Page 129 of Consumed By You
I give him a small smile. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Whether it’s Arthur’s condition, Doris’s grief, or seeing Benjamin lose it for once in his life, it’s thrown me off my equilibrium. I get into bed and curl under the covers while Benjamin gets undressed.
The mattress lowers slightly when he gets in next to me, and he loops his arm around my waist. He turns me toward him, pressing soft kisses to my temple. I have a hunch that he’s thanking me. That this is his way to show his gratitude when words fail.
I kiss his throat, thanking him back.
***
“Hello?”
I open my eyes sleepily. Benjamin is sitting in the dark with his cell phone to his ear. The sky is still starry but lightening by the second. It must be close to dawn. My heart sinks as my mind comprehends the fact that Benjamin is getting a call in the middle of the night.
I sit up and turn on the lamp by my bed.
“Doris. Doris, please…I’m on my way. Stay where you are.”
Benjamin waits a moment before he hangs up. “He died an hour ago,” he tells me quietly. “He woke from the coma and she said within seconds, he passed.”
Tears spring to my eyes.
“Doris is hysterical. I’m going to get her. She can stay at my place in the guest room until…until she’s ready to go back home.”
“I’ll come with you.” I move the covers off me.
“No, baby. Stay here and get some sleep. You’ve only slept two hours.”
I stand up anyway. “I’m not going to be able to sleep, Benjamin.”
“Darce—”
“Don’t ‘Darce’ me, Benjamin Scott. I’m going with you.”
***
I close the door to Benjamin’s guest room quietly, surprised Doris fell asleep as soon as her head settled onto the pillow. I find Benjamin in the living room on the phone in the corner, hissing angrily. His hair is turned every which way, indicating the phone call has been sour for a while.
I twist my bedhead hair and pull it over one of my shoulders. Benjamin senses me standing in the room and turns to the window again.
“We will talk about this later, Jack,” he utters coldly, hanging up.
“She’s asleep,” I tell him.
He nods. “Good. She needs rest.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask hesitantly when he runs his hand through his hair again.
“Yes. It’s going to be fine.” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“You can talk to me about it, Ben. About anything. You know that, right?”
He downs the rest of his drink. “Yes, I know that.”
I wait but he remains silent. “Tell me what’s going on. Maybe I can help.”
“Darcy, just because you were there for me in a fleeting moment of emotion doesn’t mean you know me or my problems. There are things I can’t say.”
I do a double take, livid at his tone. “You don’t think I know that, Benjamin?”
He grimaces. “Fuck, Darcy. It always comes back to that, doesn’t it? I thought we got past it.”
