off, throwing it to the floor. He looked at her, biting his bottom lip, as he gripped her hips.

“You are so beautiful.”

He was looking into her eyes when he said it and she knew he meant it. Her heart fluttered at the thought. She smiled at him, giving him a kiss before sliding down his body, placing kisses along his abdomen and belly. He grinned at her, but gasped when she took his length into her mouth.

“Fuck, Lyn…” He let out and she smiled around him.

He ran his hands through her curly brown hair, as she moved her mouth around him. She removed her mouth from around him, sliding up and kissing him hard on the mouth. He grabbed her sides, flipping her onto her back and wasting no time in entering her swiftly and roughly.

Evelyn gasped and gripped onto his shoulders as he pressed his lips to her throat.

She smiled at him, “Ben. Holy.. shit.”

He brought his hands to her back, lifting her into his lap, bringing her into a fast paced rhythm. Evelyn had had sex before, but never like this… never like what Ben was doing to her. The way he made her feel, as he was easily able to lift her and move her… She felt beautiful.

Their climaxes came a while later, the two of them collapsing onto the sheets, both breathless and sweating. Ben rolled onto his side, facing her. He grinned at her and pulled her close, kissing her deeply, just before they both fell asleep.