Henley

"Your hands really are delicate, aren't they?" I asked as I flipped Bennett's hand in mine, inspecting it as we sat at my kitchen table.

Bennett frowned, looking down at it as well. The knuckles on his right hand were swollen, a mottle of purple and blue forming on the skin above them. "Knuckles aren't designed for hard, sudden impacts."

I gently rubbed my thumb over one. Bennett didn't flinch, so I figured it wasn't too sore, but still... I chewed on my bottom lip, glancing toward the front door. It shouldn't have happened. He shouldn't have been injured because of me. What if it had been worse? Now the stalker would know for sure Bennett was close to me. Would he try to approach Bennett at work, now?

Bennett turned his injured hand, holding mine instead now. "It's fine, Henley. It doesn't hurt. Don't look like that."

"Like what?"

"Like the world is ending and it's all your fault."

I sighed. "But, it— mmph." I blinked at Bennett as he pressed his free hand over my mouth, silencing me.

"Henley," he said, his expression serious. "We already had this conversation. If you keep looking like that, I won't leave you alone. I won't even go to work. Do you want to jeopardize my company?

I couldn't really take him seriously with his hand pressed to my mouth. I smiled a little, and he must have felt it under his hand because his brows furrowed. I pulled his hand away. "That sounds manipulative."

He paused. "You're right. I take that back."

"I think saying please might work, though."

"Please don't look like that," he said.

I nodded. "Okay." Using my pointer fingers, I pushed up the corners of my lips into the fat of my cheeks, forcing myself to smile. "How's this?" I said stiffly, my lips being in an unnatural position making it hard to talk.

He stared at me for a moment then snorted, quickly covering his mouth with his hand. "It's something," he said after coughing once.

I pulled my fingers away from my face. "Something ugly?"

"Never," he answered immediately.

"You're lying."

"I've never thought of you as anything but beautiful."

"Then how come you made me get a haircut on our first date?" I asked teasingly.

"You just had some split ends... that were also beautiful," he answered cautiously, watching my face. "Although, I should have never made you do that."

I picked up a lock of my hair, inspecting the strands. They still had split ends. I didn't particularly care. "Don't worry. When I look back now, I just consider it as getting a free haircut."

"That's a positive thought for you?" he asked skeptically.

"Hey, I've learned how to accept things now. Sort of."

Bennett's face grew excited. "Really? Then can I—"

"No," I cut him off. "I can accept small things, Bennett."

"You accepted a house from Sebastian," he said petulantly.

It made me laugh. "He didn't buy it for me, Bennett. He bought it as an investment, and I pay him to stay here. It's not quite the same."

I could see the lightbulb go off behind his eyes. "So, if I let you pay me to stay at my house...?" he hedged.

I rolled my eyes and grinned again. "No."

He reached out and ruffled the hair on the top of my head. "I was just making a joke."

"I know. Besides, you said you're staying here for now anyway, right?" I said, taking his hand off my head, but keeping it on my lap.

"Yes. I need to go home and gather some things, though. Do you want to come with me? Otherwise, I'll wait until your brother gets home."

"I'll come with you," I said, fishing for my phone. "I'll text Brandon to let him know."

Bennett firmly insisted on being the first one out the door and made me wait on the steps until he declared the area safe. It both made my heart feel warm and hurt. I didn't want him to put himself in danger for me. After deciding it was safe, he came back up to me and led me over to my car.

"We're taking my car?" I asked as he walked over to the passenger side.

"Yes. If your stalker comes back he'll see my car in the driveway and hopefully will believe I'm here."

I unlocked my car, gesturing for Bennett to get in. "Smart."

"Be careful backing up," he said, looking over his shoulder at his car.

I smiled wryly. "I know how to drive. Besides, this has a backup camera."

Which proved useful. Bennett had parked close to the back of my car and I didn't have much room to pull up. I could feel sweat beading at my forehead as the camera began giving warning beeps that I was too close to Bennett's car. Bennett straightened out, looking stiff, but didn't say anything. I pulled forward again and then angled my car more to go around it, and this time the warning didn't go off.

Bennett visibly relaxed as I backed up the rest of the way down my driveway. Then I suddenly slammed on the breaks, making him jerk back into the seat. His head snapped toward me. "What?"

I scratched my cheek sheepishly as I stared at a black object sitting in the grass. "I forgot to put my windshield wiper back on."

With the wiper back in place, we headed over to Bennett's house. To both our surprise, Lee's car was in the driveway. Bennett put in the passcode and we went inside, running into Lee who looked a bit frantic.

"What are you doing here?" Bennett asked.

"Oh, Bennett. I'm glad you're here. Have you seen my passport?"

Bennett frowned. "Your passport? For what?"

Lee glanced over the railing, down to the living room below, avoiding Bennett's gaze. "I'm going out of the country for a bit. I can't find it. I thought I brought it with me when I moved, but it's nowhere. I should have made sure of where it was before I booked the flights."

"Wait, hold on a minute," Bennett said. "Why are you leaving the country?"

"I just need a break."

"And you can't do that here?"

"I don't want to," Lee said. "I need to get away for a while. Someplace where I don't have to think about what's going on."

Bennett's folded his arms over his chest. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Lee froze for a moment and then snapped his attention to Bennett, narrowing his eyes. "Is it any of your business?"

"Lee—"

"I can make my own decisions Bennett. I don't need your permission."

Bennett clenched his jaw and I decided to intervene. "Lee, I'll help you find your passport. Do you have any idea where it could be?"

Lee glared at Bennett for a moment more before softening his expression as his gaze switched to me. "It could honestly be anywhere. I might just have to cancel the flights and try to get an express pick up."

"Do you have a junk drawer or..." I trailed off, making a face. There was no way Bennett had a junk drawer. He was so anal-retentive about his house organization and cleanliness.

Suddenly a new worry hit me— Brandon was almost the exact opposite. He would leave dirty dishes out for hours at a time. He would leave his laundry where ever he wanted. He didn't care who was around when he burped.

Bennett was going to die.

"I'll just check my room again," Lee said with a half-smile.

"Where are you even planning on going?" Bennett asked. "Were you just going to disappear without a word?"

Lee closed his eyes, sighing deeply before facing Bennett again. "Is there an issue with that?"

Bennett's lips formed a thin line and he didn't respond, instead, he turned to me. "I'm going to go pack what I need."

I nodded, feeling completely awkward. What was up with them? Bennett went toward his room and then Lee went for his. I followed Lee, who let me in before closing the door behind us. "Where are you going, Lee?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Boracay," Lee answered.

"Boracay?" I repeated, shocked. "Isn't that like, a really long flight?"

Lee shrugged. "It's not a big deal to me."

I didn't want to imagine it. I'd blocked the flight to Hawaii out of my mind. "Why not somewhere closer?"

"Henry mentioned once he wanted to visit the Philippines."

All because Henry mentioned it once? That was actually kind of sweet. "So, Henry is coming with you?"

Lee opened all the drawers to his desk, taking out everything from the top ones. "Why wouldn't he?"

"Well, you said you wanted time to yourself."

"Henry is a part of me," Lee said, glancing over his shoulder with a grin. "Besides, he told me he'd break up with me if I went off somewhere by myself. That's a threat I'm not willing to bet on."

"Is it okay if I look through this stuff?" I asked, gesturing toward the other drawers. "I'll help you look."

Lee nodded and I began taking out the papers, files, and magazines. Surprisingly, Lee wasn't quite as organized. Everything was thrown in haphazardly. "We'll only be gone for two weeks. I wanted to go for a month, but Henry doesn't want to be away for that long."

"You weren't going to tell Bennett?"

Lee hesitated. "Not until I was already there."

"Can I ask why?"

"I don't blame Bennett for how he acts. I think my actions before traumatized him— they traumatized me, too. But sometimes it's hard. To see that he doesn't fully trust me and is scared I'll do something to hurt myself again if I go off on my own." Lee stared down at the pieces of mail in his hands. "Henry is, too. I know it. And I really do understand why. But it frustrates me, too."

I set the folder I was holding down. "Ah."

"I know that when you're asking me where or what I'm doing, you're only asking because you're curious. But when it's from Bennett, it's... just hard to explain."

"I might not understand fully, but I think I can understand where you're coming from," I said, digging through the desk drawer again. "You worked hard on yourself— the you that you are now. And you want everyone to focus on that instead of the past you, right?"

"Mm, something like that."

"But... is getting mad at Bennett caring really the right thing to do?" I asked, turning to him. "I'm not trying to invalidate your feelings, but Bennett doesn't know anything you've told me, does he? I think you should say that to him. Bennett might not even realize what he's doing."

Lee looked at me, pursing his lips. "Why do you always say rational things?"

"It's easier to be rational when you're not directly involved."

"I suppose that's true. And I suppose I'm being sensitive."

The drawer I was going to search through next wasn't open all the way and I pulled it hard to get it unstuck. "You have a lot going on. You're allowed to be sensitive, Lee. Bottling up stuff is worse, right?"

"It definitely is," he agreed grimly. "Still working on that, too. But I can see now that I'm a little on edge and taking it out on Bennett unfairly."

A small leather case caught my attention wedged in the corner of the drawer. I yanked it out and held it up to Lee. "Something your vacation might take care of?"

Lee's eyes widened and he took the case from me, flipping it open. "This is it!"

"It was just caught in the back of the drawer I think," I told him, smiling.

Lee smiled back at me, walking around the chair between us to pull me into a crushing hug. "What am I going to do without you for two weeks?"

"Enjoy your time off?" I said, my voice muffled by his chest. "Why do you and Bennett have to suffocate me when you hug me?"

"Can you just come with me, too?"

"If you can convince Bennett..."

Lee pushed me away from him a little. "What if I just kidnapped you?"

"My boss at work would be so mad."

"You're right about that," Bennett said and Lee and I both jumped. "Where are you trying to take her?"

Lee let me go and held his hands up in innocence. "I'm just kidding."

Bennett stood in the threshold of the room, a suitcase by his side, attention on me. "I'm packed. We can leave."

I glanced at Lee, giving him a pointed look. Lee cleared his throat. "Actually, Ben, can we talk for a second before you leave?"

"You want to talk to me now?"

Lee tucked his hands into his pocket sheepishly. "Yes."

I patted Lee on the shoulder before making my escape, giving Bennett a little push into the room. The brothers could talk it out amongst themselves. I took it upon myself to double-check to make sure the rest of the doors in Bennett's house were locked. He would probably do it himself, but if he was staying at my place for an extended amount of time, I just wanted to be sure. I really hoped the stalker didn't know where Bennett lived.

Would he try to break into Bennett's house, if he did? Or would he leave Bennett alone? He only wanted something to do with me, right? I stared at my reflection in one of the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out on the lake, catching the apprehension on my face.

"It'll be fine," I told myself out loud. Bennett had a security system. It would alert him if anything fishy happened here.

Lee and Bennett's talk didn't take more than fifteen minutes and they both came downstairs, looking much more relaxed. I smiled to myself. Although their communication just needed a little nudge, they still sorted things out quickly.

We all walked out together and Bennett made sure the house was locked behind us. "Have a safe trip," I said to Lee as he went over to his car.

"Let me know when you take off and land," Bennett added. "And give me updates throughout the trip." He paused. "Not because I don't trust you. Only because you'll be far away."

Lee's smiled softly. "I'll keep you updated. You, too, Henley. If something else happens with that jerk stalking you, let me know. I'll fly right back."

Had Bennett mentioned what was going on? I waved Lee off. "No. Don't worry about it! Enjoy your trip. Bennett is with me. I'll be fine."

Bennett stood a little taller. "Right, she'll be fine with me."

"Okay," Lee said, his eyes crinkling. "See you two later."

Bennett and I waited until Lee left before getting into my car. We rode in silence until Bennett's stomach grumbled. "Maybe we should pick up something to eat," he said, reaching for the radio to try and figure out how to turn it on.

"What do you want?"

"What do you want?" he countered.

"You're the one who's hungry."

Bennett finally managed to turn on the radio, setting it to a low volume. "I don't have much effort left in me today."

"Fast food?"

His face told me absolutely not. I shook my head. One day I'd get him to enjoy Taco Bell. "Maybe we can just stop by the grocery store."

"Let's just order take out and have it delivered," I suggested. "You can choose the restaurant. I don't really want to go to the store."

"That's fine, I'll look for somewhere to order from," he said, pulling out his phone.

When we arrived back at my house, Sebastian's car and Ariana's cars were in the driveway, leaving no space for my car. I parked on the street, now slightly understanding why Bennett never wanted to. What if someone came by and sideswiped my car?

"Everyone's here," Bennett commented and sounded oddly disappointed.

"Are they visiting Brandon?" I asked, mostly to myself, unbuckling my seatbelt.

Inside, Brandon, Sebastian, and Ariana were sitting in the living room, a massive amount of take-out Chinese food scattered on the coffee table. "S'up?" Brandon greeted us. "I bought everyone dinner. Eat up!"

I could sense Bennett recoil at the idea of the take-out. "We're going to order something else, thanks though. Why are you all here? Just hanging out?"

"I heard about what's been happening with the guy following you," Ariana said, pointing her fork up toward me from where she sat on the floor. "I wish you would have told me, Henley. I might be a little on the slight side, but I can still fight for you."

I laughed. "Oh, yeah?"

"Of course," she said seriously. "Go for the eyes, right?"

Bennett and I exchanged a glance and I felt my throat tighten up. They had to know what happened earlier, too. "Actually..."

It wasn't as bad explaining it to them as I thought it would be. I just had to keep reminding myself that they cared about me— that this wasn't my fault.

"Thanks for telling us Henley," Ariana said, standing from the floor to give me a hug. "I'm so sorry, that must have been scary."

I hugged her back. "The adrenaline kind of took over the fear."

"I don't want to leave you alone tonight, though."

"Don't worry. Brandon is here and Bennett is sleeping over."

Ariana grabbed my shoulders. "I'll stay, too. There's more safety in numbers like we've decided before, right?"

"You don't have to—"

"I want to," she said seriously.

I smiled. "Well, how can I say no?"

"I'll sleep on the couch so Bennett can stay with you."

"Ariana, you can just sleep with me," Brandon offered. "You let me stay with you before we got a place. S'not a big deal. Sharing a bed—"

"She can't," Sebastian interjected, trying to appear casual. "I'm staying over, too. It makes more sense for both of us to sleep in one room and have Ariana sleep on the couch."

Brandon gave Sebastian a flat look. "And when did you decide you were staying over?"

"I said it earlier. You just didn't hear me."

"Uh-huh..."

"Ariana is right. The more people around the safer it will be for Henley," Sebastian defended.

Brandon rolled his eyes. "That's definitely the reason."

"I'm fine on the couch," Ariana said, waving her hands in front of her. "Or I can sleep on the floor."

"No," I said, frowning. "You can't sleep on the floor."

"Bennett should take the couch and Ariana should sleep with you," Brandon said.

Bennett's mouth fell open. "What?"

"You're going to make Ariana sleep on the couch?" Brandon said, folding his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow.

Sebastian picked up a box of low mien, twisting some onto his fork. "Low, Ben, low."

"I never said that—"

"Guys, stop teasing Bennett," I said, pushing Brandon's head down as I walked by him. He swung back at me immediately and I easily avoided it.

"I really don't mind sleeping on the couch," Ariana said again. "Bennett, stay with Henley."

Bennett's gaze traveled to the couch that I knew was too small for him to lay on comfortably. "No. It's fine. I'll sleep on the couch."

All four of us turned our attention to him, a mix of "What?" and "Really?" coming from our mouths.

He pursed his lips at our response. "What? I can sleep on a couch. I agree with the idea the more people here, the safer we will all be."

"You're right. It'll be safer for the girls to be together, too," Sebastian agreed. "If Bennett is out here, we'll know if anyone tries to get in."

"Then maybe I should sleep out here," Brandon said. "No offense, but I think I'm the strongest out of the three of us."

He was probably right. But, still. I had wanted Bennett to sleep with me. Yet it did make me happy everyone would go this far for me.

"I can handle it," Bennett said to Brandon, sounding slightly offended. "We've settled it, then. Henley and I still need to eat, so excuse us."

Bennett and I went into the kitchen and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Are you sure you're okay with the couch?"

"I rather be with you, but it's fine. I wouldn't want Ariana by herself out there if someone really did try to break in."

"I don't want you out there alone, either."

Bennett tucked a strand of hair behind my head. "It's fine. Let's find something to eat."

No matter how much Bennett said it was fine, I still felt bad leaving him in the living room alone much later when we all decided to call it quits for the night after playing some board games. I climbed in bed with Ariana and said goodnight. Then I waited until she fell asleep to climb back out.

I snuck into the living room, seeing Bennett cocooned in the spare blanket I'd given him. I knew he was awake because I could see the faint glow of his phone screen from inside the blanket cave he'd formed for himself.

Deciding to scare him, I flopped on top of him. Startled, he fought to untangle himself from the blanket, finally emerging with messy hair, and blinking down at me with wide eyes. "Henley?"

"I'm sleeping out here with you," I told him, still lying on his chest. "You can't make me go back in there."

"It won't be comfortable for you here."

I snuggled closer to him. "I survived your couch, didn't I? This one is much better. Besides, being with you is the most comfortable place to me."

Bennett looked like he was going to argue for a moment and then decided not to. "Here, sit up for a second."

After a little bit of jostling and elbows in sides, we were both cocooned in his blanket. Him on his side with me in front of him, my back pressed to his chest, his arms wrapped around me. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I wasn't going to complain.

He nestled his head into my neck and kissed it. "I have to say, although uncomfortable, it's nice to have you this close."

"I like it too," I said, smiling to myself.

He kissed me again. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I wanted to turn myself over and kiss him back, but couldn't even move my elbow. "Just so you know, I'm thinking about kissing you right now."

"Only now? I think about that all day."

"Kissing yourself? I knew you were still arrogant—"

He bit my neck in response.

"Hey!" I said, a little too loudly.

He chuckled and I felt it reverberate through his chest. "Thank you for coming out here with me."

"Yeah, well, thanks for caring about me," I mumbled, suddenly shy. "It's nice to see that everyone cares so much."

Bennett squeezed me tighter. "Of course we do."

"I'm still worried, though."

"I know."

I closed my eyes, the warmth Bennett radiating making me sleepy. We would figure it out. I didn't have to go alone at this. We'd taken out worse before, anyway. A stalker had nothing on Bennett's mother. If we could just get evidence, it would be over. The cops would believe me then.

But something told me getting the evidence wouldn't be easy... or pleasant.

Author's Note:

I swear you guys I'm so hot and cold with this book. Sometimes I have ideas, sometimes I have none, and write literally nothing but word vomit like I did this chapter to get an update out. I'm so sorry. Your best bet is to probably wait until I'm finished with it to get a cohesive story bc this chapter had no plot lol. Actually, I don't know if it'll ever be cohesive lol. 

I meant for this to just be a novella and somehow it's almost at 70k words... why am I like this?