You Can't Hurry Love

Chapter Forty-Two

DECEMBER 21st

'Can you quit staring at me?' I retort to Ben through a mouthful of toothpaste as he comes to stand behind me at the bathroom mirror. He'd been ogling me like I was an oddity since I'd woken up this morning and he was making me feel uncomfortable. 'I'm starting to feel like I've sprouted an extra nose out the side of my head.'

'I just can't get over how beautiful you look, that's all,' he quips, smirking as I roll my eyes and lean over the sink to dispose of it. 'Some would even say you have a nice glow about you today. Now, why could that be?'

'Why could what be?' I scowl, wiping my face on my towel and applying a thin layer of my favourite lip balm.

I knew what he was getting at, subtlety was not in Ben's vocabulary, but I wasn't going to give in to his nosiness that easily. If he wanted to find out what happened between Lincoln and me last night, he was going to have to ruddy well ask me and stop skirting around the edges.

'The reason for your glow.'

'Don't I always glow?' I ask buoyantly, flashing him a grin as I check my reflection in the mirror one last time.

'Not like this, you don't!'

I stalk past him into the living room, reaching for my bag and doing my best to ignore the sniggering that follows closely behind.

'Is there something you want to tell me?'

'Not particularly.'

'No extra-curricular activities happen last night?'

There you go.

After hours of unsubtle hints and sly accusations, Ben had finally surpassed the ability to pretend like he wasn't intrigued anymore.

'No, Ben.' I shrug, casually sliding my feet into a pair of warm ankle boots. 'I'm sorry to disappoint you.'

'But it's him you're meeting today, right?'

'I'm meeting my mum, Ben. For a coffee. That is all.'

'He's coming with you though,' he pushes on and I pause, wondering how on earth he could have found out. 'I heard you last night when he dropped you home,' he says in explanation. 'So, am I right? Lincoln is going with you to meet Ruth?'

'He might be,' I reply shortly, unable to deny it when he so clearly knew the truth. 'But it's just a coffee, Ben. It's hardly a cause to buy a wedding hat, is it?'

'Meeting the mother already,' he says tauntingly as he follows me to the front door. 'Not waiting around to introduce the boyfriend, are you Miss Dee?'

'Lincoln is not my boyfriend!' I finally snap, causing him to beam with glee as I reach for my olive-green cape jacket.

'Sure, he isn't,' he says under his breath, and he reaches forward to ease my hair out from the back of it as I shrug it on. 'So, it's nothing serious then? Just two friends meeting for coffee with one of their mums?'

'Exactly.'

'Right, right.' Ben opens the door for me and I walk out, breathing a sigh of relief as the interrogation comes to an end. 'Just one more question before you go.'

Or so I thought.

'Spit it out,' I say through gritted teeth, turning around and catching him leaning casually against the wall.

'Are you wearing matching underwear?'

'Excuse me?'

'You heard.' Ben grins and I find myself surreptitiously covering my torso with my arms despite the fact I knew Ben didn't have x-ray vision. 'I thought so.'