...i'm back :D I was right, I did update in mere hours! Go Heidi. Here's another long chapter fresh off da Microsoft Word. Do you guys like long chapters? I try to use the bar to kind of split it up into sections, but it's still long as crap. I can shorten them if you guys want to. I personally like long chapters, you get more bang for your buck! And I don't like leaving cliffhangers haha. Well, enjoy!


Chapter 13

They made their way off of the pier and the man who Ben had paid earlier told them goodbye as they walked off. When they got to his truck, he put the tailgate down and put both of the rods in the bed of his truck. He closed the tailgate and fished the keys out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and Allison put the tackle box in the back seat. When she went to get in, Ben opened the door for her. She smiled and said thank you as he walked to the driver's side and got in. She started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Britt's Donut Shop.

Britt's Donut Shop opened in 1939. Started by the Britts and Wrights, the donut shop has long been the cornerstone of the Boardwalk area in Carolina Beach. Mr. Britt sold the shop and the secret recipe for making the donuts in 1974. Bobby Nivens, a long time Britt's employee, purchased the shop. Since then, the Nivens family has cooked up and served hundreds of thousands of donuts to people from all over the state and, in some cases, the country. Despite the fact that it was a little hole-in-the-wall place, Ben thought they were the best donuts in the world. And thousands of people would probably agree with him.

It only took them a couple of minutes to get to the boardwalk. When they parked, they walked around the building to the entrance. When they walked inside, there were a couple of people sitting in booths lining the wall. They ordered two donuts and the cashier grabbed them off of the roller and placed them into a bag. He paid the cashier and they sat down in a booth along the wall. He reached into the bag with a napkin and pulled out and donut and handed it to her,

"Be careful, it's hot."

"Okay, thank you."

They ate their donuts and talked for almost a half an hour. He finished first and he sat and waited for her to fishinst. He saw her start to rush and he raised his hands,

"Hey, you don't have to rush; take your time." She smiled,

"Okay, thanks."

"No problem, besides, this is nice."

"Yeah, it is."

They continued to sit and talk, long after she had finished. He knew their time together was coming to an end. He had already taken her fishing, which was all that they had planned to do. He had stalled for time by promising her a donut and he thought about some stuff they could do around the beach. He suddenly thought of something.

"Have you ever been to the hermit's house down here?"

"The what?" He laughed,

"I'll take that as a no. There's a house down at Fort Fisher where this hermit lived. Well, it's not really a house; it's more like a bunker."

"Is he still alive?"

"No, he's been dead for a while now." He took at small break, then asked,

"So, do you want to go?"

"Yeah, sure. It sounds interesting. How far away is it?"

"It's about a twenty minute walk from Fort Fisher." She looked at him,

"Twenty minutes?" He smiled and nodded and she eventually nodded as well,

"Okay, I'll go."


They got up and threw all of their stuff away before walking back to the truck. As they drove down to Fort Fisher, he told her about the history of the hermit. He had decided to leave his wife and kids and become a hermit. He moved down to Carolina Beach and built his 'hut' far away from everyone, hence the twenty minute walk. He lived in his hut for thirty years before he died. When he finished, she said,

"Wow, I can't believe that. I couldn't imagine leaving my husband and kids to live out in a bunker in the middle of nowhere." He smiled,

"Me neither."

They finally reached Fort Fisher and he pulled into the parking lot. They got out and they headed towards the path that was on the right side of the parking lot. They started their walk as they passed a small sign beside the path that said "Fishing Pier- two miles; Hermit's House- one mile." It was still hot outside, but there was a nice sea breeze so it wasn't that bad. They walked past trees and bushes and continued to walk on the path and across a small bridge. While they walked, they talked about their selves and he learned even more about her. He learned that she was thinking about going to college for nursing.

"Why nursing?"

"I've always been interested in medicine. I don't know, I'm also thinking about getting into pediatrics, you know, children doctors? I love working with children and I love helping people and nursing them back to health."

"That sounds nice. Where are you going to apply?"

"Probably UNCW; I checked out some of their brochures and went on their website and saw what classes they're offering. I think I'm going to apply there first. As a matter of fact, I better get an application and send it to them. The earlier the better, right?" He smiled and nodded,

"Absolutely." She looked at him,

"What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing." She smiled and nudged him,

"What is it?" He smiled and shrugged his shoulder,

"It's nothing; I just like talking to you." She laughed,

"I hope so, because we're still a half a mile away." She pointed to a small sign and, a few steps later, the 'forest' opened up to the dunes. To their left was the ocean and, in front of them, the path disappeared. Allison looked at him,

"You know where we're going right?"

"Yeah, we keep walking and the path will appear again."

They kept walking and, as Ben said, the path appeared. They got back on it and they listened to the roar of the ocean and waves breaking. They walked over a really long bridge. Allison was sort of nervous but he assured her that she would be fine. As they walked across it, she stayed close to him and Ben had to admit that he didn't mind it. He wondered if she would increase the distance between them when they stopped off of the bridge and he was disappointed when she did.

They continued to walk and talk; they talked about the most random things, but Ben loved every second of it. He liked to hear her talk about her pet peeves, which were people with bad table manners and people who don't use a turn signal. She talked about her time in high school again; her friends, teachers and how quickly her four years had passed by. She still recalled who she had sat beside at commencement, which she didn't consider a big accomplishment considering she threw her cap only a year and a half ago. They continued to talk and laugh before Ben said,

"Okay, we're almost there; it's just over this little bridge and around that corner."

They crossed the bridge and rounded the corner and came up on a big building that was covered in moss. There were no windows and there wasn't a door; just an open doorway. To the right of the building was a big sign that had the history of the hermit along with his picture. She looked at the building,

"Wow, this is really cool."

"Do you remember all of that stuff I told you about him? It came from reading this sign." She laughed,

"Can we go inside?"

"Yeah, of course."

They went in and looked around. It was completely empty and the walls had graffiti all over them; people had written their names and the date they had been there.

"It's kind of crowded, isn't it?"

"Yeah, he must've been very claustrophobic." He laughed,

"Do you want to sign our names?"

"I don't want to write on his walls; this is his house."

"Allison, he's been dead for almost fifteen years."

"So? It's still his house. Besides, we don't have a pen."

"Yeah we do; they keep a pen in here somewhere. It's for whoever wants to sign it when they come here." She thought about it for a second, then said,

"Okay, but if we get charged for graffiti, I'm blaming you." He laughed,

"Okay."

"So, where's the pen?"

"I don't know, it's around here somewhere."

They looked around for a minute before Ben found it. He picked it up and wiped the dirt off of it. They found an unoccupied spot on the wall and signed it 'Ben Carter and Allison Johnson, February 2004.'


When they finished signing it, they walked out and read the sign before they left. They went back around the corner and over the little bridge and started their way back to this truck. While they were walking, she looped her arm through his,

"That was fun, thank you." He smiled,

"You're welcome; I'm glad you liked it."

They continued to walk and talk as they made their way back to his truck. She continued to walk beside him, with her arm looped through his, until they approached the long bridge. She withdrew her arm, but still walked closely beside him. When they crossed it, she stayed close, but didn't loop her arm through his again.

The sand was getting hard to walk in and Allison stopped and used his arm to balance on as she slipped her sandals off. As she bent down, he tried not to stare at her. With her blue jeans and white tank top, he knew she was the most beautiful person he had ever met. It was more than the fact that she was attractive; she had a smile and a laugh that was infectious to everyone that was around her. He loved spending time with her and he knew right then, staring at her, that he would never forget her as long as he lived. She stood back up and looked at him,

"What?" He smiled and shook his head,

"Nothing."

They continued to walk and made their way into the 'forest' again. They finally made it back to the parking lot and he unlocked the door as he opened it for her. She smiled, like she did every time he did it, and he got in on the driver's side.

"So, do you want to stop at the Food Lion right up here?"

"For what?"

"Your mouthwash, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right." He smiled,

"You forgot about it, didn't you?" She laughed,

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"How did you forget kissing your first fish?" She laughed again,

"I don't know. I still can't believe I did that."

"I can't either. I'm sure that today was the best day of that fish's life, though."

She smiled as they pulled into the Food Lion parking lot. During the tourist season, it would have taken tem at least twenty minutes to get there, but with the roads empty, it took them right under ten.

He pulled into a parking spot and they got out. They walked in and went to the aisle that had the mouthwash. He let her pick out the mouthwash and he walked up to the register. The cashier looked at him as he placed it on the conveyor belt.

"Is this it?" He looked at Allison and she chuckled. He turned back to the cashier,

"Yes, ma'am."

She sighed and shook her head as she rung it up and placed it in a bag. He paid for it and grabbed the bag as they walked out. As they walked across the parking lot, Ben nudged her shoulder with his,

"I hope you're happy."

"What do you mean?"

"That girl gave me the evil eye." She laughed,

"Aww, I'm sorry."

"You should be."

"Oh I should? I remember you offering to buy me mouthwash if I kissed that fish." He smiled,

"Oh yeah, I did. Was it worth it?"

"What? Kissing that fish?"

"Yeah; you got a Britt's donut and a whole thing of mouthwash for it." She thought about it for a minute and then nodded,

"Yeah it was worth it." He laughed,

"Good."

It was definitely worth it to him; it gave him more time to spend with her.


They left the Food Lion and drove for a little bit before reaching Snow's Cut Bridge. When they got on it, he could tell that she was trying to put on a brave face. Eventually, she ended up putting her head down, almost I her lap. He looked at her and saw that she had a painful expression on her face. He could somehow tell by her expression that it was more than just being scared of bridges; she had a complete fear of them.

He wondered if something had happened to her to make her feel that way. Even though he wanted to know, he didn't ask her. If she wanted him to know about it the she would tell him, on her terms, not his.

When they got off of the bridge, she took a deep breath and looked up. He knew she felt uncomfortable, so he changed the subject,

"So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" She smiled, obviously grateful that he had decided to drop it.

"Well, considering it's almost 5:00, and I'll take almost 45 minutes to get home, I'll probably just eat dinner and spend time with my parents. I haven't seen them all day. How about you?"

"I don't know. I'll probably eat something and lay down I'm kind of tired, you've kept me out all day." She laughed,

"Hey, it's not my fault, you're the one who wanted to walk to the hermit's house and go to Britt's and Food Lion."

"But I had to take you to the last two; it was part of the bet, remember?"

"What about the hermit's house?" He shrugged his shoulder,

"I don't know. Maybe I just wanted to spend more time with you."

She smiled and they rode in silence for a while. They went through Monkey Junction and made their way down Carolina Beach road and through Wilmington. While they were riding, they talked the entire time. She asked him what he liked to do while he was home on leaves and he told her that he could play the guitar. She was surprised,

"Really?"

"Yeah, I played last night actually."

"Awesome, are you any good?" He laughed,

"I think I am."

"I might have to judge that for myself." He looked at her,

"You want to hear me play?"

"Sure, I love the guitar."

"All right, I'll play for you sometime."

They continued to drive and started to reach the country where Allison lived. He passed the gas station and fast food restaurant in one and he knew the mini-mart was coming up and, a few seconds later, he was proved right. He saw the black mailbox and the white Volvo parked in the driveway of her house. He pulled in and turned off the truck as they got out. He walked her up to the door and she turned to him as they stopped in front of it.

"I had a really good time today." He smiled,

"I did too."

They stood together a little awkwardly before he asked her,

"So what are you doing tomorrow? I was thinking maybe I could take you to the aquarium since you've never been." She smiled,

"I would love to, but I can't. I promised my parents I would spend the day with them and I have to go and run a bunch of errands." He nodded disappointedly,

"Oh okay." She nodded and he was trying to think of something to say, but she beat him to it,

"Well, what are you doing on Sunday?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Would you like to come to church with me?

He was a little surprised; he hadn't been to church in almost five years. The preacher at his old church preached in an old-fashioned way and Ben rarely understood was he was talking about. Not to mention he, as well as everyone else that went there, was older than 80.

"Well I haven't really been to church in a while."

"It's okay, you'll like it; there are a lot of young people and the music is really good. Plus, the preacher is really young; he's only 34 but he's smarter and wiser than a lot of older people." He smiled and nodded,

"Okay, I'll go. And I would have said yes anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I haven't gone in a while." She laughed,

"Okay, it starts at 11. Do you want to meet me there?"

"Sure, where is it?"

She told him exactly how to get there and told him to be there around 10:45.

"Okay, I'll meet you there, then." She smiled,

"Okay, and thank you for today, Ben."

"You're welcome. I had a great time."

"I did, too." They stood together for a second before she smiled,

"Goodnight, Ben."

"Goodnight."

She turned and went inside and he walked off the porch towards his truck, smiling to himself.


Driving home from Allison's was like waking up from a good dream. When he spent time with her, he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. He was disappointed he wouldn't see her tomorrow, but excited about the fact that he would see her Sunday.

When he got home, his father was sitting in his recliner watching television He walked in the living room and his father stood up,

"Ben, where have you been?"

His tone wasn't mad or angry, but concerned. He felt guilty for not telling his father where he was. He had an excuse of course; he didn't have a cell phone, nor did Allison. But he could have used a pay phone, or asked someone at Britt's if he could use their phone.

"I'm sorry, dad. I took Allison fishing and to Britt's donuts. And you know the hermit's house, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I showed her that, too." His dad nodded and an awkward silence filled the room.

"Listen, dad-"

"Ben, I-"

They both spoke at the same time and they laughed, his dad speaking first.

"Ben, I'm sorry about last night. I never should have said those things about Allison."

"It's okay. I'm sorry for yelling at you, I was out of line." He smiled and waved it off,

"It's all right." Ben expected him to ask about his day with Allison, but, instead, he said,

"Well, I'm going to bed, okay? There's chicken and rice on the stove if you want some."

"Okay. Goodnight, dad."

"Goodnight, Ben."

He watched his father walk down the hallway and turn and go into his room. He knew there was something still bothering his father, but he didn't know what it was.

He ate some of the chicken and rice his dad had cooked and then took a shower and put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He went in the living room and laid down on the couch. He turned on the television and flipped through the channels before deciding on a cop show called the First 48. While he laid there, he put his hands behind his head and thought about his day with Allison.

The show finally ended and he flipped through the channels twice before cutting off the t.v. and going to his room. He laid down on his bed and his mind kept wandering back to Allison. He didn't know what was going to happen, but, laying there in his bed, he knew, without a doubt, that he was falling in love with a girl named Allison Johnson.


Oh shooot, we're finally starting to see some true feeling rise up! How sweet. And Ben's relationship with his father seems to be getting back on the right track. But what's up with Allison and her fear of bridges? :0 looks like we'll just have to wait and see! I honestly didn't really like the beginning part of this chapter, but towards the end I started to like it. I don't know why, I just wasn't satisfied with what I came up with, but I had re-wrote it about five times and decided this was the best version. I had to get the part about Allison wanting to be a nurse in there, because that comes in later. So remember that! :0 I just gave away a part of my story. Oh well, you're welcome! What do you guys think it means? :D Hope you guys enjoyed it! See you next chapter!