Turbulent Skies

Finally Face to Face

After the last song everyone filled out of the stadium racing to their cars hoping beat the traffic that is inevitable. 

"You still don't want to go backstage?"Grace asks with a smile.

I laugh. "No, I have some unresolved business to attend to."

Grace laughs, "You are so unromantic. It's Benjamin Weave, not a ten page paper. Be excited."

I want to I really do. But, I'm too nervous to be excited. A million questions swirl and I am fighting my self doubt.

Soon someone leads us back to the guys. When we walk in all eyes are on me. Nobody moves or says anything at first. Then I hear a voice behind me.

"How about a Coke?" He asks.

I turn around and find Ben standing behind me holding one.

I smiled at the fact that he remembered what I drank the last time we were here.

"Yes, I'd love one." I tell him and take it.

Ben jesters to the couch. I sat down and he sat next to me. We sat there in awkward silence for a minute.

"Why is it that before it was so easy to talk to you before but now it's awkward?" He asks.

"I guess it's because we don't know where we stand." I tell him.

Then I added "I liked your song."

"Oh thank you." He says.

"Um do I know the girl you sang it to?" I ask.

"Maybe, she and I had two days together then she, um she never called me." He shrugged. "It's okay; I don't think she likes me anyway."

"Oh how terrible,but,  are you sure she doesn't like you? You are Benjamin Weave after all. I bet she has a good reason she didn't call you." I tell him.

Benjamin smiles a little at that. "Oh yeah, like what for example?"

"Well hypothetically there can be hundreds of reason but I think one of the most forgiving is that the hypothetical girl's mother saw an article about Benjamin Weave and her daughter, she blew up, grounded her phone privileges and sent her to Harvard law school, oh and when the daughter did get phone back her contacts were cleared, and their only mutual friend was not speaking to this girl. I mean that's up there. Hypothetically speaking , I mean." I say.

Benjamin smiles even brighter, "And if you were me, what would you do if that girl hypothetically came begging for a second chance?" He asked.

I pretended to think about it. "Well, from what you tell me, I doubt this hypothetical girl would beg, but if you would just talk to her as Ben she might consider taking you back." I say.

"Oh really?" he says. "Sounds like your no stranger to heartbreak."

"There was one boy, but I don't think we have a problem anymore." I tell him.

"Well, I'm happy for you." He tells me.

"Oh I have one more piece of advice for you." I tell him. When you talk to your girl, don't talk to her in third person. Most girls don't like that." I tell him coyly.

"Oh but she isn't like most girls." He tells me. Drawing closer and closer. Right before our lips meet he says. "She's much much more," so close to kissing now. I hang on waiting to hear what I am.

"Afraid." He says.

Wait what? I pull away and slap him playfully. Benj laughs. I join in.

"I'm really glad you came, Natalia." Benjamin tells me.

"Me too, and to think if Grace hadn't talked me into hijacking your plane, this would never had happened." I tell him.

"Right, but if I weren't so persistent over a girl who I thought didn't like me and convinced her best friend to make up with her and get them to come to my concert you wouldn't be here either." He says.

"Ah yes you're a brave, persistent stalker, who didn't give up when most stalkers would have found another stalkie." I say.

"I am no ordinary stalker." He says defensively.

"You can say that again." I laugh.

"Natalia, will you be Benjamin Weave's girl?" He asks.

"No." I tell him. "Benjamin Weave's a jerk. "I will be your girlfriend, Ben."

He smiles.

"I think I like that even better." He says.

"Oh, would you two kiss already!" This came from Jonathan, the quietest of the band members. We must have been really sickening if Jonathon had to call us on it.

Ben moves my face back to his. "Well Natalia, should we give the people what they want?"

I think about this for a minute. "Only if what the people want is what we want. Promise?"

"That's an easy promise to keep." He says.

I get upon my tip-toes so I'm eye level with him. "So should we seal it with a kiss?"

He raps his strong arms around my waist and we FINALLY lock lips.

In that moment I choose to soar. I know that not only will I fly with him, I want to fly through any kind of storm as long as we can do it together.

"Yo, Natalia, do you have any more friends?" Caleb asks me.

I think about it for a minute.

"Have you ever been to Minnesota?" I ask him.

Sigh <3 <3

 I loved the banter between them. SO CUTE! 

So that is basically it. I am considering a sequel or a epilogue. I think there are a lot of unanswered questions. What did Natalia ever do about Harvard? Did she become a teacher or lawyer? Did she ever reconcile with her mom? What does the success of the acoustic song mean for the band? Do Caleb and Vivica become an item? Let me know what you think?

This has honestly been an amazing journey I originally wrote this story around 3 or four years ago then posted most of it two years ago. Giving this story a long overdue ending has truly been a pleasure. Even if I may not be any good writing is what I love and it has been a privilege to let you all meet these characters that all have a little piece of me. 

Thank you so so much for sticking around this long. I love you all so so much. If you liked this story please share with your friends.

Much Love   ~Katie <3