Page 7

BENNIE

Apparently, the harder I tried not to think of Joska, the more he appeared on my mind. His face was just always there, making it hard for me to focus on the movie I had put on.

It had been a week since I first met Joska, and while I had only talked to him about religion, it felt like we had a deeper connection. A connection I couldn’t quite understand, but it was there, and it was strong.

At least, for me it felt that way.

I looked down at the coffee table where his business card still was, untouched. But it had invisible holes in it because I had been staring at it all the time.

Chewing my bottom lip, I tried to think clearly. What could even come from this? What if I texted him, and all he replied with were questions about my faith?

What if I had misinterpreted his words and the way he had looked at me?

And the way his lips made my cheeks tickle when he kissed me goodbye…what if that was all just my imagination?

No.

I was good at reading people, and the way he had looked at me told me enough. He gave me his card for personal reasons. Not for…priest reasons.

“Crap,” I muttered as I reached for the card on the coffee table. My phone was next to me on the couch, and I picked it up before unlocking it.

I stared at the number for a while, and when I finally managed to open the phone app, I put in the digits one by one, slowly, thinking that maybe something would stop me.

But nothing did, and I continued to save the number under his first name.

Just Joska didn’t look right though. Something was missing.

I pursed my lips and typed in Father before his first name, amused by my humor.

If the conversation didn’t go the way I hoped it would, I at least would have proven that my intentions weren’t to flirt with him.

I put the card down on the table and leaned back, with my legs crossed, and holding my phone with both hands in my lap. “Alright…what to write,” I asked myself after opening a new chat.

Many things came to mind.

I could’ve sent him a simple hi , or I could’ve told him that Sin told me that he was the other person getting Luca a balance bike.

But neither of those options sounded good enough. None of them would catch his attention, so I had to be more direct. More…intimate.

“Here goes nothing,” I muttered before typing.

Me

As a priest, are you even allowed to date?

I sent the text before I could delete it, and while I waited for a few seconds, I figured adding my name would be helpful.

Me

This is Bennie, by the way.

I closed the chat and locked my phone before throwing it to the other side of the couch where I couldn’t reach it. I hated how nervous that made me, but I wasn’t going to take it back now.

I would be nonchalant about it. If he texted me back, I wouldn’t text back too quickly. That would make me seem desperate. Or disinterested.

Staring at the TV, I ignored my phone’s existence and focused on the movie. But when my phone buzzed, my head turned immediately. God, I was long gone. I wanted to check what he wrote. And I knew it was him because there wouldn’t be anyone else texting me.

Not out of the blue.

My fingers twitched, and the urge to reach over and grab my phone was hard to ignore.

“Not yet, Bennie. You don’t want to seem desperate,” I whispered, tearing my eyes off my phone again.

It buzzed again, and while I tried my hardest not to look at it again, my eyes were back on my phone. I took a deep breath, trying to talk myself into ignoring it.

But I couldn’t.

I reached over to it and looked at the screen. There were two messages from him at the bottom of the screen, and I read them without opening them.

Father Joska

Was hoping to hear from you, Bennie.

Father Joska

I’m not an ordinary priest.

I read this texts a few times before laughing out loud. I had noticed that already. Without knowing much about his personal life, there were many things that hinted to him not being an ordinary priest. Just the fact that Sin was hiding something from me about Joska was telling a lot, and the fact that I had made him question his faith was questionable too.

We lived in a modern world, and not everyone was following rules. Still, meeting a priest who was the opposite of holy was strange, yet intriguing.

I pursed my lips as I opened the chat and typed in a reply.

Me

I figured as much. So, are you allowed to date or not?

His response came almost immediately.

Father Joska

If you’re asking because you would like to go on a date with me, then yes. If you’re just asking out of pure curiosity, then no.

I bit the inside of my cheek.

So, he wanted to go out with me, and only me?

Me

Are you saying you’d break the rules for me?

I smiled as I sent that text, and without seeing his face, I could imagine him smiling as well. It was strange to admit, but that connection I had felt the past couple of days became stronger, and now that I was talking to him, it felt like an invisible string was pulling us toward each other.

Of course, I could’ve just been very delusional.

His next text begged to differ though.

Father Joska

In a heartbeat.

JOSKA

I didn’t want to push her away by being too forward, but she clearly felt that connection between us.

It was hard to admit that Bennie made me feel things no other woman ever had, but she had been on my mind for the past week, and I had been desperately waiting for her to text me.

I was so desperate, in fact, that I almost asked Sin to give me Bennie’s number so I could text her first, but I figured that giving her the time and space she needed was the best option.

Her text had made me smile. She knew a priest was supposed to be good, and not break any rules, but sweet Bennie was curious, and I wasn’t going to stay away when she didn’t want me to.

After my last texts, it took her a moment to reply. But when the bubble popped up, letting me know that she was typing, I waited with excitement to see what she’d reply.

Bennie

So…are you going to ask me out then?

I smirked at her question, and I replied without hesitation.

Me

Definitely, but not over text.

I waited for her to read my message, and before she could reply, I tapped on the call button. I held the phone to my ear and leaned back on my couch, waiting for her to pick up.

She did just after the second ring, and a soft laugh was the first thing I heard from her. Fuck me, even just her laugh was perfect.

“Hey there,” I said.

“Hi, it’s good to hear your voice,” she said.

God, she was too damn sweet.

“You too.” I paused for a moment, before asking her the question I didn’t want to ask over text. “I would’ve love to ask you this face to face, but I figure this is okay too. Do you want to go out with me, Bennie?”

I had learned from my brother that Bennie was twenty-five. Twenty years younger than me, but with the way she was, I knew she was more mature than most women my age. She had been through a lot already, and things like that make a woman grow. She was strong, and that’s one of the many things that were attractive about her.

“I’d love to,” she replied. I could hear the smile in her voice, and I wished I could’ve seen it.

“Great. How about a nice dinner? Any special requests? Restaurants you’ve always wanted to try?”

“I’m open for anything,” she told me before adding. “Surprise me.”

Yeah…I could do that.

“Alright, I’ll set something up. When do you have time?”

She thought about it for a moment before replying with, “Tomorrow night?”

Very short term, but I had time tomorrow night. And I wanted to see her again. “Sounds good to me.”

“Great. I can’t wait.” The smile in her voice was hard to miss.

“Perfect. If you send me your address, I’ll come pick you up at your place at six.”

“I’ll text you my address. I’m excited,” she admitted. She didn’t sound nervous, which kept me calm too.

“I can’t wait to see you again. I gotta admit…I’ve been thinking about you the past week,” I told.

She was silent for a moment as my words lingered, and when she spoke again, my heart almost busted by how soft and sweet her voice was.

“I’ve been thinking about you too.”

I smiled and rubbed my jaw, letting out a soft chuckle. “Glad you decided to call me after all. I’ll make tomorrow special for you. I promise.”

There was silence again, and I wondered how long it had been since she last heard a man say something like that to her. I didn’t know much about her past relationship, but the look in her eyes when she hinted on her ex had told me all I needed to know. I wasn’t planning on asking her about her ex, and how he managed to break her so much, but if she ever gave me the chance, I’d show her just how good she deserved to be treated.

“I can’t wait,” she then said, her voice a whisper. “I gotta go now. It’s late.”

“Yeah, I don’t mean to keep you up. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Good night, Bennie.”

“Good night, Joska.”

I stayed on the line until she hung up, and before starting to plan our date for tomorrow, I received a text from her with her address. She lived in Central Boulder, whereas I lived further south of the city. It wouldn’t be a long drive though.

Just from the conversation we had, I knew Bennie was special. In a way, it was foolish of me to think that everything would work out perfectly with her. That after just one date we’d decide that we were right for each other.

But then, this pull I felt toward her was one I had never felt before.

And between all these exciting thoughts I was having, I was neglecting an important fact.

Bennie was a sweetheart, and she had gotten to know me as a priest.

I was supposed to be the one to help her with her crisis of faith, but I feared that I was about to turn into one more thing she needed saving from.