An unexpected meeting

Chapter 5

Hi guys! This is an extra-long chapter so I hope you all enjoy it. Also, it’s a happy (I think?) one so no trigger warnings :) I've also changed the style of writing a bit (in particular the way the speaking is set out) so any feedback about if it works, whether or not you like it etc. would be appreciated :) Now I'll leave you be and let you read it for yourself 

Morning comes and I make breakfast for Aiden – I am too nervous about my lunch with Benedict to eat anything. Despite me best efforts, my brother notices my preoccupation and gives me a confused look.

‘What’s up Ellie?’

I can feel myself start to blush and try my hardest to hide it. I can’t tell him about Benedict so I decide to give him the simple details.

‘Oh I’m meeting a friend for lunch in a few hours so I don’t want to spoil my appetite’

This is said with a slight grin and I’m relieved to see he finds this an appropriate explanation. We chat idly for another fifteen minutes or so before he excuses himself. I sigh and decide to do a bit of cleaning to pass the time before I’m due to meet Benedict. Half an hour later the apartment is spotless. Now that it’s almost ten I should really get ready. I eventually decide on a green long-sleeved shirt paired with jeans. After much deliberation I decide to simply leave my hair down. I guess this is as good as I’ll get. Although god knows why I’m trying so hard – he’s just a nice guy who’s sort of a friend. I call out to let Aiden know I’m leaving and then make my way downstairs and out onto the streets.

I know a lot of people hate it, but I’ve always loved walking through London. All the noise and people marching around me is a welcome distraction from my own life; as I study them I am able to push aside my own problems. I am about two blocks away from Chef Bourbon’s so I should arrive ten minutes early. Absent-mindedly I check to make sure my watch and sleeve cover the cuts on my wrist. I couldn’t bear to think about what would happen if he saw them. I am almost knocked over twice before I finally reach the café. I exhale and straighten my clothes before pulling out my phone as I prepare to wait for Benedict.

‘Elena! You’re early’

I turn around and see Benedict sauntering towards me, and find myself smiling.

‘Hi. So are you’

He comes to a stop in front of me and we both hesitate, awkward and unsure what to do. Do I hug him? He holds out an arm, and after a moment of surprise I slowly grip it carefully, still sure this is just a dream. Wow, he is such a gentleman. Who still offers their arm in this day and age?! We walk into the café where a polite and disinterested waiter shows us to a table near the back, away from prying eyes. I look questioningly at Benedict and he flashes a rueful smile.

‘I eat here quite often when I’m on a break. They treat me like everyone else and that’s getting more difficult to find nowadays’

I nod and give him a sympathetic smile. I feel so sorry for him in that moment, knowing that he has almost no freedom to do even simple things such as going for a walk, or eating out without being disturbed.

‘That must be really difficult. I would hate to be so limited as to what I can do in my own life. Just because you’re a celebrity doesn’t make you public property – you’re still entitled to respect and privacy. Which is why I never asked for your autograph. If it were at some kind of event where you appeared specifically for that purpose, then I probably would. But not on your own personal time.’

I finish to find him staring intently at me and feel myself blush. I didn’t realise I’d been ranting and suddenly felt embarrassed at my outburst. Why the hell are you saying all that to him? He already knows that better than you ever could! I clear my throat nervously and carefully look up and into his eyes, ready to apologise for my rambling. Before I can form the words, he speaks; it were as though he had been waiting for me to meet his gaze.