“You shouldn’t have to,” he mutters, shaking his head.
“Look, I know we’ve handled this whole situation terribly, but we’re trying. We’ll be okay.”
***
My cell phone blares, buried deep under piles of paperwork. I rummage hopefully, anticipating a certain name on the screen. Relieved to find my hopes rewarded, I answer with a wide grin. “I miss you.”
Benjamin’s returning chuckle spreads throughout my body, ridding me of the discomfort that’s followed like a shadow in my day.“I miss you too, baby.”
“How are you? Where are you?”
“I’m on the jet.”
“Wait, why? I thought you were in Taiwan till Friday?”
“I’m coming back early.”
Benjamin, business extraordinaire and man on the rise, who lives to work, is cutting his trip short? Whether it’s an overreaction or not, I begin to overthink.
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.”
“It’s unlike you to cancel a trip.”
“I want to take you somewhere.”
I stop swiveling in my chair and plant my feet, facing the wide window showcasing the illuminated buildings. “What?”
“Pick wherever you want, but we’re leaving as soon as I land.”
“As much as I’d like to, Benjamin, I can’t leave. I have work tomorrow.”
“There are many perks of having a boyfriend that’s friends with your boss.”
“You spoke to Cindy?”
“Kevin too.”
It’s telling how fast my grin disappears. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am.”
“Right…well, is he making you do this?”
“You think I’d let Kevin make my decisions for me? No, he was upset, I will admit, and I let him know that he is not at all part of the relationship between you and me. However, everything he said were things I already knew. You and I could do with a pause, to evaluate…figure some things out.”
I’m mortified. “Ben, I know you’re busy. I don’t want to take you from your work.”
“No, you come first. Always. I told you that.”
He’s said that to me multiple times. I think we’ve lost that motto along the way somewhere. Our blinders have been up, and this conversation is the first time he’s hinted that he wants to take them down. For that reason alone, this trip is suddenly of the utmost importance.
“When are you going to be here?”
“I’m about five hours away now, so I’ll land late. Probably around one. Do you think you can stay awake until you’re on the plane?”
“Yeah, I can.” I pick up my purse from the desk.
