What Lurks Beneath the Surface ✔️

chapter fifteen

A/N: The gif above is how I imagine Calista, a.k.a Gram. Angela Bassett slays always. 💪🏾

I take a seat on the unmade bed, staring at the cluttered hotel room. Benson grabs a bottle of water out of the mini fridge. He offers one to me before leaning against the wall, his shoulders sagged as he exhales.

"What happened ten years ago?" I get straight to the point. It's late, and I don't want to be here longer than I have to. "Alyx told me—"

"You talked to Alyx?" His eyes go wide at the mention of his ex-girlfriend's name.

"I had to. Your family wouldn't entertain the conversation," I spit back.

"That's the Beauforts for you," he mutters, exchanging his water for a beer. "They like to keep up appearances. Me? I'm a blemish on the family name. If they pretend I don't exist, they can pretend their lives are perfect."

I shake my head, uninterested in his woe-is-me speech. "I may not know the full story, but I at least know this: you're not a victim. You did something to my mother, and when people found out, they reacted. That's on you, not them."

Smirking, he says, "You remind me so much of—"

"My mom," I cut him off, rolling my eyes. "I know. People tell me all the time."

"Actually, I was going to say Gemma," he corrects me. "She was fearless. She always spoke her mind."

"She still does," I tell him, "but I'm not brave like her."

"Don't sell yourself short, Evangeline." He cracks open his beer and takes a gulp. "You're braver than you think."

I let out a heavy sigh. I just want him to spill his secrets, not feed me compliments. It's difficult to hate someone who makes you feel special.

"But anyway," he goes on, "your mom and I, we had a... complicated relationship. We started sneaking around the summer before I left for college. I was eighteen, and she was sixteen. I'd been in love with her since we were kids, and more than anything, I wanted her to be mine, but she didn't want anyone to find out about us."

"Why? Because she was embarrassed?" I toss back, hoping my jab stings a little.

Ignoring me, he continues, "Because she knew Gemma wouldn't react well. Those two had a strange friendship. They were best friends, but they were complete opposites. Raelyn didn't want to upset her."

"I think Aunt Gemma would have come around."

"That wasn't the only issue. Raelyn had a boyfriend. He was some punk kid who went to school with her."

I bite my lip, stifling a laugh. "So you guys were part of some Twilight-esque love triangle?" Shaking my head, I add, "I'm guessing she chose Edward over you, Jacob?"

He frowns. "That she did."

"I still don't see the issue. What happened that made your entire family turn against you?" I question him.

"Be patient. I'm getting there," he says. "Before I left for college, Raelyn and I ended whatever relationship we had. We didn't keep in touch, and while I was away, I almost forgot about my feelings for her. However, when I returned home for Christmas break, I learned that she was four months pregnant."

"With me," I whisper. "She had me at the end of her junior year."

"Bingo! I confronted her, of course, but she insisted that the baby wasn't mine. Foolishly, I believed her."

"If she lied, then how did you become Public Enemy Number One?"

"You can blame your Uncle Bowie for that," Benson says his name with so much contempt that it causes the hair on my arms to rise.