Fate || BENNIFER

Not So Secret

Jennifer's P.O.V

"'A second chance at love. Is Bennifer back? Take a look at the first pictures of the couple rekindling their romance.'" I said dropping the magazine on the table. "This is... great."

"You knew it was a matter of time." Benny said.

"We've been extremely careful!" I sighed. "And look inside. 'No official announcement has been made regarding Affleck and Garner's divorce. Could this be a new not so secret forbidden love story?'"

"Well, that's a problem." He said taking the magazine. "You should talk to him. And make sure to tell everyone you consider necessary about the pregnancy. The world will know sooner rather than later."

"This is a mess..." I said as I sat down.

And so was my head. I wasn't sure how to approach the situation. We were no longer a secret, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hide the pregnancy long enough to avoid the media harassment. It was too soon. Too soon for the world to know. Too soon to take a professional break. Too soon to feel so exposed.

After knocking on the door, Ben came in at what seemed like the right moment, like he knew I needed to talk to him. I didn't want to bring it up, but I didn't really have a choice.

"Can you give us a minute?" I told Benny.

"Of course." He said standing up.

He walked out and closed the door. Ben turned to me with his hands in his pants pockets and raising an eyebrow. I took the magazine from the table and I held it out for him. He took one of his hands out of his pocket and grabbed it.

"Oh boy... I remember this day... I didn't realize I was being followed. I'm sorry." He said as he looked at it.

"That is not what I'm really concerned about." I said putting my hand on the magazine to lower it and get his attention back. "Ben... How's the divorce going?"

He walked to his left and put the magazine away, then he turned around to come back to me. I waited for an answer as he moved slowly, and the longer he lingered the more sure I was I wasn't going to like it.

"I've been waiting for the right moment." He didn't sound as confident as usual.

"The right moment? You haven't told her yet?" I asked confused.

"I will." He answered.

What was I supposed to say? I was surprised, shocked. His divorce wasn't something I thought about very often, but I guess I expected it to be solved by then. That wasn't like him. The Ben I remembered was a very committed man who would've solved that as soon as possible. Maybe it had been a mistake thinking it could be like the first time, like nothing had changed. Everything had changed, and now we had other obligations, ties, and new mindsets.

"When? When she sees your face on the cover of a magazine and realizes the world's known before her? Or maybe you need to hold this baby in your arms to realize this is no longer a game." I turned my back on him. "This is not fair to me... or to her."

"Okay. I know what you're thinking, but I promise this is something you don't have to worry about." He said.

His voice sounded closer until I felt his hands on my arms and his torso meeting my back. He took a deep breath and I could feel it. His heartbeat was fast and pounded strongly in his chest.

"We have already gone through this. Don't give them the pleasure of destroying us a second time." He said and kissed the top of my head.

I turned around and I nodded, then I looked up at him. He was trying to read me. A slight smile was my way of saying we were okay. He smiled back and wrapped his arms around, bringing me closer and hugging me tightly. All the tension that had grown in my body was now slowly fading away.

"Now let's throw this away." He said reaching for the magazine. "I don't even look good in those pictures." He joked.

If anyone could make me laugh in a tense moment, it was him. Although he probably meant what he said, we didn't look really good in those pictures. They were taken early on a lazy Monday. He got out of the car and I walked outside to receive him. I had my hair up in a messy bun, no makeup, and I was dressing all sporty. They weren't perfect, but at least they were real.