True North: A Flirt Club Duet

by Rebecca Gallo

  Which means we’re both fucking miserable.

  Just as I’m finishing up edits on an article, there’s a knock at the door. During the day, the building is pretty quiet, so visitors are unusual.

  When I open the door, I expect a neighbor that’s locked out or a delivery person. Not Ben’s brother Alistair.

  “Hello again,” he says in a smooth voice as he pushes past me into the flat.

  “Hello. Please, come in,” I say with a roll of my eyes.

  Alistair spins to face me. He and Ben share similar features. Dark hair, green eyes but Alistair is thinner, his features more angular. “I don’t plan on staying long. If my brother refuses to help me, he’ll be ruined. His pub will close, and he’ll lose everything. Since he’s so enamored by you, you need to convince him to sign the deal.”

  My eyes narrow. “There’s no way I’m going to do that.”

  “Suit yourself but when Benny’s business goes under, he’ll lose everything. And it will be all your fault.” Alistair waves a dismissive hand in front of him and makes a face like he’s just smelled something foul.

  Before I can punch him right in the dick, he leaves. Bastard.

  For the rest of the day, I pace and chew my nails, worrying over whether or not I should tell Ben about his brother’s visit.

  Honesty is the best policy, I remind myself constantly.

  It’s stupid to ruin a relationship just because some asshole tells you to, I tell myself repeatedly.

  When Ben comes home after his shift at the pub and asks me about my day, I’m speechless. Of course, he needs to know Alistair showed up this afternoon and tried to pull some bullshit with me. But I can’t bring myself to tell him just yet.

  “Just a boring day of edits,” I tell him, which is the partial truth.

  “And what have you found out about the visa situation?”

  My mouth tightens into a thin line. “The same. I can’t get the visa I need while I’m in country. I have to fly back to the States.”

  “That’s such bollocks! I’m sure I know someone in Parliament who can pull some strings and if not, there’s always my family.”

  “No!” Ben’s brow wrinkles with confusion. “I mean, it’s okay. I’ll go back home for a bit, get everything settled there, apply for the visa and when it gets approved, I’ll come back.”

  “But you said that could take months.”

  “Well, they do say absence makes the heart grow fonder,” I offer.

  “Well, they are a bunch of pricks who don’t know anything.”

  Ben reaches out and pulls me against him. He smells like stale beer and soap, a strangely comforting scent because it’s so familiar now.

  “I don’t want you to go back,” he says softly.

  “I don’t want to go back,” I reply. “But there’s no other way around this.”

  Ben sighs. “I s’pose you’re right. How many days now?”

  “Two.”

  “Fuck,” he growls. He pushes me away slightly and untucks his t-shirt from the waistband of his jeans. “I’m going to shower.”

  I watch as piece by piece, all of Ben is slowly revealed. His finely muscled back, his tight ass and the tattoos. There’s the Churchill quote across his chest, some Celtic knots and tribal designs on his arm and more recently, a simplified image of Big Ben bursting from a rose on his rib cage.

  “You coming,” he calls out.

  “I better,” I reply with a smirk.

  My conversation with Alistair keeps me up when normally, Ben easily wears me out. I replay it over and over along with what Ben said about Waterstone Hall.

  Why is Ben refusing to sign the agreement to expand the estate? Will Alistair make good on his promise to ruin Ben’s businesses?

  And then there is my own guilt over not telling Ben about his brother’s unexpected visit.

  With a heavy sigh, I slip out of bed and head to the kitchen. Aimlessly, I open cupboards and the refrigerator, but I don’t really want anything.

  “Can’t sleep?” The sound of Ben’s voice is unexpected and once again, the universe is giving me an opportunity to tell him about Alistair.

  “I guess I’m not ready for all of this to be over,” I murmur.

  “We’re not breaking up Milly,” Ben says walking forward. He stands on the other side of the kitchen island and spreads his hands out in front of him. “Why don’t you tell me what’s really bothering you?”

  “Why don’t you go first? Something’s been bothering you since we left your family’s estate.” Turning the tables is always a great diversion, especially since I’m still struggling with being honest. Maybe understanding Ben’s perspective will help me decide what to do.

  “It’s George, the groundskeeper at Weatherstone Hall. Alistair wants to buy his land, his home. He’s offering George a good bit of money for the property but I can’t just demolish his home, you know? It’s been in his family forever, just like mine.”

  The pieces suddenly fall into place. “I’m sorry, Ben. I had no idea.” Tell him, I encourage myself mentally. Tell him about Alistair. “Why does he want to expand the estate? It’s already massive.”

  “To expand the lodge park. It’ll bring in more money for the estate, and for him.”

  “And for you too?”

  “I don’t give a fuck about earning more money from the estate, Milly. I’m not about to ruin a man’s home for a few extra pounds a year. And I’m not going to be sucked into Alistair’s toxic world of greed.”

  “I understand.” How on earth could I possibly try and convince him to help Alistair now?

  He reaches across the counter and grabs my hand. “None of that matters, Milly. You do. I could lose it all tomorrow but as long as I have you, I’d be the richest man in the world.”

  I pull my hand away slowly. “I wouldn’t want you to lose everything you’ve worked hard to build.”

  “It’s just a hypothetical, sweetheart.” He says with a wink.

  But what if it’s not? What if Alistair really means what he says and ruins Ben’s businesses? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened and Ben lost the pub and his properties all because of me.

  Ben

  This is ridiculous. So fucking ridiculous. Milly is sitting next to me in the Range Rover, but she might as well be a million miles away. Instead of enjoying the last two days in bed together, we slept in separate rooms. There’s something she isn’t telling me, and I want to push her because this woman is not my Milly.

  “You’re not being completely honest with me,” I tell her as we drive to Heathrow.

  “Yes, I am,” she insists quietly. She looks down at her lap, at her fidgeting fingers, at the drizzle splattering the windows but not at me.

  “Milly, please don’t leave with this awkwardness between us.”

  She sniffles and swipes at the tears staining her cheeks. Since the other night, she hasn’t stopped crying and it’s breaking my fucking heart.

  “I’m sorry,” is all she manages to choke out.

  That’s it! I can’t take this anymore and pull over into a random car park. If she misses her flight, then too damn bad.

  “Ben, what are you doing?”

  She doesn’t get an explanation as I navigate to an empty space. When we’re parked, I turn to face her. Her blue eyes are bloodshot from crying and the tip of her nose is red. I reach across and grab her, hauling her awkwardly over the console. My lips crash into hers in a hard, searing kiss. She squirms against me, but I’m determined. I soften the kiss, swallowing her protests, hoping she’ll just give in to me and be honest.

  She works her hands in between us and pushes herself away, breaking the kiss.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She screeches.

  “Reminding you of how much I love you,” I answer.

  “No, you’re forcing me to do something I don’t want to do.”

  “You mean be honest? You don’t want to be honest with me?”

  “
Of course I do!” She sags against the seat.

  “Milly, whatever you’re holding onto, just tell me and let me deal with it.”

  “Fine. Alistair dropped by the other day. He told me I needed to convince you to agree with his expansion plan. And if I didn’t, he would ruin your businesses.”

  “And you think that’s what we should do? Let Alistair manipulate me into making bad business decisions?”

  She shrugs and looks away. “I don’t want you to lose something you’ve worked hard to create.”

  “The only thing I’m afraid of losing is you Milly. You mean more to me than anything else in this world.” I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out the red velvet ring box. “It’s not my Nan’s; in fact, it didn’t belong to anyone in my family. But I don’t want you to go back home without this.”

  I lift the lid and show her the ring I found at a jeweler that specializes in vintage, estate pieces.

  Milly’s eyes widen and she covers her mouth. “That thing is fucking huge!”

  A laugh escapes my lips. “It’s three carats,” I tell her, plucking the ring from the box and holding it out to her. “There is only one thing worth having in this life and it’s love. If I don’t have your love, then I have nothing.”

  I reach for her hand and slip the ring over her finger. It’s a perfect fit and looks stunning on her hand.

  “What do you say?” She’s been silent for a long time and it’s honestly scaring me a bit.

  She holds her hand out in front of her but her expression is still grim. “Of course you have my love, Ben. Forever.”

  She has a look on her face like she’s going to say something else so I cover her hand. “That’s all I need to hear, Milly. Don’t say anything else. We’ll figure out the rest together.”

  “Okay,” she says with a weak smile.

  We leave the car park and make it to Heathrow with time to spare. “Why are you parking here? You can’t come to the gate with me,” she says when she notices we’re in a short-term lot.

  “Yes, I can,” I say as I push open the car door. I round the back of the Range Rover to the boot and open it. I begin pulling Milly’s bags out and set them on the pavement before I reach for mine. When the boot is empty, I slam it shut. Milly is standing next to the car with a shocked, but expectant look on her face. “I bought a ticket. Oh, and I upgraded us to First Class.”

  Milly

  I should have known Ben would do something like this. I’m not going to complain though because First Class is fucking awesome.

  “Okay, maybe having a rich boyfriend has its perks,” I whisper to Ben.

  “Fiancé. I’m not your boyfriend anymore,” he says dryly.

  Right. We’re getting married.

  These last few days with Ben have been difficult and uncomfortable memories have been floating around in my head.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” Ben murmurs in my ear as he stretches across the console that separates our seats to kiss my cheek. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  “Just some uncomfortable memories,” I answer.

  He links our hands. “Tell me,” he insists.

  “In college, I dated this guy named Brandon. He was my first real boyfriend and I did absolutely everything wrong. I thought I was supposed to spend all of my time with him and I just ignored my friends.”

  Ben hums thoughtfully before responding. “Did he ask you to stop seeing your friends?”

  “No, not exactly,” I stammer. “But he didn’t want to do anything with his friends either.”

  “Hmm,” is all Ben says.

  “Instead of going home for the summer like everyone else, I moved in with him. I put so much distance between myself and my friends and family because I thought that’s how I was supposed to act.” He squeezes my hand tight and I manage to look him in the eye. There’s so much love written all over his face it’s hard to believe I even considered sacrificing our relationship. “I finally realized what I had done and ended the relationship.”

  “Did he put up any kind of fight? Try to win you back?”

  My shoulders slump slightly. That was always the thing that bothered me about breaking up with Brandon. “No. He let me end things pretty easily.”

  “Well, he sounds like a total knob.”

  “It doesn’t matter if he is or isn’t. The damage to other relationships was already done. When I went home for the summer, my grandmother died and I was so heartbroken. I missed out on spending time with her and then she was gone. I was devastated.”

  Ben reaches up and brushes away my tears. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”

  “So am I and I promised myself never to let it happen again.”

  “Do you think I’m going to just give up everything in my life to appease Alistair?”

  I shrug. “I don’t really know.”

  He brushes the back of his hand along my cheek and it sends shivers down my spine. “Darling, there’s been a rift between my brother and I for years. It started growing the moment I bought the pub. I love my brother, but we have different ambitions. The title and the estate have always mattered to him whereas I’m perfectly content being my own boss.”

  “Aren’t you worried about Alistair ruining your businesses?”

  “Absolutely not. Alistair is all talk, no action.”

  Relief floods through me and I exhale loudly. “I owe you an apology Ben. I made such a mess of things this last week. I’m so sorry.”

  His lips tip up into a half smile. “No one said that love is easy, Milly. It’s going to be messy and complicated. We just have to be honest with each other.” He places a finger over his lips like there’s something else he wants to say. His cute half smile turns into a full-blown shit-eating grin. “That sounds like something you ought to put in your vows.”

  “Oh god, I don’t even want to think about a wedding right now. I’ve still got months of waiting for my visa.”

  “Do you want to get married in England?”

  “Don’t you? In the walled garden at Waterstone Hall?”

  “I want to be your husband more than I want to get married in a garden.”

  The devilish grin is back and I quirk one brow. “Why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something from me?”

  “I have no intention of hiding anything from you. I want to marry you Milly.”

  “Why are you coming back to the States with me?”

  “For one very important reason.” He purposely pauses, keeping me in suspense. “To elope!”

  My jaw hits the floor. “Elope? You can’t be serious.”

  “It’s so much easier if we get married in America. You’ll still have to apply for a new visa but lucky for you, your husband-to-be is wealthy and willing to pay to expedite your application.”

  “You’ve been doing research!”

  “No, I’ve just got friends in immigration.”

  “Why are you doing all of this?”

  His brown eyes soften a bit. “Milly, I’m willing to fight for you. I’m not Brandon or some other tosser. I won’t let you go so easily because I’m madly in love with you.”

  Ben

  For days, I watched Milly fret over the whole visa situation. All I had to do was make one phone call to my friend Spencer and I had the answer to all our problems. Elope. Will my family consider this another black mark against my name? Yes, but honestly, will I ever be redeemed? Probably not.

  But now, I need to worry about Milly’s forgiveness because I lied to her about Alistair. My brother is notoriously vindictive and petty. When we land in Boston, I’ll call my lawyers in case he pulls anything while Milly and I are in America.

  Milly is suspiciously quiet for a woman who is going to elope. Isn’t she curious about what I’ve planned so far? One glance tells me she’s nervous about something because she’s gnawing at her fingernails.

  “What’s the matter?” I whisper, catching her off guard.

  “It feels like forever since I’ve been home,” Mil
ly answers. “But I don’t feel like I’m going back home though.”

  A smile fills her face briefly before it disappears. Like every woman, I’m sure Milly wants a big, traditional wedding with all of her friends and family in attendance. “Does eloping bother you, Milly?”

  “What?” The look on her face guts me. She looks stricken. “No, it doesn’t. We can have a big reception and invite all of our friends and family, right?”

  “Yes, of course. But something is bothering you. Tell me.”

  “It’s just hard to imagine getting married and not having my best friend Holly there.”

  “So, invite her!” God, that was such an easy problem to fix! I know not to get used to it though; marriage is not going to be this easy.

  There is still a look of uneasiness in her eye and I wonder what exactly is bothering Milly, but I let it slide. She’s never kept anything from me for long.

  I spend the rest of the flight wishing we had joined the Mile High Club, picturing all of the ways our bodies can contort to fit in one of those tiny airplane toilets. When our flight finally lands, I’m ready to haul her into a dark corner of the airport because we’ve spent too many nights apart.

  I follow Milly through the airport and when she starts heading in the direction of public transportation, I stop her. “Do you really think we’re going to take the bus? I’ve arranged for a rental car.” She looks slightly uneasy which makes me chuckle. “Even without my family’s money, I’m still pretty well off so just get used to it, ok?”

  “Well, can you drive in America? ‘Cause I can’t.”

  My jaw drops. “What? What do you mean you can’t drive?”

  She shrugs like not having a driver’s license isn’t a big deal. “I just never learned. No one was willing to teach me when I was younger.”

  “But how do you get around?”

  “Boston has some pretty great public transportation. Now, can you drive or not?”

  “Yes, I can drive,” I grumble.

  By the time we reach the rental car center, I’m still gobsmacked over Milly’s lack of a license. “But what exactly do you mean no one was willing to teach you? Surely your mum or dad could have taught you.”