Chapter 13
Alita’s heart sank when she approached Benson’s house, asked the door open, and was greeted by Julie’s screaming. As she rapidly made her way to Julie’s room, her eyes quickly surveyed the living room. She detected the odor of alcohol in the air and immediately knew Benson had been drinking. When she saw the fragments of a broken bottle all over the ground at the entrance to Julie’s room, a shudder rushed down her spine and her heart almost stopped. Julie’s sobbing was more audible as the door to her room was wide open.
“What exactly happened here?” She inquired into the air. Before reaching Julie’s bed, she skipped between the shards of the broken bottle and stretched her hand forward. She took her up and held her, slowly bouncing about and tapping her on the back. Julie’s shouts subsided to coughs and sniffles.
Alita sympathized with her. She drew Julie’s face to hers, wiped the tiny teardrops off her chin, and hugged her once again. She was ready to sing Julie a lullaby when she saw the bathroom door was open. Fear grabbed her as she glanced in and noticed someone on the ground. Her mind began to do the math on the various situations that may have occurred. Did someone assassinate and kill Benson? Her heart pounded, pounding hard against her chest as if it were about to break free from its confines the next second. Alita’s eyes widened as she skipped to a significant distance immediately in front of the bathroom and noticed Benson lying still on the ground.
She wasn’t sure if he was still alive.
Please be breathing. You can’t die right now. Julie is still a child.
She clutched Julie to her bosom as she took long, deliberate strides towards what she hoped wasn’t Benson’s corpse. The closer she got, the colder she became and her legs became weaker. She knelt and placed her index finger in front of his nose, feeling air strike her finger from his nostrils. She felt a weight lift from her chest, only to be replaced by questions. How did he end up lying on the floor in Julie’s bathroom with a smashed bottle just outside the door in only his singlets and boxers?
She stepped out of the restroom, certain that it had everything to do with the previous day.
He’d had too much to drink and passed out in the restroom. It was terrible, and Alita would have never imagined him the way she saw him on the ground. But everyone has something that breaks through all of their defenses against feeling exposed and leaves them completely enamored with overpowering pain.
Alita hastily made something for Julie to eat putting her in bed with some toys for her to play with. She swept the glass fragments off the ground and disposed of them.
When she returned to the bathroom, Benson was still sleeping. She badly wanted to know what had done this to him, though she would take a quick guess. She checked her watch, which she had come to terms with wearing, and noticed that it was past the time he was typically already at work. She yelled out his name in an attempt to wake him up, but he remained motionless and breathing steadily. She called his name a couple more times, but he didn’t respond, so she bent down and softly tapped his hand, but he still didn’t wake up.
She exhaled and kneaded her temples, trying to think of something to do. She has the option of leaving him there until he wakes up. It didn’t look like it was going to happen anytime soon.
What will he think of me when he wakes up and discovers I’ve abandoned him here?
Alita growled as she realized she’d have to carry him to his room. She had never been to his room before, partly because he didn’t show her his room when he gave her a tour of the house, and partly because it was a bad idea and protection against her underlying increasing feelings for him. She was still dealing with the fact that she occasionally saw him button his shirt and stood in his natural beauty and grace when he spoke to her, so his room was a no-go zone for her.
Now is the time for my gym sessions to pay off, or I won’t be working out again.
She extended herself, bent down, placed her hands beneath him, and attempted but failed to push his upper body up. She was out of breath after attempting to. She looked about and wondered how he could be so heavy. Yes, he was hefty, but she hadn’t anticipated the weight she had collided with.
She resorted to pulling him out of the bathroom by holding his feet together. She locked the door and stood over him, trying to catch her breath, after his entire body was out of the restroom.
“How come you’re still sleeping after that?” Her expression contorted as she stared at him, who was still sleeping on the ground like a sleepy baby after she hauled him out of the bathroom.
Even I can’t sleep this soundly. She rubbed her palms together.
Who knew you were such a snoozer? Worse than I am.
She knew she couldn’t drag him all the way to his room, so she accepted that she’d have to carry him up. She inhaled and exhaled, clenched her teeth, and pressed her lips together.
She gave it everything she had and was able to lift him off the ground and place his hand across her shoulder.
“Fuck!” She exclaimed as she took the first step forward, realizing what she had done to herself. He was heavy, and she had used every ounce of strength she had to bring him up. She managed to get him out of Julie’s room before collapsing. She pushed herself under him on the way down to keep his head from hitting the ground.
“You’ve got to lose some weight, dude,” she whispered quietly as she eased herself out from under him. “Fuck it,” she shook her head after regaining her sight and regaining control of her breathing. “I’m going to pull your drowsy ass down to your room.” “I tried, man, I tried, I can’t die like this,” she slouched, allowing her shoulders to sag as she shook her head sideways, taken aback by how he was still sleeping through all of that just happened.
She eventually dragged him to his room and only carried him up to his bed. She approached his door and turned to take one final glance at him.
She took in the view of the room while holding her hips. Her gaze traveled about, appreciating everything she saw until it landed on him. She moved closer to the bed and examined him.
You’re such a work of art…. and such a crazy-ass sleeper.
Her gaze moved up and down his body, from his feet to his hair. She was going closer to him and wriggling her body side to side, unbeknownst to her. She lowered her fingers to feel his abs. It was warm and inviting. It felt sensitive and firm in her hands. She giggled faintly as she touched his jawline. She felt a flood of warmth go over her. Her insides started to throb. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes as a slew of possibilities flooded her head, none of which could possibly come true.
She dashed to the door after deciding that remaining there was a bad idea. Something bad would happen that would feel good.
When she got to the door, she turned around, and the stain on his singlet became obvious. She considered changing him and loved the idea because it would allow her to see and touch him more.
She chose a casual shirt for him to sleep in and put it on him after removing his singlet.
She finally went out of his room, biting her nails the entire time. She returned to Julie and gave her a warm bath, then stayed with her, singing and playing with her to keep her mind from wandering and thinking of the things she would do to Benson if she had the chance. If she ever had the opportunity.
She soon heard his voice reverberate throughout the house. When she heard his footstep approaching Julie’s room, she stiffened. She hadn’t considered how the topic regarding his translocation would unfold when he awoke.
He looked pallid as he opened the door. When his gaze met hers, he averted his gaze. He looked down at his shirt before turning to face her. He grinned awkwardly and waved at her before immediately returning to his room. After he departed, Alita pursed her lips and hugged herself. “I had to do it,” she said to Julie, who merely cackled back.
He had no idea how he got into the clothes he was wearing or how she got him from the restroom to his room. He refused to believe Alita would have carried him. He sat on his bed, staring out the window, wondering how he would face her again.