Page 79 of Crimson Promises
“I came looking for answers I know you wouldn’t give me.”
Ben looked like he would lose control at any second. He crossed his arms over his chest. “And you didn’t think you could try asking me? You had to lie to my face.” His eyes narrowed at that comment. My lie of going to Walgreens would be the last thing I thought he would focus on. “Then you had the audacity to somehow break into my apartment. I don’t?—“
“I didn’t technically break into your apartment. The door was unlocked,” I clarified.
He raised his eyebrows as if to say don’t go there.
“It’s a noteworthy point.”
“There wasn’t anything to find, was there?” He smirked a cold and hard smile.
I raised my chin, refusing to back down to his intimidation tactics. Even now, when he was cold and distant, that bond pulsed between us. I didn’t understand, and I sure as hell couldn’t explain this unexplainable pull to him.
“How do you know so much about me, Bennett? And don’t say it’s coincidental or we like the same snacks. We played that game at the library. There is no way you guessed all of my favorite things without some insider knowledge. Have you been stalking me? Did you hack my email, my phone?”
I started walking in a circle around the kitchen’s expansive island.
“And then at Vic and Darlene’s, you barely reacted when you saw that I could physically heal myself. You didn’t seem surprised at all. You didn’t have any questions. Instead, you just warned me that I shouldn’t speak about it to anyone and go on as if nothing happened. That isnota normal reaction. You should have freaked out, thought I was an alien, or never wanted to see me again. There are just too many things that don’t add up. I came here looking for answers, and I’m not leaving until you give me some.” I crossed my arms over my chest to mimic him.
“You need to leave, Aurora.” He took a step towards me, but I held my ground. If he wanted me to leave, he’d have to make me.
“No. You need to tell the truth. How much have you toldwasthe truth? Is your name even Ben? Has everything been a lie?” My face warmed, flashing back to the other night in that steamy car, our bodies pressed against one another.
“Nothing has been a lie. I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you want the truth, here it is: we have the same choice in candy. Millions of Americans like the same candy that you do. So, I guessed some answers correctly. Some of the answers I knew because you talked to me about them, like your mother’s necklace. Sorry to break it to you, Aurora, but answers like Chris Hemsworth and Grey’s Anatomy are basic answers and apply to probably the majority of ACU’s sophomore female class. All of this is not some secret sign from destiny or fate for us to be together. You are reading way too much into a situation. It’s honestly a turnoff. As I said, you need to get out here before you embarrass yourself further.”
I felt like I had been slapped. Somehow, in the span of a few sentences, he was able to embarrass me, belittle my feelings, and lump me in with the majority of females in my year. I suspected Ben had a temper, but I didn’t think he would be this much of a dick.
Spinning on my heel, I headed towards the couch, sat down, and crossed my legs. It was surprisingly more comfortable than I anticipated.
“You can say whatever cruel insults you can devise, but I’m not going anywhere. My gut says there is more to this. So, you may as well answer my questions and get this over with. You’ll never hear from me again after this if you don’t want to.”
Ben followed me around to the couch. He placed both arms on the back of the sofa, caging me in. “Don’t be a bitch, Aurora. I thought you were better than this,” he sneered.
I shouldn’t have done what I did, but I couldn’t help it. My body had a mind of its own at this point. A loud smack echoed in the industrial-style loft when my hand connected with Ben’s cheek. Immediately, I snatched my hand away and tucked it close against my chest.
He jerked his head back and then pulled himself forward so his nose was touching mine. His hands remained braced on the sofa the entire time “What. The. Fuck?”
Each word felt like a stab wound.
Suddenly, it seemed the light had gone out around us. I tipped my head back. On either side of Bennett were two gray wings blocking out the light.
Ben followed my gaze and staggered back a few steps. One second, the wings were there, and the next, they were gone.
“What was that?” I asked with horror.
Ben ran his fingers through his hair, pulling at it so it stuck out in many directions. He just kept mumbling curse words over and over again.
Every instinct inside told me to run, but the vulnerable look in his eyes kept me there. The usual shutters over his eyes were gone, and the demons floating there stood out against the sun streaming through the studio's large windows. They were dancing malevolently behind his beautiful evergreen depths. Bennett had experienced pain. But the agony I saw there was a hurricane threatening to batter everything in its wake.
My body tightened.
Something inside me stirred to soothe the pain, to be the calm after the storm, so that was what I did.
Tentatively, I wrapped my hand around his elbow joint, expecting him to have some violent reaction, except all he did was remain as still as stone.
Tingles slithered down my back as I sucked in a breath, staring speechless at the open torment in Ben’s eyes. The molten lava coursing through my body cooled.
“Talk to me,” I urged.
