control || beth x benny

𝟐𝟓. Walls have ears

「 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 」

17th November – 5 days until US Championship

As the dawn started to grow in the dark sky, Beth was seated in the couch, watching it. It's been two days since her talk with Benny and also today was her second day without leaving the room, enjoying the room service. Hearing the words "I don't know" shattered her heart in ways that she never thought. The heaviness in her eyes were marked with the bags under the eyes showing how she remained awake while the whole town was sleeping. Her body was screaming for rest, but Beth didn't care at all. She'd rather to stay awake the whole day and not screw the sleeping schedule adopted a few weeks ago, than go sleep and become a night owl.

Forcibly, her body got up from the couch and crawled to the bathroom. Today she was willing to go out study in one of many living rooms provided by the hotel. Staying trapped between four walls didn't seem a smart idea besides the presence of bed would be hard to resist.

...

"Ma'am Harmon, it's already 3 P.M." One of the assistants approached her, whispering. "Would you like to use our bar service?"

"Sure." She lifted her head, looking at the man with a tired smile. "One coffee and a chicken sandwich, please." The male figure nodded, scribbling in his note pad. "And thank you for warning me."

Beth stared at the books and the table, crossing her hands in the back of her warm neck. Being an early bird without sleep made her more productive than she expected. The objectives for today were already accomplished, giving a free afternoon. Although, there was nothing interesting to do and the option left was going back to the bedroom and probably fall asleep, so she decided to stay in living room for a couple more hours and go over the games, one more time.

"You know, some rest would be good for your brain." A male voice echoed in the room, making Beth's body turn slightly. The man made his way to her, sitting in the chair in front of her. "Hello again, Elizabeth." He gave a tight-lipped smile.

"Hello, Frank." She nodded. Unconsciously, her body got tense with Frank's presence. He wasn't a bad guy or anything like that but there was something about him that caused an inexplicable unease in Beth. Maybe it was their chat in the last tournament where he confessed his feelings for Sophie, making her uncomfortable.

"Well, I'm seeing that you're already eating." His gaze was drove to her sandwich. "I just came here to say good luck and to apologize for our previous conversation. I know, I putted you in a weird place and I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's ok. I appreciate your consideration, but I really need to review this."

"Sure, sorry." Frank rosed out of his chair. "Perhaps we could go dinner one of these days. What do you think?" He tilted his head, looking at Beth's eyes.

"We'll talk later." She answered, trying to remain calm.

"Alright, see you later."

When she felt the room was empty, a deep breath was release by her lips. Her fingers massaged the temples in an attempt to calm her head and heart. Having Frank to court her was an unpleasant scenario to Harmon's brain. He was good-looking, it's true. But only that. Something in her mind forbade to see him more than a admirable chess player and a beautiful man. No man seemed to be good enough to make Beth interested unless a certain boy who had a weird way to dress and was in love with his own that. In fact, Beth felt like he was remote to her, but little did she know that he was hidden behind the door, hating to hear Frank's voice talking with her.