Thank you to Temparance Cain and YuukiAsuna41 for your reviews and thanks to everyone who has favourited or followed. I love fake dating fics as much as the next person so I will try to do this one justice. I went through about three completely rewritten drafts of this chapter so thank you all for your patience. I will probably make some minor tweaks to this chapter later on, but I thought I'd left you all waiting long enough so here we go.
The Partner
"Beth Harmon," says Benny Watts as he strides towards her in the lobby of the Milwaukee Hotel where their latest tournament is taking place.
"Benny Watts,'' says Beth. She is sweating.
She doesn't normally sweat at their meets. Mostly because she has a win-loss ratio against Benny of 9-4.
But today is not a normal meet. She hadn't even intended to play Milwaukee, but she'd entered at the last minute because what else is she supposed to do?
Harry is married. Townes has moved to London with Roger. And Beth doesn't want to marry any of the weirdos who send her fan mail asking her to do exactly that.
So there is only one man she can think of who could make a plausible husband. And he's single as far as she knows.
"Not happy to see me Harmon?" says Benny, raising an eyebrow. "You look...well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you looked afraid."
Beth snorts, but her body feels like it's fizzing.
"You doing alright?" he asks, more seriously. Like he doesn't believe her derisive snort for a second. Like he knows her too well.
Beth shrugs.
"You played well in Chicago," says Benny.
"I know," says Beth, then drops her voice. "Look Benny, I…"
Need you to marry me so I can adopt a nine-year-old girl who likes to play chess.
Benny raises an eyebrow.
"Hope you don't mind getting your backside handed to you," finishes Beth.
-O-
It is harder than Beth thought it would be asking Benny to marry her. No matter how many times she practises in front of the mirror, no matter how many times she tells her reflection that it's a matter of business, she can't figure out exactly how to imagine Benny reacting as non-chalantly as she wants.
Even though it's strictly business and she will pay him for his time.
Maybe that's why she loses the Milwaukee tournament.
Harmon v. Watts in the final round.
Benny with his dead serious eyes and his hat brim shadowing his face.
Beth knowing she needs to concentrate on the board and their exchange of bishops. But instead all she can think about is the girl in the orphanage and the conversation she needs to have with Benny.
She's normally so good at blocking out the world when she plays chess, but not today. Not against Benny.
When he corners her King, she lays it down silently.
"Tough game," he says, holding out his hand for her to shake.
Her palms are sweaty, but she can't not shake his hand. Benny would be hurt. The press would build all sorts of rumours.
So she shakes and she sees the moment Benny registers the clamminess of her hand.
A slight quirk of an eyebrow. A slight tilt of his head.
-O-
He comes to her room in the evening, just before dinner. Black shirt, black coat, necklaces. Moustache. Hair.
"What's going on Harmon?" he says as she pulls back the door.
Beth grimaces. She really should have gone to his room, not waited for him to come to hers, but she has been unable to make herself walk the few metres down the corridor to his room all tournament.
And she knew he'd come find her anyway if she left the final without deconstructing the game with him. Since Ohio, it's what they always do when they play each other. Though these days, they go out for coffees instead of beers - Benny's idea.
"You want to tell me over coffee?" asks Benny now.
Beth nods.
It is easier to have this conversation in public than it is to have the conversation in her hotel room next to her double bed. "Let me just grab my purse," she says.
-O-
They head out of the hotel together and Beth is sure at least one chess reporter sees them, though perhaps it doesn't matter now if they want to write rumours about her and Benny since any rumours can only help her cause.
She wonders what Benny thinks of the rumours. If they bother him the way they bother her. Though she suspects he doesn't get asked as much to comment on them. An untethered twenty-nine-year old man isn't considered particularly notable. Though the fact that he has been single for the last six years as far as she or anyone else can tell doesn't exactly do anything to quell the rumours.
Benny leads her to a small coffee shop near the hotel with cakes in the window that claims to be open until 10pm and Beth wonders if he had already scouted it for them before the tournament finished because he doesn't hesitate at the door.
At the counter, Beth orders a latte and Benny orders a cappuccino. Then they slide into opposite sides of a small cream booth at the back of the coffee shop and Benny spreads his arms like he wants an explanation. "So why'd you sign up for Milwaukee last minute, Harmon?" he says.
Beth takes a heavy breath. Benny, I need you to marry me so I can adopt a nine-year-old girl who likes to play chess.
"Maybe I wanted to keep you on your toes," she says instead. "If we never play each other, we'll get complacent."
Behind the counter, the barista is seeing to their order and the air has the pleasant, sharp taste of bitter coffee.
"We'll get complacent?" says Benny, with a slight quirk of his eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who handed me the game?"
Beth winces.
It chafes. The loss. It always does. No matter what reason she can cook up to explain it, she still lost.
"I mean, a queen sacrifice for a rook Beth, come on," says Benny. "What were you thinking? For a moment, I thought you must have some genius plan I'd somehow missed, but-"
"Yes okay," says Beth, cutting him off. How she wishes she had had a genius plan instead. "I blanked for a moment, alright. I know it was stupid."
Benny lifts his head, mouth quirking the way it does when he can't quite make out what someone is thinking. She has never blanked in one of their games before. She can't believe she did it today. She just couldn't concentrate properly with Amelia in her head.
"Do you need the prize money?" asks Benny now, as though he thinks there must be some external reason she couldn't concentrate and he's not wrong. "Are you in financial difficulties?"
Beth digs her fingernails into her palms. She's rehearsed so many times, she should just be able to push it out. It's not like she's asking him to marry her in earnest.
But she still remembers that phone call six years ago.
I miss you.
Three words that terrified her at the time, that still terrify her now.
Because in the moment he'd said them, she'd felt them too - or something akin to them.
Physical attraction, she could deal with. But emotional attachment – that was something else altogether. And she didn't trust herself to be able to pick someone who would always be there, who would always stick around. She still doesn't.
Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea.
But it was six years ago.
Benny probably doesn't miss her anymore. And she doesn't miss him. She thinks about him sometimes, but that's not the same as missing someone.
He's never asked her out for dinner. He's never asked her to visit him in New York.
They call each other every few weeks to discuss chess strategy, but those are work calls.
"Beth?" says Benny.
She shakes her head. "My finances are fine," she says.
She breathes in heavily to calm her nerves. She can do this. Anything that was between her and Benny is six years in the past. She doubts he wants to revisit it anymore than she does. This is just business. And he'll probably be glad for the extra cash.
"Benny, I..."
Her throat sticks, her tongue suddenly heavy like it still doesn't want to say the words.
But she thinks of Amelia.
The pink walls.
The chess book peeking out from under her pillow.
"Benny, I need you to marry me," she forces out. "So I can adopt a child."
The next chapter should be up in July. And we will get Benny's reaction next time. I thought we would get it this time, but in revisions, the scene pacing wasn't right so I had to shift it to chapter 3. So lots to look forwards to :D
