Patient Twelve

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ben grabbed my arm and pulled me onto him. He tossed his book to the side and had me so that my knees were on either side of his lap. I glanced down to make sure that the skirt on my dress had not ridden up too far. Ben's warm hands rest themselves on the small of my back. My hands had fallen onto his shoulders.

"I made you your coffee," I said.

"Thank you," he said.

I sat on him for a few seconds in silence. Ben stared at me and smiled. My eyes darted back to the cup of coffee. I was so close to finally having my escape. I wanted to pick up the cup and pour the hot liquid down his throat, but I knew that wouldn't go over well.

"You better drink it before it gets cold," I said.

"I know," he said.

I yelped as he turned us in one swift motion. He had us so that my back was on the couch and he was hovering over me. His lips were on mine, and they were hungry. I kissed him back only because I knew it wouldn't help me to fight against him. I did grab his wrist when his hand did begin to trail its way up my thigh. He ripped his arm out of my grasp and moved his lips down onto my neck. His hand went back onto my thigh, and I started to wiggle under his grip to try and get him off of me.

"Ben, what are you doing?" I asked.

"What do you think?" he asked. "I love you."

"I love you too," I lied.

I grabbed his hand and pulled it off of my thigh. I laced my fingers through his so that he would not touch my leg again.

"I'm just not in the mood," I said.

Ben let out a deep breath. He brought our intertwined fingers up to his lips and kissed the back of my hand.

"I would never force myself on you," he said. "I know how awful that is."

The nausea that was building up in my stomach finally died down. I pulled my hand free from Ben's and sat. He turned so that he was lying across the couch. I grabbed the coffee mug and handed it to Ben. He did not sit up any higher on the couch, so he rested the mug on his chest. He had one hand on the mug, and his other arm was behind his head.

"Did Oliver ever touch you?" Ben asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Well, not like that."

"You know you can talk to me if he did, right?"

"Just drink your coffee."

I gave him a smile so that he thought I was playing around. I really just wanted him to drink that coffee.

"I will," he said. "I just have to let it cool down first."

The sound of something tapping against the window filled the room. I looked over at the window to see that it was the rain pelting on the glass. I grabbed the quilt off of the couch and wrapped it around my shoulders. It dragged along the floor as I walked over to the window. The wind was ripping through the leaves. The couch creaked as Ben watched me.

The sliding door was just to my side. I could start running, but it would ruin my plan. Ben would never drink this coffee.

I jumped when Ben grabbed my hips. He slid his hands around my waist and pulled me against his body. He leaned down to rest his chin on my shoulder.

"I love it when it rains," Ben said. "It always makes everything cozier."

I spun around, and put my hands on Ben's chest. I was able to give him a light shove back, and form a little bit of space between us.