Well, What Ever Happened To Romance?

Chapter 15

Yo yo yo! Wasn't going to post this today but you guys made me so happy with how much you want a sequel that I couldn't help it. Luv u. ENJOY

His face looked washed out, aside from his rosy, tear-stained cheeks. He was a sight for sore eyes, but I suppose I wasn't much better off after everything I'd done today. As much as it hurt to see him like this, I was just happy to see him. I smiled weakly at him, but it wasn't returned.

He steps onto his porch, closing the front door behind him. "Why are you here?" He asks, his usual chipper and upbeat voice being replaced by a tired whisper. I knew I couldn't blame him for the way he felt, but his words stung.

"Because it doesn't make sense." He looks at me, confused, and for a moment I'm sure that he's about to turn around and go back inside. "I'm here because forcing your castmates to tell me where you went, taking a plane and an Uber here, having to find out where you actually lived and showing up on your doorstep at 10:00 PM was not the sensible or smart thing to do... And I'm here because I owe you one hell of an apology."

He bit the inside of his lip, crossing his arms. "Charlotte, look. If you're just here to tell me what you think I want to hear, forget it. Okay? You made your point very clear."

"Ben, if I were you, I wouldn't have even come to the front door," I continue. "And hey, if you hate me and want nothing to do with me forever... I get it. But I can't leave without at least trying to tell you how sorry I am, and letting you know that... I canceled my flight back to Michigan."

He looked up at me, his eyes still full of distrust. "Why?"

I braced myself for the wall of emotions that I was about to hit. "Because, Ben, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. This summer, you changed me for the better, and you helped me see what actually matters in life. You helped me learn how to put my happiness first instead of everybody else's. Ben, no one has ever cared that much about me, and I guess I didn't know what to do. And I am so, so sorry that I put all of those things in front of you... and if you forgive me, I promise that I'll never let you be pushed to the back of the line again."

By the look on his face, he's still not convinced. Too caught up in my little speech, I had barely noticed the fact that both of us were crying. Judging by his expression, I start to believe that all of this was worthless, that he's never going to forgive me. "Charlotte, I need to know that you're serious. This is exhausting, and I don't want to go back to New York just to have this same thing happen in a few weeks."

He was right, but that didn't stop his words from feeling like a punch in the stomach. "Ben, I canceled my flight home, I somehow managed to show up here, and how I did that, I'm not even sure. Now I'm here, spilling my heart out to you on your front porch. What about that doesn't scream 'serious'?" I respond, chuckling as I think about the wild day I'd had.

Something in his face begins to soften, his arms uncrossing and laying at his sides. "I thought I lost you, Char." The tears that I thought had left returned. "I really thought I lost you." I fall into his arms, realizing how much I missed the way he held me.

"I'm sorry." I say, repeating the phrase as I sob into his shoulder.

"Char, you were there for me when nobody else was. You were my rock when my cousin died. You were there with me through the chaos of a brand new show, and when you said you were done, I thought that you had made up your mind. Can you please promise to never scare me like that again?"

"I promise, one thousand times over," I say, holding up my pinky. He locks his pinky with mine, the two of us laughing over our pinky promise. I hug him tightly again, my best attempt at making up for lost time. "Hey, Ben?"

"Yeah, Char?"

"I think I love you."

"You think?" He teases, squeezing my waist and making me jump. My laugh echoes out around us.

"Okay okay, I know that I love you," I clarify, grateful to see a warm smile on his face. It felt like home.

Several minutes later, the two of us are sitting on the steps of his front porch, my head leaning on his shoulder and our hands intertwined. It's completely dark outside now, the dim porch light being the only source of light. Crickets chirped around us, and for the first time in a while, I felt completely at peace. We're mostly silent, aside from his occasional question about how I was able to get here. A car slows down in front of his house, and we both squint to see who it is. "Who is that?" He asks, beginning to get up.

"Oh, that's just Mel," I laugh, waving to her. She lets out a holler, giving me two thumbs up before driving away. I can't help but laugh. "She was my Uber driver that helped me find my way here."

He laughs, more out of disbelief than anything. "Sounds like you had quite the adventure today."

"I did," I respond, beaming. "And it was worth it."

He kisses my temple. "And I want to hear all about it. But first, I'm curious. What was your plan? Like, if this didn't work out?"

"You know, I hadn't really gotten that far."

He and I both laugh at my very un-Charlotte answer. "That's my girl," He responds, squeezing my hand. And just like that, everything was back to normal. "So, do you want to go in and watch a movie? You can meet my family."

"Hmm, not sure I'll be able to recover from the incredible first impression I just made."

Ben laughs as I blush hopelessly. The thought of facing his family after what had just happened made me want to wear a paper bag over my head. "I promise, they'll love you." He stands up, holding his hand out to me. I take it and let him help me up, suddenly aware of how tired I was.

The two of us walk through his front door, our eyes squinting as we adjusted to the light. My hand held tightly onto his, nervous. 

"Hey guys," Ben shouts, two heads turning from where they were watching a movie. "Come here. I've got someone special I want you to meet." 

Emotions? What are those? I definitely have none. 

Ya'll have not seen the end of Ben and Char!! Just give me a few weeks or so to figure out a sequel!

Thank you for all the love. <3