“Well now,legendmight be a bit much. But I have been the premiere bed and mattress salesman in this town for a good 30 years, believe it or not,” Burt says, lifting his chin proudly. “Now, what can I do ya folks for?”
“We’re looking for a bedframe,” I finally speak up, recovering from the small-town charm offensive. “And mattress,” I add.
“A nice big one,” Ben adds, giving Burt a wink.
“Oh ho, say no more! I’m guessing you two are a couple of newlyweds, am I right?” Burt says as he waves us over to one side of the store, where a bunch of beds are lined up.
“No, we’re—”
“We’re just engaged, sir, not married yet,” Ben jumps in, looping his arm around my waist and giving me a squeeze as he beams at Burt happily.
My mouth drops open and I say something to protest. But I’m stopped by Ben’s firm hand, giving my waist a firm squeeze. My stomach twists in nervous anticipation as I feel the possessive grip of his hand on me. Instinctively, I lean my body into him, letting myself find that perfect nook below his shoulder. My body seems to fit here perfectly.
“Go along with it,” he whispers in my ear. “Maybe we’ll get a discount.”
I want to point out that we’ve got my dad’s credit card. But I feel so good nestled into Ben’s arms, I decide not to.
Burt is ecstatic at the news of our pretend engagement. “Well, isn’t that lovely? And look at you two, can’t keep your hands off each other. Ah, young love! I remember those days.”
“I mean, look at her!” Ben enthuses, squeezing me again and causing my stomach to make that uncomfortable flip-flop of excitement. “Can’t blame me, can you?”
“Sure can’t! You’re a lucky man,” Burt replies, giving us an approving nod. “Now, let’s find the perfect bed for a nice young couple like yourselves to start married life with. Here’s our selection of Queen- and King-sized mattresses. Got some memory foam options, too.”
Burt points at the options as he talks, and Ben and I follow. As he and Burt talk beds, I sink into the moment. With Ben’s strong arm around my waist, I feel safe and secure. I feel my cheeks getting flushed as I lean into him. I know we’re just playing pretend, but this feels somehow right. Natural. At one point, I notice Ben leaning closer and inhaling deeply.
Did he just smell my hair?
In response, I lean my head on his shoulder, just for a moment—just long enough to look the part of the happy engaged couple for Burt.
That’s all this is… Right?
For the next 15 minutes, we follow along as Burt delivers a monologue on the merits of the various kinds of mattresses. “An innerspring mattress might be cheaper but it will wear out sooner… Memory foam is great if one of you tosses and turns at night… For the best of both worlds, try a hybrid mattress… If you really want to get wild, I’ve got some water mattresses in the back…”
By the time he’s done talking, I know more about mattresses than I ever wanted to. I can also barely concentrate on a word that he’s saying, because I’m fully fixated on Ben’s arm around me. Every once in a while, he gives my waist a little squeeze of reassurance, sending a fresh shock of electricity through my body with just the touch of his hand. I remember the John Mayer lyrics again,I’ll use my hands.
“Well then, I’ll let you two discuss your options,” Burt finally concludes. “Feel free to try out any of the mattresses. I just kindly ask you to remove your shoes first. And,” he gives us a very stern look before adding, “No hanky-panky in my store!” He concludes with a big raucous laugh. Before we can reply, he strides off to greet another customer who’s just entered.
“So, what do you think?” Ben asks, looking down at me with a grin. For a split second, I wonder why he doesn’t remove his arm. Burt’s no longer looking at us. But I also don’t want him to remove his arm. So, I don’t say anything.
“I think memory foam or hybrid,” I reply.
“Let’s give them a shot.”
Ben is already kicking off his shoes and, seconds later, has flopped down on one of the plastic-covered memory foam mattresses with a loadthwap.
“Oh yea, this is good,” he says, stretching his arms over his head. “Lace, you gotta try this.”
I slip off my own shoes and crawl into the bed alongside him.
“Thisisnice,” I say in surprise as I sink into the fluffy mattress.
“Right? Here. Arm pillow.” Ben extends his arm so that I can lay my head on it. Again, one of those nervous jolts of electricity runs through me. With his arms up, Ben’s t-shirt has lifted slightly, showing off just a peek of his toned torso. I feel a tingle between my legs and flash back to the moment in the shower the other day when I’d indulged in a little fantasy about him.
“You think it’s big enough?” Ben asks, calling me back from my reverie.
“For what?” I ask cheekily.
“Hey, I don’t know what you have in mind,” he answers with a grin. “I gotta say, I like that it’s got a little bounce to it,” he adds, bouncing his body up and down gently. “Probably makes for a good time,” he adds with a wink.