Don't I just suck at updating? -.- Really, really, sorry! Exams are time consuming.
Anway, Thank you so much to those who reviewed last chapter! :D
Guys, if you ever see any mistakes kindly point them out to me so I can fix them. Thanks & Enjoy!
Lounging at Mrs. Lovett's Parlor, with his head on the baker's lap, Ben sighs contentedly. He closes his eyes as his best friend runs her fingers through his hair, lightly scraping his scalp, sending shivers down his spine. He is so glad that he has managed to find some alone time with her, for it seems impossible now since David has come along in her life.
"Ben, David and I are going to the ball that Judge Turpin is hosting." Mrs. Lovett says; her hand drifts from his head to his face, caressing his cheek with her thumb.
Frowning, Benjamin opens his eyes to look at the baker. He does not know why, but it seems that all the women are talking about the bloody party. When he went to the market a while ago, he can hear those lady merchants talking among themselves on how they wished they were invited. He does not know what is so special about it.
"Lucy wants to go, too- I don't. The Judge will be there and I don't want to see him." he groans, burying his face at Mrs. Lovett's swollen belly and hugging her waist. He looks like a child throwing tantrums.
Hearing the baker laughs, he looks up at her and sees her staring at him with a smile on her face. His heart skips a beat and he feels like he is melting. He still cannot explain these weird feelings he gets when it comes to Nellie, so he ignores them.
"But Ben, of course Turpin will be there! He is the host of the party. I do think that you should go; Lucy will love It." the baker says suggestively as she wiggles her brows up and down. "Besides, it will be fun. There will be lots of dancing."
Well, Mrs. Lovett is right. He loves dancing, and the idea of it appeals so much to him. It has been on his wedding day since he last danced, so he guesses that maybe he'll… attend. Also, it will be great if he and Nellie will be able to sneak in a dance for a song or two. He knows it may be quite impossible considering that his wife is there, but what's wrong with trying, eh? He is sure that she will be busy with Judge Turpin. Though he is against it, maybe he can let them dance while he is dancing with his best friend; he will just have to keep an eye on them.
Smiling, he has now decided that he will go to the ball and he will tell this to Lucy later. "Alright, I will go."
Mrs. Lovett just winks at him and continues on with stroking his face. He leans into her touch, savoring the feeling of her soft and warm fingers. He wishes that these kinds of moments will last, for these are the times when he feels that he is happy and at peace. He used to feel like this when he is with his wife, but not now. All they do is fight that he sometimes just wants to end things between them. But, he knows that this is the price that he has to pay for what he did. So, he will not leave and will forever try to fix things- as long as he can.
"Nellie, what do you think will happen if I leave Lucy?" he asks, just out of curiosity. He is immediately greeted by a whack on the forehead, causing him to frown at the baker. "I won't do it. I was just wondering."
Mrs. Lovett repositions Ben's head on her lap, before answering his question. She prop her feet up on the stool, and when she is comfortable enough, she answers. "First of all, Ben, why are you thinking of leaving Lucy? If you leave her, she'll be devastated- I'm certain of that. Also, do you think I'd allow you? I will not let my child grow without its father."
Sitting up, Ben takes Mrs. Lovett's hands and looks her straight in the eyes. In all seriousness, he asks. "Would you miss me?"
The baker looks down, seeming unsure of what to answer. She peers at him under her lashes, then plasters on a charming smile on her face; she murmurs. "Every single day that you were gone."
Ben, pleased with Mrs. Lovett's answer, grins and gives her a peck on her cheek. He then lays his head on her shoulder and intertwines his hand with hers. "Then I will not leave. Can't have you missing me, eh?"
This earns him another whack on the back of his head from the baker. He pulls away from her, narrowing his eyes at her. Then without warning, he attacks her sides, tickling her mercilessly. The baker flails, trying to extricate herself from Ben, but he is too strong for her. All she can do is laugh while she yells at him to stop.
After sometime, Ben pauses at what he is doing, but his hands stay warningly at Mrs. Lovett's waist. He gives her time to even out her breathing, seeing that all the laughing has left her out of breath. When she seems to be alright, he asks. "So Nellie, would you dare try and hit me again?"
Mrs. Lovett's eyes widen. She instinctively grabs Ben's hands- to prevent them from tickling her- and shakes her head in the negative. "No, no, I won't. I'll behave, I'll behave."
Benjamin smiles teasingly, and then slowly removes his hands from the baker's waist. He crosses his arms to his chest and holds his head up high. With one eyebrow raised, he haughtily says: "Well, then, I guessed you've learned your lesson."
Mrs. Lovett is about to hit him again, but controls herself midway. Instead, she puts on a fake smile and gently pats him on his cheek. He can feel her annoyance radiating off of her.
To infuriate her even more, Ben sticks his tongue out at her. Knowing that she cannot do anything to retaliate, he takes advantage of this. However, he is clearly not expecting it when suddenly pushes him on his back and straddles him. This time, she is the one who is tickling him, and it looks like she is not being lenient.
Mrs. Lovett is laughing hysterically, while Ben tries really hard to thwarts off her attacks. They are both very engrossed with what they are doing that they have not notice David standing in front of them. Only when the man clears his throat really loud did they stop.
Ben and Nellie freeze; as if on cue, they simultaneously look at David. Both look like a kid caught stealing from the fruit stall. After a few moments of awkwardness, Mrs. Lovett is the first one to act; she scrambles to get off on top of the barber, probably knowing her position of straddling him is quite scandalous. Benjamin, when the baker is not on top of him anymore, sits upright. He fixes his clothes and questioningly looks at the newly arrived man.
David looks like he is about to blow up. He is red in the face and his hands are balled into fist. Standing rigidly and glaring daggers at Benjamin, he asks through gritted teeth. "What are you two doing?"
Mrs. Lovett opens her mouth, ready to launch on a full explanation, but Ben beats her to it. The barber raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms to his chest. He slowly averts his gaze from the baker to David; with a smirk on his face, he says: "I believe, Mr. Harris, that whatever we are doing is none of your business."
David lunges for the barber, but Ben is quick to react. As Mr. Harris reaches him, he grabs him by the collar and pins him down the sofa. "I will not fight with you in front of Nellie."
The barber releases the man with a hard shove. Stepping away from him, he goes over to the frightened baker, wrapping his arms around her. "Are you alright?"
Mrs. Lovett looks up at Benjamin, worry written all over her face. She nods in response, mouthing a thank you.
Meanwhile, David is now on his feet, still glaring at the barber. It seems like he wants to say something, but then he just marches off the baker's living room. He throws the vase that he passes by on his way out, in anger. Ben makes a dash for him, but Mrs. Lovett restrains him.
"What's his problem, Nell?" the barber asks, turning to face Mrs. Lovett who still looks shaken. He guides her to the sofa and gently pushes her down to take a seat. Once she's settled, he goes over to the kitchen to get her a cup of tea.
Coming back from the kitchen, Ben hands the drink to the baker. She looks fine now than she was a while ago. He sits beside her, not uttering a word. He asked her a question, and he'll wait whenever she's ready to answer. In the meantime, he ponders on about David's attitude previously. The man has acted like he's Nellie's husband. He does not have the right to be angry, they are not even together! He knows of the man's feeling for his best friend, and if Mrs. Lovett will ask him, he doesn't- will not- approve of her being with David.
The way David has acted earlier just proves of how violent he can be. If Nellie has ever decided to live with him, there will be a big chance of her being beaten-or hit- by this man. Ben simply cannot allow this. He turns to the baker, placing a hand on her shoulder. When she turns to him, he says: "Nellie, I don't want him near you."
He sees the confusion on his friend's eyes. She is scowling at him, seeming to be in deep thought. So, he explains himself. "He- just- just look how he acted a while ago! I cannot trust you with him, Nell!"
Mrs. Lovett breaks into a smile. She puts down her cuppa, and faces Ben. Shaking her head while biting her lower lip, she unexpectedly gives him a peck on the cheek. "Ben, you're always so naïve. David was angry because he was jealous! He thought we were doing something… you know. Yes, he may have over reacted a little, but I do understand him. There's nothing to worry about."
"And how did you know that he's jealous?" he asks, looking smug. The idea of David being jealous of them feels like he has done something really great. From day one he hated the man, and to make him feel like this, or to annoy him and make him angry is an accomplishment.
Mrs. Lovett crinkles her nose and shrugs. "Well, because that's how I always feel whenever I see the person that I love with his beautiful wife."
Benjamin cocks his head to the side, looking inquisitively at the baker. Who is she talking about? Is this still that man that she has told him that he loves, way back? He does not know that she still sees him. "Is he the same man you have told me about? I didn't know that you still get to see him."
"Yes, I still see him. Every day." She says, giving him a small smile.
"Really? But you don't get out that much. That only means that he lives near you, for you to seem him always. Tell me Nell, do I know him? Is he one of your regular customers?" Ben asks, now thinking of whoever this man may be. He mostly sees who dines in the bakeshop and sometimes watches as Mrs. Lovett serve the patrons, but he doesn't notice her giving extra attention to any man. Whenever he is around, she is either working or having a chat with him. Maybe she just doesn't want him to notice who this mystery person is? But why? It's not like he'll interfere.
What if he is that man? He perfectly fits the description. The baker says that she always sees him and that he has a beautiful wife. He chuckles at the absurdity of this thought. He does not even know why it crosses his mind that he could possibly be this man that his best friend is in love with. Though deep inside, he is hoping that he is.
"You don't know him." simply is the baker's reply to him. He knows that she is lying, for she suddenly averts her gaze from him, looking down.
He gently grabs her chin and tilts it upwards so that she is looking at him. Yet, Mrs. Lovett still refuses to meet his eyes. He does not know what her reason for hiding this man's identity is. "Don't I?"
Mrs. Lovett leans her head on Ben's shoulder, and in return, he places his on top of hers. "I don't want to talk about him." she grabs his hand then traces the lines of his palm. "If you're not married to Lucy, where do you think will you be, now?"
Benjamin without thinking just blurts out. "Married to you."
Everything goes silent. The only sound they can hear is the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Ben, who now realized what he just said, is furiously blushing. He is not meant no say it; he just said whatever first thing that popped up in his mind. He can tell that he is just joking, but it may hurt his friend; she may think that he does not want her, he does. Not knowing what to do, he just gets up and quickly sprint out of Mrs. Lovett's shop, muttering about doing something.
Only when he is at home, seated at his barber chair and pondering of what he has said, does it occur to him that he just admitted to himself that he likes Nellie- no, not as a friend, but something more than that.
KathyLovettLestrange - LOL! nothing's crazy with thinking that he wanted Nellie to be his wife, I guess. xD Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D
Ishipsweenett - Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciated what you said. :") Don't worry, we'll find a way for Nellie and Ben to be together. :P
Broadway Evanescence - Thank you so much, dear! here's another update for ya! :D i'll update sooner next time, I guess. :))
thelovelyflorencelovett - You're back! LOL! don't tell me you are cheering for Nellie and David, now?
Lady Musket - Ben asks why are you repeating his name over and over? :P
Reviews are L.O.V.E.