𝑅𝑒𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 - 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑒

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑆𝑖𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛

7:15 in the morning as the sun shines through the window, the fire is slowly dying out. I sit on the chair while Benjamin is sleeping on the couch, needing space from what I witnessed last night. I was so scared to see him that he couldn't breathe. I begin to realize maybe how he felt when he saw me having a trigger in the kitchen. Even though I couldn't handle the secrets and the lies, I decided to move on with Benjamin.

Benjamin moans through his sleep, "Dahlia?"

I walk to him and get down on my knees, "I'm here... I'm here." Benjamin's eyes wake up and look at me, and take a deep breath. "Are you alright?"

Benjamin nods to me, "Yeah... I'm sorry for scaring you, I just couldn't think about losing you."

"I understand..." Benjamin grabs my hand and I lean over to him while I'm sitting on the floor. "I've been awake all night, thinking about it. Wanting to start over, I understand. You have to forgive... It's the only way to get over your haunts and live your life as possible." Benjamin nods to me and kisses my hand he's holding, "I would like to get to know Kieran..."

Benjamin looks down, sadly, "Me too."

"Maybe we could ask him to stay here."

Benjamin gazes at me, lovingly, "You are too good for this world, you know that?" I smile at him while rolling my eyes at his compliment. "I think he said he's not stopping though, he's got some work to do on back home. He'll be gone after the weekend."

"Let's ask him over for the night, while I'm gone to London. You know, make him feel welcome and you guys can talk and move on from the situation..."

Benjamin smiles at me and nods to me, "I love you, Lia..."

"I love you, too."

Time grew fast, as I made a full English breakfast for the boys before I'm willing to  leave. I pack my bag for one night and wait for Benjamin to welcome Kieran into our home. I dress up in my black blazer, gray shirt, and blue jeans with black high heels. My hair comes into the messy, wavy bun as I am wearing my diamond earrings and my mom's necklace.

I hear the doorbell ring, knowing that Kieran is here. As I set up the table with food and refreshments, I hope it won't be awkward... Benjamin and Kieran enter the kitchen, and Kieran is holding flowers that he has gotten at the last minute from the flower shop. "Hi! It's so sweet of you, thank you!"

Kieran smiles at me, "No problem..."

I look at Benjamin and he raises his eyebrows. "Please, please. Make yourself at home..." Kiernan sits at the end of the table as Benjamin takes his seat, leaving me a chair beside him. "I have so many questions to ask, your meals will be cold."

As Benjamin and Kieran dig in on their plates, "Fire away with the questions."

"Being clumsy I am, I don't know where to start."

Kieran smiles at me and grabs something in his pocket. As I give them refreshments of tea, he shows me a photo. "This is a photo of the two of us when we were bairns." I look at the photo, jaw-dropped, by Benjamin's appearance when he was a child. "Don't judge the haircut."

I look at Benjamin, "You were blonde?" He nods his head in embarrassment, "Blonde-blonde. What more stories about Benjamin aside from being blonde, I'm not aware of..."

I grab my phone and take a picture of them in front of the Chethurst Estate to remember Benjamin's childhood, or perhaps embarrass him again. "It was after his 10th birthday, he went dark overnight, I mean, the fuss he made. There were tears and everything."

I look at Kieran while grabbing my drink of water, "Do you have any other photos?"

"Not many, but yeah, back at the flat."