Benedict Cumberbatch: Life With Ben

Chapter Sixteen: Do You Want My Eyes For Luck?

8.30 am and I was awaken by the smell of bacon & sausages what were coming up the stairs. I wiped my eyes and placed my glasses back on my face whilst Ben slowly walked into the room with a tray with two plates of food and two glasses of orange juice. "Aah, you're awake! Did you have a better sleep?" Ben asked with a smile on his face. I smiled and moved over a little in the bed allowing Ben to sit down next to me, "Yes, I did thank you! I had this dream that we went to Paris & had a romantic dinner but it ended up being a secret camera show where the waiter kept pulling tricks on us! It was so cute but embarrassing!" Ben sat down next to me and passed me a glass of orange juice whilst I continued, "I am so sorry, I woke you earlier! I feel really bad that I woke you. Did you get back to sleep afterwards?" Ben shoved me playfully, "Claudia, don't be so silly! You cannot control what you dream at night you silly-billy!" I turned to put my glass on the bedside table with a coaster underneath. I turned back around to face Ben as he smiled, looking into my eyes leading to me to look into his. I swept my mad, curly bed hair out of my face and attempted to tame it before Ben grasped my wrist gently bringing it down to the covers, "Claud, stop, you look amazing! Here, I've made you some breakfast!" He passed me a plate with fried eggs, sausages, bacon, baked beans, fried tomatoes and toasted brown bread. It smelt and looked amazing. Ben passed me a knife and fork which were wrapped in a napkin. Ben wriggled up closer to me and started to eat his breakfast, whilst I sat devouring the bacon. "So, apart from me waking you up, did you have a good sleep?" I asked Ben at the same time of trying not to burp. "Yes, I did thank you! It was quite hot though. I sat in the conservatory last night to think, before I went up to bed." I turned to Ben with a mouth full of beans and said, "You have a conservatory?" Ben laughed a little as I had a bit of bean juice on my chin and wiped it up with his napkin. "Yes, I had it built a few months ago up on the roof. If you like, we could go up there later after we are both dressed?" I looked at Ben before I took a sip of my juice and said, "That would be lovely!"

Ben took my empty plate and placed it on the tray on the floor and snuggled up to my sweaty and sticky torso, and put his arm around my body whilst saying, "Claud?" Ben asked, "Yes?" I replied. "I was lying in bed earlier and I was thinking-" I turned and smiled, to add "Don't do that, thinking is dangerous!" He smiled and said, "No, seriously, I was thinking about your dream, and I was wondering." I froze. I didn't know what he was going to say. My stomach dropped and my face had no emotion what so ever except fear. "What happened to the two men?" I looked at Ben and said, "Do you really want to know?" Ben looked at me and nodded.

"Well, they got seven years in prison for child abduction and attempted murder. It's not long enough I know, but my family have been fighting for ages to expand their sentence but the court will not allow us to do so, so they were released this year."

Ben pulled me in close giving me a cuddle. "Oh Claud, I am so sorry! Do you remember what the men looked like?" I nodded. "Oh, Claudia. You, young lady, did not deserve that to happen. No one deserves that to happen to them! But you were 9! Such an innocent little girl. How many people know?"

"Loads of people know. It was in the news papers for ages about the incident and about me trying to get them to have a longer sentence. I do try and not tell people because I do not like people judging and making too much of a fuss."

Ben places a kiss on my forehead and said quietly, "Claud, I will not make a fuss. I love you dearly and I do not want you to be feeling alone and unable to talk about these things so if you ever want to talk, you can always talk to me!"

I smiled and placed my hand on Ben's chest as he continued to hug me. "What about when I am at university? What if I have the nightmare again? I will have to tell the people I share a room with won't I?"

Ben placed his cheek on the top of my head and said, "Yes Claud. But just tell them everything you have told me. They will understand. Trust me!"

I let go of Ben and smiled. Ben let go of me and smiled back, "Are you alright, darling?" Ben asked as I got up and took the sheets off of me. I sat on the edge of the bed and threw my head forward to tie my hair into a pony tail and I looked over at Ben and smiled. "I am fabulous, thank you, lovely! Are you alright?" I replied.