Between Friends

Chapter 27

“You picked Grape Street Piano Bar?” I pout, as we step out of the cab.

“What’s wrong with this place?” Ben nervously says, slipping his hand into mine as we walk up to the entrance, “I thought you loved this place.”

I pause and think about some of the crazier nights we had together here. Ben was right, I did love this place and I knew it held some great memories. There was one particular time during out last week of university, when Ben orchestrated a night out with our group of friends. He originally planned for us to hit up some posh new club, but because there was some strict dress code policy we were turned away. Unlike everyone else funneling in through the doors, we were dressed like typical students, in frumpy dumpy Ugg boots and destroyed denim. Therefore, the bouncer had no problem denying our entry.

With our night becoming bleaker by the second, Ben suggested we go to Grape Street, a piano bar we visited a bunch of times a block or so away. Everyone moaned and groaned and complained that only old people went there; which ironically enough, old to us at the time was defined as a bunch of mid to late twenty year olds. But with much determination, Ben convinced us it would be a good idea.

I have to say, that night is one of my fonder memories from my past. We had that place rocking with those so-called geezers and made the pianist play every Elton John song under the sun. Ben requested “Bennie and the Jets” more than three times, and claimed to everyone in the bar that Sir Elton wrote it for him and his late band members formally known as “The Jets”. Obviously no one believed him, but everyone loved Ben’s drunken enthusiasm, and soon enough the whole bar was cheering him on when belted out his beloved song on stage with the pianist and a bottle of beer in hand.

Shivers run up my spine as the cool winter winds nip at my bare hands, snapping me back to reality, “Actually, I’m happy you picked this place. You’re right. We do have some good memories here. Remember Bennie and the Jets?” I laugh giving Ben a playful nudge.

“How could I forget?” Ben says wrapping his arms around me outside the entryway. Suddenly I’m not cold anymore. He stares down at me and I smile at him, wistfully reflecting on how we were once just friends - a chapter of our lives I now can keep close to my heart forever.

“Aren’t we going in?” I ask as Ben plants a soft kiss on my forehead.

Ben doesn’t respond to my question, instead he kisses my cheek. Then he tilts my chin up with him thumb and index finger, enthralled in the moment and kisses me on my lips. We kiss for a long time, touching everywhere. I know people are probably walking by, disgusted by our PDA, but I don’t care, because I am proud to admit I am one of those couples. Right now, we are the couple I would look at with envy as they mauled each other in front of me. I imagine us years from now with grey hair and a body full of wrinkles on our front porch drinking homemade lemonade, watching our grandchildren play in the yard and looking back on this moment, thinking how lucky we were to have taken a risk on our friendship (even though it wasn’t easy) and fell in love.

Ben suddenly pulls away, and places his hands on either side of my head caging me against the wall. He looks into my eyes and anxiously says, “Before we go in there, I want you to know how much I love you. You are the most stunningly beautiful woman I have ever known. I love everything about you, whether it is your weird obsession with playing the game Scrabble, or the way your butt looks in a tight pair of jeans, or how you are so focused on your career, or how you are always a listening ear just when I need one. I want you to know that when you told me tonight that you felt the same way as I did, you made me the happiest man in the world.”

I blush looking down at my stiletto heels Ben insisted I wear tonight over my ballet flats; even though he knows I hate wearing heels. But I love that he challenges me on all my idiosyncrasies. I love that he takes me out of my comfort zone and makes me confront my neurotic behavior and pushes me to live life to the fullest and live in the moment.

Then Ben gives me a final smile before he pulls the door open and says, “Ladies first.”

“SURPRISE!!!!” Is the only thing I hear as I walk through the doorway, deafening my ears.

The shouts shock me silent. I look around the bar to see everyone I love and care about surrounding me. I am speechless, recognizing all the hundred or so people staring at me. Some are my colleagues, some are my family, and some are my friends. At first, it is hard for me to comprehend what is going on, until Michelle and Stephanie toss a pink boa around my neck, and Jessica places some flashy crown on my head that lights up with the number 25 on top.

Matthew pats Ben on the back, and Eric shakes his hand. Michael gives me a gentle hug and wishes me a happy birthday. I stand their completely gob-smacked wondering how this is even happening right now. I am even more confused when I see my mother and father both standing together inches apart from each other and wearing matching party hats and beaming at me from ear to ear.

“What is going on?” I shout with a laugh as my mother embraces me in a hug.

Jessica perks up behind my mother, and says looking up at Ben, “Ask him.”

I look quizzically at Ben, not believing for a second he could have possibly done something like this for me. It is no easy feat to throw a surprise party. I know myself from hosting Jessica’s surprise sweet sixteenth birthday bash, that there is a lot of preparation and work involved in pulling something like this off.

“Did you plan all this?” I ask looking up at Ben.

He sheepishly nods, shrugs his shoulders and says, “Busted.”

I pull away from my mother who is beaming at Ben lit up with admiration. I lunge at him forcing myself onto my tippy toes and kiss him right on the lips - in front of everyone. Cheers go off all around us, and before I pull away, I feel Emily patting me on the back to hand me a drink with a congratulatory grin.

Ben gives me a wink and shouts up to the pianist to play “Bennie and the Jets” while he takes a beer from Matthew. I burst out laughing and feel myself fill with warmth inside. The fear of getting older has completely vanished and oddly enough, I am even more so thankful that I made it to this day, just so I could be here right now in this moment with everyone I love and cherish in my life.

Jessica, Stephanie and Michelle surround me, holding a bunch of shots. Michelle drapes her arm around my shoulders, “Thank God you showed up.”

“Did you guys all know about this when you called me today?” I ask watching trays and trays of food getting set up on a table a few feet away.

“Ben’s been planning this for a whole week” Jessica snorts, “He rented the whole damn restaurant for you.”

I blush, “I was on my way to Macy’s when he showed up at my door, he’s lucky I even let him in.”

“He took a chance because he loves you.” Michelle says and gives me a wink.

“We even placed bets on it.” Stephanie adds, “But since you showed up with him all in love, you cost all of us ten bucks!”

“Well except for Jessica” Michelle adds.

“Yeah, Jessica is the only one who bet against all of us. So thanks to you, she is sixty dollars richer tonight.” Stephanie says with a laugh.

“Guilty as charged.” Jessica says smiling at me and adds, “Nobody knows my girl Megan like I do.”

I smile at her, thinking how right she is. Nobody knows me better than she does. I wrap my arms around her and embrace her in a tight hug.

“Okay enough, I’m getting teary” Jessica says and pushes me away, waving her free hand in front of her face to fan away the tears. She gains composure and says, “Now raise your shot glasses ladies.”

Without hesitation, Stephanie, Michelle and I comply with Jessica’s orders only to hear her say, “Happy birthday to my best friend! Welcome to the quarter century club! I love you!”

I playfully roll my eyes at Jessica slam back my shot with the girls. When I look up, I see Ben across the bar. I smile at him and marvel at how so much has changed in such a short time. I was a neurotic mess, scared of love and commitment and too stupid to see that I had something real in front of me all along. Because when I’m with Ben, I feel safe and loved; I am free to be my true self - I always have been.

At the end of the night, when everyone is stumbling out of the bar, still singing a streamline of Billy Joel’s greatest hits. I wave goodbye to all those I love with Ben by my side. When a cab pulls up, just like it did years ago on that chilly New Year’s Eve in front of The Cove, I slide in and place my bottom on the dirty fabric seats. Ben wedges himself between the open door and says with a playful glimmer in his eyes “Do you want me to come with you?”

This time I don’t question a thing. Instead I do exactly what I should have done back then. I nod with a smile and invite him to snuggle up beside me, because I have every intention of us heading back to my condo together, and being with Ben forever.

About the Author

Amanda Cowen can be found picking up toys, wiping dirty faces and kissing boo boos when she isn’t trapped on her computer writing stories and delighting her imagination. She has been writing since the ripe age of twelve about ponies and princesses in brightly colored duo-tangs with metallic pens. Thankfully, she now has a Mac with a keyboard where she can write about love, sex and relationships. She is an “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” fanatic, a hater of rollercoasters and a country music junkie. She is married with two children and lives in Thunder Bay, ON where the summers are short and the winters are long.

Her next Contemporary New Adult Fiction novel BREATHLESS will be available in Spring 2014.

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