You've Found Oliver (You've Reached Sam, #2)(51)

Maybe that’s enough music for tonight. Ben should probably be here soon anyway.

As I’m finally heading out, a hand grabs my shoulder. I turn around to see who it is.

“Oh—Will!”

He smiles. “Hey, are you leaving already?”

“No, I was just…. Were you here the whole time?”

“Yeah, my friends are up there.” He points toward the DJ booth. “Where’s your group?”

“Uh, it’s just me right now.”

“Oh, nice. What do you think so far?”

“Music’s not bad. Anyone who plays Phoebe Bridgers deserves a raise.”

“Oh my god, that was my request.”

“Really? Glad to know someone has taste.”

He stands there for a moment. I can tell he wants to ask me something. Eventually he leans in and asks, “Do you want to dance?”

I hesitate. His blue-green eyes make it hard to say no. I mean, maybe one dance wouldn’t hurt, right? But I don’t think I can do that to Ben. I feel bad about turning down Will, especially when he’s been so nice. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’m seeing someone right now.”

“Oh…I didn’t know.”

“Sorry. I should have mentioned—”

“No, it’s cool.”

There’s an awkward silence. I check the time on my phone. There’s a new message from Ben. “I should probably head out,” I say. “But it was nice meeting you.”

Will smiles. “For sure. Guess I’ll see you around.”

I feel guilty about leaving abruptly, but I don’t know what else to say. I wasn’t planning to stay this long anyway. I head out the door before someone else notices me.

It’s starting to rain outside. Ben says he’ll be here in a few minutes. I told him I would wait for him near the bridge we met on. I wish I had brought an umbrella with me, but I just ignore the rain as I take a seat on the bench. Thankfully, it’s only a sprinkle. And it feels nice against my skin. I close my eyes for a moment and listen to the soft hum of the lights above the empty street.

I’m not sure how much time passes as I’m waiting. And then everything goes quiet for a moment. The rain seems to soften and the temperature drops. I open my eyes again. It’s snowing, the flakes lightly brushing my face.

Someone is sitting beside me.

I turn my head. “Ben. When did you….”

He smiles at me. “Only a moment ago.” Then he leans forward, brushing something off my face. “You’re all wet.”

I let out a breath. “I looked better an hour ago.”

“I like you this way.” The touch of his hand warms me up. He’s wearing a dark green coat, and his hair is lightly dusted with snow. “Sorry for bringing the cold with me.”

“It’s okay. I like the snow.”

“I’ve never seen you this dressed up.”

I laugh a little. “Glad someone appreciates the tie. I had to look up a video tutorial.”

“It really suits you,” he says. “Sorry I couldn’t come to your dance.”

“Don’t apologize. Technically, it hasn’t even happened yet.”

“That might be true. But I wish I could have.”

I don’t say anything.

“Hopefully, you still had a good time,” he says.

“It was alright. Was thinking of you the whole time.”

“I should make it up to you, then.”

“I mean, I was sitting in the snow waiting for you,” I agree.

Ben smiles as he rises from the bench. Then he slowly removes his jacket.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Didn’t want you to feel overdressed.” Beneath his jacket is a nice button-up collared shirt.

I narrow my eyes. “What are you about to do…”

“I felt bad about missing your formal,” he says, setting down his jacket. “Admittedly, I wasn’t planning to do this outside, but we can still share a dance.”

“Ben.”

“Oliver.”

That charming smirk curves along his face. Then he takes out his phone. I watch as he picks a song and then sets the phone down on the bench. Of course, it’s Joni Mitchell. Ben holds out a hand, helping me off the bench. Admittedly, I’m a little shy about doing this in public. What if someone from class sees this? Ben puts a hand around me, pulling me into him. The snow falls gently around us as we move slowly to the music. It only takes a minute for the nerves to fade away.

Ben moves his lips to my ear. “I know this isn’t quite the same…”

“No, it’s better,” I say.

For a moment, I don’t care if anyone sees us. We’re the only two people in the world. As the songs change, I tell myself to remember each one. I’ll add them to the soundtrack we’re slowly building. I know we’re still figuring out how we can make this work, but I don’t want to think about that. None of that matters right now. We’ll find a way to have more dances together.





Chapter

Nineteen



The snow continues to fall in the Ellensburg Ben and I share. Thankfully, it’s not cold enough for it to stick to the ground. We make the most of the few hours we have together. I’d forgotten how beautiful everything is with the lights that decorate campus this time of year. We grab some hot drinks from the Student Union and find a place to stay warm. I show Ben one of the common rooms that has a fireplace going during the winter. We play a few board games and listen to music. I think he lets me win the last two rounds of Bananagrams.