Stars in her Eyes

The Visit

You arrive home, streaming with tears. You cannot believe that you embarrassed yourself like that! The review of Benedict’s film is already on the Stars in her Eyes magazine’s website and is going to be in tomorrow’s edition. The interviews are on YouTube and are getting great results. His film was good, he was good, and all was good except for the damage on your head and arms. ‘All part of the job’ you think as you head over to pour yourself a glass of wine.

The wine you pull out of the fridge is almost empty from drowning your sorrows last night. You are about to pour the remains of the bottle into a glass until there is a knock on the door. ‘Who can that be?’ you think as you reach for the latch. You open the door and Ben is standing on the other side, you cannot believe it. “Mr Cumberbatch, what are you doing here?”

Your jacket is no longer on and is sprawled across the floor leaving your arms bare, revealing the bruises left by your step-father’s hands. Your eyes are sore and red from crying and your fringe is no longer neatly covering the gash to your head. He looks at you, shocked by the sight of you, trying to recognise who you are. “You were upset y/n. I couldn’t leave you like that. Anyway I thought I told you to call me Ben.” He is a gentleman figure and his voice rolls off his tongue deep and huskily.

You look down at the floor wanting the ground to swallow you up. “How did you know where I live, Ben?” You step aside letting him inside your apartment. It is usually tidy but because of last night’s events you could not be bothered to tidy it up, this makes you a little embarrassed.

“You told me your name y/n, and I knew where you worked. It wasn’t difficult tracing you back to this wonderful apartment. So many windows, a balcony, south-facing as I can work out and so much space! I love open plan, this must have been pricey.” He sounds like an estate agent.

“It was but I used the money my mother left in her will to get away from my step-father as soon as possible. Spending the day with him is enough of him for a lifetime!” You stop quickly, realising that this could turn into a rant. You realise that Ben is now sitting down and he signals you to the sofa. You sit down and he looks at you, concerned with his piercing blue-green eyes.

“Bruises, cuts this is not normal. Your step-father, he did this to you didn’t he?” It is like he reads you like a book.

“How did you know Sherlock Holmes?” You both smirk at this slight joke you make.

“The way you speak about him, you don’t want to spend time with him but you have to that must mean he is the boss of Stars in her Eyes magazine and when you speak of him, your hand trembles. I sound like Sherlock deducting!” He begins to laugh, which makes you smile and giggle. It is like his laugh is contagious. You should probably offer him something to drink but after last night, there is not a lot.

“I would offer you a drink but I kind of have none.” He pulls a bottle of wine out of the inside pocket of his jacket and passes it to you. ‘Does he always have wine on him?’ you think but you are just please that there is alcohol to pass the time.

“Thank you” you take the wine and walk over to the counter and begin to pour it into two separate glasses. You can guarantee that it is a lot better than the wine you buy and a lot more expensive. You stand there wondering, where is his visit going?