Page 43 of Let's Call a Truce
“I would never lie to Lola.” I pretended to be scandalized, hoping the joke would pull us away from the dangerous direction of this conversation.
“Would it be a lie, Juliana?” His eyes were serious, searching my face as he waited for my response. The way he said my name scattered my brain cells. Every breath was a battle, and a tremor ran through my body.
We both knew the truth, but I still gave him the lie.
“Of course, it would.” I looked away, trying to distract myself with the surrounding crowd.
“God, you are the most stubborn person I have ever met.”
I huffed. “I’m not stubborn. I’m practical. I have to be. We would kill each other in a week. How would we explain that at work? Or worse, to the girls?”
“You don’t know that, because you’ve never given us a real chance,” he replied desperately. But I was just as desperate.
“Why should I risk my reputation at work, or risk hurting my kids? How could it be worth it? I barely know anything about you besides the fact that you like to argue with me!”
“Then get to know me, Juliana. It’s that simple. But you won’t let yourself. Why?”
I stayed quiet, staring off to the side of the dance floor.
Ben dropped his mouth to my ear. “I know you’re scared—”
I reared back to argue against his very legitimate assessment, and his chuckle vibrated through his chest to every point where our bodies touched. “And I know you’re going to rip into me for suggesting you’re anything but perfectly strong at all times. But I think there’s something here. Tell me I’ve got it all wrong. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t have feelings for me, and I’ll believe you.”
It seemed easy enough. Think about all those reasons why this was a terrible idea. Force the words out even though they were a lie, and then we could go back to our status quo. Maybe even be pleasant to each other so I could be back on Asia’s good side.
But then I looked at him. One glance and I was frozen, trapped by his gaze and my desires. His eyes shined, and I knew he was telling the truth. If I said no, if I told him I felt nothing for him, he would walk away. No more flirting or teasing. No more heated glances in the office, and definitely no more kissing. My heart tightened at the thought. I wasn’t ready to close that door.
His eyes softened, a small smile gracing his lips, and he let go of my hand to bring his to my cheek, drifting closer. With each millimeter he closed between us, my heart hammered harder in my chest, and my eyes fluttered shut.
“Time for the money dance, everyone.”
I jumped out of Ben’s arms, looking around like a woman woken from a coma to find the world had kept moving forward without her. I was so wrapped up in Ben, I hadn’t realized the song had ended.
“Perfect timing, man.” Ben’s eyes never left my face.
I broke away, hurrying to the side of the dance floor where the women were lining up.
“Juliana, wait.” He grabbed my hand to pull me to a stop.
“Men line up on the other side of the stage. You’re heading the wrong way.”
“Talk to me.”
“No, thank you,” I replied primly, turning to leave. “I’m a bridesmaid. I can’t miss one of the traditions.”
“Please.”
I stopped, pulling in a deep breath, before spinning around to face him.
“Ben, I can’t right now. I have all these complications flying around in my head slamming up against whatever that was,” I said, gesturing back toward the dance floor. “I have stuff I’m supposed to be doing as a bridesmaid, and I don’t have the time to think about all of this. Let’s not argue tonight and we can deal with the drama tomorrow.”
“So, we’ll talk about it tomorrow?” he asked with a grin.
“No promises.” I turned away from him before he could see me smile.
I rushed to the end of the women’s line, already stretching far from the dance floor. Most had beaten me, waiting for their turn to dance one-on-one with the groom and pin money to his clothes to bless the couple with prosperity in their life together. The dance became a bit of a competition, with guests folding bills into elaborate garlands before the wedding to drape around the couple. Asia, Dani, and I had spent hours folding our bills into origami flowers, each of us opting for an absurd amount of one-dollar bills to be as obnoxious about it as possible.
I was so distracted by my conversation with Ben I forgot the bills at my table. I turned on my heel, rushing back over, when a hand wrapped around my biceps and pulled me into line.
