Selene and Ben were lying under the comforter for a while, enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms. They were both facing each other, with Selene lying on Ben's arm. Her palm was on his chest and his free hand was stroking her arm. He kissed her forehead and said, "Are you hungry? I can warm up dinner and bring it here for you?"
She looked up at him and said, "Maybe a little. Ok. A lot." She giggled.
Ben laughed, "Well we do need to replenish some energy." He kissed her and then pulled away. He got up, put on just his boxer briefs and headed out the bedroom door.
While he was gone, Selene looked around the bedroom. As to be expected, it was big. The wall to her left contained windows. She could see long dark blue drapes covering almost the entirety of the expanse. It appeared as if there was some space between where the drapes were and where the walls were, however, because she could see an ottoman lounge chair in that space. "How can he manage to sit there?," thought Selene. "I would have a heart attack." She got the shivers just thinking about it.
The bed itself was low to the ground. It was on a platform that was covered in a dark beige microfiber fabric. It was the same material that the headboard was made from. The platform stood on four skinny, wooden legs that were about five inches off the ground. Below the bed was a square carpet that was dark brown. The sheets were black, but the comforter had a dark tan, light tan, and white checkered pattern. The pillows were a cream color and the whole color scheme just screamed "Ben." Selene smiled.
The wall behind her was interesting and she loved how unique it was. There was a black strip, about four feet wide, that went from the left side up and all along the ceiling forming an L shape as if the L was flipped on its right side, with the long side along the ceiling. The rest was painted a dark auburn brown color that had a leathery look to it. The brown part was a little pushed back from the black part to allow for backlighting all along the inside of the L. The bed was positioned toward the left of the wall touching the bottom of the L, leaving room on the right for a low table made out light wood. The color was just a tad darker than the light wood flooring. On it were various accent pieces like a glass vase and a golden Buddah. What caught her eye, though, was the mug she had made for him at one of those make your own art places. She couldn't believe he had kept it.
There was a lot of room between the bed and the wall across from it. Along that wall was a dresser that was made from the same type of would as the table. It had a couple accent pieces on it. Above it was a giant painting. It was a beautiful modern piece with colors that matched the scheme of the room. What drew her attention though, was a picture in a dark wood picture frame on the left side of the dresser. Selene crawled to the bottom of the bed and saw that it was a picture of her and Ben. It was a picture that had been taken about a year into their relationship. Ben had taken her to see a Broadway show that was touring so they were all dressed up. Peter had taken the picture.
Selene went back and slumped on the pillows. She didn't know how to feel. She turned to look at her right where the walk-in closet and the entrance to the bathroom were. Her eyes rested on the nightstand on that side of the bed. It was made from golden metallic rods that came to form a round table. It didn't have a lamp because coming down from the ceiling were three round, white, light bulbs in different sizes and at different heights. The wires were black and there was a golden tube above each ball. What caught her eye though was the picture in the glass frame. It was of her. She remembered when that picture was taken as well. It was when they went to the lake. When they first said "I love you," to each other. In front of it was the wallet she had given him one year for his birthday. She picked up the wallet and saw a small picture of her that he had always kept there instead of his license. Tears started to fall down Selene's face. She put the wallet back down and scooted toward the left side of the bed. She pulled the sheet up to her face.
Ben walked in with their food and drinks on a tray. He was smiling as he said, "Here we are. Some…." He stopped when he saw Selene, now with her head on her knees, which were pulled against her chest. He put the tray on the dresser and said, "What's wrong, baby?," as he walked toward her and sat on the bed next to her. Ben pulled her towards him and lifted her chin up.
Selene put her arms around him, and Ben reciprocated, confused as to what happened. He said, "It's ok. Shhh. It'll be ok." He stroked her hair trying to soothe her. She pulled away and he saw her tears. He cupped her cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears. With a look of concern he said, "Did I do something wrong?"
She shook her head and said, "The opposite actually." She smiled and he smiled back, but he gave her a confused look. Selene laughed and pulled away. She pointed at the picture on the nightstand, the wallet, the mug, and the picture on the dresser. Then she said, "It all just made me happy that's all."
Ben tilted his head and said, "So you weren't crying because you were sad then?"
"No," Selene replied. "I was just happy, and the tears came on their own. I don't know why," she continued as she shrugged her shoulders.
Ben shook his head, but he was smiling. "Come here," he said. He put one hand behind her neck, brought her closer, and kissed her forehead. He gave her a big smile, then he said, "Ok, let's eat."
Ben brought over the tray. He sat in front of her and put the tray in between. When they started eating, it got quiet. After a few moments, she said, "Um, Ben, I, um. I just have to say this. This is a little weird."
"What is?," asked Ben.
Selene squirmed a little and said, "Don't you feel weird. I mean, on one hand, I get it. We have this connection and it's like we never broke up. Almost. But on the other hand, it's been like five years. That's a long time."
"Too long," said Ben, reaching out to clasp her hand. "But I understand what you mean. A lot has happened in the years between."
Selene put her hand over Ben's, so she was holding his hand between both her hands. She used her thumb to caress the top of his, and said, "And I'm not saying we have to tell each other everything tonight, but we have to acknowledge that sitting here, it's a little awkward. Especially because you can't tell me the whole truth."
Ben squeezed her hand then took it away to put it on her chin. He leaned over the food and gave her a kiss. When he sat back down, he said, "Acknowledged. But that doesn't mean that we have to let it get to us. We can start by just talking about what we know, which is us."
"What do you mean?," asked Selene, taking a bite of her food.
Ben continued, "Umm, well, now that we are back together…." He paused to give her a small moment to say that they actually weren't back together. His heart stopped in that moment. Normally, he was a very confident man, and no one would dare question him. But in this one moment he was praying to anyone who would listen that Selene didn't challenge what he just said. He only gave her that one moment though and continued when she said nothing, "there are some things that will take some getting used to." He let out a breath.
"Like what?," asked Selene.
He explained, "You've noticed I have bodyguards and security around."
Selene nodded.
"You'll also need to have bodyguards," Ben said, trying to be as monotone as possible.
She tilted her head, her brows knitted in a confused expression. "Why?," she asked. "I'm not rich or powerful. Why would I need a bodyguard just because I'm dating you?"
"It's just to be on the safe side," said Ben. "In this line of work, sometimes having loved ones is seen as a weakness by others who…let's say want what you have." When he saw her thinking, he realized that with her intelligence, it wouldn't take long for her to figure things out so he said, "Actually, baby, I'm sorry. You already have bodyguards." Ben rubbed his face with his hand and looked at her hoping for understanding.
"What?," asked Selene. "What do you mean? I've never seen anyone around me?"
Ben replied, "That's because they're good at their jobs. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. But, we weren't together. I was worried if I told you, then it would make you upset."
"Well yah it would have made me upset. And weirded out," said Selene, still taken about at this latest revelation. She didn't know what to think about this. No wonder she kept feeling like she was being followed. "You know, I've been walking around the last few weeks thinking I was paranoid because I kept thinking I was being followed! You jerk!," she exclaimed.
Ben felt terrible. He got off the bed to go over and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." Selene didn't shrug him off.
She said, "Well…I guess you were just trying to protect me." She sighed. "Ben, I…this…"
Ben held her to his chest, resting his chin on her head and said, "I know, it's a lot…I'm sorry. But this is part of the reason why…." He sighed. Selene pulled away, looked at him, and nodded. He went back and sat on the bed across from her.
"Ok, go on," she said.
Ben continued, "There are three of them. Maria, Thomas, and Bek." Selene nodded. "I'll introduce you to them. But you won't really notice them around, so just go about your day as you usually do," he continued. She nodded again.
"Ben, should I be scared?," she asked quietly.
He stopped eating, gave her a reassuring look, and said, "No. That's why I finally reached out to you. I couldn't protect you before, but now I can."
Selene looked at the determination and love in his eyes and felt safe. She said, "I can't say that I followed what your family's company was up to these past few years, but I do know you set up your own company. I also know you expanded it and now have several companies."
Ben said with a smile, "So you *were* keeping tabs on me."
She blushed and looked down, before continuing, "Maybe a little…Anyway, I have to admit, it is pretty impressive what you've been able to accomplish. UniTech alone has done so much."
"And with Project Phantom, it will become number one in the nation in that space," said Ben.
Selene smiled proudly. "But of course. Wow. Drakos Group has been in first place for so long. Their products are always on the cutting edge."
"Not anymore," said Ben with a grim look.
She looked at him, wondering what his look meant. She also wondered whether she should mention that their CEO contacted her a few days ago, asking for an appointment to discuss a potential project with the university. Selene decided against it for now since she didn't even know if it would lead anywhere.
Selene smiled and said, "Well, I'm full. That was delicious. Even heated up! Thank you."
"I'm just going to finish up these last few bites," said Ben. He ate the last of his paella, while Selene drank the rest of her beer.
When he was done with his wine, Ben put the tray on the dresser. He got back into bed with her, under the sheet. He reached over and cupped her cheek with his hand. As he was about to kiss her, Selene put her hand on his and asked, "Shouldn't we brush our teeth or something?"
Ben let out a laugh and said, "If you really want to, but I don't care. Our dishes didn't have a lot of garlic in them or anything…Here, let me taste and see." He took her mouth, forcing her to open her mouth. He licked inside, tasting, and sucking. Then he pulled away and said with a sultry smile, "You mostly taste like beer, which, since I associate it with you, kind of turns me on."
Selene couldn't believe he just did that. Or said that. She knew she must be the deepest shade of red right now. She tried to hide behind the palms of her hands, but Ben wouldn't let her. He pried her hands open and said, "Now, how can I turn you on?"