Chapter 39

I picked the call faster than I had the time to think of what to say.

I picked the call, trying to calm my breath and forcing every emotional mood I felt to take the back seat.

“Ally?” Elias voice came through the phone. He had a tone of disbelieve in his voice.

“Elias, sorry to bother. I know you’re quite busy and honestly, I didn’t know who to call.” I pressed the phone closer to my ear and scolded myself mentally for rambling on and on and wasting his time.

“it’s fine Allison, I’m glad you called”

“it’s Ben. He... he isn’t here.” I took in a deep breath trying to look for a way to place my thoughts right.

“He just up and left and, ... I think he might have gone there, to Birmingham, I don’t know. I just thought you would have known since you two are friends and all. His phone isn’t going through and...” I took in a deep breath. I refuse to think that he left me after the night we shared together. I shook my head, as If physically trying to keep the tears at bay.

“I’m sorry Allison, I don’t know, I’ve not heard from him today.” I tried as much as possible to reign in my disappointment.

“Oh” i choked back the tears, my voice breaking and my throat hurting at this point with how much I was holding back.

“I’ll keep in touch to tell you about everything if I hear from him” I was silent, unable to say anything since I was drained.

The tears i fought to keep at bay through out the phone call fell.

‘What if he is actually in trouble? What if he is in a ditch somewhere unable to find help, what if the only reason he couldn’t tell me where he went this morning before he left was because he didn’t want to wake me up from my sleep?”

I tried in vain to tell myself all this things but it was becoming more and more difficult to believe them.

I tried his phone once more. It rang, over and over but no one picked it up.

I was beyond devastated at this point.

There was only one thing I knew I could do.

Ben’s p.o.v

I was tired. I could not believe what the hell I had done, but it was the only to really confirm how I felt.

The night I had with Allison was amazing, only for one reason being the fact that I imagined her as someone else, Emily.

I didn’t mean for it to happen, but when I saw that scar along her skin, words from my friends and from Emily started filling my head up, I did the only thing I could do in that moment, I turned of the light and imagined her as my ex.

My ex who I didn’t have feelings for.

My ex who I could swear that I had no romantic feelings for, my ex who treated me like shit for the past teat and broke up with me in the cruellest way ever and most importantly, my ex who I couldn’t be with.

I had taken the car to Birmingham to see her. I knew for sure that all these feelings would come to an end when I saw her and it actually registered how she made me feel that day and how I wasn’t even emotionally attached to her.

I watched for a moment, how my phone rang. The name across the screen didn’t bring me peace as I always thought it would, instead, it made me unsettled and very very guilty.

I couldn’t pick it up. What was I going to say?

‘hey, I’m sorry you woke up without me by your side today but I am just realising that I don’t see you that way.?’ I scoffed at even that thought.

There was no way I was going to say that, so I watched it ring.

On arriving, I went straight to her house. I looked at the time. She was not going to be at home at this time bit I could wait. It was going to be worth it at the end when I cleared my doubt and went back to Allison. All these was happening because Emily had played with my mind. I knew I didn’t love Allison that way, but I still saw her attractive like any other woman, at least that’s what I thought until last night when this one woman could not leave my mind for the life of me.

I reached her house, staying outside in the cold as I already expected her to not be around. I checked my watch, bidding time to go faster.

“I thought you would be here” someone said from a little distance, but it wasn’t the voice I wished it would be.

“Elias” I greeted in an obvious annoyed voice

“Benjamin” he greeted back walking closer to where I was at. He opened the door and walked in Elias and Emily had always been close. I would have been jealous of their relationship if not for the fact that they were related.

“I didn’t expect you to be here” I said almost smacking my head against the pillar of the house.

“same” he said pouring into the two cups he had set shots of tequila.

It was quiet for a while, me quickly gulping down my drink and him just looking at his in his hands.

“Your girlfriend called.” I choked a bit on the already swallowed tequila. “she didn’t sound at peace or happy, and I figured you would be here”...

There was a bitter taste in my mouth and it wasn’t from the drink. It was from the annoyance I felt, knowing that he was talking to Allison. He didn’t get to come near my woman, my property that way

“back the fuck off Elias, and mind your business.” The warning evident in my voice.