About a week later, Selene was working in the lab when Dianna knocked on her door. Selene had decided to no longer have an open-door policy, especially after Ben decided to pop down for impromptu make-out sessions. She said, "Come in."
Dianna popped her head in and said, "Selene, can you come over for to my station? I was running a simulation and I want you to take a look at something."
"Hmm," said Selene as she got up. "Sounds ominous," she continued, following Dianna. When she got to Dianna's computer, she sat down, and Dianna started pointing out certain issues on the screen in front of her. Selene started muttering phrases like, "That *is* odd," "What's that doing there?," "Huh?," and "I didn't write that" over the course of an hour.
Meanwhile, Dianna would nod or reply with phrases like, "See what I mean?" or "I figured as much."
Finally, Selene said, "Dianna, can you keep this just between you and I for now?"
"Why?," Dianna asked with a confused look on her face.
Selene smiled and said, "Well, you know, if there was a mistake someone made, I don't want them to feel bad."
Dianna smiled back, "You're so nice. I get it. I won't say a word."
"Thanks. I'll take care of it. Why don't you call it a day, and I'll finish this up?," Selene offered.
"Are you sure?" Dianna asked, looking surprised.
"Absolutely. It won't take me too long and I know you've been here all day," she responded.
Diana squeezed Selene's arm and said, "Thanks so much! You're the best!" Then she started gathering her things and left as Selene turned to continue working.
Selene was still there at 7pm when Ben walked in. "Are you sure you don't want to go out to dinner? You can just come back and deal with this tomorrow, no?," he asked.
"I wish," she said. "But I'm almost done. Just another couple of hours, I think. I just want to get this fixed. And believe me, you want me to get this fixed."
Ben gave her a knowing smile and said, "I figured but I thought I'd try. How about I order us some take out and you can tell me what's going on that's got you so focused?"
"That would be great," she responded and gave him a hug. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
That Saturday, Selene and Ben had decided to host a barbeque at Selene's house as a way of re-introducing Ben to her parents in a setting among friends where her father would not kill him. Her parents lived about an hour and a half away, so they did not get a chance to visit a lot.
The day of the barbeque was bright and cheerful if a little bit warm. Selene and Peter had set everything up because Ben had been on a business trip the night before and arrived back that morning.
Lucy and Kyle were the first to arrive. He was about 5' 10'', with sandy brown hair that was short on the side and a little long and curly at the top. Lately, he had dropped in Selene's estimation based on his treatment of Lucy, so she didn't think he was as cute as before. His blue hazel eyes were probably his best feature, but she was having a hard time looking at him in those eyes. In fact, she was having a hard time being pleasant toward him. Lucy had to elbow her a few times so she wouldn't make snide comments.
Ben arrived with Johnny in tow, because as usual they were "joined at the hip," as Selene put it. Lucy and Peter laughed but Johnny did not seem amused by that comment. Ben gave Selene a kiss as she took the hors d'oeuvres he brought. Peter put his hand out to take the wine that served as Johnny's contribution. He looked at it and said, "You have great taste."
Johnny couldn't help himself as he smirked, looked Peter up and down with his eyes, and said, "I really do," before walking toward Lucy and Kyle. Peter cocked his head, squinting his eyes at Selene, and said, "Umm, what?"
Selene and Ben both gave enigmatic smiles. Ben rubbed the back of his neck and Selene said, "I should go put these out." They both walked toward the table with the food. Peter stood there for just a moment and thought, "Nope, not going to play into it." Then he walked toward everyone.
Max arrived bringing an apple pie that everyone thought looked very yummy, especially Lucy, who loved pies of every variety. Kyle was not pleased at how easily Max and Lucy struck up conversation, but Lucy did not notice. Max, however, was acutely aware and it made him uncomfortable. He did not feel that they were doing anything wrong. Sure, he thought Lucy was very cute, but it's not like he was hitting on her. I mean, maybe he would have if she wasn't in a relationship, but knowing she was made her off limits in his book. Still, he wasn't going to let those evil looks stop him from talking to her. He felt like he was being challenged and he couldn't back down.
Despite some of the tension brewing, everyone was at least enjoying the cold lemonade that Lucy had made as it started getting warmer toward noon. It was around this time that Selene's parents, Anie and Adam arrived, because, of course, the party needed even more tension.
Her father was in a wheelchair with both legs amputated at the knee. He and her mother came along the side gate where there was a ramp for him to enter the house through the kitchen. Selene greeted them with hugs and kisses. "Hi Mom, Dad, it's so good to see you," she said as her mother held on tightly.
"Ach, my dear heart, why haven't you called more? We miss you so much! It's so good to see you. You look well," her mother said as she held her and then pulled away to look at her.
"Thanks, mom. You look well too," Selene said. Then she took her father's hand and said, "Dad, you're looking really, really good. Have you lost some weight? Finally listening to the doctor?"
Her father rolled his eyes and replied, "Yah, yah, I guess it was time. Can't let your mother start losing interest now can I?" He winked at Anie, who blushed.
"Aww, dad, cut it out," said Selene, turning her head in embarrassment. Then she said, "Ok, ok, come on and let's go to the backyard where everyone is. They made their way to where the sliding glass doors were, and it was at this point that Ben walked into the house through them.
He walked over to where Selene was standing so he could be next to her, facing her parents. Then he bowed to them and said, "Hello, it's nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Serian."
Unexpectedly, Anie walked over to him and gave him a hug. While hugging, she said, "It's good to see you back, Ben. We missed you." Then when she broke the hug, she said, "Selene has told us what you told her. If she forgives you then, so do I. She's always been a smart girl. And I know how much she loves you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Serian, for forgiving me even though I know I don't deserve your kindness," Ben said, visibly touched by Anie's generosity.
Anie said, "What's this Mrs. Serian business. You used to call me Mom."
Ben smiled and said, "Yes…Mom," hesitantly and looked at Selene who was smiling.
"Thanks, Mom," Selene said.
Adam let out a breath and said, "Selene's mother may forgive you already, but I'm not there yet, Ben. I need more time. I'm not saying I won't. I'm still processing all of this. She's my little girl. Someday, if you are blessed, you may have children of your own, and then you'll understand. But, I know you're trying. I know you're trying your best and that's what I'm doing too." He held out his hand to Ben, who took his hand to shake it. Then Adam pulled him in for a hug, which didn't last long but it meant the world to Ben.
"Ok, now that we've reached an understanding, let's get to the party because I'm hungry. Today is my cheat day!," exclaimed Adam with a smile.
Ben looked at Selene with a questioning look and Selene said, "I'll explain in a sec," as she smiled and gave him a sideways hug.
They all went into the backyard, and after everyone introduced themselves, they decided it was time to start the barbequing. Johnny and Peter were the self-proclaimed grill-masters, and everyone gave them wide berth, not wanting to interfere with their egos. It soon became a competition.
"And what exactly would a 'Brit' know about American barbequing, eh?," teased Peter at one point.
Johnny gave him a sideways glance and an exasperated sigh. "My mother is American if you must know, *and* I have dual citizenship. In addition, Mr. Let Me Make Assumptions About People I Don't Know, even though I was born in England my family moved to the States when I was 5, so I've called this place home since. My parents were only there temporarily for business. Would you like to see my passport or is that sufficient to prove my red-blooded Americanness to you?"
Peter backed away, with eyebrows raised, and said, "Sheesh. You make one joke and he goes off. You 'Brits' do know how to take a joke don't you?" Then he started laughing.
Johnny took one look at him and started laughing as well. "Ok, I guess I did take that the wrong way, didn't I?"
"You think? Oh my God, you should have seen your face," Peter continued in between heavy breaths as he was laughing. "As if I would insult someone like that. Seriously. You are so funny." After they stopped laughing, he continued, "But seriously, how do you know so much about this stuff?," as he pointed to all the meat on Johnny's side of the grill.
Johnny shrugged his shoulders and responded with, "Self-taught mostly. What can I say? I love meat."
Peter laughed, "Same. I mean, about the loving meat part. Though, we do need vegetables too, you know?" He pointed to his side that had some of those. "Except I was taught by my dad. Barbequing is like an art form to him. That's why I'm pretty sure what I have going on here is going to knock your socks off." He gave Johnny a confident look.
Looking equally confident, Johnny countered, "I hate to break it to you, and no disrespect to your old man, but we'll see who wins this battle once every…"
He was cut-off by Kyle who accidentally stumbled into him, causing him to bump into Peter whose arm touched the grill and was burned.
"Hey, watch it there bud. I think you've had one too many of those" said Johnny, not realizing what had happened to Peter.
Kyle was on his 4th beer and Lucy was very embarrassed. She pulled him over to sit down at the table.
Simultaneous to Johnny's comments, Peter winced and was looking at his forearm that now had a streak across the bottom side of it. Johnny turned around and when he saw it, he said, "Dammit!" He took the utensils they were using for the barbeque and put them down, grabbed Peter by his good hand and started leading him toward the house. Peter said, "It's fine, don't worry about it," but Johnny just ignored him. Johnny stopped when he saw Selene heading toward Lucy and Kyle and asked, "Where's your first aid kit?"
Selene saw Peter's arm and asked, "Oh my God, what happened?," but Johnny just turned and looked at Kyle. Selene figured it out and just said, "Peter knows it's under the bathroom sink."
Johnny took Peter into the bathroom and had him sit on the toilet that had the cover down. Peter said, "I can do it, just give me the ointment." Johnny ignored him and instead took out all the materials and neatly aligned everything on the counter as if he was surgeon about to operate. Peter asked, "Were you a medic in the military or something?"
"Or something," responded Johnny as he knelt down next to him. He proceeded to take care of Peter's arm as if he had done the same thing a thousand times and Peter was duly impressed.
When it was all done, Peter looked at him and said, "Thank you. That was really nice of you."
Johnny said, "You're welcome," and for a few moments they just stayed there looking at each other. He was the first to break away, getting up as, as he gave the following instructions, "Ok then, that will take a little while to recover. You should change the bandage twice a day and try not to get it wet. Put the ointment on when you change the bandage."
Peter also got up and said, "Thank you again, Dr. Johnny. I guess we should go back to the grill. I hope it's not all burnt." He tried to laugh off the tension in the room.
The meat, and vegetables, weren't all burnt, in fact, as Ben had tended the grill in their absence. When all the food was ready, everyone started helping set the table.
Max was coming out from the bathroom and saw Lucy in the kitchen standing in front of two large salad bowls and he figured she was about to carry the salads all by herself. "Oh, let me help you with one of those," he said as he quickly went over to help.
"Thanks," she said, with a small smile.
Max saw that she was holding back tears and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize, umm, do you want me to just…hey, listen, are you ok? How can I help?"
Lucy shook her head and said, "That's really sweet of you. I'm just embarrassed. He's never acted like this before. I don't know what's wrong with him."
"Do you want to go sit down for a bit on the couch?," Max asked.
She hesitated and then said, "No…maybe…Probably not because we're about to eat and we should just take the salads out. I'm sorry to bother you with my problems. I mean we don't now each other and I don't know why I'm telling you all this." She smiled and shrugged.
"Hey, I understand. Don't worry about it. Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone you don't know well, you know?," he said.
"That must be it," she responded.
Max squeezed her arm and said, "It will get better. You seem like a great person and he's very lucky to have you. I'm sure things will work out for you."
Just at that moment, Kyle walked in and saw Max's arm on Lucy. He cried, "Hey, get your arm off my girlfriend!"
Max immediately let go and said, "Look man, it's not what it looks like. She was just a little upset and I was just telling her everything would be ok."
"What right do you have to comfort my girlfriend? Lucy? Are you going to cheat on me with this guy? I saw you flirting with him all day," Kyle accused.
Lucy was horrified. "What are you talking about? This isn't like you. You know I would never do that."
Selene came running in with Ben behind her and said, "What's going on here?"
"Nothing," said Lucy. "Kyle was just upset about something, but I think it's just because he's tired. Hey, can he just lie down for a little bit in your bedroom please?"
Selene took one look at the scene and nodded, "Of course."
Lucy dragged Kyle into Selene's bedroom. Once there, she said, "I don't know what has gotten into you, but please stop."
Kyle rubbed his hands over his face and then through his hair and said, "I'm sorry honey. I think I just had too much to drink. Maybe I'll just lie down for a while like you said. Can you stay with me?"
"Sure," said Lucy.
Back in the kitchen, Selene asked Max, "What happened?"
"I don't know, Lucy was upset and then all of a sudden her boyfriend barges in and accuses her of cheating on him with me," he replied, looking shocked. "It was like something out of a TV show quite frankly. I mean, what is his problem and why is she with someone like that?"
Selene said, "He didn't used to be this way, but this is getting out of hand." She shook her head and leaned into Ben.
Ben said, "Ok, let's just give them their space and head back out."
Max grabbed the two salads and went back outside with them. "Hmm," he thought, "Sounds like I may need to look more into what this guy's deal is."
The rest of the afternoon was drama-free, mainly because Lucy and Kyle left a little while after they disappeared into Selene's bedroom. Lucy texted Selene that Kyle wasn't feeling well, and she was too embarrassed to come outside and say goodbye to everyone.
The next morning, Ben and Selene were enjoying breakfast when she got a text from Lucy asking if she could come over to Lucy's place to talk. Selene figured it was about what happened the previous day. She texted back that, of course, she would come over and they arranged for her to go over at 10am since Lucy's shift started at 1pm. Lucy texted Selene to meet her in the underground parking of her building by the elevators so they could go grab some coffee. She thought that that was a little odd since they could just meet outside the building but didn't argue.
After kissing Ben goodbye, Selene drove to Lucy's apartment, which was only about 20 minutes away. She texted Lucy that she was outside the parking area and to let her in and few seconds later the gate opened. Selene pulled her car inside and down into the garage. She drove to where the elevator bay was and into the visitor spot near it, but she did not see Lucy. She texted Lucy that she was waiting there. The text response was that Lucy was running late and for her to just come up for a few minutes. As soon as Selene exited her car, she felt an arm come up around her and a hand put something over her mouth. The next thing she knew, darkness took over and she lost consciousness.