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"babe!" ben bounded into the apartment with a lopsided grin upon his face. he tossed his bag and coat onto the armchair across from you and plopped almost directly on top of you on the couch. you laughed at him as he pulled you into a tight hug.
"what's up?" you ran a hand across his wild curls, and glanced across his face for a moment.
"i have news."
you sat up with him, your hands never leaving his. "extry! extry! read all about it!" you mocked his former character voice.
he shook his head, giggles emitting his lips. he caught your eye through the laughter and rubbed a thumb across his nose. this only encouraged the both of you to laugh even harder. when you finally calmed down, ben announced what he was oh-so excited about.
"i'm performing at feinstein's 54 below tomorrow night!" he pumped a fist into the air and waited for you to reply.
your face almost immediately fell. you had work the entire day tomorrow, and would not be clocking in your shift until almost midnight. there was no way for you to come and see him perform.
you frowned, "that's amazing, and i'm really excited for you. but i won't be able to make it."
ben's smile weakened, but he kept it tight. "no, no, it's okay. i understand. we need the money, for the apartment and stuff. i completely understand."
you leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. "i love you."
"love you, too," he grinned.
—
you scrubbed at the bar with your soaking wet rag, attempting to get out a stain that was glued onto the wood. you huffed in disapproval at the mark and tossed your rag onto it. no matter how hard you tried, it wouldn't come out.
your eyes flicked to the clock for the tenth time that night. you smiled lightly, seeing you only three hours left. three hours and you could fall deeply asleep into ben's arms with whispers pressed against your collarbone and fingers brushing your hips. you flushed red at the thought and moved onto a different task; pouring drinks.
five minutes later, your manager called you from your spot at the counter. you rolled back your shoulders and attempted to look alive. she grinned back at you and held it a check. you furrowed your brows at it, but took it between your fingers.
"what's this?" you fingered the paper.
she replied, "paycheck."
you glanced back up at her, "i don't get off for three hours. why're you giving it to me so early?"
"because i heard a certain someone is doing a very special performance tonight and you should be there. i would've let you off entirely, but i knew it doesn't start for another half hour. if i were you, i'd be halfway home by now to get ready." she winked at you and went back to her office.
you laughed at the conversation and tore off the apron tied around you waist. you grabbed your coat and tips before running out of the bar. you quickly made it back to the apartment and began throwing on makeup, clothes, shoes, and your purse. on a cork board in the kitchen, ben had pinned up a ticket to the performance with a note that said, 'just in case you're able to make it. love you.'
you sped out of the building and quickly caught a taxi further into the city. a hostess inside the lobby took your ticket and tore off of it off. you asked for the rest of it back and she set it into your open hand. you quietly opened the door to the main area of the restaurant, immediately being hit with the aroma of chicken and the sound of ben's singing.
you stepped inside and began shuffling towards your seat. ben's eyes moved to the new attendee in the room and his eyes lingered on you. you grinned at him and gave a small wave as you sat down. he didn't smile, but in his eyes you could his excitement grow.
after the performance ended, you attacked him plenty of kisses and hugs to make up for the minute of his performance you had missed.
