Allison woke up the next morning to the sound of Ben cooking in her small kitchen. She peeled herself up off the bed and slid on his shirt while she padded into the kitchen. She stood in the doorway, watching him as he moved around the kitchen, nothing on but a pair of jeans. Allison looked him over, wanting nothing more than to just tell him the truth, but she couldn't, not yet. She had to wait, just another month or so she told herself, so she walked over behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She rested her cheek against the back of his shoulder, her eyes closed as he spoke to her.
"Good morning sweetheart. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed."
"Awe, thanks Ben. Is it nearly done?"
"About 10 minutes."
"I'm going to take a quick shower then. I have to head to the set soon, you coming to work with me?"
"Are you sure? I'd love to come see you work."
"Of course, plus Sierra would just love meeting you."
"Alright, you go shower, I'll finish this then we'll get ready to go." Allison pressed a kiss to the back of his shoulder before pulling away.
She headed off to shower and once she was done they ate breakfast then headed off to the studio. They arrived at the studio, and Allison was nervous about having him there, but she felt like she needed to ask him along. She introduced him to Doug, Sean and then to Mike, the director before the girls showed up. Hannah arrived first, and she was surprised to see this man standing next to Allison, his hand resting on the small of her back.
"Oh, Hannah, hey. Come here, I want you to meet Ben."
"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Ben smiled at her, leaning down to shake her hand.
"It's very nice to meet you. I've heard good things about you."
"Oh, well thank you." Hannah smiled politely then she looked to Allison. "Oh, hey there's Sierra." Allison turned around, smiling at the little girl who came running over to hug Allison. Sierra seemed to be too excited to tell Allison something to notice Ben standing there.
"Allison! Allison! Guess what."
"You grew two inches." Sierra giggled as Allison picked her up, looking her over.
"No."
"You bought me an elephant."
"No, you're being silly. I lost a tooth, and I put it under my pillow and I got a whole five dollars! And look the money, it's sparkly, like the tooth fairy!" Sierra held up her glittery five dollar bill and Allison smiled as she looked at the money wide-eyed.
"Oh goodness, that is sparkly! And wow a whole five bucks, the tooth fairy sure is paying more for teeth these days."
"That's what my mom said too!" Allison looked at Stacy, Sierra's mom, who was just shaking her head as she walked over to talk to Allison.
"I told her when I was little I got fifty cents from the tooth fairy."
"Me too. Oh Stacy, this is Ben. Ben I'd like you to meet Stacy and Sierra, my movie daughter." Sierra looked up at Ben with her big eyes and smiled.
"You came to meet me?" Ben couldn't help but smile at the little girl's innocence, and he nodded as he spoke.
"I did. You seemed like such a wonderful little girl that I had to come meet you in person." Sierra looked to her mom with wide eyes.
"Did you hear that mom, he said I'm wonderful and he came to meet me in person."
"I heard, how lucky are you."
"The luckiest." Sierra then wanted Allison to put her down. She walked over and took Ben by the hand, leading him off to an area they had set up for her to play in. She had an art easel set up and would color and paint when not filming. Ben thought it was so adorable that she wanted to show him her own little part of the set and he amused her. As Allison stood there watching him and Sierra talk, Hannah stood next to her.
"He's not who I would have pictured you with." Allison looked at Hannah, shocked to hear her admission.
"Why not?"
"I thought you and Tom would be an item, he is so perfect." Allison turned her attention back to Ben as she spoke.
"I know." Hannah just looked at Allison, not sure if Allison was just agreeing, or if she really meant it. Hannah decided to keep going, to see if Allison was really listening.
"Tom said he was in love with you."
"I know."
"And that you loved him too."
"I do."
"And that he wished you would just leave Ben and come back to him."
"Did he really say all that?"
"He did." Allison turned to Hannah, slight look of speculation in her eye.
"When did he say this to you?" Hannah held up her phone, smiling at Allison.
"We email, I ask him advice on work, he ask about you."
"Wait, what?" Hannah just flipped open an email and started reading it to Allison quietly.
"Allison is amazing, and I am totally in love with her, but she was not able to commit to me for her own personal reasons. I respect that and understand that her heart was torn between two loves, and as much as it kills me not to be the one to do so, I want for her to be happy." Hannah looked at Allison, smug smile across her face, until she saw the look in Allison's eyes. "Wait, you love him, like really truly deeply love him."
"I do."
"Then why don't."
"Hannah, please. If I could explain it to you I would. Let me just assure you this, one day very soon, Tom and Ben with both be very happy men. And they will both be completely loved." Hannah looked at the look in Allison's eyes, and she nodded as she saw Ben coming towards them. After a few hours on set they took a lunch and Ben and Allison sat and talked as they ate. The girls were close, Sierra right next to Ben. Hannah on the other hand sat a few feet away, watching how they were all interacting.
Ben came with Allison to work the next day as well, and now he had to fly home. He knew Allison wouldn't be able to make it to the airport to be with him, so they had to say their goodbyes as the apartment. She had gotten up early to have a little extra time with Ben, and as they both sat on the sofa together, he pressed a kiss to her temple.
"I'm sorry I was such an arsewhole when I was drunk."
"Ben, we all say things we don't mean." Ben looked at Allison, tilting her chin up to look at him.
"Please tell me you can forgive me for that." Allison reached up and softly touched his cheek as she smiled at him.
"Just don't ever let it happen again." Ben pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, and Allison felt something click in her mind. He pulled her closer to his chest and his lips were against the top of her head, and she swore she felt a tear drop. She didn't want to pull away from him, she was afraid to see him upset, so she spoke into his shirt.
"I don't have that much longer to go, then I'll come to London." She heard his take in a breath before his smooth voice come through his chest.
"I know, I just hate to leave you."
"You don't have to just yet, just hold on to me a little bit longer." Ben smiled as he held her tighter.
"I didn't plan on letting go just yet."
They sat on the sofa for another forty-five minutes, just holding each other in silence, when finally the cab arrived to take Ben to the airport. Allison walked him to the door and after she watched the cab disappear down the road she took in a ragged breath. She finished getting ready, and headed into work. They filmed for eight hours, and once their day was done, Hannah had to talk to Allison.
"Are you sure Ben is in love with you?"
"Why do you ask?" Allison almost sounded tickled at Hannah's question.
"Just he doesn't look at you like people who are in love look at each other."
"And how do people who are in love look at each other?"
"I don't know how to describe it, I just know what it looks like."
"Hannah, I know you are looking for me, or Tom, and I greatly appreciate it, I really do, but this is just something that is too hard to explain."
"But you can explain anything to me, remember. I told you my secrets and I thought you would tell me all of yours."
"Hannah, this isn't a secret, it's just things I don't know that your old enough to understand fully."
"I'm not Sierra, I understand more than you think."
"Sweety, I know you are brilliant, and so smart for your age, but this is more than just love. There is lust and desire involved, and I am not going to go down that road with you, your dad would kill me."
"I know about sex Allison."
"Sex has nothing to do with it. Look, let me put this way. It took me nearly a year to figure out what my heart was trying to tell me, and sometimes, I don't even understand it." Hannah looked at Allison for a long time, reading her as she stood there.
"Fine, but don't think that I'll be telling you anymore of my secrets." Allison hung her head as Hannah walked away. She hated not telling her, but she wasn't sure Hannah would understand everything that had happened, nor the plan. She also felt just horrible, Hannah's mother had passed away a couple of years prior from cancer, and Hannah needed a female to confide in. Allison had been there for Hannah, helping her out as she started having questions about periods and other things she was afraid to ask her dad about. Allison of course talked to Devon before talking to Hannah, and he was relieved that Hannah actually felt comfortable enough with Allison to talk about it. Now as Allison watched Hannah pick up her book bag and walk away, she felt shattered.