Feeling Faint (BxB)

Chapter 11

River and I come back to the front counter and he pulls Emerson aside. I make a beeline to Ben and sit beside him. He looks up from his screen to give me a soft smile, and my heart melts. His green eyes might be behind his frames today, but it doesn't stop me from appreciating the vibrant color.

Even as I stare into his eyes though, I can tell something is off with him. I rest a hand on his arm and nudge him.

"Won't you tell me what's wrong?" He looks away, not meeting my gaze as he responds, "I'm fine, I'm just a little tired." He yawns, coincidentally proving his point. "I can tell." I say gently.

"How about we go back to your house and you can take a nap? I'm sure they'll be fine running things here. We've already got the new things put away, and Emerson is taking care of the event planning. Plus things are quiet today." He bites his lip and shakes his head after a moment of thought. "No, there's still a lot of planning to do."

River comes up behind us and rests a hand on Ben's shoulder. "It will be fine. Em's got things handled here." She nods from across the counter at us as River continues. "I'm coming with you guys. I'll drive and cook something for lunch. Then you guys can just relax."

Ben looks at me with an indecisive expression, and opens his mouth to argue. I cut him off with a whisper. "Please." I rest my hand on his and look into his eyes. "O-okay." He stutters.

River turns to Emerson. "Call me if you have any questions or final decisions we need to run over." She nods, and I slowly rise, trying to avoid another dizzy spell.

I blink a few times and put my head down, trying to get rid of the black spots that are dancing in my vision. I put my head up to find Ben looking curiously at me. Without a word, he puts a hand on my arm to steady me and guides me out the door of the shop, the bell dinging.

River follows behind us as we trek to the car. "Ben give me your keys. I'll drive." He nods and searches his pockets, pulling out a set of keys. I realize that he must be even more tired than he's letting on, since he's not protesting like his usual stubborn self.

Ben opens the back door of the car for me and then slides in next to me. River starts the car and we head down the street. Ben has his eyes closed and his head rests on the back of the seat.

An odd feeling of warmth and comfort runs through me as I imagine what it would be like for him to rest his head on my shoulder. Reality crashes around me and I look out the window, remembering the last person I imagined being with. A wave of sadness falls over me and replaces my good mood.

We pull up to the apartments after a short ride, and I look over to see that Ben's glasses have slid down his nose. "Ben." I say in a low tone. He opens his eyes and turns to me. "Hi. What can I do for you?" He says with a teasing smile. "...I thought you were sleeping." I say, feeling my cheeks heat up. The smile falls off his face and I catch him mutter, "I wish." He climbs out of the car and I'm left to follow.

We head into Ben's apartment and kick off our shoes before piling onto the couch together with Ben in the middle. "You guys want me to make food or just order something?" River asks. Ben shrugs, rubbing his eyes. "Doesn't matter to me." River looks at me, and I shrug too.

"You can just order something. Then you don't have to go through all the work of cooking." "Alright, anyone opposed to Chinese?" River asks. We shake our heads in response. I look over at Ben, noticing how absolutely exhausted he looks. "Ben you should try to take a nap." I tell him.

He lets out a large sigh. "Then you're coming with me." He retorts, getting up and grabbing my arm to pull me off the couch. I bump into his chest as I rise and for just a moment, I'm frozen. He doesn't seem to notice, even though adrenaline is pumping through my veins.