Rewrite the Stars

Chapter Twenty - Unplanned Ending

Three Weeks Later

"Good morning, beautiful." Benjamin kisses my lips, not caring about my morning breath.

"Morning, handsome." I smile up at him and watch as his lips curve into a smile.

Benjamin has been sleeping at my house every single day for the past three weeks. He barely goes to his house anymore unless he needs something. I have even emptied a drawer for him to store all of his necessities. We haven't put a label on our relationship yet, but I'm pretty sure we're exclusive.

Benjamin rolls on top of me and nudges my thighs apart, but I feel completely sore from last night. He sees me wince and a look of guilt passes over his face.

"Still sore?" He asks me and I nod.

"A bit."

He rolls back over to his side of the bed and I feel bad. My hand goes down to grab his morning wood and I rub him slowly.

"You know how to make a man happy." He tells me once he reaches his peak.

"Only you." I tell him honestly. I don't care about making any other man happy but Benjamin.

"You'll come over for dinner tonight, right?" I ask Benjamin as he drives me to work. Even though Benjamin has been spending every night in my bed, he doesn't necessarily come over for dinner every day. Sometimes he stays holed up in that office of his until very late at night.

"I'll try to make it work." He looks at me sideways with a smile on his face which I return.

Benjamin has been true to his words and hasn't pushed me into telling him what happened three years ago. Every time I tried to tell him, I would cower away from the situation, but not tonight. Tonight, I want to tell him everything. I have to.

*****

I stand by the stove with the phone cradled to my ear as I stir the pot of rice. Benjamin shouldn't be back from work for at least a couple more hours. I decided to treat him to Thai red curry shrimp and creamy chicken Marsala with pasta. I'm also going to bake him a salted dark chocolate caramel tart.

My sister's voice fills my ear. "Rosa, are you still there?" She asks me.

"Yes, sorry Es. I just got distracted."

"It's fine." She assures me. "So since you and Ben are now a thing don't you think it's time you tell him?"

"We're not a thing." I tell her. "And I plan on telling him tonight."

"You are?" She asks me sounding surprised. "That's good. I won't have to lie to him anymore." She breathes a sigh of relief. A crying noise sounds in the background. "I have to go, Rosa. Emilia's crying. Good luck!" She hangs up before I can utter a word.

Benjamin walks through the door half past seven, looking exhausted as hell. He walks over to me and places a sweet kiss on my lips.

"Sorry I'm late." He apologizes as he pulls his tie off. "I've been having a hard time figuring this case out."

"It's okay." I assure him. My hands wringing together.

Benjamin notices my discomfort and looks around until his eyes land on the kitchen table which I have decorated with flowers and candles. He then looks back at me. "You did this?"

I nod meekly. "Do you like it?" I ask him, worried that it's too much.

"I do." His smile is sincere. "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion." I shrug. "I just felt like preparing something nice for you."

He closes the distance between us and wraps his arms around me in a fierce hug. "You didn't have to." He murmurs.

"I know, but I wanted to."

Benjamin and I take a seat on the table and start eating the food I made earlier. We talk about anything and everything, and it feels just like old times. However, I was feeling a bit anxious about what I have to tell him. If Benjamin noticed, he didn't comment. I decided that it was better to tell him after dinner.

"Would you like some dessert?" I ask him, but I don't even wait for his answer as I cut him a slice of the tarte I had made. He tastes it and moans in approval before holding the fork out for me to take a bite.

Benjamin helps me wash the dishes after dinner even after I insist that he didn't have to.

"You don't have to, Ben. Please, I'll do them myself."

"Now, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't help out my girlfriend after she made me delicious dinner?"

It didn't go unnoticed by me how he uses the terms boyfriend and girlfriend. Even though I argue all the time that we aren't in a relationship, but who am I kidding? I don't need a label to tell me that Benjamin and I are in deep.

"I need to take a shower." I tell him once we're done with the dishes. "Care to take one with me?" I tease him as I run my hand down his chest.

Benjamin looks at me with amusement swirling in his eyes. "As much as this idea tempts me." His arms go around my butt and he squeezes. "I'll have to pass." I pout. "I have some work that needs to get done, beautiful, but I'll make up for it tonight." He winks.

I laugh. "Okay." I steal a kiss before making my way to the bathroom.

"Can I use your laptop?" He yells out. "I forgot mine at work."

"Sure." I yell back. "The password's my birthday."

"Very original." I hear him mock. I smile as I shake my head.

I take a quick shower and dry myself off in the bathroom before going to my bedroom. I grab some loungewear from the dresser and put them on then sit in front of the mirror and brush my hair. Even though I'm still feeling anxious, the smile can't be wiped off my face.

As I make my way out of my bedroom and into the living room, I realize that's it's been quiet, too quiet. For some reason that scares me.
I see Benjamin sitting on the couch with my laptop on the coffee table. He's leaning into the screen with a frown on his face. I'm intrigued about what he's focused on. Walking closer to him, I take a seat on the arm of the chair and snake my arm around his shoulder.

"What are you reading?" I ask him, but he doesn't reply. I squint my eyes to see what he's focused on and I instantly freeze. My whole body freezes to the bone.

"How... Where did you find this?" I ask him. My body is shaking.

"Your email was open." He tells me with no emotion whatsoever in his tone.

I'm so stupid. I never log out of my email and I was really happy earlier to remember that. "I can explain." I tell him as my voice breaks and my heart starts thumping. I knew I had no other choice. He has seen everything from test results to doctors appointments. It was all out on the table and it's time to tell him the truth.

Benjamin turns his body towards me. His eyes softening as he takes me in, but instantly hardens. "Then please do." He crosses his arms over his chest and waits for me to start speaking.

**********
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