Enforced (Book 1)

Chapter 20

There was only three weeks left until Jenny's wedding and I was one of the bridesmaids. We were supposed to find pink dresses and buy them ourselves. Since my mom was no longer with me I needed help finding a dress, and the rule was we couldn't help each other find dresses. The dresses were supposed to be a surprise, the only thing we knew about the other girls' dresses was that they were pink.

The only person I trusted with this task was Benjamin, so I invited him along. I knew he would tell me that I looked beautiful in anything that I tried on but I knew that he would have some favorites.

It had been only a few days since I found Benjamin almost dead, once again. He was doing a bit better, which I was grateful for. I was on my best behavior around my father, honoring the promise I made Benjamin.

I met Benjamin at the park again instead of the dock. Just like the pond, no one ever seemed to visit the park. It was a nice change. Though we both loved the dock. By now Benjamin's face was getting a bit better, the bruises were yellowing. His chest was healing nicely as well, and would eventually scar over again. Anger still boiled up in me whenever I saw his back, which would also scar. "Lift up your shirt." I ordered Benjamin. He did as I asked and I examined his chest. "It's healing great." I said excitedly.

"That's good." He replied.

"Turn around." He did as I asked. "The cuts in your back aren't cut as deep as the one on your chest, but there was still a lot more open skin. Luckily Dr. Mijan caught the infection before it spread."

"I'm lucky you found me when you did."

I ignored him, "Your back is healing well." I said, still disgusted by the word engraved into his back.

"You don't sound very happy about that." He replied.

"Well, I'm happy that it's healing," I said "but your back is going to scar, leaving that word permanently scarred into your back, like a tattoo."

"Oh, well at least it's healing." He said.

"I guess." I said when he turned around. "Hey, Benjamin?"

"Yeah?"

"My friend Jennifer's wedding is in two weeks and I have to pick out a dress. It has to be pink and I was wondering if you could help me pick one out?"

His expression darkened, "Yeah, I'll help, I don't know why you asked me though."

"My friends are all in the wedding and we aren't allowed to see each other's dresses, I don't know where my mom is, my dad is, well, a jerk, and the lady who lives with me, well I'd rather not get to know her."

"Do you think your dad will ever make you get married?" he asked abruptly, his eyes looking anywhere but at mine. Both of us had been avoiding this inevitable question until now.

Now I knew why he was upset by my question, weddings were a touchy subject. "I don't know. He hasn't been sober for a while, so maybe he won't."

"You know the law, Bethany." He said looking back up at me, "All marriages are forced. I will never marry. I have no money, and I can't support a wife without money."

"Benjamin, please don't talk like that. I want you and only you. You have to know that by now, and well, Benjamin, I, I love you."

Benjamin's head shot up when I said that, "You, you what?" He asked, making sure that he had heard me correctly.

"I love you." I said confidently.

"I love you too." He said, leaning over to give me a hug. "I'm so glad you said that, so glad you feel the same way I do. I love you so much."

When we parted he said, "But, your dad will make you get married, and he won't choose me to marry you. You know that this is only a temporary thing, Bethany, you have to know that this can't last."

"Shut up." I commanded, "Don't talk like that, please. Don't remind me, Benjamin. I don't want to think about that. We just expressed our love for each other for the first time, I don't want to ruin that by thinking about this. Plus, my dad doesn't care anymore." I said hopefully, "Maybe he won't arrange anything. He really couldn't care less about me. And what about your family? Won't they make you marry?"

"No, I don't think so, they said I'd be better off alone. And I don't know of any family who would want their daughter to marry someone as poor as me."

"Then maybe we can be together! Maybe we can do this. We can be each other's secret. Move out when we turn eighteen and be together every day, maybe move somewhere we can get married, somewhere out of this country." I said.

"Your father will make you get married, Bethany, you know that."

"Way to be optimistic." I whispered sarcastically, "Can we just stop talking about this if you don't think we can be together? It hurts. Let's just be here. Together, in this moment."

"I don't know how long we can keep things this way, Bethany, and I think a broken heart hurts worse than a beaten body."

"So you just want to give this up?" I whispered, tears spilling over.

"Of course not." He said grabbing my hand, "I just want you to know that I will never forget you, and I will cherish these moments for the rest of my life."

"Me too." I whispered and leaned in for a hug, he quickly welcomed me into his arms. "Just don't remind me again. Please. I don't want to think about that."

"Me either." He whispered into my hair. "I  do want to help you pick out your dress."

"Sure, that's all you want to do?" I asked, "Or maybe you want to help me get into the dress." I laughed.

He smiled "Oh, I'd like to do that too." he said laughing. "When do you want to go?" He asked.

"Now, if you want." I said.

"Will they let me in looking like this?" he asked, gesturing to his bruised face.

"Well if they don't, they just lost a costumer." I said, and he smiled.