Page 6 of Every Hidden Truth

“Silas,” he whispered my name, and I swore he leaned in, gaze locked on my parted mouth. “Si, I—”

“Oh my God, are you guys okay?” Caroline cried, breaking the charged moment, and Ben immediately pulled away as my friends ran to our accident site. “You didn’t break anything, right?”

Ben rose to his feet and tugged me to stand as we reassured my worried friends of our uninjured status. We salvaged the sled, which was thankfully still usable. After laughing off the incident, we climbed the hill once more, dragging our sleds behind us.

Flustered by the confusing exchange with Ben, I shoved Harris aside and joined Kim and Caroline on the toboggan. Jordan, Harris, and Ben shared the other sleds between the three of them.

Thankfully, no one brought attention to the maybe-almost kiss between me and Ben. I prayed it meant no one noticed.

Half-frozen, we called it quits as the sun began to set and gathered our belongings. We trekked through the snow banks toward the emptying parking lot. Caroline jumped on Jordan’s back, and he hooked his arms under her legs as he hoisted her higher. Kim and Harris giggled quietly, sharing a joke I hadn’t heard. Ben walked beside me. Our arms brushed at even intervals as we carried two out of the three sleds.

“Taco Bell, anyone?” Kim asked as we shoved the last sled into the trunk of her SUV.

A chorus of agreement rang through the air, and we headed back to our respective vehicles with the plan to meet at the Taco Bell down the road. Ben followed me to my truck, snickering to himself as he tugged on the long strings of my rainbow hat.

I batted his hand away and unlocked Mabel. I shed my sopping wet coat and sweatpants as Ben leaned his hip against my truck bed. Silently, he watched me shove the damp clothes into my duffel, a nervous smile teasing his lips.

“You’re coming to Taco Bell, right?” I verified as I shut the door.

“Uh-huh.”

We stood in a strangely charged silence as Ben worried his bottom lip. He opened his mouth to speak then hesitated. My eyebrows rose in teasing question at his adorable timidity.

“By the way, I like your hat,” he blurted as he tugged on the long, dangling string again. Then he turned abruptly and walked toward his silver Impala.

“Um, thanks,” I mumbled, too quiet for him to hear.

I fingered the string of my rainbow winter hat as I watched Ben lower himself into his car. Chuckling to myself, I climbed into my truck and started the engine.

As the sun set completely, bathing the evening in darkness, we pigged out on cheap Taco Bell. Ben sat beside me, stealing nacho chips when he thought I wasn’t paying attention, and Ipretended not to notice. His foot found mine beneath the table, our shoes pressed together. I failed at convincing myself it was an accident.

Too soon, we finished the food and conversation dwindled.

As we cleaned up our trash and tossed away empty cups, the distance between Ben and me was subconsciously reinstated.

“Anybody up for a nightcap?” Kim asked as we stood in a huddled group just outside the doors. The plea leaked through her voice as she feigned nonchalance. “Dad’s ‘working’ tonight, so the house is empty and the liquor cabinet is unlocked.”

She hated staying at her dad’s every other weekend and usually invited people over so she wouldn’t be alone. Her dad was a total ass, so I didn’t blame her.

Caroline and Harris agreed immediately as Jordan shook his head. “Mom works tonight, so I gotta get home.”

Being the oldest of three siblings, Jordan babysat a lot while his mom worked. He never talked about why his dad was never around, and we knew better than to ask.

“Okay, rain check then.” Kim turned to me expectantly, and I hesitated.

I didn’t have any plans, but something held me back from agreeing too readily. Shooting Ben a questioning glance, I met his equally curious gaze. Somehow, I read his mind, and we both grinned as we shook our heads.

“Rain check for us too,” I said as Ben’s fingertips teased the back of my hand, and my stomach flip-flopped.

As Caroline and Kim exchanged suggestive smirks, I covertly flipped them off before hauling Ben away from their overly excited giggles. The last thing I needed was for them to open their big mouths and ruin this—whateverthiswas—before it began.

“Have fun!” they called after us.

I ignored them as I led Ben to our side-by-side vehicles. Stupid, nosy girls.

“Silas—”

“Do you want to come over?” I spouted at the same time, cutting him off as we stopped at the end of my truck bed. “We could, um, you know, hang out.”

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