Liz & Ben

 

Liz doesn't have time to explain anything. She knows that look on Cole's face as he comes into the bar looking for her, but she looks at him as if he's no one. After all, she knows Ben is watching her, even if he's listening to some old geezer talk about the old times when everything was cheap and he had his own boat and people really worked.

"Why won't you take my calls?" Cole blairs over the voices at the bar.

"Must be my phone." She keeps a straight lip and passes out orders of beer from her tray. She still works here, even if a couple of weekends ago, everything changed at the old beach house.

Yes, someone still lives there, his great aunt, and evidently, she's got more vices than Ben. Or Liz assumes. That is Ben's story, not hers, at least not yet.

 Deep down, she knew it was the best of times yet the worst of times. When she breathes in, it hurts just a little. She hates the way she's left things with Cole, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. He'll forget her. She knows his kind, a college boy on summer break. He needs to get back to class. Settle down into what's important. Liz knows it won't be her. Besides, there it is hanging in the core of her like an implant of some kind. Ben. Yes, it makes her laugh, but it makes her heart hurt, too. Why didn't she see it coming?

"What do you have?" She asks if it's his regular, a Blue Moon. 

"We have to talk?" His stern voice doesn't count. Never will. He might as well be an engine going nowhere. 

"Can't."

"Or you won't."

Cole almost grabs her hand, but she scurries away to get the orders in. She doesn't want any trouble. She wants to do the right thing. A part of her knows she needs to be by Ben's side. Liz wants to keep the peace, but she doesn't know how. So she avoids him as if Cole's not there. Unfortunately, it's not working.