With Every Single Beat of My Heart

One

I was born to love you

With every single beat of my heart

Yes, I was born to take care of you

Every single day of my life

To Ben's utter surprise, it was relatively easy to get arrested for petty garbage. Back when he was a teen running up and down the London streets, nothing ever stood in his way. He could pick-pocket or cause trouble and nobody ever blinked an eye. It was just how things were. Lads would be lads and they'd run amuck along with the busy city streets and the folks would just laugh and let them go.

Things were different when he came to New York. And as he got older, even more, things changed. Like family splitting up. His mum marrying someone new. Some hotshot that was apparently a big deal. Even in his early twenties, Ben was still treated like a child. Maybe that was why he acted out the way he did? If they were going to treat him like an infant, might as well bloody act like one.

He never stole, but he took advantage. If he wanted his mum to think he and this new guy — Tom Hollander or whatever — we're getting along all he would do was put on a great face while all the while Tom was slipping money into his hand. Lots of money.

Tom had no objections to buying happiness, especially if it meant keeping his new wife pleased. Ben would roll his eyes and call him a moron, but take his money all the same. He would take anything that Tom offered. Money, cars, all sorts of gifts. He was glad for it.

For his last birthday, Tom showed up with a vintage Triumph TR4. It was absolutely beautiful and Ben was thankful for it.

He missed his dad, but they didn't talk much. He had been in New York since he was fifteen and by now his dad had moved on as well. He had a life for himself that apparently, Ben just wasn't meant to be a part of.

Ben said it didn't matter. He didn't work because why did he have to? Tom paid for his apartment and his phone and his car. He had no worries. He meant dozens of women and didn't care about a single one of them because why should he? They didn't mean a thing and he liked it that way.

He had friends that he really didn't care for either, but again. Not his problem. He just skipped through life without a single car in the world.

Until the night that changed everything.

Street racing wasn't legal in England and it wasn't legal in New York, but he did it anyway because of the rush of it. It was fun. How could it not be? Zooming through busy streets, sometimes having to go up on sidewalks. It was chaos and Ben lived for that shit.

He and a couple of guys gave it ago a couple of times a month and most of the time it ended with the others eating his tail lights, but this time was different. They went out late enough where the streets were so cluttered, but now people were out and about and Ben had to do everything to stop from slamming right into them. It almost worked too until a cop got on their tail.

Ben tried to outrun them. To go down some side streets he knew about and lay low, but little did he know there were multiple cops out in the area. Without even realizing it, Ben made a quick turn and slammed right into the side of a squad car.

There was honestly nothing worse than that.

He was arrested for the racing and for endangerment to society. The car insurance was to pay for his vehicle as well as the officer's car. He didn't care in the least since it wasn't under his name.

Tom was accommodating, thanking the police for handling the situation in such a neat matter. He had never seen his mom so upset. This might have been his first offense in America, but she remembered all too well when he was a little shit back in England.