Author's Note: Ok. So after massive juggling, revisions, & rewrites, I'm finally satisfied with this chapter enough to post! Yay me! It was chock full of a LOT, but now it's more transitional... lol Next chapter, though... we're gonna deal with some issues our girl has been avoiding! Whether she likes it or not. Hope everyone continues to enjoy this! Oh... and thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who reads, reviews, & harasses me on Twitter(jk)! lol I love Cin Nation! You keep me inspired as much as our beloved captains!
Chapter 13: What Else Is New?
They walked in silence for a few steps before Ben stopped crossed his arms and just looked at Ciara with an eyebrow raised. It took her a moment to notice. When she did, she stopped and turned back to him. "What?"
"What?" he scoffed. "Really?"
"Fine," Ciara huffed with a roll of her eyes. "Ok, fine! I'm sorry!"
"For?"
She sighed. "Eavesdropping," she grumbled. "Although, I wasn't there the WHOLE time, I really did go looking for Aunt Maggie, but she was out. Still I'm sorry for eavesdropping, when you probably would have told me anyway. I should have trusted."
"And?" he asked leadingly.
"And?!"
"Ciara Alice—"
"Ok, so maybe I should have stayed out of it & let you handle it like you said you would," she unwillingly admitted.
"And did."
"However, I was already in it!" she continued adamantly. "You wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place if not for me! You never would have been on Grandpa Vic's radar if you didn't matter so much to me."
"You don't know that, Ciara," Ben countered. "My dad was deep into some pretty dark shit. He very well could have worked with or for your grandfather. For all we know, you were just the excuse for him to keep an eye on me, not the reason."
Ciara's eyes bulged as she considered that. "I—I never thought of that."
"I'm aware," he chuckled, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "You couldn't see past that big heart of yours."
Ciara blushed. "You're one of my best friends. And there's nothing I won't do for the people I love," she said with a shrug as she tucked her hands in her back pockets and shyly met his piercing gaze.
Ben's heart fluttered, but he tried to calm it by reminding himself that she only loved him as a friend. "Well, it looks like I have errands to run if I'm going to be moving." He pulled out the card Victor gave him. "You wanna get lunch & help me plan out this move? Maybe we'll be able to check out a few places together."
"On the weekend without an appointment?" Ciara said incredulously.
"Good point."
Ciara grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, so she could loop her arm through his. "Ok. Here's the plan: we're going to lunch to celebrate the new job & the new digs, my treat. You're gonna make the call for the apartment listings & we'll call to schedule some visits for tomorrow. I'm sure if they give you trouble that since they're Titan properties I can use my clout as Victor Kiriakis's granddaughter to get us in anyway. We only have a couple weeks to pick you a place & get you moved."
"We do, huh?"
"Shut up, of course, I'm gonna help."
"Thank you," Ben said genuinely grateful. "But I don't want this interfering with your school or anything. Don't you have a study group today."
"In a few hours, plenty of time for you to make your calls, us to have an early lunch, and then handle the final errand on your list before I go meet with my study group."
"What else is there?"
"Shopping!"
Ben's face dropped. "Shopping? Why?! For what?!"
"Jeans, tees, sneakers, & coveralls may be the in thing to wear at the garage, but at Titan?" Ciara teased. "Your wardrobe is gonna need an upgrade, babe. To include at least one suit. We're going to be checking out apartments tomorrow & since you start Monday…"
"So, after lunch, we go shopping," he relented.
"Yup!" she chirped. "You're lucky this is my statistics study group, or I'd blow it off!"
Ben shook his head furiously. "No, no, no!" he snapped. "I'm putting my foot down. We are shopping on a budget, Ciara. My budget! You are not buying me anything, and we're only—ONLY—getting a few essentials. I'm working in the mailroom, not on the executive floor. I need a suit, a handful of dress shirts, a few ties, some slacks, dress socks, & two pairs of dress shoes: a brown pair & a black pair. That's it."
Ciara leaned her head on his shoulder & looked up at him innocently. "Ok."
"I'm serious, Ci."
"Uh-huh!" she chirped, causing him to frown distrustfully.
"Why are you like this?" he asked as they neared the square. He frowned in exasperation as he looked down at her. "You always hate shopping, until it's for me."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Ben," she giggled.
Ben shook his head in amusement. "Don't make me sick Claire on you." He paused, when he noticed Tripp looking at them.
Ciara stopped & looked up at him with a scrunched face. "What?"
He nodded toward where Tripp stood glaring at them.
"I'm in the mood for one of Uncle Roman's burgers," Ciara said, dragging him away from the café. "Come on."
"Admit it. That was fun!" Ciara chirped as she dropped bags on his couch and grabbed her laptop case & bookbag.
"Mmhmm," he hummed skeptically dropping his bags on the kitchen table. "Don't you have a study group. Go work on your statistics."
"Ugh! Mean!" she huffed, rolling her eyes & sticking her tongue out at him as she headed for the door.
Ben laughed as he set aside some of the boxes he'd picked up to pack for his move. "Payback for the shopping." He hung up his suit leaving it in the bag. "You coming back here after or spending some time with your actual roommates for a change?"
"I'm not sure how late group will go so…" She shrugged noncommittally, leaning against the front door.
Shaking his head in amusement, he walked over and drop a kiss on her forehead. "Text me."
Ciara pouted. "That's all?"
"After over three hours of shopping? You bet your cute little ass it is," he replied in amusement. "Now go focus on passing statistics. I can't have my Rockstar flunking out. I'd have to rethink this whole being seen with you in public thing."
She giggled and smacked his chest hard. "Hey!" she scoffed, pointing at him. "I'm gonna ace this class if it kills me, babe."
"Good," he shot back, grinning at her. "Now get out. And don't forget to text me whether you're coming back or not."
She kissed his cheek before turning to open the door. "Maybe I will," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "Maybe I'll surprise you."
"What else is new?" he joked, smacking her on the ass as she stepped out the door earning him a surprised squeak. "Behave, trouble."
Ciara grinned brightly back at him over her shoulder & waved mischievously. Ben watched her walk away until she was out of sight & then closed the door. He squeezed his eyes shut as he leaned back against the door. Looking around at the bags of new clothes & shoes, he sighed. Today had felt so good. So right. Like they were more than just close friends. Ciara had felt as much his as he already was hers.
As much as he loved every second he got in her presence, their closeness had a part of him hoping she decided to stay at the loft again tonight. He was losing his perspective, not that he ever had much where Ciara was concerned. But he could use some time to remember they were only glorified friends with benefits, not two people in love. His heart ached because he knew he was completely in love with his best friend… in a way he'd never been in his life, not even as deeply as he'd fallen for Abby. It made him wonder if he maybe it was time he should finally bring up his unrequited feelings with Marlena in their next session.
Ben had taken the time to put up his new things, but also packed away most of what he planned to keep. He had 80% of his clothes packed, along with 90% of everything else. All that was left really was Ciara's clothes & things, a few electronics and his minimal furniture. He would be ready to move as soon as they chose a place. He had his eye on the only two-bedroom on the list. After living alone in this studio with Ciara as an occasional roommate, he was eager to have more space.
Not that he wouldn't miss having an excuse to share space that these close quarters offered, but as much as he loved sharing his bed with her, he was sick of sleeping on the sofa or not having the privacy to jerk off when the need arose. A two-bedroom meant space for an office that could double as a guest bedroom. Unfortunately, it was also the most expensive apartment, so, even if he ended up making twice what he made at the garage, things would be tight for the foreseeable future.
Not that it wouldn't be worth it. Ben hated as much as Victor did that him living on the bad side of town meant Ciara had to visit him there. Unfortunately, the only places in better neighborhoods that he could afford before now were owned or controlled by Hortons or Bradys, all of whom wanted him far away from their precious Ciara or even better to their eyes, gone from Salem. So, he'd had to resort to a month-to-month lease on a low-rent studio apartment from a seedy landlord who only cared that his money is green & arrived on time each month.
Fortunately, the cheap rent, his minimal needs, and his talent for fixing things had allowed him to save quite a bit of money. He'd planned to start paying Ciara back within the next few weeks, but now… he sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face as he looked around. Now, he'd have to see how much he'd have left after rent each month & reevaluate his budget. He might need that savings to make ends meet until he could get some overtime or earn a raise… or until the pressure from Victor died down enough that he could pick up extra hours at the garage on weekends to supplement his income.
"You can only do what you can do," he thought aloud to himself as he checked his phone. Dr. Evans's words often helped him when he felt himself overwhelmed by the uphill battle his life had become. He checked his phone again. Considering the time, he'd already eaten and figured Ciara must be getting ready for bed at the loft. He decided to call it a night, tossed his phone on the bed, and headed for the shower.