Gilded Butterflies ✔

13 ♡ solace

Nora stood outside her apartment block with no idea of what she would do. As much as she hated to admit it, Oliver was right; she had no one. Spencer lived on the other side of town and would take at least two hours to get to. Madeline lived with her fiancé and Nora didn't want to disrupt them. Her mother probably wouldn't even answer the door. That only left one person; Ben. Were she and Ben even that close? Was it socially acceptable to ask him for a place to crash. A hotel was out of question because she didn't have enough cash and she left her wallet inside. One thing she was certain of was that she would never return to that apartment again, at least not while Oliver was in it. She did however have enough cash for a taxi and ended up deciding to go to Ben's. She had no other options.

  One lonely taxi ride later, Nora rolled up to the Nakamura residence. His house seemed deserted and dark. None of the lights were on. Only the orange hinge of the sunrise illuminated the mansion. 

  She struggled with the weight of her bag before lugging it onto her back and walking up to the door. She was about to ring the doorbell before realising the baby was probably sleeping. Instead she sent a quick text to Ben and waited. A few minutes later she heard the door locks open and behind the door stood a shirtless Benjamin Nakamura. He wordlessly opened his arms and Nora collapsed into them, falling into a fit of sobs.

  "I-I-I'm so sorry. W-we j-just b-b-broke up-"

  "Sh, it's okay." He gently rubbed her back. "It's okay. You're free now."

As she cried onto his bare shoulder, Nora already felt a tiny, minuscule shrapnel of pain unlodge itself from her heart. She was lucky to have such an amazing friend.

  Ben took her bag from her and escorted her to a grand guest room. The room clearly had a feminine touch and Nora wondered if it had been designed by Ben's ex-wife. Nora looked at the king-sized plush bed with a dull sadness and wondered what it would be like to sleep alone in a bed for the first time in a long time. Before the his love for drugs was reignited at that frat party, Oliver, contrary to belief, was a pretty decent guy. In fact, Nora used to look forwards to that daily hour they'd spend together in bed before sleeping, talking and talking and kissing and doing other stuff; it was pure bliss.

Ben let out a yawn before quickly covering it up by pretending to stretch his arms. Nora instantly felt bad for causing such hassle.

"B, it's okay. You can go sleep."

He shook his head and opened the closet to take out a t-shirt for him to wear. As he quickly slipped it on, Nora used the split second opportunity to admire his abs and chest while the shirt was over his eyes. She quickly diverted her eyes to the floor when his face was unveiled again.

"Would you like anything to drink or eat?"

Nora stared idly at the ill-fitting silver band around her ring finger. She had forgotten to get it tightened. She wouldn't have to anymore. She didn't know whether to take it off or leave it on. Deep down, she knew why; she was struggling to accept the fact that she had just broken up with Oliver. Oliver! Curly-locked, green-eyed, dimple faced Oliver that she had had a crush on all through high school. How could the Oliver that stood in front of her mere hours ago, the drunk and high monster, be the same guy who brought her to a private beach for their first date. In the six years since that date, had Oliver really degenerated to such a dramatic degree? Was it her fault? Was he right when he called her controlling? A dull ring of guilt and regret echoed in her chest and as much as she tried to turn it off, she couldn't bring herself to.