I Waited For You
Ben opened the door to his apartment and cursed loudly. He'd been cursing since he'd gotten into his car. He had to tell Miranda that he wouldn't be able to come home and that wasn't something he liked to do. Missing this weekend would make the first full month since he'd decided to become an intern that he wouldn't be seeing her beautiful face. He growled as he clicked her number into his phone. As it rang, he tried to come up with a script to tell her the bad news. "Hello?" She said picking up the call. He tried to wipe the smile off of his face, but hearing her voice turned him into putty. "Hello? Ben?"
"Yeah, baby?" He said answering her.
She chuckled. "You called me."
"Oh, right." She asked him what was up. "Nothing. Can't I check on my fiancée?"
"Of course, honey. Thank you. How are you?" He hemmed and hawed. "Okay, out with it."
"What?
"Just tell me. Whatever it is."
He exhaled noisily. "I won't be able to come home this weekend."
"But you sent me your schedule."
"I… I know."
"And this weekend is Richard's anniversary… thing."
"I remember, babe."
"And Tuck has a soccer game. You promised him." She was so right. He had promised even though she'd warned him not to promise Tuck anything. He had been so sure that he was going to make it back to Seattle for his soccer game. But he'd promised and now—"And he's going to be so disappointed. And, sweetheart, I'll be disappointed, too. It's been a month and I'd be lying if I said I didn't love… you know, phone sex, but ain't nothing like the real thing." He muted her quickly and growled. "I want you to come home, Ben."
"Miranda, I know, okay!" He took a deep breath. "I mean… wait, I'm sorry. I know, sweetheart, I'm disappointed, too. But they just shook up the schedule and there's nothing I can do. I've tried switching, but no can take it on such short notice, so I'm stuck." They were silent for a long time. Ben didn't hear anything on her end and thought she'd disconnected the call. He looked at the phone and saw the time still ascending. "Miranda…"
"Yes, Benjamin?" She said with a sigh of her own.
"Miranda."
"What?" He sighed. "It's just that I've been waiting for you. And Tuck's been waiting. And…"
"I'm sorry."
"I don't really want to hear that right now, babe."
"Sweetheart," he sang softly
"No, 'sweetheart'."
"I'm sorry, Miranda. I really am."
"It's…." She sighed. Ben did the same. He really was. He hated not being there. "Don't be. It's not your fault." He shook his head. "It's not like you didn't want to be here."
"Exactly." Silence. "I miss you, woman."
"I miss you, too, baby." The sadness in her voice gave him a different kind of chill.
