I Want You

Intuition (Interlude)

Friday morning, instead of texting Miranda, he called just wanting to hear her voice. "Hello," she said and it sent the butterflies in his stomach flying.

"Hey, babe," he responded. He took a few seconds to figure out what to say next. "Um, you're leaving today, right?"

"Huh?"

"To go back home?"

Miranda chuckled. "Right. Right."

"Do you need a ride to the airport?"

"No, no, um... I have one. Thanks."

Despite them having talked about everything, she was still being so weird and it was infuriating him. He pulled the phone away from his mouth to clear his throat. "Good. Well, let me know if anything changes."

"Okay. I will. I love you."

"I love you, too." Throughout the day, he tried to piece together his last talks with Miranda. They'd never been so awkward. He had half a mind to go to wherever she was because it was freaking him out. Before he could decide on a plan, she called back. "Something changed that quickly?" He teased.

"Benjamin."

"Yes?"

"I do... love you, you know that, right?"

He jerked his head back. He was the one who usually confessed love first. So to hear her say it shocked him. "I know."

"Good," she said quietly.

He exhaled, "But I gotta know."

"What's that?"

"Did I do something?"

Miranda laughed in his ear and he sank in his bed more forgetting that he had to be at work soon. "No, you're great, sweetie."

"Oh okay. Well, tell your parents I said 'hello'."

"I will. They really can't wait to meet you."

"The sentiment is mutual," he responded. She said something to Tuck in the background and the boy began whining. Ben chuckled. He knew the scene well. Had witnessed it himself more than a few times. "What's wrong with my buddy?"

His girlfriend scoffed. "Your buddy is about to have a problem with his mother."

"Put him on." Miranda started to object, but he just repeated: "Put him on, Miranda."

"Fine. Come here, Tuck, Ben wants to talk to you," Miranda told her son. "Say hi."

The phone exchanged hands. "Hi?" Tuck's small voice warmed his heart.

"Hey, bud," Ben said.

"Hi."

"What's going on?"

The boy sniffled. "I don't know."

"Want to talk about it?"

There was quiet on both ends. "I want to play drums."

"You can play them later. When I come over, we'll play them together, okay?"

"Okay." The agitation in Tuck's voice disappeared.

Even though Tucker didn't care for him in the boy's life, Ben really enjoyed being friends with Tuck. They had a lot in common. And he knew how important it was for him and Tuck to get along. "And I'm probably going to be better than you."

The four-year-old giggled. "No! I'm the best!"

"We'll see," Ben said sparking the competitive side of the child.