Impromptu Attraction Ch. 04

They sat on opposite sides of the couch in silence, neither saying a word to each other. A magazine sat open on her lap, and as she flipped through the pages she could feel his frustration rising.

"I hate you so much," Ben said suddenly, staring straight ahead. Julia didn't even look up from her reading at her boyfriend's outburst. She had gotten used to this type of talk from him, and it came as no surprise to hear him say it.

"Just go away and leave me alone," he continued. Julia did her best to ignore his comments as she started reading a new article. She was halfway through learning about "This Summer's Ten Must-Have Accessories!" when Ben's raised his voice again.

"Why won't you just die?" he asked.

Julia glanced up. "If they're zombies, aren't they already dead?"

Ben kept his eyes glued to the TV screen, but a smile played at the corners of his mouth. As his fingers flew between the buttons on the game controller he said, "Why won't you just die again then?"

Julia smiled and went back to her reading. In the month since they had moved in together, the two of them had established a typical Sunday evening: cooking a big dinner together, cleaning up the inevitable mess in the kitchen, then spending an hour or so on the couch reading and playing video games. There was something strangely comforting about watching Ben blow things up on the screen, and Julia always looked forward to this cozy time.

Lately they seemed to be spending more and more time in their apartment, often trying to make little improvements to it. As a result Julia had discovered how much Ben enjoyed building things, and how handy he was for small projects. That weekend had been no exception, and Ben had spent a few hours happily constructing a new bookcase for their bedroom.

Over the course of the month they had rearranged the furniture in every room at least twice, and all the walls were now painted a different color than they were when Julia moved in. Overall they had settled in together nicely, and Julia couldn't think of a time when she had been happier.

The telltale music signaled that the zombies had won. As Ben turned off the TV Julia flung her magazine onto the table, then laid her head on his shoulder. "Had enough?" she asked.

"For tonight," he replied, pulling off his wire-rimmed glasses to rub his eyes. He put his arm around her, and she happily snuggled in closer to his body.

They sat in contented silence until Ben's phone started ringing. He got up from the couch to answer it, stretching his arms as he went. "Hello?" he asked, but barely had the word out before the voice on the other end began speaking.

Julia could tell by his long silence and the bemused look on his face that he must be talking to his sister. Alison was a force of nature; she was one of those people who never minced words and got straight to the point, especially over the phone. While with other people this quality could come across as pushy or rude, Alison managed to have the rare ability of being universally liked by everyone who met her.

"Congratulations, whe-" Ben began, but Alison cut him off before he finished his question. She also had the uncanny ability of knowing exactly what you were going to say and answering your questions before you even got the chance to ask them.

Julia watched as Ben scrambled for a pen and paper, frantically jotting down notes. He occasionally got a word in edgewise, but for the most part he seemed to be diligently taking instructions from his younger sister.

"She's right here if you'd-" he began, and glanced around at Julia still sitting on the couch. He scribbled down a few more notes, then passed the phone along.

She braced herself before putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she asked tentatively.

"Julia!" Alison's singsong voice rang over the line. "So nice to talk to you. Exciting news, I've just gotten engaged and I would just love it if you would be one of my bridesmaids! The wedding is going to be coming up soon so I'll need to go ahead and order everything for you. I've picked out the dresses and I've already ordered yours, I just wasn't sure what size shoe you would need so thought I should ask." Alison took a breath, her first of the conversation. "So, what size shoe do you wear?"

Julia's mind reeled. "Seven?" She couldn't prevent the statement from coming out as a question: she felt like she was taking a test she hadn't studied for and was starting to second-guess her own shoe size.

"Perfect! That's what I thought it was but I wanted to be sure. I'll put the order in right now, and I'll have some extras in different sizes in case they don't fit. You don't have to worry about a thing, I'll take care of everything and it'll all be here for you when you arrive. You'll be paired up with Ben since he's one of the groomsmen; you two are going to look so cute! Anyway I should get going, lots to do. This is going to be so much fun!" The line went dead.

It took a few seconds for Julia to realize the conversation was over, and as she put the phone down she tried to process all the information that had just been thrown at her. Images of deer in headlights came to mind. "So, Alison is getting married?"

Ben chuckled. "So it would seem."

"Did you already know?" She suddenly remembered Alison was dating Ben's former roommate and wondered if he had run the idea of marriage past Ben for his approval.

"I talked to Christian a few days ago and he said he was going to propose, but didn't say when." Ben answered. "I knew it had to be soon though, it's impossible to keep secrets from Alison for very long."

"How long has she been engaged?" Julia asked, trying to sort through all the other questions swirling around her head.

"Oh, about twenty minutes," Ben replied. He was looking over his page of notes and digging around in his work bag. Finally he pulled out his calendar and started flipping through the pages. "Did she happen to mention when the wedding is?"

"Just that it's soon." Julia considered this. "What's soon for her?"

Ben found the right page in his calendar and started counting up the days. "Eight weeks from yesterday," he replied.

Julia raised an eyebrow. "That seems awfully fast."

"Don't worry, it's not what you think. She's just very efficient," Ben said, circling the date before tossing his calendar back in his bag. "That and she's had the entire thing planned to the last detail since she was twelve years old."

"But still, two months to put together an entire wedding?"

Ben settled back onto the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table. "She's always wanted to get married in June, and she doesn't have nearly enough patience to wait an entire year. Besides, look what she's accomplished in under half an hour."

"That's true, she said she was ordering shoes and had already gotten dresses." Julia resumed her spot on the couch next to Ben. "Did she tell you she wants me to be a bridesmaid?"

He nodded. "She said she was going to ask you, but I didn't figure it would be much of a question."

"Wonder why she asked me, she must have hundreds of people she's known longer than a few months."

"I'm sure it's all part of her grand plan," Ben said, wrapping his arm back around Julia's shoulders. "Maybe she just didn't want you sitting all by yourself in the audience. Also, she likes you."

Julia couldn't imagine there was anyone Alison didn't like, or at least anyone she actively disliked. She shrugged, then laid her head back on Ben's shoulder. "Did you just call the wedding guests 'the audience'?"

She was still puzzling over everything as Ben pulled her onto his lap, but her thoughts started to melt away as his lips pressed against hers. When his hands cupped her face she was barely thinking at all, and by the time he swept her into his arms and carried her to their bed all her attention was focused on him.

She fumbled with his clothes while keeping their lips locked together, their tongues probing each other's mouths. Julia's hands roamed all over Ben's body, caressing his skin as she pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. While she tugged at his pants, he moved his lips down to her neck and seemed in no hurry to get either of them undressed: his attention was focused entirely on kissing her.

His lips touched every inch of the sensitive skin of her neck, making her pulse race. She started to squirm under his deliberate movements, anxious for him to explore the other parts of her body. He ignored her attempts to make him go faster, and when she tried to pull her own clothes off he pushed her hands away.

"So impatient," Ben whispered with a chuckle. As he spoke she felt his hand creep up the bottom of her shirt, stroking the soft skin of her stomach before moving up to cup her breast. She sighed as he grazed his thumb across her nipple, barely making contact with her skin. With each pass he applied more pressure until he was gently rolling her nipple between his fingers.

Finally, and with agonizing slowness, he began to lift her shirt up over her head. Julia savored the feeling of his bare skin pressing against hers as he wrapped his arms around her body, his fingers tangling in her hair to pull her in for another deep kiss. She closed her eyes as his lips moved back down her body, making her skin tingle in anticipation.

She gasped as his tongue circled her nipples, and moaned when he finally took each into his mouth. Anticipation had heightened her senses, and the feeling made her whole body shiver. She reached down to remove the rest of her clothes, and this time was met with no resistance.

They were both lying naked on the bed, Julia still enjoying Ben's tongue playing across her nipples. She reached for his stiffening member, rubbing her fingers along his shaft. He responded by moving his hands over her skin, making his way down between her legs. He smiled when he found her wet and ready for him.

He dipped a finger into her wet pussy, barely penetrating her before moving up to her swollen clit. Julia moaned in approval, her fingers gripping his cock as his gentle strokes became more insistent. When he slipped a finger all the way into her wet pussy her breath caught in her throat, and Ben looked up to watch her face as he played with her.

She let out a whimper as he slipped a second finger into her, the palm of his hand pressed against her clit. She was doing her best to keep her own hand running up and down his hard cock, but her concentration was wavering. She could feel her first orgasm building with each movement of his hand, and her body was more responsive the closer she got. With one last pass of his hand she cried out, and her eyes flew wide open when she came.

Ben lay beside her, kissing her softly after she had caught her breath. She kissed him back with renewed vigor, and Julia rolled him onto his back before climbing on top of him to straddle his waist. Without hesitation she slid his cock into her waiting pussy, each letting out a sigh as he sank all the way into her.

He rested his hands on her waist, watching her intently as she moved her body up and down. As her pace quickened he began moving his hips to meet each of her thrusts, his fingers finding her clitoris as he did. Julia moaned and shuddered from the sensation, another orgasm building within her.

He wrapped his strong arms around her and rolled her over onto her back. She propped her head on a pillow as he began moving his cock in and out of her, building to an intense rhythm. He reached between them to brush his thumb against her clit again, causing a shiver to run down her spine. He persisted with her clit until her muscles clamped down around his cock, her body quivering as she came.

He slowed their pace back to a teasingly gentle tempo, making steady, shallow strokes in and out of her wet pussy. She begged him to go faster, raising her hips off the bed trying to get him deeper into her. In a slow, deliberate motion he leaned in, sliding the full length of his cock inside her. His eyes locked on hers, and he paused before resuming the vigorous pace from before.

She closed her eyes as he moved faster, and moaned when his hand moved back to brushing against her clit. She felt her body tense as she came close to another orgasm, and he thrust deep inside of her until she came. She struggled to catch her breath as he moved faster, his cock pounding in and out of her wet pussy. His hands found her breasts once again, and he teased and pinched her nipples as her moans grew louder.

Ben pressed his lips against her neck as his hips continued their driving pace, causing her to writhe in pleasure beneath him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper with each thrust. Her fingers dug into his back as she succumbed to her last orgasm, her pussy clamping down around his cock as she came. His own release came soon after, and he collapsed on the bed beside her.

They lay together in silence with contented smiles on their faces, both too exhausted to speak. Without a word Ben put his glasses on the bedside table, then reached for the lamp and bathed the whole room in darkness. Julia laid her head on his chest, listening to the gentle sound of his heartbeat as it lulled her into a peaceful sleep.

The next day at work, Julia and Ben arranged to take a few days off at the end of June. The bachelor party was scheduled for the Thursday before the wedding on Saturday, so they planned to go up that morning and stay through the weekend. Within the hour of getting the vacation time, Julia had a visitor in her cubicle.

"I hear you and Ben are taking some time off in June, doing anything special?" Something in Marilynn's voice said she already knew the whole story, but wanted to hear it first hand from the source.

Julia gave the smile she saved just for Marilynn, which included a healthy mix of patience and indulgence. "Ben's sister is getting married, so we're going up for the wedding."

"And you're both in it, right?" Marilynn asked. Julia nodded: clearly the office rumor mill was in full operation.

Marilynn fixed her with a calculating look before a devious smile crossed her lips. "I suppose it's only a matter of time then."

"Until what?" Julia asked, puzzled.

Marilynn checked over her shoulder to make sure Ben's desk was empty before whispering, "You must be expecting him to propose any day now."

Julia's jaw fell open, her look of puzzlement replaced with astonishment. After several attempts at speaking, she finally managed to say, "Why would I be expecting that?"

"Oh come on, his younger sister is getting married?" Marilynn began.

Julia interjected, "She's only a year younger!"

Marilynn wasn't fazed. "She asked you to be in the wedding? Even if he wasn't thinking it before he certainly is now. Weddings always give people ideas you know."

Julia took a deep breath to ensure her response sounded calm and rational. "We've only been dating for four months, there's no way either of us is ready for that."

"You see each other all day every day, that's added up to a lot more time together than most couples," Marilynn said. "I figure you've been together the equivalent of a whole year by normal standards."

"By that logic you and Mark will be married by the end of the summer," Julia replied. Her coworker and her boss had been seeing each other on the sly for nearly a month now, ever since Marilynn added him to her list of office conquests at the political magazine where they worked.

Marilynn's smile never wavered, but she quickly turned the spotlight away from herself. "I'll bet he does it after the reception," she began, the excitement audible in her voice.

Julia responded with a groan and an eye roll, and swiveled her chair back around to face her computer screen. She heard Marilynn's heels click softly against the carpet as she went back to her own desk with a satisfied sigh.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, time seemed to pass quickly. The end of April was marked with a massive thunderstorm that knocked out the power, and Julia and Ben spent a Saturday night in a completely logical way: sitting on the floor playing a game by the light of their only candle, eating all the ice cream from the freezer before it melted.

"Your turn, truth or dare?" Julia asked as she scooped another spoonful into her mouth. A flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder made the question sound even more menacing.

Ben wiped chocolate from the corner of his mouth before answering, "Truth."

"Worst injury you've ever had?" she asked.

He winced. "Senior year of high school, last track meet of the year I tripped and fell flat on my face. Broke my wrist trying to catch myself, then landed on my chin and broke my jaw." He shook his head. "Had to go through graduation with it wired shut."

She grimaced, glad her worst injury was nothing more than some mild tendonitis in her knees. "I pick truth."

He thought for a moment, and then asked, "What do you want for your birthday?"

She laughed. "That's not for months!"

"Trying to plan ahead, I'm terrible at gifts." Julia knew for a fact this was a lie. A few weeks after they started dating he had given her a new coffee mug for Christmas, which still served as a coy reminder of their first kiss in the office break room.

"Fine. For my birthday, I would like a surprise," she said sweetly.

He grumbled something about her not being helpful, but laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him. "OK, I pick truth too," he said, polishing off the rest of his ice cream.

Julia scraped the sides of her own ice cream carton with her spoon as she thought of a question for him. "What's been the most embarrassing moment of your life?"

He sighed as he considered his response, and even by the dim light of the candle she could see the color rise to his face. Reluctantly he said, "I accidentally went to a key party one time."

Julia nearly choked on a chocolate chip, but her coughing was soon replaced with laughing. "Accidentally? How do you accidentally go to a key party?"

Ben shook his head, and a sheepish smile spread across his lips as he told the story. "A few years ago my friend calls and says he's having a key party and needs another guy to even out the numbers, so I said I would come," he began. "That's probably when I should have asked what a key party is."

Julia suppressed a giggle and told him to go on.

"When I got there everyone was putting their keys in a bowl, which I thought was to make sure no one was allowed to drive if they'd had too much to drink."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing as he continued.

"Everyone seemed really nice and it was actually a good party, but then at the end of the night my friend started calling people in to get their keys. And the next thing I know a woman walks up to me and says she has mine."

"Then what?" Julia asked, still wondering how this was more embarrassing than some of the other stories he had told her.

"I thought she meant she had grabbed my keys by mistake and was giving them to me, so I thanked her and headed out to my car," he answered. "And then of course she followed me and I asked if she needed a ride home, which I thought was strange since I had the impression she was married and had come to the party with her husband. Then the whole way there she kept making these little comments that at the time didn't make any sense, and then once we got there she was really confused about why I wasn't planning to go in with her, and then she explained the situation and..." his story trailed off.

Julia couldn't help asking, "And?"

He cleared his throat before answering. "And the silence that followed that was by far the most awkward and uncomfortable I've ever felt in my life."

They sat in the flickering candlelight, Julia mulling over the story in her head and trying not to giggle as the rain continued to pound against the windows. "Did you go in with her?" she finally asked.