Enforced (Book 1)

Chapter 36

It had been a week since Benjamin had been shot and we had been traveling almost all day every day, to get closer to refuge. This day was no exception. Benjamin had been silent all day, so when he finally spoke, I jumped a little. "Bethany?"

"Yeah?"

"Just in case we don't make it, I just wanted to let you know that I love you."

I looked up at him and smiled, "I know you do Benjamin, and I love you too."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure Benjamin. Anything."

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

I smiled again and stopped walking, "Do you even need to ask?"

He grinned at me and kissed me on the forehead, "I just wanted to make it official."

Then he reached into his pocket, "I've kept this with me ever since I met you, I think it's time to give it to you." he took a breath, "I don't have any money and I don't have anything expensive I can give to you, but I do have an undying love for you Bethany and I will protect at any cost. I promise you that I will always be here for you whenever you need me, no matter what. And I made you something to represent that." He opened his hand and showed me a small circular band. He slipped it on my ring finger.

"It's a promise ring." He blushed, "It represents my promise to always love you and keep you safe. It represents my promise to be faithful, and it represents my promise to be with you forever."

I wrapped my arms around him, my eyes tearing up. "Thank you. Thank you Benjamin, I promise you all those things too."

When he let me go I looked down at my hand and admired the ring. "It's a piece of green wire from..."

"I know it isn't much." He said, "But it was all I had to give you. It's a piece of wire from..."

"The first day we met. It was on the cement the day you helped me slow the bleeding in my head. I saw it after I fell. I don't know why I remembered it, it was just a long piece of green wire, but I do recognize it. You wrapped it into a ring. It's beautiful Benjamin."

"I'm just sorry it isn't more."

"This is perfect, I couldn't be happier even if you gave me a rare diamond Benjamin, this ring has meaning."

He smiled in relief, "I picked it up after I helped you up off the ground. I've had it in my pocket ever since. I told you before that I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you. You looked like an angel and I didn't know if I would ever see you again, so I picked this up and planned to shape it into a ring, that way I would always have something to remind me of you, I would always have something to remind me that God was looking out for me, because I saw a real live angel before my own eyes."

We began walking again, "You always tell me that you fell in love with me instantly. I fell for you too, but you also tell me that I was the answer to your prayers, but how can I be the answer to your prayers? I'm just Bethany, a broken little girl who couldn't fight for herself. I'm not an angel Benjamin."

"You're much more than that to me, Bethany. I fell in love with your beauty but more importantly, I feel in love with your heart. I saw how beautiful you were and when you spoke to me, I could tell that you had an amazing heart."

"I guess we are just perfect for each other in ways we just don't understand." I said. Benjamin nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Benjamin, thank you for everything."

"You're welcome, Bethy." He replied, squeezing my hand.

"We walked again until the sun began to set. When we found a place to rest, we laid our tarp and blankets out and washed our clothes in a nearby stream. When we were done we laid down under the blankets. The air was cold, so to keep warm I snuggled close to his body. He wrapped his arms around me and I nestled my head into the crook of his neck. We fell asleep just like that.