Page 30 of Only Lovers in the Building
“So... you and Ben, right?” he said. “I caught one of his class lectures online. I’m one of those geeks who hopes to write the next great American novel on my lunch break. He’s brilliant.”
Lily made a mental note to catch one of Ben’s online lectures before replying, “He’s brilliant, that’s for sure. But we’re
not a couple.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“Don’t kick yourself,” she said. “It’s an easy mistake. I have a hard time keeping it straight sometimes. How about you and
Noah?”
He winced at the mention of Noah’s name. Lily felt compelled to leap to her friend’s defense. “He’s a cool guy,” she said.
“He was the first to welcome me to the building, and he’s been my guardian angel this whole time.”
“One woman’s angel is another man’s demon or tormentor,” Nicolas said with a little laugh. “He’s beautiful and tempting.”
“How did you meet?” she asked.
“I hopped on the apps to see what was out there, and somehow matched with him. We don’t have too much in common, though. We
like wine, so there’s that.”
The differences between Noah and Nicolas were glaringly obvious, but what of the opposites attract theory or the grumpy/sunshine
trope?
“Does anything else matter if you like each other?”
“We’re not in the same place,” Nicolas said. “I’m ready to settle down. I don’t think he’ll ever be.”
Lily gulped down her champagne. Nicolas’s tone was resolute.
This didn’t bode well for Noah. Ben returned with Negronis, and soon, they were engrossed in a conversation about late midcentury novels, the subject of the lecture Nicolas had caught on YouTube.
To the untrained eye, Nicolas had more in common with Ben than with Noah.
However, only Noah twisted himself in knots over Nicolas, gave him chance after chance, waited around when he was late, replayed their dates in his mind and for his friends, and combed through every conversation in search of something .
She wondered if Noah knew Nicolas was grieving a relationship.
Had he bothered to ask? Or maybe he’d sensed something was
off all along. In that case, he’d been right to be cautious and protect himself. She’d been wrong to keep pushing. This left
her wondering why people came to her for advice. I’m no guru. I suck.
Noah and Jeremy carried in folding chairs and a table from the spare bedroom. In no time, the table was set with linens, flickering
candles, and the roses Lily had picked up at the market earlier that day. They ate family-style. Kylie had prepared fresh
pasta to go with the caprese salad: lobster- or mushroom-filled raviolis. Side dishes of broccolini and roasted brussels sprouts
rounded out the menu.
Before they sat to eat, Kylie made an announcement. “Guys! Let’s thank Lily for gifting us each a copy of the next official
book club selection. You’ll find one on your seat. Read it, and if you’d like to discuss, come find us at the rooftop bar
on a Sunday night. Or not. It’s not that serious. Just enjoy yourselves.”
“Or find us on BookTap,” Lily added. “I get you’re busy, and I just want to thank you all for being here, Noah for opening
his home to us, Kylie for what looks like a fantastic meal, and Ben for being the best book buddy I could hope for. I love
you guys.”
Kylie rushed over to hug her, which was so uncharacteristic of her Lily was at a loss for words.
She clammed up and took a seat at the table next to Ben.
He pulled her chair close to his and pressed his lips to her temple before rising, glass in hand, for a toast. “To my neighbor, my friend, my fellow coffee lover, my reading partner, my confidante, my coconspirator—all things you are to me, Lily. And now you’re my cohost. I couldn’t be happier.
To us. And to another useless podcast the world doesn’t need! ”
“To another useless podcast the world doesn’t need!” the others echoed.
Lily, who had held his gaze throughout, saw in those inscrutable eyes a glimmer of their very first encounter. Wow. You wait all your life for this feeling to take you, change you, make you new . When it happens, you want to jump off a fucking balcony.
Ben sat down and asked if she was feeling okay. “You look pale. Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Did I embarrass you?”
“No, I loved it,” she said. “ Loved it.”
He drew her chair even closer, filled her glass with water, fed her lobster ravioli, and even though they were surrounded
by people, talked quietly to her as if no one else mattered. They were alone in a world of words, shared thoughts, clashing
opinions, inside jokes, shared passions, and joint ventures. She’d never had this with anyone, had never felt like this about
anyone.
He leaned in and asked her, “What’s going on between Jeremy and Kylie?”
Who cares?! she wanted to scream. What’s going on between us?
To play along, Lily glanced around the table. Noah and Nicolas were talking, fully engrossed in conversation, and Noah did
not look bored. Jeremy and Kylie were swapping stories and laughing, a half-empty bottle between them.
“They’re having fun. It’s summer.”
“I keep telling you, that’s no excuse,” he said. “This is Miami. It’s always summer.”
Ben went quiet for a bit before asking, “Remind me when you plan on returning to New York?”
“August 31,” she replied and regretted it instantly. His ques tion had heft, loaded to test a boundary. Her answer sounded so definitive, as if she had a plan and a purpose when in fact that was the date her lease was up. She’d gladly move her things across the hall and extend her stay if he asked.
Ben didn’t ask. He just nodded curtly and turned away.