As Benjamin climbed the stairs, he reveled in his own sense of superiority. This was a world beneath him, and yet, he was about to step into it, if only to remind Tommy of his place.
As Benjamin continued up the stairs, he noticed an old man sitting by the corner, struggling to get up. His face was etched with lines of exhaustion and pain, his clothes worn and tattered.
Beside him was a heavy toolbox, overflowing with tools. The old man's frail hands trembled as he tried to lift the box.
Benjamin hesitated for a moment, his usual indifference wavering. He stepped down and approached the old man.
"Here, lemme give you a hand with that, okay," he said, his voice softer than usual. He bent down and grabbed the toolbox, straining slightly under its weight.
The old man looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude and surprise.
"Thank you, kid. My back's got some mileage on it, that's for sure," he said, his voice shaky.
As Benjamin lifted the toolbox, he heard footsteps behind him. He glanced back and saw a young man carrying a blue bucket of water.
The young man walked towards the gutter, poured out the dirty water, and turned back to head up the stairs. His eyes roamed the surroundings casually until they landed on Benjamin.
At first, the young man seemed not to register Benjamin's presence, but then he did a double take. His eyes widened in shock, and he stopped in his tracks, staring at Benjamin.
"Well, we meet again. Round two, at your place," Benjamin muttered to himself, a smirk forming on his lips.
Tommy's expression mirrored Benjamin's surprise. For a few moments, they stood frozen, staring at each other.
They were quite not close in distance but the air between them was thick with unspoken words and unresolved tension.
The old man, sensing the shift in atmosphere, slowly got to his feet, his eyes darting between the two young men.
"Thank you, young blood," the old man said again, patting Benjamin's arm before slowly making his way down the stairs, leaving Benjamin and Tommy alone in the narrow stairwell.
Tommy's face tightened with suspicion. "What brings you to this place? You followin' me, man?"
Benjamin scoffed, adjusting his hat. "Followin' you? Get a grip, kid. I've got my own agenda."
Tommy's eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering in his gaze. "Right. Agenda."
Benjamin set the toolbox down gently, straightening up and began walking towards Tommy till he reached him.
"Yep. Agenda," he repeated, his voice more confident now. "But fate has a different vibe in mind, you know?."
Tommy's lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn't respond. Instead, he stepped aside, allowing Benjamin to pass.
Benjamin gave him a curt nod, looking at him from head to toe.
"Far out! What's with the duds?" he scoffed then continued up the stairs, his mind racing with thoughts of the unexpected encounter.
Tommy rolled his eyes, clearly offended. "You got a problem with shorts and a vest, man? That's a fresh outfit!" He grumbled silently.
As Benjamin climbed higher, the smell of damp wood and old paint filled his nostrils. He couldn't shake the image of Tommy's shocked face from his mind.
Reaching the top floor, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the apartment listed in the letter.
He has a sly look on his white face.
Benjamin knew what he was doing. He was just playing a pretense game at the moment.
So when Tommy approached the apartment door with the bucket, he was surprised to find Benjamin standing right at his door.
Tommy frowned, taken aback by Benjamin's sudden appearance. Didn't he say he had his own agenda just now?
"What'cha doing here? You lost or somethin'?" he asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.
Benjamin scoffed, a smirk playing on his lips. "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not stalking you. I just happened to be going this way," he retorted, crossing his arms defiantly.
Tommy narrowed his eyes, not buying Benjamin's nonchalant act. "You're tellin' a tale, man. You think I believe you just happened to be here?"
Benjamin shrugged casually. "Perhaps I've got a serious score to settle, or…. Perhaps," he added with a sly grin, "I just wanted to get a glimpse of your crash pad."
Tommy's suspicion deepened, but he decided not to engage further. Avoiding Benjamin was gold!
He unlocked his apartment door and stepped inside, leaving Benjamin standing there. But just as he wanted to close the door, Benjamin placed his hands in between, stretching a paper to him.
"Oh, Jesus!" Tommy sighed deeply, his curiosity mounting as Benjamin handed him the crumpled letter. He grabbed it anyway.
As he unfolded it, Tommy's eyes widened in shock—it was unmistakably his letter, the one he thought he had given to the postman just yesterday.
But despite whatever was going on here and the letter in his hand, Tommy had assumptions and he couldn't resist the urge to blur out his assumptions.
"You're the plumber, then?" he asked incredulously, his voice tinged with both surprise and a hint of skepticism. "You're here to patch the pipes, ain't ya?"
Benjamin's eyebrows shot up in amusement, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
He shook his head slowly, his gaze fixed on Tommy's bewildered expression. 'A plumber ? Really, kid?'
"No, kid," he replied calmly, his tone carrying a touch of irony. "I don't unclog drains or fix leaky faucets, but this letter did bring me to your doorstep."
He gestured towards the crumpled paper in Tommy's hand, emphasizing his point.
Tommy sighed, torn between disbelief and the evidence right in front of him. He blurted out, "I saw you with that toolbox, brother. You ain't tryin' to fix somethin' is ya?"
Benjamin's expression remained composed, almost unaffected by Tommy's doubt.
Without missing a beat, he walked past Tommy and into Tommy's own room as if he owned it, his demeanor unapologetic and confident.
He didn't bother with explanations or justifications for his sudden appearance. He was Benjamin, the devil's spawn after all.
Less talk, peeps!
Tommy stood there, all dumbfounded. His eyes followed Benjamin's confident stride into the house, wondering what game Benjamin was playing now.
What's with this guy?! Just when I want to end things, he wants to begin something else!