Stalemate // The Queens Gambit //Benny Watts x OC

Eleven: A Helping Hand

CW:
This chapter mentions blood, mild cvts, and sewersl1de. please continue with caution and enjoy <3
   

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   I wake up again, with a bottle of wine in my hands and a chess book in front of me. Seems it's becoming a habit. I groan a little and rub my face, forcing the drowsiness away. I check the time and sit up quickly when I see that it's 2pm, only two more hours until I have to meet my father and tell him. He'll be the first one I've actually told about mother, besides Benny but that was in a bar so it doesn't really count.

I go to the kitchen and set the bottle on the counter but I guess I misjudged the space between my hand and the counter because I only set half the bottle on the counter, and it ends up shattering to the floor.

"Shit." I mutter, not sure what do since I'm barefoot and can't step anywhere. I crouch, leaning over to the oven as much as I can to grab the towel. I yank the towel off the oven bar and fold it up putting it on the floor. I quickly hop onto the towel, then to the counter. Once I'm on the counter I cross my legs and take a second to catch my breath.

Right as I'm scooting over the counter to get off on the other side, someone knocks on the door, causing me to jump. "Goddamnit," I groan a little, this is the worst time to have company. "Come in!" I hear the door slowly open, then whoever it is steps in and shuts it. I glance at the glass and wine all over the floor, praying it's not someone who will care, then look back to the doorway to see who it is. And of course. Of course. Benny Watts peers into the kitchen with an incredibly confused and surprised look.

"Benny-? What- what are you doing here?" I ask, my voice rising a bit with embarrassment. He looks from me to the floor and steps fully into the kitchen.

"Uhh well, I was in the neighborhood and decided to see how you were doing. Which is somewhat obvious from what I just walked in on." He raises an eyebrow and I feel even more embarrassed, but mostly annoyed.

"I just dropped a bottle, okay? Maybe you shouldn't just come to people's houses with no warning." I say it harsher than I mean to, but I am annoyed. I hop off the counter and put shoes on, then get the mop.

"Alright, jeez, don't get snippy on me. Though you did say I could come in." He holds his hands up in surrender, muttering the last part, and my expression softens.

"Sorry. I appreciate you coming, but I have to take care of this and then get ready to go somewhere so.."

"Okay. I'll help." He takes his coat and hat off, rolling up the sleeves of his half-buttoned shirt. His wardrobe completely baffled me but I liked it at the same time. I hand him a roll of paper towels and we start mopping up the wine. "Well, it's good to see you didnt drink the whole thing. Have you been drinking more lately?"

I shrug as I try to scrub a dried spot of the wine in the grout of the tiles. "More than I would in a normal week, yes. But I'm fine. I'm coping."

"Are you? Or are you trying to push it out of your mind? Alcohol doesn't help you cope, Adelaide, it helps you forget."

"Calm down, pastor. It's not like I'm gonna drink myself to the gutter or anything." I try to say it in a sarcastic tone to lighten the mod but this only makes him more serious.

"Promise?"

"Yes, promise. Lighten up, Benny, I'm seriously fine." I knew neither of us really believed that, but he didn't say anything else. We continued to clean in silence. Once we were almost done, Benny pressed too hard into the towel and some glass dug into his hand.

"Ow-" he muttered, pulling his hand back and inspecting it. A medium sized piece of glass was stuck about half an inch into his palm, already bleeding profusely