-Shelley-

Sitting by the kitchen counter with tea in hand, I scan through the magazine in front of me with slow music playing on the stereo. "Tring, Tring," goes the phone beside me.

"Hello..."

"Girl, where have you been? I passed by your place last night, but you weren't home," a familiar voice inquired. Listening, I flipped through a page while the phone was on speaker. "I got invited to this club downtown, I replied, a hint of excitement in my voice.

"A club..., with whom? You don't do clubs." Mabel inquires.

"Yes, I don't, but I went anyway with Ben."

"Oh! with Mr. Adam. How was it?"

Chuckling, I replied, "Good. The place was so jam-packed. He got us a private lounge upstairs since I don't do so well with crowds. We started off with some drinks, then had conversations here and there. Later, he invited me to dance with him."

"Me! Can you believe that? I don't dance; I can't dance, but he insisted. He guided me to the dance floor. It was so funny. I kept stepping on his foot. Never once did he complain or laugh. Instead, he was patient and showed me the steps. It was quite easy. Soon, I fell in rhythm with him."

"We danced for a few moments, mostly kissing. I have lost count of the number of times we kissed. It was so intense. To be honest with you, I feel dirty."

"Oh, come on, don't be silly. It was just kissing and dancing," she says. "It was just that, right?"

"Yes, but it left me wet elsewhere. You have no idea what he did with his tongue in my mouth. Thinking, however, is now making me wet."

Mabel giggles. "Hearing you talk about it is also making me wet. I told you he was a McDreamy." We laugh simultaneously.

"Then, I guess you two are exclusive now."

"We not quite there yet. Even though I overheard him talking about taking the next step, I acted like I didn't hear it. I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment at the moment."

"What do you mean you are not ready yet? You have been kissing, and I am sure last night was not the first time you kissed. What are you afraid of, Shelley?" she asked.

I could feel the frustration that comes with the question. If she is like this, then I am afraid of how he might take it when he finally asks to be exclusive with me.

"Don't get me wrong. I do have feelings for him, and I do want him around. Must we put a label on it? Everything is fine so far, so why complicate things?"

"Listen, Shelley, every guy would love to introduce the girl he is in a relationship with to his friends as his girlfriend, and Adam is no different. You need to figure this out before it gets any serious."

"By the way, when are we having our girl's night out?"

Mabel is right. Ben might want to take things to the next level. Am I ready for this? I will have to avoid him while I think about it.

***

This past few weeks, I have been getting myself busy at work and coming home late. I've been striving to stay away from Ben.

On the weekend, I visit Mabel at her parents' house. Catching up on things with her parents or herself. On other occasions, I offer to babysit her son while she goes to work when her parents are not around to help, so I can avoid Ben.

Most of the time, we embark on our long-overdue girls' night out. I do get home late, but I must say it has been fun.

Ben calls when he can't reach me at home, I usually avoid answering his calls. However, when I realise that doing so could lead to suspicions, I do answer his calls, taking care not to engage in lengthy conversations. Although I long for his affection, it is best that we don't see each other often until I figure out what to do with my feelings for him.

-Adam POV-

What is going on with Shelley? I thought. Did I scare her off, or did I come on too strong that night at the club? I don't think so.

Then why is she not mostly home these days? It feels like she is avoiding me. Most of the time, when I call her, the call goes to voicemail, and when I do get her, she is eager to end the chat.

I must be doing something wrong, but what? I need to make an effort to ambush her at her place one of these days.

-Shelley POV-

It's a Sunday morning with me in bed, sound asleep. Somewhere in my sleep, I could hear knocking. Could I be dreaming, or is someone actually at my door? I rolled over, trying to sleep through the sound, but it was hopeless. I might as well go and see who is at the door.

In my night robe, I make my way to the door. Yanking it open reveals Ben. "Good morning, sweetheart. Sorry for waking you up." He says. "Do you know what time it is?" I asked.

"Yes, it's very early in the morning," he said as he looked at me with a smirk on his face. He tried to kiss me, but I evaded his lips. "I haven't brushed my teeth," I smiled.

With his hand around my waist, he pulls me close. "Ow, come on, you know I can do that for you." Capturing his lips with mine, he ensured a smooth transition between my tongue and teeth with his tongue. Once our lips parted, he said, "Did I do a good job or did I miss a few spots?"

"Will you stop that?" I playfully shove him in the chest as I make my way inside.

"Where to?" he asked. I turned to him and replied. "To brush my teeth, and no. Not with the help of your tongue."

A few minutes later, I emerge from my room feeling refreshed as I make my way to the kitchen to join Ben. "What are you doing?" I ask while fixing my hair.

"I am making breakfast. How do you like your eggs?"

"Over-hard, please."

"Come right up," he says. While I make myself comfortable beside the counter, I can't help but admire Ben Cook. "How come you are not married? Men like you are the type women are willing to die for." Laughing, he says, "Then how come you are not dying for me?"

"The one thing I am sure of is that I don't want any other woman but you. So, the real question is, why don't you be mine?"

'What?!' My goodness, when did we get here? The very question I have been avoiding being asked by him, and I stupidly guide him to it.

"'Shelley?' Did you hear me?"

"What... You mean breakfast is done? I am starving." I move to take the tea and the egg served with bread. "Don't change the subject; I know you heard me."

"Sorry, my mouth is full." With a full mouth, I responded.

With a smirk, he says, "Fine, enjoy your meal, but when you are done, I want an answer to my question." There is no way out of this. Is there? I ponder.

Ben pulls up a chair and watches me eat. Never averting his gaze from me. "Won't you eat?"I spoke in between nibbles. Shrugging, he says, "I have already eaten."

After relishing my meal, I lick my fingers. "Thanks for the meal," I say as I make my way to the sink to wash the dishes.

"Ahem! Come here." He pulls me towards him as he embraces me from behind. "Back to my question. I know we haven't made it exclusive, but we have been having this thing going, whatever it is, for almost a month. I am in love with you, and I want the whole world to know you are mine, especially the people I love and care about."

I stand motionless with my back pressing against his chest. "You are not saying anything, Shel. Talk to me."

"I don't think I am ready yet. I think we should take our time. We are going way too fast." Turning me to face him, he says, "I am not asking you to marry me, Shel. All I am asking of you is that you be my girlfriend unless you do not feel the same about me, and this thing we have going on is one-way love."

"Of course not. I do have feelings for you; it's just that..."

"It's just that, what? You don't trust me enough to be your boyfriend. Is that why you have been avoiding me lately? Considering your feelings for me."

He moves away from me and makes his way to the living room. "Where are you going?" He ignores me. 'Stop Ben!'

"What...?" he asks, facing me.

"You are totally wrong. I do have feelings for you."

"Indeed, it's just that you don't trust me enough to want to be in a relationship with me," he says. "Many people have trouble trusting others, including you. You did inquire as to the reason I had not been dating until now. The reason is that I'm very loyal to the person I'm with, especially if they are the one and I want that same kind of loyalty in return."

"If you're looking for a space to organise your thoughts, you've got it. You have my number; call me when you figure out what you want."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, Shelley, you are a smart woman. You can figure it out", he says.

I watch him closely as he picks up his coat and walks to me, kissing me on the forehead before leaving.

For a moment, I just stood there and stared at the door. Wondering if I had done enough to stop this from getting here.

-Writers POV-

Ben was so angry when he got home that he didn't notice he had shut the door hard behind him. He leans back against the door and runs his palm across his face. At that very moment, his phone rang.

"What now."

_

A/N: Whoever is calling now sure picks the wrong time to call. Wait, could that be Shelley?😜