Page 42 of Only Lovers in the Building

For days, Mother Nature blessed them with torrential downpours. The rooftop bar was closed and the streets flooded. There

was nowhere to go. Where the tourists cursed their dumb luck, taking refuge under awnings, helpless as their beach days dissolved

in the waterlogged sand, Lily and Ben were content and cozy in his apartment. They had books, food delivery apps, and each

other. They needed little else. When they weren’t reading, they wrote. When they weren’t reading or writing, they made love.

When they weren’t making love, they ate in bed and watched movies. If they weren’t doing any of those things, they slept in

each other’s arms, more peacefully than newborn babes.

One afternoon, Lily stirred awake from a nap with one word in mind: soulmate . Last night’s film was an adaptation of a fantasy romance in which a village girl was married off to a foreign prince. Separated

after the wedding night, they were desperate to reunite. They traveled through time, flew dragons, fought wars, and led armies,

all just to find each other again. When they were finally reunited, there was no question that the unlikely pair were each

other’s soulmates.

What was she willing to do to be with Ben?

No time travel was required, but she’d have to relocate.

Would she leave the city of her dreams? Give up her affordable sublet in the East Village?

And what about him? Would he be willing to make room on his dusty shelves for her bright pink books?

Add her degrees to his wall? Were they even soulmates?

It would have to be ordained from the start, proclaimed in some prophecy, recorded on an ancient scroll or the walls of a cave. That was generally how it worked.

Ben was asleep at her side. Lily propped herself up on an elbow and gazed down at him. He slept on his back, his face turned

away from her. Her heart ached as she regarded his features. She’d never experienced anything like this, the rush of love

and the fear of loss. What had he called it? Exquisite pain.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, eyes shut.

“Nothing,” she replied. “I’m dumbstruck by your animal magnetism. I can’t hold a thought in my mind.”

He stirred, rolled onto his side to face her. Eyes still closed, he repeated the question. “What were you thinking about?

Don’t bother lying, Lily. I could hear the gears grinding.”

His voice was rough with sleep, which she adored. “I was thinking about you.”

His eyebrows shot up. “What about me?”

“You make me happy,” she replied.

He reached out blindly and dropped a hand on her waist. “Tell me how.”

“I’m more myself with you.”

“That’s beautiful,” he murmured. “What else?”

“I love reading with you.”

Finally, he blinked open his eyes. “What else do you love?”

“Your love for stories. Your appetite for details.”

“What else?”

“I love your little notes. I’ll never throw them away.”

He laughed. “Want to know what I love about you?”

“Yes.”

“Everything.”

It wasn’t a stirring declaration of love. Who knew? Maybe he would’ve made one if she hadn’t pounced on him and crushed her mouth to his. They tossed aside the pillows and sunk into each other as rain pounded at the windows and the gray sky turned into night.

Sunday morning brought back the sunshine. But it took a string of text messages to draw Lily out of a deep slumber.

Brunch! Brunch! Brunch! Brunch!

Meet us at 10:30!

Come out of hiding!!

Mimosas aren’t going to pour themselves!!!!

Lily read the messages and moaned. She felt torn. Ordinarily, she was a Sunday-brunch devotee, but she did not want to break

free from this cocoon. Ben slipped a hand under her T-shirt and rested it on the flat of her belly. The simple contact sent

warmth through her body. She moaned again, miserable.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked.

“We have to go to brunch.”

“Says who?”

“Kylie, Sierra, Noah... everyone.”

Ben yawned. “That can’t be right. I don’t do brunch, and everyone knows it.”

“Check your phone. They must have sent you messages.”

“I’m almost certain they haven’t, but you can check if you’d like.”

His phone was next to hers on the nightstand. The only notification was the weather: seventy-eight degrees and sunny. If anything,

the rain had tamped down the summer heat.

She looked down at his sleepy face with longing and regret.

“Don’t look so sad,” he said. “I’ll be here when you get back. Actually, I’ll be at my place. Come by when you’re done. We’ll

end the day at the bookstore if you’d like.”

“I’d love that,” she said. “And don’t worry. I’m not usually this clingy. It must have been the rain.”

“Cling all you want. I don’t have you for long.”

Lily showered, brushed through her hair, and slipped on a brunch-appropriate outfit, a white linen matching set and sandals.

His words followed her around the apartment. I don’t have you for long .

Ben kissed her goodbye at the elevator.

“Wait!” she cried, clinging to him yet again. “Where’s brunch, anyway? They didn’t say.”

“Across the street at Lulu’s Café,” he answered. “Bottomless mimosas and a new DJ every Sunday. It never fails.”

On her way over to the brunch spot, Lily’s mood brightened. It was a fresh Sunday morning. The recent rain showers made everything

new. She was starving and coffee-deprived and missed her crazy friends. In the end, there was nothing as exhilarating as breaking

out of any cocoon.

Lulu’s Café was exactly as Ben had described. A DJ played house music, and mimosas flowed. The hostess asked if she had a

reservation.

“No,” Lily answered. “I’m meeting my friends.”

Somehow she knew exactly which friends Lily was referring to and led her to a round table near a window. They were all there,

all dressed for different events. Sierra had slipped gold barrettes into her afro, elevating an ensemble that looked suspiciously

like sleepwear. Kylie and Jeremy were casual in T-shirts and jeans. Noah looked as though he were going yachting later, in

a white polo shirt and boat shoes.

“There she is!” they cried when they spotted her.

Sierra moved her purse off a chair and invited her to sit. A waiter was taking their orders. Kylie gave her two options: waffles or pancakes. “Stick to the basics. Don’t get cute,” she warned. “Don’t even think about the avocado toast. It is way overpriced for what you get.”

Jeremy nodded. “She’s right.”

“Waffles, then,” Lily said, taking her seat between Noah and Sierra.

Noah grabbed her face and planted a kiss on her cheek. “You’ve finally come up for air,” he said.

“And you’re glowing,” Sierra added.

“Well, I’ve got news!” Lily announced.

The chatter came to a halt. Four pairs of eyes were pinned on her face.

“Don’t make us wait for it,” Kylie said.

“I have a book deal!” Lily had sat on the news at first, waiting until she’d officially signed with Rebecca Blackwell. Then

rainy season had dampened the news, somehow making it less real. But the sun was out, and she was feeling optimistic. “Or...

I may have a book deal. It’s in the works.”

“Great,” Kylie said.

“Yes, congrats,” Jeremy added.

“It’s the logical next step,” Sierra said. “Your book reviews are slamming. The podcast is a hit. It was just a matter of

time. Have you considered starting an online course?”

“No, I haven’t,” Lily replied. “Thanks for the idea.”

“Will you quit practicing law?” Jeremy asked.

“No,” Lily said. “It’s in my DNA. Besides, law is like a tool kit. You can build any career you want.”

Jeremy nodded and wiped the thick curtain of bangs from his eyes. “Cool.”

An awkward silence settled at the table.

This was not the reaction Lily had expected.

Her friends appeared slightly underwhelmed by her big news.

A book deal, whether it materi alized or not, was big.

She was going to be a published author. It had taken a while for it to sink in.

Rebecca had followed up with a call on which she and Lily worked through the outlines of a potential publishing contract.

Afterward, Lily had not slept well. Could she do this?

The question kept her up, staring at the ceiling.

An opportunity fell at your feet, you couldn’t kick it away.

How crazy that her silly idea to read romance books by the pool had gained such speed and momentum, drawing people from everywhere through the reviews, the podcast, and maybe now a book.

That next morning, the storms had rolled in. Ben had skipped his run and was sleeping pleasantly beside her. He’d been publishing

for years: a book deal didn’t scare him. She had reached for her journal and flipped through the first notes she’d drafted

for the podcast. Romance tropes versus reality. Apply popular romance tropes to real life. She sat there, weeping. It was all there, the DNA of a book.

“Are you sure that’s all you have to tell us?” Kylie asked.

“Isn’t that enough?” Lily protested. “This is a big deal, guys!”

Lily demanded their enthusiasm. She would not let them shrug off her news.

“We’re happy for you!” Sierra exclaimed.

“We thought you were going to finally tell us about Ben,” Noah said, fulfilling his role as the group’s straight shooter.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to,” Sierra said. “But FYI, the whole building knows what’s going on.”

“You have to talk about it,” Noah said. “I’ve had a crush on Ben for years, and I’m living vicariously through you.”

Kylie fixed her a mimosa from the bottles of orange juice and prosecco on the table. “Maybe you need loosening up,” she said.

“Drink this.”

Lily sipped her mimosa, all while squirming in her chair. Wow, she thought. You wait your whole life to have a friend group to dish with over brunch. When it happens, you don’t like it. It makes you uncomfortable, and you’d rather run home and crawl back into bed.

“Is he any good in bed?” Kylie asked.

The question caught her off guard, and Lily coughed up the truth. “Yes.”

“We knew it!” Sierra screamed in her ear.