Love or Lust (A Christmas Romance)

Chapter 13

    KELECHI'S POV

   It's really strange how nightmares seem to wake me up faster than anything. I had had a dream where mama was chasing me with a broomstick! She was really angry and so determined to end me.

   Taking a deep breath, I prayed that dream never came true. 

  "It's about time you woke up!" Ben in all his annoying glory came out of what might be a... bathroom?. Yep! It's a bathroom. He left the door ajar. 

    He walked leisurely towards the bedstand with a... phone? My phone? MY PHONE!

   "Is that my phone you are holding!" he really hard the nerve to touch my phone. Every trace of that nightmare I had was forgotten. I left the bed to get my stuff back.

  "Yeah, she's just waking up."  He just totally ignored me and went on to speak to whoever it was on the phone, with that annoying British accent of his.

   "Give me my phone!" Damn his stupid height. He stood on his toes so I couldn't reach for my phone.

   "She wants her phone back." He used one of his ridiculously big hands to hold me off.

   "Give it to me!"

   "Just what I thought too. I don't think she knows the dipshit she almost got us into yesterday."

   "Give it to me!" "Who are you even talking to sef?" Whoever he was talking to right now. I don't like him... Or her. Especially, if it's a her.

   "Thanks again, Mercy. You really helped out." He then said under his breath  "Unlike this baby here"

I didn't know if he was mumuring to himself, but I heard it!  "Give it to me!"

  "She's being really persistent. I'm giving her the phone. Bye!" Finally, he let me have my phone back.

  "Mercy! Mercy! What were you two talking about? Eh?" I really can't believe she was the one he was talking too so casually. Like they were somewhat together or something. "Hello? Hello!" It took me a while to notice the other end of the call was dead. 

  She had cut the call!

  Facing the "thief" ( taking my stuff without my permission is stealing to me.); I stared daggers at him. "What were you doing with my phone?"

  Facing the mirror as he brushed his hair, He conveniently skipped my question and went ahead to ask me one instead. "Why did you keep your phone on silence?"

  That's not what I'm asking you— ughh! You went through my phone?" It was more of a statement than a question.

   "Your dad called. I couldn't just ignore it." He stopped what he was doing. "Do you know how many calls from him you missed because of that stupid setting?" He stared at me quizzically through the mirror in front of him.

  "Oh!" It was at that moment I knew that my nightmares were going to come true.  We were going to be in serious trouble. Mama was going to thoroughly deal with me.

   For the time that morning, I stopped to really look around. We were definitely not at home. How did I end up sleeping outside?

  "It's now you're coming to your senses." 

   "What happened? How did we end up here?" I could feel my head aching. I didn't like this kind of situation. In all my rebellious years, I have been careful enough to avoid this type of situation.

   "You remember that guy you were with last night?" Ben turned his back against the mirror, facing me. 

  "Yeah.... Dave my ex. "

   "You really had something to do with that scumbag? I mean he kept on saying you were his girl but I never thought—" Ben seemed to lost his cool for a second. "I thought you had  better taste in guys. That guy—"

   "Yeah, I know. I know, okay? He's definitely the worst ex boyfriend ever."

  "Did you know what he did to you?"

   That question reminded me of what happened last night. I was feeling all weak and so not like myself. And when that bastard touched me, I wanted to push him away. But I didn't. Instead I moaned instead.

 God! He...

  "That asshole drugged me!" I couldn't believe he'd stoop so low. I shivered as I realized he would have taken advantage of me if Ben had not been around. "Where's that fool? Where's he!" I should have known he'd try something like that. Through out our relationship, he had been wanting to touch me more intimately. But I had never let it go beyond a kiss. When I found out about his affair with that slut, I had... At some point, I blamed myself for his unfaithfulness. I had thought that maybe he wouldn't have cheated if I had let him have sex with me.

   But I have never been so glad to say no. It was clear to me now that he had been after the sex all those times, not me.

  "Calm down, Kelly. The —" 

   "When in the history of calm down have you seen a woman calm down just by being told to? "

  "Okay, relax. I —"

  "Shut up! I'll find him myself and deal with him." I found where my sneakers were and wore it. "He had the guts to drug me. That bastard!" 

  I had almost made for the door when Ben stopped me. " Don't worry, it's being taken care of by the owners of the lounge."

   "Then, I'll just assist them." I tried to push Ben away. I wouldn't tolerate anything stopping me from dealing with that fool. If he thought he could just drug me and go Scott free. Then, he's terribly mistaken.

    Ben suddenly wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. I'm sure it would look romantic in some terrible cliché romance novels. "You really need to calm down first." He whispered low enough to seduce any girl.

   "Leave me alone!" I tried to struggle out of his embrace. 

  "I will leave you but you need to be calm first." He said as he gave a pat at my back like I was some ravenous child!

  "Okay, I'm calm. I'm calm " I stopped struggling. I kept my cool longer enough for him to release me from his embrace. 

   "You sure you are calm?" He looked at me with doubts dancing across his face. He had every right to believe I was deceiving him. There was no way I was going to let my ex get away with drugging me.

  "I'm going to make sure he regrets the day he met me." I made for the door quickly again. But Ben caught me.

   "You are so predictable. " He held me tighter in his arms this time. 

   "But he deserves to be beaten."

   "And I have no doubt you'd do justice in that aspect. And he deserves it." He said calmly. That was the first time he had ever agreed with me in years. 

   "Then, leave me!" Why was he stopping me if he agreed with me?

  "You'd kill him!" He yelled. " I know you would. Or at the very least send him to the ICU in the nearest hospital. At this state, you're too angry and way more reckless than usual." And then he stressed the remaining words before releasing me. " YOU. NEED. TO. CALM. DOWN."

  "But he.... he..." I sat on the bed dejectedly.

  "I know pumpkin. Come here." He wrapped his arms around me. This time it was more comforting than annoying. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello hello 👋

I hope you're enjoying the story. Aside all the awful things that has happened, I think this is where Ben and Kelly set aside their diffences. 

 Their story is going to be a slow burn. So, if you're expecting a quick smut scene, then you'd have to read for awhile to get it.

Have a nice day ahead! 🤗