Benny Watts wasn't much of a planner. A thinker, a calculator, sometimes a risk taker, always a talker, but when it came to thinking ahead, it just wasn't his forté. He lived for the moment, for the here and now, which was why, when the rent for his apartment was coming up, and Cleo said, "Isn't it time, Benny dear, that you thought about moving out of this rat-infested heap?" he honestly didn't know what to say. He couldn't picture it. Although the place wasn't much, it was true -it was violently cold in the harsh New York winters and if it rained too hard the ceiling leaked somewhat- this place was his, the first in his life he could ever really call his own.
There wasn't a single trace of another living thing in this place accept Benny.
Well, and Beth. She'd let one of her scarves, a spare toothbrush still sat in the holder, as if she'd forgotten to pick it up before she left for Paris. The air mattress still smelled like her perfume, teasing him every time he opened the hall closet. Benny hadn't seen her since a fleeting visit two and a half months ago, when she'd come around to thank him in person for his help with Borgov, for putting a team together for her, only for her. They'd gone out to lunch, had played a game -she bested him, of course- then Beth had been on her way, doing some big interview at one of the local stations.
They'd both promised to call.
Neither one of them had.
It was a stalemate, both players unable to move forward, wanting to go backwards but knowing it would do no good.
He couldn't believe he'd told her not to call him anymore, all those months ago. He couldn't believe he'd pushed her away, when he'd never cared about anyone the way he did about her. Yet, at the same time, Benny could. Because, deep down, he didn't think he was capable of being vulnerable, truly vulnerable, with another human being. Yes, he'd been in relationships before, had smirked and preened at the insipid idiots who just wanted a piece of him, a piece of the fame, but it had never really meant anything, never made an impact on him and who he was and what he believed about life, about love. Until now.
Now, he had no clue how to get out of this, the best way forward blurry and obscured by doubt. Yet, there was one thing Benny was certain of: he needed to make a change. Starting with the apartment.
So, he went out and bought some paint in a colour that wasn't grey, got a new couch and a new table and even a fancy new coffee machine that he knew Beth would go green over. He fixed the leak in the roof and the faulty air vent and uncovered mounds of dust that had seemingly accumulated under everything until the it was all shining like the Hope Diamond. And...it didn't make him feel any better.
Yes, the walls were now blue instead of grey, and, hey, he could sit under the window without freezing to death, but none of that changed the feel of it. Empty. Unloved. Lost. It was just the space where he ate and he slept and he played and hosted the occasional poker game or put up a friend for the night who was just passing through.
There was only one thing for it. Picking up the phone, Benny dialled a number he hadn't called in nearly a year.
Beth picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"
"First, what do you know about interior decorating?"
The Chess Queen paused, considering his words as seriously as she'd consider any plan of attack on the board. "Quite a bit, actually. I only remodeled half my house in a fit of depressed catharsis after my only parental figure died, so... Let's just say I have an intimate knowledge of throw pillows and marble tiling."
"Great." For once, he was thinking ahead, thinking of the future, and he wanted her in it, and that started with her helping make this place feel not so empty anymore. "Second thing, when you get here, do you want to have dinner with me? Like, a proper date-dinner that is?"
Wow, Watts, he mentally chastised himself. Real smooth. Now she'll definitely want to go out with you.
"I wasn't expecting you to break first," Beth muttered, amusement dancing in his voice.
Benny shrugged, face twitching with a smile as he replied, "What can I say? I wanted to make a change."
Author's Note: Hello, fellow Beth and Benny shippers! Just a quick little one-shot I had laying around that I finally found the time to finish. I hope you enjoyed reading this and, as always, reviews are welcome!
Have a lovely rest of your day!
All my love, Temperance Cain.