Bring Me To Life

Christmas part 2

Jenn's Perspective

After we had dressed and headed to the store to pick up our LV gifts, we decided to go out for lunch. The car ride was quiet, and my mind was still preoccupied with the dream that had been bothering me. I couldn't figure out why I had dreamt about him. Sure, I had seen Beau at the party, and we'd been texting, but I didn't have any emotional connection with him. I still considered him a great friend, though. He had always been there for me, even when things got rocky with Alex. But I was with Ben now. Ben was not only the love of my life, but also my best friend. Despite knowing each other for less than a year, I was convinced he was the one for me. He ticked all the boxes I had ever wanted.

Ben stopped at a red light, glanced at me, and asked, "You okay, princess? You've been unusually quiet. Is something on your mind?" He caressed my hand gently, then held it up to his lips, placing a tender kiss on my hand and smiling at me.

"Mhm. I'm okay, baby. I've just been lost in thought... you know, I tend to overthink things," I admitted, giggling softly as I looked at him. His eyes sparkled as the sunlight hit his face just right, and I couldn't help but be reminded of what made me fall in love with him - his deep, brown eyes.

"Alright, princess," he said, and as the light turned green, he continued driving. "I was going to ask, when is your mom coming?" he added.

"She should be here tomorrow, on the 24th, in the morning, around 3 AM," I replied, looking at him.

"Okay, sounds good. I missed your mom. She's so funny, and I love how our kids sing with her and have a great time. You know, my mom is coming as well, and it'll be the first time they both meet. Hopefully, it goes well," Ben said, glancing at me and smiling.

"I'm sure it'll go very well. My mom loves everyone and there's not one person she doesn't like," I reassured him with a giggle.

"Hmm, that's true," he chuckled softly as he pulled into the valet parking. Ben got out of the car, handed the keys to the valet attendant, and then walked around to my side, opening the door for me.

"Thank you, baby," I smiled at him, and he nodded softly. As paparazzi began to swarm around us, he held my Birkin bag for me and rushed me into the restaurant, protecting me. We reached our usual table, and the manager greeted us with a warm smile, knowing exactly what we wanted without asking.

"Babe, isn't that the same suit you wore at the Halloween party?" Ben teased, pointing to a woman in a red latex suit as she walked by.

"Oh, yeah," I laughed, feeling a bit nervous.

"You sure you're okay, babe?" Ben asked, concerned.

I sighed and finally decided to share the truth. "I... I had a dream this morning. It was about being intimate with someone else, and it's been bothering me all day."

His smile vanished, and he nodded softly. "That's fair. I've had thoughts about other women during our intimate moments." Ben got up and walked towards the men's restroom, leaving me in disbelief. Sighing, I decided to call Leah.

"Yeah, babe. What's up?" Leah answered immediately.

"I told him, and he said to me, 'That's fine, I think of other women when we have sex.' Who says that?" I said, upset.

"Bitch, what? I have your location. I'm gonna go over there and beat his ass," Leah responded angrily.

"No, Lee, it's okay. I've got this. I just can't believe he said that," I said, still upset.

"Maybe he was just upset, and that slipped out. I mean, I wouldn't want to hear Angelo tell me he had a dream about someone else. I'm not saying what he said was okay, but people make mistakes. Jenn, his ex said the same thing to him, remember? She had a dream, and look what happened. Ana is with someone else now," Leah explained, sighing softly.

"Ugh, I guess you're right. I'm going to talk to him," I said as a tear rolled down my cheek.

"Okay, now don't get crazy. Just be gentle. You both come from hurt, so talk it out, and then... well, you know," Leah said, trying to ease the situation with a soft laugh.

"Thank you, Lee," I said, appreciating her advice. We'd always been there for each other.

"You're welcome, babe. Love you," she said.

"Love you too. Bye, Lee," I replied before hanging up.

I waited for a few minutes for Ben to return, but he didn't. Twenty minutes passed, and Ben finally came back and sat down. He looked at the table and didn't glance at me. I touched his shoulder gently, and he looked at me with a look of pure anger.I rubbed his shoulder softly. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you stress. I just needed to get it off my chest because I felt guilty and confused about why I would dream something like that," I said.

He remained silent for a while, and the waitress came by to take our orders. We started eating, but Ben didn't say a word to me, not even a glance.

"So..." I said after we finished our food.

"I don't want to talk about it. Just drop it," Ben said sternly, a side of him I had never seen before. My stomach dropped, and it felt like I was a little kid again, being scolded by my dad. I wanted to speak, but it felt like I had a lump in my throat, rendering me unable to say anything. I felt nervous and worried.

The manager came by to check on us. "How was the food? Everything okay?" he asked with a warm smile.

"It was excellent as always. Thank you for your attentive service," Ben replied warmly, smiling."Of course, we always want to make sure you two are well taken care of," the manager replied with a smile, leaving the check on our table. Ben nodded, thanked him again, and the manager left. Ben got up, went to take care of the bill, and returned.

He took off his jacket and said, "Come on, it's pouring outside. We don't want your hair to get messed up." He handed me his coat, then took my Birkin bag. I nodded softly, took his coat, and followed him outside. I wrapped the coat around me to protect my hair and got into the car immediately. Ben shielded me from the paparazzi, helping me adjust my seat and fasten my seatbelt. He leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead before placing my bag between my legs on the car floor. Then he closed the door and went to the driver's side to get in. He started driving back home. I looked at him, surprised that he was still taking care of me, despite being upset.

To be continued...