Rewrite the Stars

Chapter Thirteen - Jail Time

After we have put away the groceries that we got, Benjamin pops one of the frozen pizzas into the oven. I guess I am staying for dinner after all. We sit on the kitchen table while we wait for it to heat up. I watch Benjamin read something on his phone with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Is everything okay?" I rest my elbow on the table with my cheek on my palm while my other hand pets Rusty's head.

My question seems to have brought Benjamin out of some kind of stupor. He shakes his head before answering. "Yes, don't worry about."

Once the oven timer dings, Benjamin takes the pizza out to the living room while I grab two wine glasses and a wine bottle. I guess I needed some liquor to help me relax from earlier events.

Rusty follows me out of the kitchen and into the living room where Benjamin is already situated on one of the sofas. I place the wine and glasses on the coffee table and take a seat beside him. He pours a glass and hands it to me before pouring a glass for himself. I grab a piece of pizza and start eating while he does the same as well.

I wait for him to start talking, but realize that he needs a little bit of a push. "So tell me what exactly happened back there?" I tuck my legs under.

Benjamin finishes eating his slice of pizza then clears his voice before speaking. "Where should I begin?" He asks.

"From the beginning." I take a bite of my pizza while looking at him and giving him my full attention.

"Okay." He sits up straight. "Cheryl came into town a couple of months after you disappeared." He looks at me and it doesn't go unnoticed by me that he used the word disappeared instead of let's say for instance moved away. I don't say anything though and I let him continue. "It wasn't long before she started dating Harry. Everyone warned her to stay away from him knowing that he isn't a clean guy. He deals with illegal substances. Even if there isn't any substantial proof against him yet, we all know it." I nod and he continues. "Cheryl of course didn't listen and kept going out with him. We noticed her a couple of times with bruises on her face. She hides behind her sunglasses, but this is a small town and nothing stays hidden."

I gasp. My hand instantly covering my mouth. "So he was physically abusing her?"

"Cheryl didn't exactly come out and say it, but everyone in town was talking about it."

"Didn't you ask her?" He is in a relationship with her so it only makes sense that he asked her at some point.

"Didn't need to." My questioning look makes Benjamin continue. "I was walking back home one night, and I heard someone crying. I'm so glad that I listened to my instincts and followed the source of the noise because it led me to one of the back alleys. Harry was manhandling Cheryl. Slapping her across the face and even kicking her." My eyes were wide like saucers. "The sad part was" he was quiet for a moment. "She wasn't fighting back."

"Oh god." Benjamin leaned forward and wiped a tear that I didn't know was falling down my cheek.

"How...How didn't anyone see them or even hear them?" If Benjamin heard them then someone else might have heard.

"It was really late at night." He tells me. "No one was out. It was by complete coincidence that I was passing by."

"So what happened then?"

"I yelled at Harry to stop and that got his attention, then I beat him to a pulp. No man should ever touch a woman that way!" Benjamin looks furious as he says that. "My dad has always taught me and Collin to love and cherish a woman. You never ever under any circumstance lay your hand on a woman that way."

I place my hand above his and he visibly relaxes. He raises my hand to his mouth and places a kiss there.

"Did you report him to the police?" I asked.

Benjamin lets out a humorless laugh. "That asshole reported me. He said that I assaulted him."

"Didn't Cheryl say anything? They must have asked her for a statement."

Benjamin shakes his head. "Cheryl refused to say anything. She pleaded with me not to say anything about her and not let anyone know. She said she'll just see a doctor in another town like she usually does."

"And you agreed." I state as a matter of fact.

"Yes." He nods. "She had already gone through enough. I didn't want to put her through something else. It wasn't fair to her." That's Benjamin for you, always thinking about other people.

"Then what?"

"I went to jail for assault. Harry had pressed charges." I figured as much. "I called Collin and told him everything that happened. He talked to the police and they told him they couldn't let me out until Harry dropped the charges. "

"What did Collin do?"

"He went over to Harry's place. Threatened him to drop the charges or he'll drive him out of this town, but not before telling the police about his illegal businesses. Collin told him he had proof of all his illegal doings, and that bastard Harry believed him."

I chuckle at that. "So he was bluffing."

Benjamin's mouth turns upward in a small smile. "He was. Harry dropped all the charges, but apparently he's a vindictive bastard." He said referring to what happened earlier tonight. I nod in agreement.

"And that is the story of how I spent a night at jail." He pokes my nose as if trying to lighten up the mood.

I give him a small smile. "Can I ask you something?" My voice is low and soft.

"Anything." He whispers.

"How did you and Cheryl start dating?"

Benjamin sighs. "Cheryl came a couple of days later to my house to thank me. We talked a bit and one thing led to another."

It was silent after that. I really didn't know what to say. I wanted everything he said to sink in.

"Too much to take in?" He asked and I murmured a yes.

"Come here." I scoot closer to Benjamin and he wraps his arms around me and holds me close to his chest. I listen to his steady heartbeat and relish in the warmth of his arms around me. I know we shouldn't be in such a position since he has a girlfriend, but I'm blaming it on the wine.

"Would Harry ever do something drastic?" I ask him.

"You mean hurt me?" I nod against his chest. He kisses the top of my head. "He wouldn't dare. He talks big, but that's all he's good at. A man who lays his hand on a woman is not really a man."

Benjamin holds me even tighter and before I know it my eyes starts to close and I fall asleep in his warm cocoon.

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