Ben stared out of the window of his country cabin, too distracted to be in any way productive with work because she was coming. He heard a car drive the road close by but it didn't slow so it wasn't them, he still had time to panic.
'God, why am I nervous?' he thought. He haven't seen his best friend in person for over a year but there was nothing to be anxious about. He opened his e-mails, scanning for anything quick and easy to do but finding nothing to keep his mind preoccupied so he just closed the laptop and gave up.
The last time he saw Matt and Natalie was their wedding in February the year before. They had a small wedding, she was stunning of course and Ben was there every step of the way as best man. He'd done his duty and kept the groom alive on the stag do in Brussels, made damn sure he wrote his vows before the day of the wedding and picked up the rings, guarding them until they blissfully put them on each other's fingers. And when the wedding was over, he got drunk. He flirted with the bridesmaids, bought the father of the bride more than one tequila shot even though he couldn't remember how many exactly. Kissing Natalie wasn't on the agenda though.
His phone started to vibrate and dragged his mind back to the present. It was Matt.
"Hi mate, you all good?"
There was a pause before a feminine voice said "Um, hi Ben, it's Natalie. Matty's driving but thinks we might be lost? We've just passed a Dobbies and McDonald's, does that sound right?"
Fuck, her voice was silky smooth, was it always that sweet?
"Yeah, that's right, keep on that road for about 10 minutes then you'll see signs for the village. And take it easy, this April rain isn't going to be letting up and sometimes the roads can get muddy."
"Okay, thanks, that's a relief. I'm still shocked you moved out of the city but can't wait to see the place! Won't be long."
The call ended before he could say anything else. That was definitely the first time they'd spoken since the kiss. He had been in the garden of the hotel on his own during their wedding reception, overlooking a duck pond. Mostly he just needed away from the noise for a break, and the cool crisp air was even keeping the smokers inside.
Ben had heard her giggle behind him and turned around just in time to see her struggle down some steps in her gown to get to the side of the pond. She was so beautiful and the tipsy smile she had plastered on her face was worth all the stress of planning this thing. A mixture of euphoria and relief was driving her to keep going but her eyes were tired after the chaos. She stood beside me, and gestured for me to keep quiet, then she reached into a little paper bag I hadn't noticed her holding and she emptied dry bird food pellets into her hand and scattered them around. All of a sudden, ducks sensed food and came rushing towards her, swallowing the food greedily.
Her laugh was so contagious, Ben couldn't help but smile with her. After a few minutes of feeding, the ducks were a little happier and returned to the pond when the bag had been emptied.
"I came out to thank you for your help today, we couldn't have done this without your support."
"I'm glad to have been there, you guys are like family."
She smiled but shivered, her strapped dress not giving much protection against the cold night air. Instinctively he shrugged his jacket off and swiftly put it over her shoulders, tucking her in. They stood so close, her perfume was faded but he caught a subtle smell, the sweetness of vanilla, and then somehow after that they were kissing. Not just a peck, her hands gripped his arms, massaged them and a satisfied moan escaped her. His hands had run over her back, holding her in place as their tongues danced together.
Ben's cock grew hard in his trousers and he kept his grip strong on her, supporting her as she leaned in. Mid-kiss, she jerked away and gasped, her soft tongue dragged so suddenly from his mouth, and he had heard someone calling her name from the building. The darkness had taken over the dusk, so it's not likely we would have been seen but his heart had raced and he was paralysed as she ran back to her wedding party without looking back.
The rest of the night had been a bit of a blur, and then COVID hit right after their honeymoon, so communication was kept to WhatsApp messages, and the kiss was never mentioned. But now she was coming here, and Ben had no idea if she remembered. They were both drunk, exhausted. It didn't mean anything, did it?
He didn't have time to pontificate more, because their car pulled up in my drive for a visit now restrictions were lifted. This was going to be a long weekend.
********
"Mate!" Matt exclaimed after polishing off his fourth glass of wine since dinner ended, "I fucking love this place. It's got trees, man, and so much space! Jeeze all you have to do is get a home gym and you'd never miss the city!"
Dinner had gone well, there had been laughter, stories swapped, and seemingly no awkwardness. Natalie's hair had grown passed her shoulders, and it suited her more than the pixie cut he used to admire. Her eyes were soft and considered, like she was constantly thinking about something that no one else would know.
The storm had gotten worse but the wine was flowing. Ben couldn't help but notice Natalie poured more for Matt than herself, and she couldn't have had more than a single glass so was relatively sober. Matt was jolly but would very soon crash, as he had done for the past 13 years he'd been in Ben's life. Once he even fell asleep at a bar when they'd gone to see a metal band in college. Seriously, if that small pub filled with the noise from drums and guitars couldn't wake him, nothing would.
The temperature had dropped considerably since their arrival and the storm showed no signs of stopping. Matt's voice grew louder and louder with every sentence but Ben just watched his eyes, paying no attention to the word vomit coming out of his mouth. His eyes dropped significantly and then popped right back open again, fighting off the sleep so very soon they were putting him to bed like a toddler.
"No, I don't wanna sleep, I wanna party," he slurred, his head nestled on the guest bed pillow. Natalie calmly shooshed him and then all that was heard was the telltale heavy breathing of a sleeping man.
