Who Would've Known?

"Arctic Monkeys?"

"Yes." I replied with a nod.

"Really?" Ben gasped in wonder. "Most girls I know usually gravitate towards lighter music."

"I'm practically a woman, Ben." I giggled as I flicked a crumb from the chocolate cake he bought me.

Yes, his mouth filter failed. He said that my collarbones were beautiful after I complained about how my sweater exposed them after removing his pea coat at the door.

Very strange thing for someone to say, let alone think about, but it was very flattering.

"Do you want the last piece?" I asked.

"I think I can get by." He smiled while watching me scoop the piece up.

"Oh come on. You already made me feel like a pig, eating the rest of the cake all by myself."

I lifted the fork up and pointed it towards his lips.

"Plus, you look like you need to eat."

"I've heard that one too many times." He said opening his mouth, allowing me to place the fork on his tongue. He closed his mouth around the fork and I slowly pulled the fork back out. His eyes never left mine.

"So," Ben started, "what are your relations with that guy who was with you?"

"He's my brother." I replied quietly scraping crumbs with the underside of my fork.

"So he's adopted?" Ben asked taking a sip from his coffee, but still looking at me.

I hesitated for a moment and put my fork down with a 'clink' against the porcelain saucer.

"No. I am." I said even more quietly than before, staring at the crumbs on my plate.

I could see his coffee cup slowly lower onto the table. He reached across the table and touched my shoulder with his thumb gently lying on my collarbone causing me to fight back a smile from remembering that Ben thought they were apparently beautiful.

I looked back up at him with a small smile and continued.

"I was adopted when I was 2. Ross's parents are the only parents I've ever known."

His thumb slightly rubbed against my collarbone and he slid it down to the side of my arm.

"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's okay." I replied slowly moving back so he would let go of my arm.

He was getting a bit to "touchy-feely."

My phone started to ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey. I'm about 5 minutes away from the Starbucks."

"Okay. Thanks Ross." I slipped my phone back into my pocket.

"I've got to go. This has been really nice Ben." I said sliding out of my chair and fixing my sweater so it covered the collarbones he seemed to fancy so much.

Ben quickly stood up and grabbed his pea coat that was resting in an extra chair beside us. "It has." He softly said.

"Would you like to join me outside while I wait for Ross?" I asked awkwardly rocking back and forth on my heels.

His eyes lit up and he led the way towards the door.

We walked a few paces away from the cafe, and stood side by side at the edge of the sidewalk.

"Lori?"

"What's up?" I replied casually looking down the street for any signs of Ross's truck.

"I'm glad I met you." He softly said looking ahead of him. His hands were tied together in front of his person, as if he were a schoolboy all over again.

I looked up at him hoping he would look back at me, but he just continued looking straight ahead. I looked ahead of me as well and took the same stance he was in.

"Me too." I said with a sad voice, but making sure my head was still held pretty high.

His head snapped in my direction, and I could feel his eyes burning through my skin.

I continued to look ahead.

He continued to look through me from my side until he broke the silence.

"Don't worry." I could hear the smile in his voice. "We'll meet again."

"How are you so sure Mr. Barnes?" I asked while playfully swinging my arms at my sides drastically changing my tone of voice.

"Trust me. We will." He said with a pleasant smile.

He looked down at his watch and turned his whole body to me.

"See you soon." He leaned down and pressed his lips against my ear causing me to physically shiver, and settled his large, warm hands on my arms.

"Quite soon."

I closed my eyes bathing in the warmth that was just provided by Ben's soft cheeks and his hot breath. I felt every bit of his skin as he smoothed his cheek against mine to lean back. Before his flesh was completely removed from my face, my face jerked forward as if it didn't want to let go. I seemed that I held no control over my body. I just knew that I wanted the moment to last as long as possible. My eyes fluttered open to see that his chest was inching closer to me and closed in on the space between us.

Amidst all of the sexual tension, there was a voice in the back of my head telling me to back away from the older man. But my body was working against my will. My hands slowly crept up the front of his torso and my thumbs found its way to his jawbone. Rubbing it rhythmically beside the bustle of traffic, and the gushes of wind. He looked down at me removing his cheek from mine and looked into my eyes with a sort of hunger.

No one has ever looked at me in such a way. I could only look at his lips with a calm face. When he realized the hunger he seemed to hold for me wasn't the same as mine for him, he dropped his gaze to the crooks of my arms and stepped back a pace.

"Quite soon." He whispered, and turned away and walked into the distance ahead.

How is it possible for one man to leave me feeling so empty-handed, when my hands never had a grasp on anything?

My hands plopped down to my sides, and my shoulders drooped.

"Well that's that." I said lowly to myself.

I crossed my arms and looked down the street as I did before.

I'm so cold.