Purpose ❆ Benny Rodriguez

13 | serenity

11/04/2015

chapter thirteen ;
SERENITY

♡

FOR THE FIRST time I had seen, the skies of the Valley burned gray and rain fell at a steady pace. I loved it.

　The house was empty, peaceful, so I sat at my bedroom window, reading. I didn't even notice when Benny crossed the street and entered my house – not until he knocked on my bedroom door.

　Slowly closing the book, feeling a knot clench in my stomach, I called, "Come in." It could have been anyone. Austin had been thrown in prison, but the anxiety never truly left.

　When the door swung open, I was relieved to find Benny, standing in a black bomber jacket, rain pasting his black hair to his forehead. He cast a smile. "I really like rain."

　Pointing at his hair, I nodded, laughing, "I can see that."

　Benny strode toward me, and just as I made it to my feet, he enveloped me in his arms. Despite his wet jacket, he somehow managed to feel warm – and, as per usual, he smelled wonderful. Eyes fluttering to a close, the corners of my lips quirked.

　"Happy four months, babe," he mumbled, burying his face into my hair. "And you smell really good."

　My mouth pulled into a grin. "A dramatic four months. But happy. And thanks – I put this coconut stuff in my hair, and it smells great."

　"Yeah," he laughed, pulling away. Without really even thinking about it, I ran my fingers through his hair, pushing his wet locks back to the side. He gazed down on me with warm eyes. "At least in everything that's happened, I've got you."

　"Exactly my thoughts." I kissed him then, a short lock of lips. Even in its casualty, the kiss managed to shock my heart.

　"Mom's cooking for us," he said, "since your parents won't be home for a while. Stir fry and stuff you like. Will you come?"

　"Do you even need to ask?" A grin painted my lips. "Just let me go get changed."

　As I gathered a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, Benny snatched the book I had been reading from the chair and plopped onto my bed. "What's a City of Bones?"

　"A book with a really hot guy named Jace in it." Leaving the bathroom door cracked open, I wrenched my tank top off.

　Benny frowned, flipping through the pages. "If it's not a picture book, how do you know he's hot?"

　While slipping the new T-shirt over my body, I peeked at Benny from the crack in the door, a smirk playing on my lips. "I really don't know how to explain that to you, Ben."

　"Ben?" He failed to hide his smile, so he covered half of his face with the open book.

　"I think I'm about to start calling you Ben Finn."

　"What the hell is a Ben Finn?"

　"Never mind," I laughed. After replacing my shorts with a pair of jeans, I exited the bathroom, throwing my used clothes onto my bed. "I'm putting those back on when I get back. They're clean, so shut up."