My Guardian Angel

Chapter 35

"Why don't you have Christmas decorations up?"

Ben glanced over at her as he stirred the sauce he was making. He smiled as he saw her holding a glass of wine in her hands, looking comfortably in his home. He turned back to the task at hand as he answered, "Never got around to getting any. Why?"

She shrugged as she said, "Because I fucking love Christmas and it makes me sad to see a house empty of Christmas decorations."

He bellowed out a laugh. "I am sorry to disappoint, my dear. Maybe you can help me with that next year." He kept focus on his cooking, not noticing her looking at him from his choice of words. If he did notice and did see her, he would have caught a hopeful smile on her lips.

It was a hope she prayed wouldn't betray her.

"Alright, this is ready," he announced. He dished up their plates and handed one to her before taking a seat next to her at the kitchen table. "How is it?" He was nervous as he watched her take the first bite.

She hummed as she chewed. "Holy shit, this is amazing," she chuckled.

"You seem surprised," he laughed. He took a bite and approved of it himself.

"Not surprised," she hesitantly told him. That earned her a pinch on the outside of her thigh. She squealed and playfully hit his arm as she laughed. Just as she was about to take another bite, her phone started buzzing on the counter.

She got up and went over to it. She gave Ben a signal to say she'd be a moment, then answered, "Hey, Mom!" She went into the living room as her mom talked at her a mile a minute, which wasn't unusual. The only thing Cassie could make out was that they were coming home early and in time for Christmas.

"We're having the usual Christmas Eve party, everyone will be there; your father and I are hoping you will be, too; we know you had plans to stay in, but we would love more than anything to see you!"

Cassie bit her lip and peaked into the kitchen. Ben wasn't touching his food, but rather waiting for her to come back to finish up. She smiled at the gesture. "I would love to, mom. Um...okay, weird question because I haven't mentioned this to you at all, but...can I bring someone?"

There was a moment of silence, then whispers in the background. "Who, sweetie? A friend? Is it Katie, we love Katie!"

Cassie rolled her eyes. Katie was their second child. "No, mom, it's...well, he's my boyfriend. It's new, but I think he'd be up for it."

Once again, more whispers in the background. "Hello there, Pumpkin!" Her father's voice rang. "Who's this boy you're bringing?"

She took a calming breath as she said, "Not exactly a...boy, dad. He's a little, um, older." She peaked into the kitchen again. She could see Ben picking up their plates and bringing them in. He gave her a sweet smile as he walked in and set the plates down on the coffee table. She thanked him with a quiet kiss on the cheek.

"How much older?" Her father suspiciously asked.

Cassie could see Ben's ears perk up from hearing the question. However, he did try to hide the fact that he was listening, even if it was unintentional. "Uh...like...nineteen or so years." Ben's head snapped to her in confusion.

"Woah, uh, well...uh..." She could hear her mom smack him somewhere and whisper arguing in the background. "...Of course you can bring him, Pumpkin. Just...wow, nineteen years?" Again, another smack from her mother.

"We'll make sure your room is ready," her mom assured. They hashed out a few more details before hanging up.

Before she could explain, Ben spitefully scoffed, "So I guess my job isn't as important as telling all your friends, is it? What, is fucking the new Professor getting you a higher social status?"

Cassie gave him a look that could kill. "Excuse you? Of course your job is important! And those weren't friends, Ben, they were my fucking parents! They're coming home early from their trip and asked if I could come for Christmas. I only asked if you could come along. Jerk."

With that, she stormed out and left his jaw a little slack. He scolded himself and smacked his head for being so presumptuous. One of his greatest fears in starting a relationship with a student is being used. Whether it's for grades or to be more popular, it made his skin crawl. It's one of the reasons he told himself to never do it.

Now, he's realized he's projected that fear onto her. "Stupid, stupid...goddamnit, Cassie!" He quickly walked into the kitchen, but she wasn't there. He went up to his room and breathed a sigh of relief to see her sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Cass," he softly called. He went over to her and knelt down in front of her. He took her hands and kissed them. "Darling, I'm sorry. I know you aren't that kind of person, I don't know why I act like you are." He kissed her hands again. "Please, my love, I mean it. I am so terribly sorry."

She sighed as she watched him kiss each of her fingers as he looked her in the eyes. "You're a real fucking asshole sometimes, you know that?" She asked.

He nodded as he told her, "I know, baby, I know. I like to think you're helping me with that bit." He gave her a small smirk and he got a soft one in return. He ran his fingers gently down her cheek. "I would love to go with you to meet your parents, if you still want me to."

She sighed and shook her head. "No," she glumly said, "it was a stupid idea. I mean, I know they'll be okay with it, with us, but...I don't really feel like it now. It's too soon, anyways."

He watched her eyes grow more sad by the second and he couldn't believe he caused it. "Hey, love, no. We're going. Don't let my stupidity get in the way. As for it being too soon, I don't much care. I'm forty-five, believe me when I say I can do fast with these things. Especially if it's with you."

He leaned up and pressed a sweet kiss against her lips. "I love you," he murmured against her lips.

Damn this man and his charm. She hated how easily she forgave him. It was becoming a bit of a problem, she thought.

"I love you, too," she honestly told him. "But really, we don't have to go, or at least you don't. It was stupid, really, I shouldn't have mentioned it."

He took her head in his hands and kissed her cheek. "It was not stupid," he told her. "I'm flattered beyond all measure that you want to introduce me to your parents. I want to meet them, I want to meet your family. I want to meet the people who helped raise you into the beautiful soul you are."

There he goes again.

"Oh, Ben," she softly cried. She hugged him around his neck and he held her tight.

"Don't listen to the shit that comes out of my mouth from time to time," he told her. "God, I'm just so afraid of something going wrong and losing you again. My guard is up and it will be up until you graduate. My brain automatically goes to pushing away, rather than talking it out. It's a defense mechanism, I suppose."

She looked up at him with teary eyes that he wiped at with his thumbs. "Why?" She innocently asked.

He sighed and gave her a sad smile. "Because I have been hurt too many times. The last woman I loved shattered my heart. She was the last person I dated and that had to be...oh, five years ago now. She was a friend for a while, then we became lovers, and then eventually a couple. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one she had."

"Oh no, Ben, I'm so sorry," she sincerely told him.

He shook his head at her apology. "You don't need to be. It's me that's sorry for continuously hurting you. I swear I'm trying, my love." He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

"I know," she told him. "Just try a little harder."

They both snorted at that. "Oh, I'm so glad I have your honesty to keep me in check," he chuckled. He kissed her again, and then again and again. "When do we leave?"