╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗
Part 4
╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝
Pedro had finally fallen asleep, his head tilted slightly back against the soft curve of the booth, one hand resting lazily in his lap, the other still wrapped loosely around a cooling mug. His breathing was slow and steady, his expression relaxed in a way Maria hadn't seen before. She watched him for a moment, how peaceful he looked, how human. Something in her chest tightened. Maybe tenderness. Maybe guilt.
"He finally passed out, huh?"
Maria turned her head.
Ben Affleck was still wide awake, elbow on the table, a half-full glass of whiskey balanced between his fingers. He nodded toward Pedro, amusement flickering in his eyes. "He always holds out too long. Like sleep is something he has to beat." Maria smiled softly. "Yeah, he does that." Ben shifted his weight, angling his body slightly toward her, as if instinctively drawn in. "And you? Still awake. Still here." She raised an eyebrow. "Should I have left?" He grinned. "Not unless you're planning to break my heart."
"You know," he said, tilting his glass a little in her direction, "when you walked in the café, you had this air about you. Like you belonged here and didn't care who noticed. I respect that." Maria quirked a brow. "Is that your way of saying I looked out of place?" Ben grinned. "No, that's my way of saying you looked... interesting. Like someone who doesn't realize how much gravity she has." Maria met his eyes and didn't look away. "And now," he went on, voice lowering, "here we are. The world's gone quiet. He's asleep" he nodded toward Pedro, "and I'm still sitting across from someone I can't stop watching."
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, though she held his gaze. "You're pretty straightforward, huh?"
"I don't like wasting time," Ben said. "And I don't believe in pretending not to feel something when it's right in front of me." He leaned in a bit more, the table suddenly feeling far too narrow between them. "Want me to lie and act like I haven't been imagining what your laugh sounds like when you're fully relaxed? Or how your voice would sound whispering something that's just for me?" Maria's pulse jumped. "Do you always say things like that to women?"
Ben's smile widened. "No. Usually I flirt harder." he joked.
She laughed, actually laughed, and immediately covered her mouth, not wanting to wake Pedro. The sound was soft, breathy, but real.
Ben's smile deepened at the sound. He set his glass down with a soft clink and rested his forearm on the table, fingers loosely curled. "You've been watching my mouth," he said suddenly, low, confident. Maria froze for a fraction of a second. "Not judging," he added, voice smooth as velvet, "just... noticing." She tried to brush it off. "Maybe you imagined that." Ben chuckled. "Maybe. Or maybe you're thinking the same thing I am." Her gaze flickered to his lips again, quick, involuntary and he saw it. His expression shifted, grew heavier, slower. More heat than tease now. "Mm," he murmured. "There it is again." Maria felt her throat tighten slightly, not from discomfort, but from the way the air suddenly seemed thicker between them. Tension wrapped in silk. Ben leaned in just enough for her to feel his voice rather than hear it. "I've kissed women who stared at me with less interest than you just did."
She didn't answer.
Not right away.
Instead, her fingers toyed with the edge of her glass, as if trying to ground herself in something tangible. Ben sat back slightly, eyes still locked on hers, but now with a hint of a smirk. "Hey... I'm not gonna do anything reckless. Unless you want reckless." His voice was almost a whisper, but it slid through her like a slow current. Maria looked at Pedro again peaceful, unaware. Then back at Ben. And her silence said more than words ever could.
