Ben stood looking around him in a daze of disbelief. He'd only come to let her know he'd gotten a job in landscaping through the shelter, and to discuss paying her back for the lawyer. But now…
He glanced towards the closed door where Ciara had dragged her roommates, Tripp & Claire. He tensed & had to fight not to rush in once again at the sound of a high pitched, raised male voice. He was surprised he hadn't heard another whinier, even higher pitched voice rising periodically as well, but it seemed that the women could control themselves unlike the guy with them.
He just hoped Ciara was ok. She didn't deserve to be attacked because her big heart couldn't resist being kind to him. He closed his eyes as her face filled his mind. Kindness had been incredibly rare in his life so far, especially after he'd lost himself so completely that he'd become a serial killer. For most people, it seemed to reaffirm his unworthiness to be the recipient anything good. But not for Ciara.
She'd listened to him as he'd cared for her in the cabin and she had heard & believed him. Believed IN him. Aside from his doctors & his new boss, she seemed to be the only one. Her mother certainly didn't. He hadn't worked up the courage to reach out to Jordan yet so she was out. And neither of her roommates seemed inclined to give me a shot either. He sighed heavily at the thought.
Wanting to help Ciara & end the tension, he reached for his bag and headed for the door. "Where are you going?"
He turned to find those doe eyes trained on him. He'd been so deep inside his own head he hadn't heard the door open. It took him a long moment more to acknowledge the two people flanking her as she exited the bedroom. "I never wanted to be a problem for you so I was gonna head out."
"Ben, we've talked about this," Ciara replied rushing a bit unsteadily to his side. He instinctively reached out to help stabilize her. "You're not going anywhere. In fact, we took a vote & you'll be staying in Claire's old room since she commandeered Theo's when he left town."
He realized he had never dropped his hands from Ciara's body when suddenly she was pulled away from him. She stumbled, righted herself and put space between herself & Tripp with a frown at his aggressively possessive behavior.
Ben let his eyes bounce between the two before responding. "That's really nice, but are you sure? I don't want to be a burden."
Tripp scoffed, but before he could continue, Claire interjected. "Look, this situation is clearly not ideal, but if my Great Grandma trusts you & thinks you are safe—"
"Who?"
"Marlena," Ciara supplied. "And she's right. Unlike some who think they know best, Dr. Evans is a trained mental health professional. I trust her to be fair, unbiased, and ethical. And she says you're not responsible for the fire & she'll be helping you with your treatment. I know she can help people see how much you've changed."
"I can't tell you how much it means to have you believe in me," he said, focused intently on Ciara for a moment before remembering they aren't alone. "You, too, Claire. Before I got kicked out of the shelter, I got a job so I promise to help out."
"How about you save it for a down payment when you can afford to move out?" Tripp huffed resignedly.
"Exactly!" Claire chirped.
Ciara's face fell for a moment, but then she tossed Tripp a smile & a nod before returning her attention to Ben. "See! It's all settled."
"You… are very stubborn," Ben sighed, looking down. "And very sweet. And if you're sure—"
"We are," Ciara replies firmly causing Tripp to close his mouth with a huff.
"Then I guess it's settled," Ben agreed looking deep into Ciara's eyes. "Thank you. All of you."
"Follow me & I'll show you your new room." Ciara happily grabbed his hand & dragged him behind her despite her slight limp.
"Fuck!" Tripp snarled once Ciara was out of earshot.
Claire sidled up to him and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?"
"Well, I don't know. I'm living with a serial killer now," Tripp hissed. "What do you think? And how could you vote to let him stay?!"
"I had to, Tripp," Claire swore, looking up at her target with sad, hopeful eyes. "Ben said it. Ciara is stubborn, and she can also be loyal to a fault. And the more we push her to turn her back on Ben, the more she feels the need to defend him & her friendship with him. It's already driving a wedge between her & her mom. It's also causing problems between you two from the looks of it. I just got her back in my life as my friend. I don't want to lose that again."
Tripp sighed & plopped down on the couch. "Fine," he grumbled. "I get not wanting to push her, but to say yes to him staying here?"
"She was on the verge of leaving with him, Tripp!" Claire sat next to the other blonde taking his hand. "She threatened to move out & use her trust to get them an apartment. What was I supposed to do?"
"She was bluffing!"
"Was she?" Claire asked. "Didn't sound like it to me. I have known Ciara my whole life. She can be incredibly kind & loyal, but she's also incredibly stubborn. If she feels like Ben is a victim of circumstances & she is the only one who will stand up for him, she won't hesitate to do it. Just like with—"
"Just like with what?" Claire clammed up & looked away. Tripp turned to her, gently grasped her chin, and turned her back to him. "You can tell me. Just like with what?"
"Just like with Chase," Claire finally admitted. "His Dad was a total psycho & it messed him up pretty bad when it all came out. But Ciara stood by him & stuck up for him." Claire paused to look down at their clasped hands. "Even when he started getting into trouble. She only saw the good in him. She just thought he was troubled & needed support. Chase mistook her kindness for something else and—"
"I get it," Tripp huffed, running his hand through this blonde locks. "Then you did the right thing. At least this way, we can be there for her & protect her."
"Exactly."
"This is touching," Ciara said, standing near the entryway staring at them in their apparently intimate moment on the same couch she found them almost having sex on. They jerked away from each other & looked up to find Ciara looking hurt & angry as Ben had placed comforting hands on her shoulders. "Let me guess. More news about your dad?"
"W-we were just talking," Tripp stuttered, as he jumped up putting more distance between himself and Claire.
"Uh-huh," Ciara said glaring at them. She spun around suddenly to look up at Ben. "Like I said, there are extra towels in the hall closet over there so enjoy your shower. I'm going to call it a night."
"Ciara—"
"If you need to talk," Ben whispered just loud enough to be heard by everyone, "you know—"
"I know. Now go clean off that—" she waved her hand in his direction.
"Funk?" Ben replied with a conspiratorial smirk, earning himself a light laugh.
"Yeah," she chuckled. "Good night."
"It's getting late, so I think I'll turn in now, too." Claire added hurrying off to her room. "Nite, guys!"
Ciara moved toward her room when Tripp stopped her. "Ciara—"
"Good night, Tripp," she said with finality as she slammed the door in his face.
Tripp turned to unleash his frustrations on his new roommate just in time to see the bathroom door close as well.
