Page 26 of Love Story

Conor leaned back in his chair, beer in hand, his grin stretching wide as he prepared to launch into another story.“All right, you’ll love this one,” he said, glancing at the rest of us, including Ben.“We got called out last week to a supposed ‘rescue situation.’Big emergency, super-urgent.Turns out it’s a parrot stuck in a tree.Not a cat—abird.That flies!”

“A parrot?”Haider snorted, nearly choking on his drink.“Did you guys get it down?”

“Oh, we got it down,” Conor said, smirking.“The owner is standing there, calling it down with the most ridiculous phrases—’Come here, sweet pea!’‘Polly want a cracker?’—you name it.Nothing works.Finally, one of the guys climbs up, and just as he’s reaching for the bird, the damn thing squawks, ‘Don’t touch me, asshole!’and flies to another tree.”

I couldn’t help it—I laughed, as did everyone else.Haider was wheezing, clutching his side.“You’re telling me the parrot had an attitude?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Conor said, grinning.“Took us an hour to catch the little fucker, and it cursed out every single one of us before we finally got it in the cage and back to the aviary.”

Ryan shook his head, still chuckling.“I don’t know what’s funnier—the bird or the fact that someone called you guys for that.”

“Hey, we’re public servants,” Conor said, mock-serious.“Even the rude parrots need saving.”

Haider laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair, and I sat back, enjoying the moment.

Ben smiled, but I caught how he shifted in his seat, as though he was pulling back into himself.As the night got louder, Conor and Haider swapped ridiculous stories.All I knew was that I couldn’t stop watching him, even as we all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, with Haider gripping Ben’s arm as though he was going to fall.So much for Mom’s matchmaking when Haider was already interested.

Not that Ben was a side of meat we were lining up for.

I was almost at my car when someone called my name.“Sam, wait!”

I turned in time to see Ben hurrying after me, his boots losing traction as he slid on the ice.I stepped forward, reaching out to steady him before he could go down.

He didn’t.

That was good, right?I didn’t have to scoop him up.

Shame.

Tiny flakes of snow drifted down in the lazy, quiet way that always made the world feel smaller, as though it was only the two of us standing there on the library steps.The air was crisp, biting at my nose and ears, and the faint crunch of boots on snow from passing pedestrians was the only sound besides Ben’s voice.

“I wanted to thank you again,” he said, his words a little hesitant, his eyes flicking up to meet mine before darting away.“For helping me with the car thing.And taking me to the hospital.And in the store, and on the steps… for looking after me.”

“It’s all good,” I said, shrugging it off.But my voice came out softer than I intended, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Ben shifted slightly, his breath visible in the frosty air, and I noticed how his hands tightened on the edges of his coat as if trying to steel himself.“More importantly, the car accident,” he said, then swallowed.“Most people would have called emergency services and gone.”

“I’m not most people,” I replied.I wasn’t the kind to leave someone in a ditch and walk away.

He looked up at me, properly, his green gaze serious.“I know,” he said.His hand brushed my arm, the touch barely there but enough to send a wave of warmth through me despite the cold.“I’m not used to relying on people now.”

We were standing too close now, the space between us filled with falling snow and something heavier, something I couldn’t quite name but could feel all the same.His touch lingered, and for a moment, everything felt perfect—as if this was where I was supposed to be, with him, in this moment.

I fought the urge to step closer, tilt my head, and close the gap between us.It would’ve been easy.Too easy.His lips were right there, his cheeks flushed pink from the cold, and his eyes had this quiet kind of vulnerability that made me want to pull him closer and promise I’d keep him safe from all kinds of ditches and library steps.

But I didn’t.I couldn’t.Instead, I swallowed hard, keeping my voice steady as I said, “You’re tougher than you look.”

Ben blinked, his hand dropping back to his side.“I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

He smiled—small and shy—but it hit me like a punch to the gut.I was in trouble, and I knew it.Still, I shoved the thought aside, burying my hands deeper in my jacket pockets to stop myself from reaching for him.Snow kept falling, silent and steady, and for one breathless moment, the world shrank to just the two of us and the cold bite of winter in the air.

“Okay, night,” Ben said and threw me a wave.He only had a short way to go to Harriet’s place, but I watched him walk in that direction and waited until he turned the corner.

Just in case.

I’M ATTRACTED TOSam.

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