Between You And Me
Chapter 7
By: Sarah
The first two days without Benji around were torture. Both Maygen and me were pretty miserable. We just kind of moped around and gave each other sympathetic looks. The third day wasn�t as bad though. Jordan made us go out and we all had a great night, and I was able to forget about Benji for the night. But, when I got home, that all changed.
I stepped into my room and peeled off my clothes. Everything seemed really empty without him around. My hair felt slightly salty and I ached to take a shower. I was about to slip out of my underwear and into my pajamas, when my cell phone rang. My heart jumped in my chest and I ran to my purse, tripping over my shoes as I did. I grabbed my phone and sure enough, it was Benji. I smiled broadly and answered it.
� Hello?� I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
� Hey there.� He said. I missed his voice.
� I miss you.� I smiled and laid back, staring blankly at the ceiling.
� I miss you too, Nic.� He said. He sounded tired, or upset or something. But I wasn�t exactly sure what was wrong.
� Everything ok?� I asked. I heard him clear his throat.
� Yea, I�m just tired. I might be getting a cold or something.� He said. I frowned.
� Oh�well don�t work too hard. Go to bed early�drink orange juice, you know.� I smiled, playing Mommy. He groaned good-naturedly, chuckling the whole time. � Did you meet Chad yet?� I asked.
� Yea, he�s awesome. He�s most likely gonna stay with us.� Benji said, sounding happy and relieved at the same time. I smiled, genuinely happy for him.
� That�s great, Benj. I�m really glad.� I said.
� So, what�d you do tonight?� He asked.
� Went out to dinner with Jord and Mayg.� I said.
� Ooh, have fun?� He asked.
� Yup.�
� I miss you so much.� He said suddenly. I laughed, shaking my head.
� Why exactly do you miss me?�
� I dunno. I just do.� He said. � Ahh geez, I wish I wasn�t here. I wantttt you.� He said. I blushed, and smiled to myself.
� I wish you were here too, Benj. I�m about to go to bed and it�s going to be so empty without you�� I said. Benji was quiet on the other side for a second and then he laughed softly.
� Don�t do this to me, Nic.� He groaned. I laughed, slipping underneath the covers.
� I just wish you were here�hugging me and holding me.� I whispered. Benji made a little sighing noise and then he started laughing.
� Don�t�don�t Nic. Don�t say that. This is torture.� He said. I smiled, laying back against the pillows. It was torture for me too.
� When I come home, we can make up for lost time.� I said with a smile. He groaned and then started rambling various things, which made me smile.
� Are you excited about moving in with me?� He asked. I smiled to myself. I hadn�t stopped thinking about it since he�d offered.
� Very excited.� I said. � We can make love every day�� I drifted off and he started humming loudly.
� I�m not listening to you, not listening to you. La la la la laaaaaaa.� He said. I laughed and then groaned.
� Ok, fine. I�ll stop.�
� Ok, good. Thank you. It�s torture not being with you. I don�t like sleeping alone�I�m afraid of the dark. � He said. I laughed, shaking my head.
� It�s not my fault you had to go.� I said softly.
� Gah, I know.� He said with a mixture of bitterness and playfulness in his voice. I smiled and then flicked on the TV.
� I guess I�ll just watch TV.� I sighed. � At least the TV will never leave me stranded in Hawaii.� I said, smiling. Benji only groaned. I was glad I was making him suffer.
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I was only in Hawaii for two more days before I realized that I had to go home. It was just too hard. I just hated knowing that he�d be going on tour in only a few months or weeks and we were spending this time apart. Jordan and Maygen understood completely, and Maygen even considered coming home early with me. But, both of us knew that her and Joel would make it through the hard times. Me and Benji�well we were another story. I just wanted to see him. I was aching to hear his voice and feel his lips on my skin.
� So you�re gonna surprise him?� Maygen asked. I glanced at the walkway to the plane and nodded. I had figured that surprising him would be the best thing to do. The look on his face would be priceless.
� I talked to him the other day and he said that he had tonight off, so he was planning on just sleeping and staying in.� I said. She nodded.
� Tell Joely that I miss him.� Maygen smiled. I nodded and gave her a quick hug.
� I will.� I nodded. � You and Jordan have fun and I�ll see you in a few days.� Maygen nodded and squeezed my hand.
� Have fun flying.� She smiled. I laughed and nodded, then moved away, toward the exit.
� See ya. I can't wait to see him.� I said with a sigh. She laughed and shook her head.
� Go home and see your man.� She smirked. I giggled, feeling like a teenager. I couldn�t help it though. I felt so relieved that I would be home soon, and with Benji.
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The plane ride wasn�t so horrible. I just focused on Benji and how awesome it would be to surprise him. I was hoping he�d be asleep when I got there so I could just climb in bed with him and snuggle up close. The thought of his warm sheets that smelled like him and the cute way he would bury his face in my back as he held me made me ache for him. By the time I got back to Maryland it was dark. I went home and stayed long enough to change and grab some food, then I hopped in my car and made my way over to his house. I had been lucky that Farah wasn�t at the apartment when I got there. I wouldn�t have been able to deal with seeing her, feeling her glare at me and listening to her smart ass remarks. I just wanted to see Benj.
Driving up to his house, my whole stomach was a wreck. I was nervous and excited to see him. I loved how I still got this way when I thought about him. When I pulled into his driveway, I noticed Joel wasn�t home. He was probably out with the other guys. Benji�s Explorer was there, and I prayed that he�d been the bum he usually is and stayed in. I quickly parked behind his car and let myself into the house.
The house was quiet, and dark. All the lights were out, so I guessed that Benji was sleeping. I smiled softly to myself and made my way toward his bedroom. I knew the way there by heart. I could see a thin strip of light coming from his door, so I knew that he was home. My heart skipped a beat. I slowly walked to his door and opened it without making a noise.
I had expected to see him in bed, watching t.v. or sleeping, but it wasn�t exactly what I saw when I opened the door. Benji was sitting on his bed, his hair was messy and dark around his face. He was wearing his boxers and an old tshirt. Normally, this would be a normal thing to see. Normally I would have ran into the room and kissed him and threw my arms around his neck. But I didn�t. Why? Because, Benji wasn�t alone.
At first I wasn�t sure if I was seeing things. At first I only opened the door wide enough to see Benji, sitting on the bed, staring at something on the other side of the room. At first, I wasn�t heartbroken. But then, I opened the door the whole way. No wonder Farah hadn�t been at the apartment. She had been with Benji.