PART 10
He stood there watching as Gwen's form shrank more and more before she completely disappeared from his view like a vision, like a mirage. Once again he felt betrayed, betrayed by the person he loved most. He had just wanted to reason with her, to convince her that not everything was what the eyes beheld. And what had he received in return? Accusations that were heavy enough to crush one under their weight; mockery comparable to those an angry crowd would reward a condemned criminal in the old days. Again his mind wandered from one to another: from Gwen to Kevin, from him to her. He experienced hurt the hurt caused by Gwen, but like on many other occasions rage gripped its icy fists at his lucky rival. His mind once again reminded him how deeply he despised Kevin over this.
Ben did not close the door…he shut it with such a force that it could have seemed that the anger of Rath, the unparallel might of Way Big, and the detestation of Ghostfreak united in one and possessed him.
He did not hear her approach him from behind, for his ears had disobeyed him, and only the light weight of her hands falling on his shoulders informed Ben of her presence.
"You saw everything," he quietly spoke, not a question but a confirmation.
"Yes," sounded the gentle voice behind his back.
He was not surprised; he knew about her skills. She after all did manage to watch them from a distance back four years ago.
"So what are you going to say about my behavior in Gwen's presence?" he continued, his back still turned to her.
"Nothing. I do not need to be a telepath in order to understand what you might be going through at the moment. Just make a deep breath and try to clear your head."
He did as she recommended. It did take a bit but just as Gwen's figure disappeared from his sight what seemed and actually were only minutes before, so did his thoughts fade into nothing, leaving only their marks, leaving only their steps.
He shook his head slightly so to completely overcome the paranoia that had completely consumed him in the result of the "discussion" with his cousin. He put his hand to his forehead, at least being thankful that he did not belong to the category of people who experienced headaches from breakdowns such as this one. In that moment he really, even though only for several seconds, began to think that he ought to turn to a professional therapist, for everything had begun to leave its assigned boundaries. Otherwise, he would one day just turn Fourarms and pummel Kevin into the ground using every limb.
Again Kevin! Again the revenge options against the half-Osmosian! Gwen is the one he should be angry at! Yet simply unable to hate her, he constantly turned his fury at her boyfriend.
He finally turned away from the door. Caroline removed her hands as he did. Indeed she had taken time to dress, and now stood before him in her Charmcaster dress though the boots and tiara remained missing.
"So what sandwiches are you into?" he finally asked her the question he forgot in the very beginning of it all.
—
He rested on his back, sweat, like a tear, tickling down his face. The cover aside, he lay exposed to the night air. Yet he did not care; the heat that radiated from his body as well as that coming from his partner made his bare skin thoroughly unaffected by it. Ben turned his head.
She lay beside him, the light of the table lamp enough to see clear and marvel at the features of her beautiful body. Her hand slowly caressed his chest, sometimes traveling as far as his shoulder and collar.
He made a satisfied sigh. As if independent from his mind, the shapeshifter's hand rose up and found rest on Charmcaster's right breast. His fingers played with her nipple, a game that was joyous to both partners. Caroline closed her eyes, she often did so—he wondered whether such method made it more pleasing for her.
Less than ten minutes before, they ended the most recent lovemaking session. Now his passions satisfied, he remained in bed, silently thanking her for all the times she had allowed him to experience the pleasures that arouse from the blending of their bodies. For all the times she had allowed him to experience her…
He had no idea when and how his bedmate had her first time, but back three weeks ago, in the very beginning of their first encounter, without any words he found out that he was not the first man she had done this with in her life. Even as she now lay next to him, his curiosity wanted him to find out more about his partner's past sexual experience, but just as his mind constantly stopped him from confessing to Gwen, he could not ask Charmcaster for the same reason. His hand now journeyed to her other breast.
His newest gesture was countered by hers when she took him by the hand, gently pulling it away from her, before the sorceress sat up. She changed her pose in moments once more as she accommodated herself on her knees. Ben, remaining in the same position, gazed at her body and face as though trying to record this picture in his mind forever.
"Perhaps you'd like to look from a different angle," she said in a sultry voice, leaving Ben question the sense behind her words. However, he found out it soon enough.
Charmcaster placed her palms on her bare shoulders; then she began sliding them lower. Ben watched almost mesmerized as the young woman clawed into her own breasts, cupping them; this naughty show provided an enjoyable massage to his eyes. Even though the light did not fully illuminate her face, Ben noticed that she once again closed her eyes. As she did this, the enchantress opened her mouth, releasing not loud moaning sounds. This show truly brought his full attention, and Ben began hardening, as he felt the indistinguishable urge of physical pleasure clutching him in the strongest mode.
Charmcaster's performance did not cease. Slowly and just like previously, she slid her right hand down her stomach before eventually stopping between her tights. Still cupping her left breast, she started an alternate action, rubbing her pussy.
Under the sway of the scene before him and Charmcaster's moans, random gasps began escaping Ben's throat. Then she moved her hand to her behind and performed the same action.
A bit more, and Ben felt he was going to come.
"Caroline, I—" he started.
She opened her eyes and directed her gaze at his member. The touches immediately ended.
"Once more?" she whispered, and in what appeared like one movement was over him.
Ben did not need to bother with anything—she did everything on her own. He again felt the familiar sensation as his member entered Charmcaster's wet depts. The sorceress planted her hands on his shoulders. She then took him for a ride, wild and mind-blowing, in a way even a literal one. She was bouncing on top of him, her superiority not in the least protested by her partner.
It did not take Ben long to come inside her.
The aftermath of the second round was similar to the previous one: the lovers lay next to each other in the heat released from their bodies. Ben watched her drift to sleep before thanking quietly thanking her for not abandoning him.
—
Like a past devout believer that had lost faith, Ben Tennyson walked around with no aim or purpose. Half of a day passed as the young man journeyed there and there, entering and leaving different places in Bellwood. Time itself walked alongside at a pace that could not be slowed down…just as it, to Ben's greatest misfortune, could not run faster.
The comlink lay in his pocket, and all this time he desperately expected that he would hear its signal, to hear a voice coming from this example of electronic equipment. In these moments, in his situation, this signal would become music to the ears. However, the comlink remained silent, the hot coals of Ben's hopes cast into icy water.
The worst part of being a professional Plumber, aside from the constant threats of being slaughtered by alien warlords or local sickoes, had proven to be, at least as he thought in those moments, the chance of not having any missions on the horizon.
Indeed it was horrible. He had had no calls from Gwen since their ravaging "argument" two days before. Perhaps the redhead still had not forgiven him this incident. Kevin had ceased contacting long ago on Plumber-not-related matters, ever since the stream between them turned into a real river. He really doubted that Gwen had retold her boyfriend her cousin's words—she was not one of those people. Still, he wondered what was on her mind all that time just as he speculated what she still thought wherever she was at that moment. Participation in a common operation would have answered this question…yet due to a lack of one the circle was complete.
He sighed.
Caroline was at work, so even she could not make him company. Seemed like he was supposed to aimlessly spend an entire day.
But even in times like this there was one person Ben could always turn to. Eventually, he reached his whereabouts.
Standing before the door he made one final debate with himself, evaluating whether he ought to carry on. The positive arguments—even though he did not know what they were—overcame their equally mysterious rivals. His fist came down on the door a couple of times.
The door, the only entrance to this trailer, opened, revealing to him a figure that the shapeshifting hero would have recognized even in amnesia.
Whether it was in the present day, four or even nine years before, Max Tennyson always remained the same. His hair had probably turned grey by the birth of his first grandson; his face had been crossed with wrinkles. Whether he always wore the same large red shirt or had been several copies of it, was irrelevant, as it was still on his shoulders. All in all, he gave the impression of being an example of the always happy grandparent you'd see in some family movie.
"Ben!" the old man greeted his grandson cheerfully.
"Hi Grandpa," came a reply spoken in an uncertain tone.
"Why don't you come in?" Max then said.
The young man followed his invitation.
A sudden sense of nostalgia stroke when he entered the old van. Almost nothing in the interior had changed since that golden period of his lifetime so many years ago. The Rustbucket had come to be the closest thing to a time machine. He could already imagine that in the next moment Grandpa was going to sit down behind the steering wheel, and the old transport would once again cross the whole of America.
He sat at the table, the place where he and his cousin had spent countless hours arguing.
"So champ, want to try some fried octopus with strawberry jam?" Max asked in his typical way.
Ben felt every muscle in him twitch the moment he heard this. He barely vanquished his need of throwing up right on the table. Sometimes he felt that his grandfather's actions were simply beyond good and evil.
"No thanks, grandpa," he quickly replied, the image of the delicatessen painted in his mind in all of its nightmarish stature.
"I just wanted to check up on you so to find out whether you are Ok," he then continued.
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking. What about you?"
"I'm fine as well," Ben said. Surely a small lie for the greater good could in no way be compared to a sin!
"Gwen called me yesterday," Max then spoke.
Ben felt as if hot oil was spilt on his head.
"The reply from that university is supposed to come in a day or two. You know that?"
The young hero released a sigh of relief. At least Grandpa Max did not know about that embarrassing moment.
"Yeah, she dropped me a visit two days before, revealing the same thing," he said, "Do you think she'll get in?"
"No doubt about it!" he proclaimed.
At this moment a question visited Ben out of nowhere. He actually, and honestly, for the first time wondered what did Kevin think on this whole issue.
—
Next chapter: Gwen and Charmcaster have a "talk".