Page 36 of Only Lovers in the Building

“Bella was in love with Ben for years. Instead of just telling him how she felt, she sold him a friends-with-benefits package.

When does that ever work? I love the books and all, but life isn’t a rom-com. Anyway, Ben was smart enough to know better.

Even if he wasn’t, I told him everything he needed to know. It could only end badly. Did he listen? No. Now here we are.” Roxanna let out a long, weary

sigh. “Nobody listens.”

“I’m listening,” Lily said softly.

“Good,” she said. “Because you two might be the real deal. You speak the same language. Arguing over books is like catnip to Ben. Why do you think I picked up reading? It was so as kids we could be closer. Honestly, I love to see it. It’s high time everyone moved on, and he deserves to be happy.

So please, forget what I said that first night.

New York is just a plane ride away or a twenty-four-hour drive.

You can make it work. I’m marrying Ricky despite everything.

I may regret it, but I’ve got to take a chance. So do you.”

“It’s not the same. You’ve got Oscar to think about,” Lily said, desperate to erase any parallels between her situation and

Roxanna’s. “You have his best interests in mind.”

Roxanna turned to stare at the sleeping child. “Right,” she said, voice shaky. “I only want the best for him.”

“All I want is to make it out of Miami in one piece,” Lily said. Her voice was shaky, too. “Anyway. I should get out there.

Those programs won’t distribute themselves!”

Lily never made it back to home base. She seamlessly stepped into Ben’s ex-something’s role, handing out a booklet of Bella’s

design. It featured photos of Rick and Roxy over the years, a love poem, and an outline of the evening’s main events—the ceremony,

cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing. She offered the booklet to uninterested guests, all while mulling over the concept of

the leap of faith. Previously, her love life was the only arena in which she’d attempted it. After each leap, she’d landed

on her face. But what was the decision to quit her job or to stay in Miami, if not leaps into the unknown? They’d paid off,

too. She’d made friends, started a book club, and was now cohosting a podcast.

“What has Roxy roped you into?” Ben approached from nowhere, catching her off guard.

“She needed an extra set of hands. Someone didn’t show up, and these booklets were just sitting here, and no one really wants

them, and—”

“She asked you to fill in for Bella?”

Lily wasn’t going to mention Bella, but since he had... “Why didn’t you mention she’d be here?”

“She isn’t here. Is she?”

“Don’t be cute.”

“Lily, we don’t talk,” he said. “But I didn’t think she’d skip the wedding. So yeah, I expected she’d be here.”

“You should have warned me,” Lily retorted. “The last time I saw her, I was wearing her robe in your bed.”

Ben winced, as if the memory still burned.

She handed a booklet to a guest. The older man raised a copy she’d given him moments earlier and declined. Frustrated, she

turned back to Ben. “I have questions.”

“Do we have to get into it here?” he asked.

“Yes, here.” She handed a booklet to a newcomer. “Did you know she was in love with you for years?”

He didn’t answer.

“If you knew how she felt and bought into her friends-with-benefits package deal anyway, that kind of makes you an asshole.”

Ben joined his hands behind his back. “You’ve been talking to Roxanna.”

“Yes. And?” Lily handed the last of the booklets to the single ladies.

“Okay,” Ben said. “And you’re done with booklets.”

He tried leading her back to home base. She wouldn’t let him. According to the program, the ceremony would start soon. He

ought to join Roxanna. “Get ready for the main event. We’ll talk later.”

“We’ll talk now,” he insisted. “If you think I’m an asshole, we need to clear that up.”

She dragged him to a quiet corner. “Talk.”

“Bella was one of my closest friends,” he said.

“I’ve known her my whole life. We went to school together, hung out, and played video games on weekends.

She approved every one of my crushes. To answer your question, I did not know she was in love with me.

I should have, but I didn’t. I thought she was hung up on her ex.

On my end, one thing led to another. We didn’t have dates on New Year’s Eve and made plans to hang out, like old times.

We got drunk and messed around. I knew it was a bad idea, but I shrugged it off.

It was the holidays... Why not have some fun? ”

Lily’s heart tanked. Hadn’t she done the same? Used “summer” as an excuse to abandon good sense and dive into the deep end?

“Roxanna says I should have known better, and she’s right,” Ben continued. “This is no excuse, but my father had started messaging

me from his death bed around Christmas. I was conflicted. So, what do I do? I act like him, a selfish prick, and hurt someone

close.” Ben halted, took a breath, and pushed on.

“Bella ended it when she realized I could not love her back, not like she wanted. It just wasn’t there. Now she won’t speak

to me or even risk being in the same room as me. I fucked up and lost a friend.”

Clearly, the breakup had devastated all parties involved. There were no villains, no one to point an accusing finger at. Trying

to package it in a neat story was misguided and harmful.

Lily straightened his lapel. He shouldn’t look so distraught before his big moment. “There,” she said. “Better.”

Once again, Ricky came around looking for him. “Hey, man,” he said. “It’s showtime.”

“Good luck,” Lily whispered.

With a long look, he left her to escort Roxanna down the aisle.