I don't own the Queen's Gambit. I know it was originally a book before the Netflix series came out but I don't know the author.
Benny closed the door and busied himself with locking it while Beth put her luggage down. When he finished locking it he turned, looking at the new grandmaster. He didn't say anything. Benny didn't even know what to say. He didn't expect Beth to show up at his apartment.
He eyed her for a moment. She didn't turn to look him in the eye. Benny walked down the few steps. "Something to drink?" He asked.
"Coffee?" It came out as a question but nonetheless the former US champion nodded and turned to the kitchen area of his basement apartment.
Silence fell between them. The slight tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Benny makes the coffee and brings it over to Beth. The red haired chess player takes the coffee and sips it.
"Why are you here, Beth?" Benny asks, sitting on his couch, brown eyes staring dead at her.
Beth looked down at the coffee as she lowered the cup after taking a sip. She was quiet. She took a calming breath and started speaking. She didn't dare meet Benny's eyes.
"I'm here to apologize."
Beth feels rather then sees the surprise coming from the other chess player. Before she can lose her nerve she continues speaking. "After I lost to Borgov, I spiraled into my addiction. We worked so hard in the five weeks leading up to my match with him and I.." Beth stops for a moment. "..I couldn't beat him."
Benny studies Beth as she speaks. He doesn't interrupt her.
"I let you down."
"Beth you didn't–"
Beth looked up from her coffee cup. Benny was taken off guard by the sheer vulnerability in her brown eyes. He had seen her angry. He'd seen her smug. Never before had he seen this kind of vulnerability from the new grandmaster.
"Yes, I did. You warned me, Benny. You warned me that my drinking wouldn't lead me anywhere good. You asked me to come back to new york and I blew you off. Part of it was me just wanting to wallow in my self destructive tendencies. My father trying to take the house didn't help my spiral."
Benny stayed quiet. He knew Beth wasn't done and waited for her to compose herself. Beth turned her gaze back to her coffee.
"I'm so sorry Benny."
Benny could hear all the words she wasn't saying in her apology. He stood and walked over to Beth. Running a hand through his hair he sighed silently.
"Beth?" When Beth looked up Benny kept talking. "Are you going to walk out again?" At the shake of her head he spoke again. "Then you're forgiven."
Beth placed her coffee cup on the table. In the next moment she'd launched herself at Benny, wrapping her arms around his torso. Benny wrapped his arms around her in turn and dropped his head to drop a kiss to her red tresses.
No more words were spoken between the two until much later after several rounds of speed chess were played.