The Casual Rule (27 page)

I shrug apologetically and dash off with Nicky. I sit cross-legged on the floor with a gift box in front of me. Ben furrows his brow, cocking his head to the side.

“From my parents,” I tell him. He nods.

I unwrap the box. It’s a pair of flannel pajamas. I knew it would be. My parents have bought all of us flannel pajamas for as long as I can remember.

“Very sexy. I’d like to see you in those,” he whispers.

“I don’t think you could handle it. It may be too sexy for your eyes.”

“Try me.” He winks. “I see the shirt has buttons. I do enjoy unbuttoning your shirt.” My mind flashes back to the other day in Ben’s kitchen when he unbuttoned his white shirt. My breathing hitches. I shake my head as I remember where I am and pull myself back together.

Ben snatches the small gift box hidden under the tree for my parents. He grabs my hand and helps me off the floor. We walk over to my parents.

“A little thank you for tonight, for you and Frank.” Ben hands my mom the box.

She unwraps the gift and her eyes open wide; she nudges my dad, who has the same reaction.

“We can’t accept this, Ben. It’s too much,” she says.

“What is it?” I ask. It takes a lot to render my father speechless, now I’m dying to know.

“It’s passes to the Sterling Luxury suites at Citifield,” my mom explains.

“Actually, you have the entire suite. Whatever game you’d like to go to, you can invite up to thirty of your nearest and dearest. Let Julia know when and I’ll have it arranged.”

“Ben…” I look at him, dumbfounded.

“It’s not a big deal. My father’s company owns the suite. Please, enjoy it.”

My dad tries unsuccessfully to mask his glee. He’s thrilled and doing a terrible job hiding it. He pulls himself together and puts back on his poker face. “Thank you, Ben.” He nods.

Ben smiles. “You’re very welcome.”

~o0o~

After all the gifts are opened and the kids are off playing with their new toys, the adults gravitate back to the dining room table. My mom has put out an array of desserts, my cheesecake, various Italian pastries, a fruit platter and a few pies. She places a pot of coffee and a pot of espresso with a bottle of Sambuca, and some lemon peel on the table.

“Of course, more food.” Ben sighs.

“Oh, this isn’t it,” I warn. As the words leave my mouth, my dad comes walking out of the kitchen with a tray full of sausage and peppers, and a loaf of Italian bread tucked under his arm.

“Are you kidding me? Sausage and peppers…now?”

“It’s after midnight, we can eat meat.”

My brothers convince Ben to skip the coffee and have another shot of Jim Beam instead. I hope he doesn’t regret it.

This is what makes Christmas Eve so special to me. It’s these little things: the food, the mayhem, and my family under one roof. It’s my favorite day of the year and somehow having Ben at my side, experiencing this day with me, makes me cherish it even more.

~o0o~

It’s almost two in the morning. The dining room table has been cleared off…enough.

The night is finally coming to a close. Sophie’s family is driving my grandparents back to their house. I can’t believe they’re still awake. They have more energy than all of us combined. We say our goodbyes to everyone, hugging, kissing, and wishing them a good Christmas Day.

“I saw that midnight kiss, Julia. I call bullshit on the ‘just friends’ line you’re both dishing out,” Sophie whispers in my ear.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie.

“HmmMmm,” she hums skeptically.

The cars are packed and full of gifts as my brothers and sisters carry their sleeping children to their respective cars and drive off.

“I’ll make sure Ben is set up in the boys’ old room. Good night, Mom, Dad.”

“Good night, JuJu Bean, Ben,” my father sleepily replies as my parents walk arm in arm to their bedroom.

We walk through the dark hallway to my brothers’ old room. I know I’m twenty-four and my parents have probably figured out that Ben and I are more than just platonic friends, but I respect their rules. The only couples that sleep together under this roof are married couples.

Ben’s a bit wobbly, probably from the late night and the combination of wine and whiskey.

“The bathroom is across the hall.” I point to the door across from his.

His eyes are half closed, he looks like he’s about to pass out.

“Come on, let’s get you in bed.” I hold his hand and guide him to the edge of the bed.

“Now you’re talking. Let’s get naked,” he mumbles playfully.

“Not in my parent’s home.”

“We’ll be quiet.” He grabs my hand and places it on his crotch.

“Not going to happen, Romeo.” I shake my head.

 He sits down on the bed and I unbutton his shirt. He wraps his hands around me, caressing my backside. “You have one fine ass JuJu Bean,” he sputters.

“Come on, let’s get your pants off. Can you do it?”

“I knew it. You do want me naked,” he slurs as he unbuttons his pants and flops down on the bed. I roll my eyes. I slip off his shoes then grab his pant legs and pull his pants off, peeking at the hallway, making sure we aren’t disturbing my parents. Swinging his legs around so he’s lying on the bed, I cover him with a blanket. He looks so peaceful lying on my brother’s bed. I lean down to kiss his forehead; he grabs my hand, holding me down. “Stay with me. I want you with me.”

“I can’t tonight. Get some rest. We’ll have a sleep over another day.”

“I don’t think we’ll sleep.” His eyes are closed shut, but he’s grinning.

I laugh. “No, probably not. Sleep now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He opens his eyes and gazes at me with an emotion I haven’t seen from him before. I’m not quite sure what it is. “You are so beautiful Julia. You’re the most beautiful girl I have ever met.”

“Good night, Ben.” I press my lips to his forehead and leave him to sleep it off.

I walk down the hall to my old bedroom. I change into last year’s Christmas flannel pajamas, brush my teeth, and lay in my old bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tonight was fun…not that I expected it to be anything other than a good time, but having Ben here made it feel, I don’t know…. better?

I close my eyes and try to shut off my mind for a little while to get some sleep.

Chapter 13

There must be something ingrained in us when we are children that no matter how late you fall asleep the night before, Christmas Day you’re going to wake up early. Too early.

I sit up in bed and peek at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It’s seven a.m. Stupid clock. I drag myself out of bed and look out the window. Snow! And it’s my favorite kind of snow too, the kind that sticks on everything but the streets or sidewalks. It’s picturesque, and no shoveling required. Perfect! I walk over to my brothers’ bedroom to find Ben. The bed is empty and already made. He’s awake?

I walk into the kitchen and find my mom, dad, and Ben, each with a cup of coffee, shooting the breeze like old friends. They look so comfortable around each other.

“There’s our sleepyhead,” my mother announces.

Sleepyhead? It’s seven in the morning and a freaking holiday. My body clock tells me I should be asleep for another three hours.

“Good morning.” I look toward Ben. “Did you sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” he says.

Yeah, like a drunk baby.

“Glad to hear it.” I stretch and let out a huge yawn.

“Coffee?” my mom asks.

“Yes. I’ll get it.” I walk over to the coffeemaker on the kitchen counter. As I’m pouring the coffee in my mug, I eavesdrop on Ben and my parents chatting. I don’t know how the hell he does it. He has them eating out of the palm of his hand. Seems his magical powers work on more than just lusting young females and my friends…he also attracts the middle aged. I walk over to the table and plop myself down on a chair, grabbing a bagel from the plate in front of me.

“Julia, your parents tell me the church services are at ten-thirty and noon. I was hoping we could make it to the earlier mass, so we can hit the road and get to my sister’s house at a decent time.”

“You want to come to church with me?” I frown.

“Of course. Ten thirty?”

“Sure,” I say, as I pop a piece of bagel in my mouth. He never ceases to surprise me.

Ben in my childhood church…this should be interesting.

~o0o~

Sitting on the church pew while some of the bitchy mean girls I went to middle school with drool over Ben has proven to be quite satisfying. They’re sitting with their husbands, boyfriends, whoever the hell they are. They all look miserable.

Yeah, that’s right bitches; this gift from God himself is mine. So what if he’s not really my “boyfriend”. I
am
screwing his brains out; they don’t need to know the details.

I’m glad I wore my emerald dress. It hugs me in all the right places and brings out the green in my eyes. I look pretty good, if I don’t say so myself. I even averted a near stocking catastrophe when I put my big toe through my black thigh highs. Luckily some clear nail polish stopped the hole from running up my foot and it’s covered nicely by my shoe. And as luck would have it, I’m also having a great hair day. Kismet.

That’s right popular girls, I look damn fine, I have a great job, my man is a sex god, and yours is not.

Hallelujah! I forgot how fulfilling church can be.

I glance at Ben sitting next to me. He’s so damn handsome. I know he’s had hardly any sleep, but he looks like he just stepped out of the pages of GQ, in his charcoal gray suit and white button down shirt opened at the collar. His hair is tousled from the windy walk to church. He’s sin in a suit.

Just looking at his mouth is making me weak. I’m tempted to trace it with my finger, lightly brushing my fingertips across his soft lips. I miss his touch. Oh, the sinful things I want to do to this man. Sex on a church pew would send me straight to hell for sure. He catches me peeking at him and smiles warmly, then redirects his attention back to his hymn book.

I know I shouldn’t think this way while I’m in church... but look at him. I’ll go to confession next time I’m in town. I think God will forgive me.

~o0o~

Once church service concludes, I hook my arm around Ben’s as we leave, making sure the mean girls who gave me and Allie grief in middle school witness it. Stupid bitches.

“You don’t like those girls, do you?” he asks. I guess he noticed the daggers shooting out of my eyes.

“No, not really. They were the popular girls at school. They were real bitches.”

“You weren’t popular?”

“Hardly,” I snort.

“What were you like when you were younger?”

“I don’t know. Just an ordinary girl.”

“Julia, there is nothing ordinary about you. You are amazing.” He holds my hand up to his mouth and presses a sweet kiss on the back of it.

“Come with me, I want to show you something,” I say, resting my head against his shoulder.

We walk arm in arm down the street toward the ocean. My town is so small; everything is in walking distance: church, the bakery, the library, schools and the ocean.  Somehow having Ben next to me warms me up enough to forget how cold I am. We walk past my house until we reach the entrance to the beach.

“It’s a little cold for a swim,” he jokes.

“Just come with me.” I tighten my arm around his and tug at him to follow.

We walk up the wooden planked walkway that leads to the beach. Once we reach the end of the walkway, we stop. The salty scent of the sea washes over us. There’s a delicate beauty to the tall dried grasses peeking out of the snow covered dunes and the few remaining birds walking along the shoreline.

I close my eyes as I inhale the cold sea air. This is my heaven. I listen to the thunderous sound of the ocean waves breaking against the shore. It’s nature’s symphony. I open my eyes and watch the ocean powerfully moving in an endless rhythm, rolling in one after another. Growing up, I’d come to watch the waves crash in the winter as an escape from reality, a place for solitude and thought. It’s the only time I didn’t care about the freezing temperature. This is my serenity.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” I ask.

“Breathtaking,” he breathes. I turn my head to look at him and he’s gazing at me. He tucks a few errant strands of my hair behind my ear, then leans in, brushing his lips lightly against mine and kisses me… slowly, softly, deeply. We’ve kissed before, but never like this. This was different. This was… in the depths of your soul intimate, like we’ve poured a part of ourselves into each other. My stomach is in knots. For a moment, I forget how to breathe. I actually feel a little …uncomfortable. I want to melt into him, never letting go, yet run as far away as I can at the same time. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to react to that kiss, or if I should react at all.

I look up at him. “We better get back to my parents. It’s almost time to leave for your sister’s house.”

He clears his throat and takes a step back. “Yes. We should get going.”

We walk quietly back to my parent’s house. Too quietly. There’s a sudden awkwardness between us. Maybe he felt something in that kiss too.

~o0o~

I’m packing up my overnight bag when there’s a light knock on my door.

“Can I come in?”

“Of course, Mom. It’s your house.”

“Do you have everything you need? Do you want me to pack up some leftovers?”

“Thanks Mom. I’m good,” I answer as I stuff my new flannels in my overnight bag.

“Ben seems nice.” She’s acting blasé, but I know better. This is a fishing expedition to see how much I’m willing to reveal.

“He is,” I answer warily.

“Do you see a lot of each other?”

“Enough.”

“Seems to me he plans on staying around for a while.”

That got my attention. I stop packing and look at her. “Why would you think that?” I ask.

“Mets tickets,” she says with a knowing smile.

“What about Mets tickets?”

“Julia, he gave your parents baseball tickets.  Opening day is not until April. That’s four months away. You don’t give a girl’s parents tickets to a ballgame that you have to personally make the arrangements for unless you plan on sticking around.”