Selene was sitting in Ben's SUV, staring out the window. They had just gotten on the freeway, so the view wasn't that great. She turned to Ben and said, "Are you sure it's ok that Marco took my car?"
Ben gave her a reassuring look and said, "Marco is an excellent driver. I promise you that your car will make it to the restaurant in one piece."
Selene nodded and looked down. When Selene and Ben were in the underground parking garage, Ben's SUV was waiting for them along with two men in black suits. One of them she recognized as the driver from before, Marco. Ben introduced the second man as Ji-Hoon. Apparently, Ji-Hoon was Ben's regular driver and Marco was a back-up driver who was filling in because Ji-Hoon wasn't feeling well.
Ben said that they should take his car and that Marco would drive Selene's car to the restaurant. Selene protested but, in the end, gave in to Ben's insistence, because he said that it would give them more time to talk about the project. Selene thought that meant dinner could be shorter and that sounded good to her. They left with the usual contingent of bodyguards following them in their own cars.
After a few moments Selene said, "So, where's Johnny?"
Ben replied, "He had some business to take care of. But it's ok because Ji-Hoon here doubles as my bodyguard when Johhny's not around."
Selene nodded and said, "I see….Well, uh,…You said you wanted to talk about the project on the drive."
"Yes, I did say that. But now that I'm here, I'm kind of tired. I think I'll use the car ride to rest a little so I can be more attentive at dinner," said Ben.
Selene looked at him with squinted eyes and thought, "I knew it! That little rascal! Ugh!" She said, "Ok then. But before you do that, can you at least tell me where we're going?"
Ben said, "En La Mesa," then smiled as he closed his eyes.
Selene turned to look out the window to stop herself from punching him. Another trendy restaurant.
When they arrived, they once again pulled up to the front of the restaurant. This one had two floors, plus a rooftop dining area. She was excited when she realized the Hostess who greeted them was taking them up to the rooftop. The area was on a hill and the place was known to have an amazing view of the city below.
Selene took the final step up to the rooftop and was surprised to see that the place was empty. They walked further toward the Host station, and she turned to look at Ben. She gave him a quizzical look and said, "Where is everybody?"
Ben didn't get a chance to respond as the Host said, "Right this was Mr. Liu, Dr. Serian." He gestured for them to follow him, and Ben did so. Selene had no choice to follow as well.
They were seated and the Host handed them before promptly leaving. When he did, Selene immediately said, "Ben, what is going on here?" The tone of her voice indicated that she meant no nonsense.
Ben looked up from his menu and said, "Nothing. I bought out the rooftop for the evening. I enjoy my privacy." Then he looked down.
Selene's eyebrow rose and she gave an ahem-type cough. She said, "Is this how you're getting around the 'no private room' condition?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Ben, not lifting his eyes off the menu.
She shook her head and said, "You always were a problem-solver. I have to give you that."
Ben continued to look at the menu and said, "Their paella here is amazing."
Selene looked at her menu and was at least happy to see that there were prices listed. She was not happy to see the actual numbers though. She sighed and said, "Ben, I'm picking the next restaurant."
"That's fine by me," said Ben, then looked up from his menu. "And before you ask, since this is a business dinner, the cost is covered by company. Just like last time."
Selene thought about that. She hadn't considered it that way. Somehow it sounded better that way, even though technically the company was owned by Ben, so it was pretty much the same thing.
"Huh," said Selene. "I guess that's okaaay?," she continued and shook her head. Her face was a little scrunched up with a look that said I know it's not okay but I'm going to just go with it.
Then she looked down at the menu again.
Ben smiled and said, "I know what I'm having. What about you?"
"I need another minute," said Selene.
After they had ordered their food and drinks, Selene said, "So. About Project Phantom, Yakov and I…"
Ben put up his hand and said, "Project Phantom?," cutting her off.
Selene gave a shy smile, and said, "Yes, that's what we unofficially call the project."
Ben laughed and said, "That is awesome! It's like from a superhero movie."
"Well, I don't know about that," said Selene, shrugging her shoulders.
Ben said, "No, it definitely is. It's like something a super villain would come up with! Where did you all get the name from?"
Selene looked down and said in a slightly quieter voice, "I sort-of named it."
Ben said, "Oh really." Then he tilted his head, noticing the slight frown on her face."
She said, "For…" But she couldn't complete the sentence.
Then it hit him, and he couldn't believe what an idiot he was. He reached out to touch her hand. She didn't pull it away this time. "I'm so sorry, Selene. I shouldn't have said those things. I should have remembered right away about your dad."
"It's ok," said Selene with a small smile taking her hand away and waving it to show it was not a big deal.
Ben said, "No, it's not. I know he's suffered from phantom pain all these years. I had no idea you were…I mean, yah, I totally see the connection. Why didn't you tell me?"
Selene didn't look at him at first but then she looked him straight in the eye and said, "This partnership is only about the gaming system. It will have to be modified for the main purpose it was designed for and that's different. We were clear in the contract negotiations that we and the University owned the patents. I don't want the phantom pain device to be commodified for profit."
Ben leaned back in his chair and looked at her like he was very disappointed. He said in a strained voice, "Do you think I would do something like that to you?"
Selene saw the pain in his face and regretted her choice of words. In a gentler tone, she said, "Not you personally, umm, maybe, but the company. I mean, don't you have to answer to your shareholders?"
Ben leaned forward and said, "No. What do you think I've been doing all these years? I guess you haven't been keeping tabs on me like I have you." He got up from his chair and turned his back on Selene.
Selene's thoughts were a jumble. She said, "What do you mean keeping tabs on me? Why would you do that? You broke up with me. Why would you care what I was doing?"
Ben put a hand to his forehead in frustration then put it on his waist as he turned around. He went up to her, took her by the hands and made her stand up. He looked down at her and said, "There were reasons, Selene." One of the guards that was stationed on the rooftop made sure to look away at this point.
"Yes, I know those reasons," said Selene as she took her hands away and crossed her arms across her chest.
Ben put his hands on her arms and uncrossed them gently while he said, "No, not those reasons. Look, Selene, I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you that I still love you. I never stopped loving you. And I always planned on coming back to you. I would never love anyone else in this lifetime. In any lifetime."
Selene thought for sure her heart stopped in that moment. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to believe him but what were these reasons he was talking about and why couldn't he tell her? Selene said, "I, I don't know what to say. You have to understand, Ben, this is out of nowhere. I mean, not completely out of nowhere because you did kiss me that last time, but you know what I mean. You suddenly come into my life and within a few weeks you say you love me. But all these years, where have you been? I can't just forget that."
Ben's hands went to her waist and to his surprise she put her hands on top of his arms. He said, "I wish I could tell you, and please believe me I would if I could, but it's just better for you this way. Can you please trust me?" His voice was deep, and his tone had a mix of both being authoritative and yet soft at the same time.
Selene looked into his golden eyes and saw his love there. Once she trusted him. She broke his embrace and said, "I don't know. I need to think." She turned around, with her back to him, and put her hands on her temples. She took a few steps forward and thought, "How can I trust him when he stomped on my heart like it was trash?" Selene recalled that day, the day they broke up, like it was yesterday.
After Ben had dragged Selene out of his parents' house the day she met them for the first time, he had taken her to his apartment. There, he had promised her that nothing would separate them and through tears she said that she believed him.
A week later, Selene was in the apartment she shared with Peter, when there was a knock at the door. She answered it to find Ben, who looked like someone had just died. Selene said, "Are you ok? Come in. Tell me what happened." They sat on the couch and tears started welling up in Ben's eyes. Selene could tell he was fighting them, so she pulled him in for a hug.
Suddenly, he pushed her away, put his fingers to his eyes to stop tears from falling, and said, "I'm sorry Selene, but we need to break up."
She blinked quickly for a second with surprise on her face and said, "What? Is this some kind of joke? What are you talking about?"
Ben hesitated and then said, "I'm serious. I'm breaking up with you. I can't be with you anymore."
Tears started falling down Selene's face as she realized he was being serious. She choked out, "Why? What do you mean? This is like out of nowhere. You, you were promising me just last week that nothing would separate us. So, so I don't understand." She tried to reach out to Ben, but he stood up.
He said, "I'm really sorry Selene, but it can't be helped. I'm sorry." But then when she started crying harder, he started crying. He went on his knees and held her hands in his. "I'm so sorry. I have to do this."
"Why?," she asked, looking at him with pure pain in her eyes.
Ben couldn't stand that he was breaking her heart but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was silent as his own heart was breaking.
She put her head in her hands and cried. Then she started to calm herself down. She lifted her head and asked, "Is it because of your parents? Are they making you do this?,
Ben looked down and replied, "In a way."
Selene looked at him, seeing him looking down. "So you're saying that you are abiding by your parents' wishes, despite the promise you made last week?," she said nodding her head as if she was understanding something. She hadn't asked him to make any promises and instead wanted to see if they could still work something out with his parents. Selene didn't want him to have to choose between her and his parents.
Ben looked up and saw her squaring her shoulders and wiping her tears away. She said, "Ok. I understand now. Fine. I guess we're breaking up then." She tried not to cry but a few tears managed to escape and trickle down slowly. Still, she kept her head held high.
Ben sat on the coffee table across from her and tried to hold her hand. She took it away quickly. Ben said, "I know this is selfish of me to ask, but can you wait for me?"
Selene turned her head quickly to stare at him like he was crazy. "What?!," she exclaimed.
"I know this doesn't make sense because I just asked you to break up, but, but…can you wait for me for, I don't know, for maybe seven or eight years or so?," he asked.
Selene just stared at him for a couple seconds and said, "seven or eight years? Are you kidding me? No, Ben. I can't do that. Why would I wait for someone who just broke my heart? Someone who took my trust and faith and love and just threw it in the trash like it meant nothing? And for what? Because his parents told him to? What? Is their money worth more than me? The status? I get it though. And that's fine. But don't expect for me to wait for you. Why would I? Now please leave."
Ben looked at her with sadness in his eyes and then did as she said, leaving Selene to crawl into the fetal position on the couch and cry until Peter got home later that day.
Selene was startled out of her memories when she felt Ben's hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Ben looking down at her concerned.
"What's wrong? I'm sorry, Selene. I didn't mean to upset you," said Ben.
Selene said, "What? No, I…." Then she stopped as she realized there were a few tears on her cheek. She wiped them away. "Oh, this? That's just…umm…," she stuttered but couldn't continue.
She saw the concern in his eyes as he took a step forward toward her. All she could focus on were those golden eyes, as she said, "I wasn't waiting for you, you know?"
Ben stopped in front of her and asked, "What do you mean?"
Selene said, "You asked me to wait for you, remember? But I didn't." More tears started to fall down Selene's face. Ben closed the distance between them and put his hands on each side of her face.
"I know," he said, as he wiped her tears with his thumbs gently.
She continued shaking her head, "I really didn't. All these years, I've had relationships." She nodded her head and continued, "I have. It's just that they didn't work out for one reason or the other. And I needed to focus on work because it's important for my dad and all the people out there who are in pain. Plus, you know how much I love working. So, it's important to me to do what I love, you know? And it's hard meeting people these days when you're in a lab all day. And so, you see, I wasn't waiting for you."
With a gentle smile on his face, Ben nodded, "Who are you trying to convince?"
Selene let out a little laugh, scratched her forehead, and said, "I guess when I put it out there like that."
Ben pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead. His heart was so full knowing she had waited all these years. He didn't know how he had gotten so lucky to have this amazing, intelligent, beautiful woman back. At least he hoped he had her back.
He lifted her chin, so Selene was looking at him, and asked, "Are you saying you'll trust me?"
Selene paused and responded, "I really don't know, Ben. This is happening too fast. But I know it feels good to be back in your arms." His muscular arms felt like a warm cocoon shielding her from the outside world and she never wanted to leave their warmth.
Ben reached down and kissed her. It was a soft kiss at first but as they kept going it became more passionate. Selene felt him suck on her lower lip and she gave out a little moan. Ben's hand went to the nape of her neck and held her in place as he sought entrance into the mouth that he knew would taste delicious. She felt his tongue probing between her lips and let him in by widening her lips a little. But as soon as he entered, she sucked on it, sending a thrill down Ben's spine.
When Selene was done sucking on Ben's tongue, she let him lick the inside of her mouth. As he licked, he thought, "The faint taste of cinnamon candy. Still her favorite." Selene also gained entrance into his mouth, licking, and sucking until Ben was in ecstasy. He felt an uncomfortable hardness push against the fabric of his pants and started to move his hands down her back. Suddenly, Selene broke the kiss and, in between breaths said, "We can't do this here."
Still holding her, Ben said, "You're right." He took a breath and continued, "But you're not saying you don't not want to continue, right?"
Selene looked confused and said, "What? I'm pretty sure that's a double or triple negative." Then she smiled and said, "I think there's more we need to talk about, but, yah, I miss this."
Ben hugged her tightly and said, "Thank you for giving me another chance." His eyes were closed, and he looked like the happiest man on Earth. Tears were at the edges of his eyes.
Selene said, "But can you at least tell me whether the reason we broke up is because you chose your parents over me?" She looked down, scared to hear the answer.
Ben sighed. He pushed her away a little, lifted her chin up so he could look her straight in the eyes, and said, "No. That's not the reason."
"Why can't you tell me the reason?," asked Selene.
Ben said, "All I can ask is that you please trust me that I'm doing everything for you."
Her eyes widened and she said, "Uh, I'm not sure what to make of that. But I'm going to trust my heart." She could see in his eyes that he wasn't lying. "So much for keeping this dinner professional," she said with a smile.
"Well, technically, you were the one who brought up a different topic, so…," said Ben lifting his hands up as if he was innocent.
Selene laughed and said, "You little rascal!"
Ben laughed and pulled her back into a hug. He said, "I loved it when you called me that. It feels great to hear it again." Then he moved away a little and said, "So, um, I know this may be too soon, but I don't want to let you go. I feel like I just got you back, you know?"
Selene's cheeks flushed and she said, "I know. Me too."
"What do you think about going back to my place for a little while? We can take the food there to eat," he said.
Selene smiled and said, "Sounds good, Mr. CEO."