Page 53 of Only Lovers in the Building

“Never mind what it looks like,” she said. “I won’t leave Miami until I’m good and ready.”

“But you will leave eventually.”

“Frankly, that’s up to you.”

He studied her a while then said, “Let’s talk.”

The doors slid open to the pool. Ben strode out of the elevator. Unless she was willing to risk getting trapped alone again,

she had no choice but to follow him.

The pool deck was as serene as the morning of their first meet up. They marched over to their usual pair of lounge chairs,

which hadn’t been moved since they’d placed them side by side. Lily dropped onto one and waited for him to sit across from

her.

Finally settled, Ben stared at the flat blue surface of the pool. “When were you going to ask me?” he said quietly.

“Ask you what?”

“To follow you to New York?”

“Never!” Lily cried. “I would never ask you to follow me. That’s insane.”

“Why insane?” he said.

“You should never follow anyone to New York,” Lily said.

“I know how this works. It’s a demanding city.

When it gets nasty and the winters harsh, you’ll resent the person who dragged you there.

You’ll find the people rude, and all you’ll see is trash.

The subway, the bodegas, the museums and shops, Wall Street, and every play on Broadway will lose their appeal. ”

“If you don’t want me there, just say so.”

“That’s not it.”

“You made it clear to your brother, when he asked about your place, that you weren’t in a relationship and there was no one

to worry about.”

“Because!” she cried, unsure of what to add.

“I would do it,” he said. “I would follow you anywhere.”

That was sweet, but Lily had to quash this idea. “Forget New York,” she said. “Why haven’t you asked me to stay?”

“I can’t do that,” he said. “Your apartment, your family, and your career are in New York. So is your Monstera.”

“That plant is flourishing without me—I’ve seen the pics. I’m the one who’s wilting, waiting for you to tell me how you feel.”

“Lily, you know I love you!”

“No, I don’t!” she cried. “You said you loved ‘everything about me,’ which is technically not the same.”

He stood and stared down at her, those velvet dark eyes taking her in. “If I love everything about you, isn’t it reasonable to conclude that I love all of you?”

“I’m more than the sum of my parts!” she declared.

“Are you going to argue with me like this for the rest of our lives?”

“Yes! This is me. I’ll never change.”

“Change is overrated,” he said. “We are who we are.”

Lily rose to her feet and took his face between her hands.

“Please don’t use my family or career or apartment as an excuse.

Patrick can have my place. My mother will visit.

I wouldn’t be the first New York lawyer to take on Miami.

I’m sure there’s a secret society of us somewhere.

All I’m saying is that we have options. We don’t know what kind of life we’d have up north, but we know what we have here.

And FYI, if you don’t ask me to stay, I’ll stay anyway and go on living across the hall from you, but I’ll never speak to you again. ”

“I won’t be across the hall for long.”

Lily’s heart faltered, but her spine remained rigid. “Right. You’ll be in Amsterdam.”

His long, thick brows crumpled with confusion. “Amsterdam?”

“For the position at the university,” she explained. “It’s your dream.”

“No, it’s not.”

“But you said—”

“I don’t remember saying anything about moving to Amsterdam.”

“It’s your goal to live and work in Europe for a while. You said so.”

“I’m taking a break from chasing goals. I met a woman this summer who taught me that it’s okay to stop and take a break.”

“Is that right?” Lily said. “Have I met her?”

“Funny girl,” he said, smiling down at her.

“What will you do during this break?” she asked. As much as she would have loved to, they couldn’t read by the pool forever.

They had to earn a living.

“Take the box down from the shelf, riffle through it, take notes, and write the damn book,” he said. “I’ve got to come to

terms with my father or I won’t move on. Greyson said a lot of things the night we met him, but that’s what stuck with me.

Not some invitation to Amsterdam.”

Now that was true growth. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, beautiful,” he said.

“Why would you have to move out of your apartment?” she asked.

“To buy a new one. I’m in the market.”

“Since when?”

“Since meeting with Noah this afternoon,” he said. “I’m interested in a two-bedroom on a higher floor. A couple are sitting

vacant. I’ll get a hold of Dr. Jake and work something out.”

Lily put aside her pain and suffering to better absorb this bit of information. “How many apartments does Dr. Jake own?”

“Quite a few. Once I sell the watch, I can afford to take one off his hands.”

“Wow! How much is it worth?”

“We’ll get into that later.”

“All right, well...” Lily said with a sigh. “In case you’ve lost track, this is the moment you make a big, romantic declaration

and sweep me off my feet. Bring your A game.”

A family of four arrived with a wagon full of inflatable toys. They got settled nearby and switched on a portable radio.

Ben took her hand. “The setting matters,” he said. “Come with me.”

They were back in the elevator with the suitcase, kissing madly all the way up to the roof. It was early. The bar was sparsely

attended. Kylie, Jeremy, and Noah were chatting at a table. She couldn’t wait to join them and share the big news. Book club

at the bar would continue through fall! However, Ben avoided their table and made a beeline to the very edge of the terrace.

From the top of The Icon, Lily imagined they were close enough to touch the sky, but she felt no fear.

The city unfolded below like an origami piece.

The ocean whispered beneath the constant hum of traffic.

Ben tucked a finger beneath her chin. “Do you want to know what I thought the first time I looked into your beautiful eyes?”

“Yes, please.”

“I thought you were stardust,” he said. “I saw everything in your hazel eyes, the whole world, the universe. I thought, She’s magic . There was nothing you could do to change my mind. You could lie to my face, you could steal from me, and I wouldn’t care.”

Lily whispered, “The first time your eyes met mine, I thought, Damn, he’s hot .”

Ben tossed his head back and laughed. “I get that a lot.”

“Now I think you’re the love of my life, my soulmate,” Lily said. “If not you, then I don’t want one. I’ll happily go without

a great love for the rest of my life.”

“In that case, you better cancel your flight home.”

“Give me a sec,” she said, patting her pockets for her phone. “I’ll do it now.”

“It can wait.”

The salt breeze picked up. Ben brushed her hair away from her face. “I love you,” he said. “And I’ve known it from the start.”

“Liar.”

“It’s true. It was love at first sight. The moment you handed me your voucher for complimentary rosé, I was done for.”

“Shut up.”

“You looked so lost, I wanted to take you home, care for you. But I was afraid. After Bella, I didn’t want to make another

mistake.”

Lily put a finger to his lips. “I know.”

“I sent you a myriad of mixed signals,” he said.

“A flurry of red flags!” she cried.

“Forgive me?”

“Depends. Do you love me?”

“So much.”

Her eager golden retriever heart lurched forward. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. Breathing

in his familiar scent, she whispered, “I love you, too.”

Ben pulled her closer. “I love your heart, your laugh, your wit, your wild imagination, your body, your hair, your scent in

the morning... everything.”

Lily closed her eyes. The colorful city vanished from her view, but her future lay clear ahead.

Pop Shop

A Pop Culture Podcast

Category: Arts

Rating: 5 stars

July 1: Call Me Sentimental by Lorelei Scott

Season 2 of our popular Summer Love Book Club with authors with Lily Lyon and Ben Romero

Lily: Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the Summer Love Book Club. The same rules apply. Ben and I will be lounging by the pool,

sipping cocktails with our friends, and reading romance books all summer. Ben is as grumpy as ever, and I’m still a little

ray of sunshine. Together, we’ll comb through the tropes and see how they fare in real life. As always, our reviews are on

BookTap. Ben, say hi!

Ben: Hey, everyone! I’ve missed this. Before we start, we should congratulate Lily. She passed the Florida Bar exam and will soon

appear in a courtroom near you.

Lily: That’s not the kind of law I practice, but thanks! Could you please introduce our first read of the summer?

Ben: To launch our second season, we chose Call Me Sentimental by Lorelei Scott, a historical romance set in Ireland. Let’s get into it.

Lily: I don’t know how we’ve gone so long without reading anything set in Ireland. It’s a travesty! And this is our first historical!

So we’re starting out strong.

Ben: It’s a marriage-of-convenience story. A penniless British royal marries the daughter of a wealthy Irish merchant. Despite

her riches, Mary can’t find a match because her daddy’s money is dirty and sweaty and new.

Lily: At the age of one and twenty, she’s just wasting away! I’m sad to say this story depends on the miscommunication trope for

drama. Baron McCarthy loved Mary since the night of the great ball. If he’d only said so, this story would be over by page

fifty. It’s what you once called the Idiot Plot, remember?

Ben: I’ve had a change of heart since then.

Lily: Have you?

Ben: I was too harsh. It’s tough expressing overwhelming emotions. And it’s not a failure of communication if you don’t have the

words to articulate your inner turmoil. We should extend some grace to these fictional characters who are obviously struggling.

Lily: Is that right?

Ben: Call me sentimental, but that’s how I feel now.

Lily: I might’ve had a change of heart, too.

Ben: Really?

Lily: My heart belongs to you now, and it’s forever changed.

Comments:

@yaya21: Dead.

@SMITH: They’re baaccckkkk!!!!!

@DesignedbyBella: Good luck, you two!

@Beckyandherbooks: It’s going to be a great summer.

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