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

Thirty one: Serious Adult Relationships

    Benny and I stayed in the hallway, sitting with our backs against the wall, as Jamie and Macy talked. It didn't seem like they were fighting, we didn't hear any yelling or shattering of glass, which I think was a good sign. It had been almost twenty minutes and Chris and Julia had come back, retreating to their room—giggling—barely noticing us.

"So you think those two are..?" Benny asked, smiling a little, when Julia and Chris shut their door.

"Oh yeah. Definitely." I responded. I continued to stare at the parallel wall.

"Well good for them. I've been noticing some moony eyed stares for a while and it was getting annoying."

"Yeah, I'm happy for them.." I said, trailing off a little. Benny noticed and tilted his head to meet my gaze.

"Why do you say it like that?"

"No reason. I am." I looked down at my hands in my lap and frowned a little.

"Something wrong?"

"No.."

"You're a terrible liar."

I laughed a little and finally looked to him. "Nothing, it's just.. well, you know my opinion on relationships. It's just kind of.."

"What?" He asked softly.

"I'm not sure, painful I guess. Which sounds worse than it is, it's fine, I just kind of wish I could have something like that and not worry about it inevitably falling apart."

"Why do you have to? Why does it have to be inevitable?"

"Well, look at where we are, Benny. Sitting in a hotel hallway waiting for my best friend and her fiancé to stop fighting about their wedding even though there'll be another disagreement right around the corner. My mother had dated over fifty men in her lifetime and she was always hurt in the end. The one good guy she does find has to ship her body to me, and my father might as well have married a coffee bean."

Benny started to laugh at that and I Punched him in the arm. "Sorry, sorry, you put an image in my head." He cleared his throat and forced himself to go back to a straight face. "I get it, but you can't just rely on the few shitty relationships you've been witness to for reference. There's plenty healthy ones out there." I shrugged a little and looked back at my lap. "..have you ever been in a relationship?"

"Of course-!"

"Any serious, adult ones?"

"..one.. maybe."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"I had a few short ones in high school, and I've.. dated since then."

"But you've never had a relationship."

"Not really, no. But all the ones I had in high school blew up in my face."

"That's high school, Adelaide. That's how all high school relationships end."

"Maybe. But I promised myself after the last date I had—which was abysmal—I would never do it again."

He sighed and adjusted his hat, taking a moment to think. "Adelaide-" he started, but it was an unfinished thought. He tried again. "What about Jonathan?"

I looked at him and frowned, then scoffed. "What about him? I don't have feelings for him."

"But you thought you might, didn't you? When you first met, there was something, wasn't there? You're saying if when he kissed you, you did feel something, you wouldn't be with him right now instead?"

I thought for a minute, just staring at him, and then shook my head, forcing a little smile to show that I was indifferent to the idea. "No, I wouldn't."

He narrowed his eyes at me, not believing me. I rolled mine, over the conversation. "What if some high school crush, or boyfriend, asked you to dinner? Or whatever people do for dates."

"No." I replied firmly, folding my arms with certainty.

"And what if it were me?"

I was surprised, and extremely annoyed, by this response. "Huh?"

"What if I were to ask you on a date someday?" He said slowly, enunciating his words just to mock me.

I frowned before shaking my head a little. "No. Of course not."

A smile sprang to his face. "You're a terrible liar." And he got to his feet, strolling back to his and Jamie's room, leaving me on the floor.

Sometimes he was so damn cocky it made me want to knock his teeth out.

***

A/N:
Just doing a mini episode today so I tried to make it as entertaining as possible. Sorry! It's really late and I have to be up early tomorrow. But next chapter will be back to normal length so no worries. Hopefully I can get to writing earlier in the day but I'm more of a night owl and so it's easier to write late. Anyway, next chapter will be up soon, thank you for reading!! Please vote, comment or share if you enjoyed, it really helps me out and spreads this fanfic :))
Later lovelies <3

-Rat