“I’m glad one of us knew that going into this, because I must admit, I wasn’t entirely convinced.” The admission of at least some insecurity on her part had Nora a little uneasy, but then Ben was just, well, Ben. By now, Nora felt like she knew him well enough to know to take a modicum of comfort from his words; this was his form of consolation. A smile returned to her features almost instantly as his fingers captured an errant curl and tucked it back behind her ear.
“You,” Nora all but hummed, while allowing herself to trail off,·“are sweet. But I do need to open now. What kind of example would I be setting for my employees if I didn’t, hm? And you should go to work too, y’know.”·
They were close enough now, close enough that she could kiss him, but opted not to and wrapped her arms around his middle for an embrace instead. She had to change her clothes, make sure she could reasonably open the doors with enough baked goods to feed her guests while others were prepared. It felt liker her to-do list was growing for every moment she stood in one place. And yet, what rose to the forefront of her mind, above all of that, was that she would miss him when he left. And that was terrifying.
Nora dropped her arms from around him, startled by her own realization, and stood back to peek up at Ben with a small smile, lifting a hand to wave, probably a little awkwardly.·“Go on, you. Talk to you later?”
The serenity crossing Nora’s features provided indication that she felt, and Ben knew he wouldn’t mind continuing to encourage that she’d done fine at the City Hall meeting regardless. Not just anyone would sign up for something like this, but he’d been well aware of how incredible she was in countless aspects. Truthfully? Ben still reeled in the sheer luck of having her back in Mystic from Los Angeles. His teasing grin shifted into a slight pout at Nora’s answer, but she was right. He wouldn’t stand in the way of her shop business, and he did need to get going himself, as much as the option to stay and be around Nora was of course preferred, as if he could help it.
“Ok.” Ben stated through a downcast huff, though a grin hinted at the corner of his lips, how she took her shop owner role seriously was easily alluring. When Nora’s arms wrapped themselves around him, his own instantly returned the embrace, holding her frame close against his, reveling in the proximity between them for as long as possible. How the hell did he go this along without her presence when she’d left over the years again?
As her hold released, Ben nodded in surefire agreement to her comment. “How else will I get through the day?” He mused, his arms slowly resuming to his sides as the sudden, disappointing realization that he had to leave hit again. “Let me know time and place.” Lowly whispering near her ear, a light laugh escaped him as she shooed him off. “See you.” Ben shot her one last look before finally heading on his way.
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