I'm Not Coming Back

When Jenna first stopped, she didn’t think that it would get her this heated. Although this woman in front of her was running her mouth about things she didn’t know about. Mentioning that her new little bake shop wouldn’t do well, and it would fail just like her last business. Jenna wanted to hit her, because it was her fault the first business failed and now she had the nerve to say otherwise was driving Jenna crazy. “You fucking bitch,” she said before heading straight for the woman, before she knew it, Benji was behind her pulling her away. Jenna put all her faith into that first business, she brought this bitch in to help her, then with a stab in the back, Jenna was suddenly pushed out of her own creation. Benji is one of the few people she’s told the real story too, when he pulled her away she turned to face him and grunted out of pure frustration and anger. “I hate her, I really really hate her.” 

Benji hadn’t wanted to stop in the first place. They could disappear quickly, head to the high school and see the basketball game that they had wanted to. The day had been all planned but then this bitch had to open her mouth. He held Jenna close, tightening his arms until he was sure that she wouldn’t actually scratch the woman’s eyes out. “I know you do. I hate her too.” As she turned her pulled her into a proper hug, “You don’t need to listen to anything that she says anyway.”

James was enjoying himself greatly this evening, he was mingling and knew that one of these women would probably come home with him that evening. The plans he’d made in his head were perfect, that was until they all came crashing down. One second he was chuckling and looking over his shoulder, the next he heard the word ‘husband’ come from a voice that was all too familiar too him, though one that he hadn’t heard in over a decade. He looked down to see the blonde in front of him, he smiled politely at the women in front of him. “My apologies ladies.” He smiled gently, before walking off with his wife of almost five decades. “I could ask you the same thing, I thought you were in France.” James looked down at the other blonde, he remembered when he’d first met this beautiful woman, he’d fallen in love with her very quickly. She was the reason he looked the same age, almost sixty years later. “So, what brings you back to England my lovely wife.” 

Tahlia could see that he was enjoying himself and that was the main reason that she had stepped in. Anything to ruin his fun. A decade wasn’t long enough though they were still legally married-- if anything Tahlia would have been happy to not see the man again. She raised an eyebrow at him, “Keeping tabs on me, are you? Well you were mistaken, weren’t you? I haven’t been in France for months.” She had loved him so much once, enough to curse him in the same way that she was cursed. “I live here. What’s your excuse?”

“Always a choice? When did I have that ‘choice’ you’re speaking of, Benjamin? Hmm? When I had the gun to my head? When I was strapped to a table being tortured? When I was locked inside a maximum security holding cell? When I found out they were watching me at all times and I couldn’t even piss by myself? When did I have a choice?” He spat, eyes glaring daggers into the other man’s own.  “ You saw them coming a mile away because you knew about them. I didn’t. That’s how you were able to get away. I didn’t have that fucking luxury because I had no clue these people even EXISTED. So, please… don’t sit there and judge me for what I had to do to survive!”

Silence fell, and in the midst of it, Raleigh turned, hooking  forearms through the cell door bars, elbows leaning heavily against the cold steel, trying to calm down the raging fire in his chest. While Benji spoke, he took in every single biting word from the other’s mouth. The truth stung the most, but there was no time to dwell or reflect, they had to get out. 

“There’s no catch from the inside that will magically get us out…but when a guard comes, I’ve got an idea.”

Benji stayed quiet as the other man yelled at him, looking down at the ground of the cell. Raleigh was right, Benji had no idea what the other man had been through. It wasn’t something he had ever imagined happening when he had left-- if anything most people had known that Benji and Raleigh had broken up at the time he had disappeared. “I knew about them because those girls found me. Because those seven year old children found me and begged me to save them. You didn’t have to turn us in!”

Anyone walking past the dressing room would probably be confused by all the laughter drifting out but he couldn’t find it in himself to be self-conscious. He was in love, the stupidly happy kind and everyone else could go fuck themselves. “Good point. I make good money now, you might as well get it all.” He shrugged, letting her go and shaking out his legs. He felt a zing of pride go through him at her assurance that he was romantic and tried not to let it go to his head. His arm mimicked hers and came around her waist as they left the dressing room. “Sounds like a fun plan to me. I’ll have to find a wheelchair. Where to next? What else do we need? My buddy’s stopping by tomorrow with the extra table and chairs so we don’t need those.” He asked, kissing the top of her head as they walked through the stores.

"I love you so much,” Cassie said, kissing him softly again before they paid for their items and walked out of the costume store. She leaned into his side as they walked, looking around the mall. They had so much that they needed to do but she didn’t want to do that right now, the blonde would have preferred to go home with her fiance. “The caterer will be over the morning of our party and I think we have all our decorations. Honestly Babe, I think we’re done.” She smiled up at him, “So when is your sister getting into town? And did she ever tell us if she is bring anyone?”