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Mrs. Lovett takes a seat at one of the benches in her shop as her last customer leaves. She knows that she has a lot of works to do- cleaning the shop and washing the dishes- but she's really tired and wants to take a rest, before she continues on with what she needs to do.
She pushes the dirty plate away from her and places her elbows at the table, her hands holding her head. She closes her eyes and bites her lips as she lets her emotions overpower her.
She does not know what she is feeling. She feels really annoyed that she wants to scream her heart out and at the same time she is tired- tired of everything, that she just wants to curl up in her bed and cry.
There are a lot of things in her mind. Things that she always refuses to acknowledge because she knows that if she does, it will only make her miserable- as if she is not, now. It's been there since the first time she met Benjamin Barker. It's funny how he is then one who causes her pain and yet makes her happy.
She hates herself for loving him.
She tries to stop, at first she keeps on convincing herself that it is just an attraction- it's not. She cannot fool herself, she loves him; it is wrong but she does not care. If loving him is a sin, then she is willing to commit that sin, over and over again- without regrets.
He has an effect on her that whenever he's near her, heart skips a beat and he just takes her breath away. He's the only person that can do that to her- he's the only person that she truly loves. Good news is: he is also very much in love, truly, madly, and deeply in love- the bad news is… with his wife.
She knows that knowing that he has a wife should make her stop wanting him, but she can't. There's just something about him- everything in him is just… perfect. He is everything that she ever wants and everything that she will never have.
As she thinks of these things, tears escape her eyes. She lets it flow, letting it all out, wanting the pain to go away. She has been keeping it inside herself long enough that she feels suffocated- she has to let go. Each tear that she sheds represents her pain and suffering and so, she does not wipe it off, wanting to feel them escape her eyes… escape her.
She sighs as she shakes her head; she stands up and starts clearing away the tables. This is why she does not want to think about what she really feels towards Ben, it just makes her vulnerable. For now, she is just happy that their relationship is blossoming. Before, they only talk when he hands her the rent but now, they always talk- about everything, he confides in her, tell her about his problems, and asks for advice. She guesses that she should be content with what they have now: friendship, although she knows that for her, it will never be enough.
Mrs. Lovett wakes up with a smile on her face. She may be feeling her lowest last night, but today, she feels happy. The crying helped her lot- the pain lessens and her mind is at peace- she's back to her normal self.
She gets up from her bed and discards her night gown to change to her working dress. She fixes her hair, putting it into two pony tails. Satisfied with her look, she takes one last glance at the mirror before she exits her bedroom and heads to her shop to start making pies.
She starts making fillings for the pie, preparing all the needed ingredients first. She is in the middle of cutting the onions when she hears someone enters her shop. It is rather too early to have a customer and for Ben to be downstairs. So, it surprises her that it is Benjamin who walks in her shop.
"Good morning, Nellie." He greets her with his charming smile that she adores. He approaches her; he stops beside her and watches her as she continues on with cutting the onions.
She pauses for a while and looks at him with confusion "Good morning, Ben. What are you doing here so early?"
He looks up and pretends to think, tapping his chin with his forefinger. "Well, I was thinking… maybe we should take a day off. We can go to the park or just do whatever we want to do." he looks at her then smiles "what do you think?"
She beams at him- looking really excited but, her lips suddenly pucker and her brows furrow "No."
Ben stands there gaping at her- Just when he thinks that she's going to agree with him, she suddenly turns him down.
He stands behind her and put his hands on her waist. She closes her eyes for a second; she takes a deep breath and slowly exhales- she pretends not to be bothered by what he's doing and still continues on with cutting, but this time, garlic.
He leans forwards- her back against his chest; her heart is beating fast and her forehead is beginning to sweat- he whispers in her ear "close your shop or else…"
She leans on the counter; she's trying to process what he just said to her. She cannot focus, their close proximity is making her dizzy- her head is spinning. She drops the knife and grips his wrists; she is tugging them- trying to remove his hold on her waist.
"Or else what?" she says in an airy voice, she does not mean to sound seductive.
He runs his hands up and down her sides "Or else I will…"
He tickles her.
She screams, laughs, and thrashes around, trying to escape him. He does not stop, he traps her on the counter, pressing his weight on her but careful enough not to squeeze her- she's pregnant.
"Oh my… stop!" she says between her laughs "stop!" she waves her arms up and down, surrendering "fine, I'll close the shop."
He stops tickling her and steps backwards, giving her some space. She leans on the counter her hand on her chest, she's breathing heavily, exhausted by his assault.
After her breath returns to normal she spans around looking at the smirking Benjamin. She grins at him and takes one step forward- they are now standing face to face. She puts her hands on her hips and raises one eyebrow. "So, you think you could get away with that?"
Before she gets the chance to tickle him he quickly runs away from her, sensing what she is about to do. She chases her all around the shop but he is too quick for her. She slumps down at one of the benches defeated, while Ben is on the other side of the room.
"Come on, Nellie! Come and get me." He laughs at her. She crosses her arms and turns away from him, pouting.
Seeing that she had enough of chasing him, he slowly walks towards her. He takes a seat across her and looks at her.
"Now, Nell. Don't get mad at me, it's not my fault that you were not able to chase Me." He just smirks at her, although she was not looking at him. She finds her adorable like this- pouting like a little girl who is not able to get what she wants. He chuckles which causes her to scowl even more.
"It's not fair, you're faster than me." She slams her fist at the table and glares at him. He is making fun of her and it is not amusing her.
He just laughs at her; he stands up and scoots himself to the bench where she is sitting. He wraps his arms around her and lays his head on her shoulder. "You look adorable when you're mad, Nell."
She huffs then moves away from him. She may be angry on the outside but inside she's enjoying his attempts woo her.
He sighs then calls her name softly "Nellie."
She looks at him and answers, annoyance filling her voice "What!?"
He smiles at her and taps her nose with his forefinger "I'm sorry, okay? Here…" he grabs her hands and puts it on his waist "tickle me 'till you're satisfied."
She cannot help but smile at this. Her anger slowly fades away, she takes the opportunity and soon she's attacking him mercilessly. Now, he's the one who's screaming, laughing, and thrashing.
After breakfast, they have decided to go to the park- to relax and enjoy the fine weather.
They are now sitting under the willow tree that shades them from the rays of the sun. They are munching on some apple as they practically talk about anything that just comes out of their mind. They really look happy and contented. They are in a different world, a world where only the two of them exists.
"… yes, I pushed him into the water. He deserved that for making fun of me." Her head held high as she tells him this, with pride in her voice.
"You're a really bad, Nell." He tuts "I pity that poor little kid."
They both laugh at the sarcasm of his statement. Once their laughter subsides, he notices Mrs. Lovett, she is looking straight ahead, with sadness and longing in her eyes.
He touches the side of her face and turns her head to him so that she is facing him. "What's wrong, Nell?"
She smiles but it does not reach her eyes- he takes note of this "Nothing."
He knows that she's lying. If she has problems, she can tell him and he will help her. That's what friends are for, right? They help each other. What she needs to do is just tell him what's bothering her and he'll do what he can in order to help her. He does not want to see her so sad.
"You're lying. Something's wrong, I know it. Please tell me what's bothering you." He caresses her face with his thumb.
She sighs as she closes her eyes, leaning into his touch. Wringing her hands together she answers him "well, are- I- will, you still talk to me when Lucy comes back?" she asks as he looks into his eyes, worry etched on her face.
"What makes you think that I would stop talking to you?" he asks in confusion.
She averts her gaze away from him. What makes her think that? Well, he always spends his time with Lucy, if not with her then at work. His precious time is used entirely only for his wife. She knows that once Lucy comes home, Mrs. Lovett will be left at her own- alone, just like she always was. Now she regrets agreeing to him that they eat together. She is now used to him always being around; it will be hard for her to adjust being alone, again.
"Well, I- you- I… don't know." She sighs, shaking her head. "It's just that… you never really talk to me before. I'm guessing because your attention is always with your wife and once she comes back, I know you'll forget about me."
Ben feels guilty. True, he never talks to her before but, it's because he's afraid to talk to her. Because he thinks that she won't like to make friends with him. Every time he sees her she's always talking with someone who belongs to the middle class, and he thinks that she wouldn't want to be talking to a simple barber like him. And that's where he's wrong. Once he really gets to know Mrs. Lovett, he finds out that she is just simple, like him. He likes her jovial personality and her cleverness. She does not judge people by their status; she's very kind and easy to be with.
"I'm not going to forget you, Nellie. I will still visit you every day. I'm not going to abandon my best friend." he grabs her hands and squeezes them. She does not need to worry about him forgetting her; he will make sure that he checks on her every day, just to let her know that he's always there for her.
She looks at him but this time she is beaming "really? You promise?"
He chuckles "of course"
She stands up, looking for something. Once she finds what she's looking for she goes back to sitting beside Ben- who is currently eating his second apple.
"Ben, let's carve our name on this tree." She says enthusiastically, pointing at the tree behind them. She hands him the rock that they will use to carve their names with.
He nods happily and takes the rock from her; he turns around, facing the tree. He starts carving his name 'Benjamin' then he hands the rock to Mrs. Lovett so she can also write her name on the tree. Below his name is where she puts hers 'Eleanor'.
"There, finished!" she says and they both look at their masterpiece.
Mrs. Lovett taps him on the shoulder and they both turn away from the tree.
"You know, my mother says to me that if you carve your name with your friend's or lover's name on a tree, it will make your bond even stronger and it will last forever." She says to him as she lightly taps his knee.
"It's a good thing, then." He answers as he faces her. He looks at her- eyes twinkling with happiness "That means our friendship will lasts… forever."
He leans towards her and kisses her on the cheek- he does not know what the kiss is for. Maybe, it's for the friendship that she has given him.
She smiles at him and lays her head on his shoulder.
Forever…
Hey guys! So, do you think I should bring Lucy back in maybe after one to two chapters?
or should i put more Ben/Nellie fluffy moments?
leave me a review :P