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@builderbennett
TEXT > BENNETT
Charlie: Sure, I'll go with that. š
Charlie: I wouldn't brag about that. You're lucky you're cute. š
Bennett: Good, 'cause it's the only way you can get away with it :p
Bennett: Oh yeah, and why's that? I can brag about whatever I want :p
TEXT > BENNETT
Charlie: We'll see how I feel after I bop you upside your head.
Charlie: I don't know WHAT you are talking about. You are losing your mind, darling.
Bennett: Is it a bop with love?
Bennett: Who says I ever had my mind in the first place? :p
TEXT > BENNETT
Charlie: What am I going to do with you?
Charlie: The dog snores, too! I did not. I poured ice on you and it melted.
Bennett: Lots and lotsa things, all of them good if I'm lucky :-p
Bennett: No way ice is that sticky, babe.
TEXT > BENNETT
Charlie: You are so lucky that I love you.
Charlie: Your snoring kept me up all night and I sat up contemplating smothering you with a pillow.
Bennett: Tell me something I don't know ;-)
Bennett: Hey! It can't have been that bad; it's never bothered the dog. And you totally drooled on my chest when you did doze off :-p
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
[Charlie watched Bennettās cheeks redden and it amused her to no end. She always loved when he would blush, making him even cuter than he already was to her. His words made her feel sad, mostly because she knew if she had seen him, she wouldāve just done something to make him feel like shit. Wouldāve grabbed Jonathan and kissed him as hard as she could, or began hanging all over him just to make Bennett jealous and upset. Sometimes she really hated herself. She didnāt say anything in response to his confession, and placed a kiss on his cheek.]
āI appreciate that youād do that, but Iām already moving back to Georgia. I took a teaching job there; tomorrow is my last performance here. I did what I set out to do, so now itās time for a new dream. Being back there, it made me miss everything and everyone. If you had waited another week, you might have run into me at the Piggly Wiggly.ā [She chuckled. When she noticed he seemed to be calming down a bit, she had a small glint in her eye.]Ā āI have to admit, I missed seeing you blush. I always did enjoy that shade on you. I wonder if I still have what it takes.ā [She took his hand and placed it on her chest, then turned her attention to the older man who was holding their plates.]Ā āThank you, George! It looks delicious.ā
[Bennett perked up at Charlieās words, his eyes wide as he stared at her.]Ā āYou serious?ā [It was the last thing heād expected her to say, honestly. Heād thought heād be the one making the sacrifices, and heād been completely okay with that, but when she said sheād be coming home instead, Bennettās heart felt completely full of joy. It was the life heād always wanted, with the girl heād always wanted it with, and for a brief second it all felt too easy. Then he almost laughed bitterly when he remembered the years of hell theyād both gone through, and decided to just grin and be grateful that things had finally turned around.]
āIf youāre positive youāre gonna be happy, that sounds... amazing, honestly. Like the best possible scenario. You really wanna be back in Georgia? For real, for good?ā [Maybe it was asking too much of her, too fast, but his face flushed with excitement again from imagining the way their life was about to start going, and from having her so close to him. He almost didnāt even realize their food was there, until it was being placed in front of them and he almost knocked it over from pulling back excitedly.]Ā āSorry about that, sir -- thanks so much for the food, and for taking good care of her all this time.āĀ
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
āSee? New York isnāt that different, you just have to know where to go. I guess I missed being home and didnāt even know it.ā [Charlie shrugged and smiled up at the older man when he put their drinks in front of them. Her gaze moved to the busy street outside of the diner. She was going to miss George and the city but when she was given the opportunity to take a teaching job back home, she jumped at it. She glanced at Bennett, keeping her expression neutral.]Ā āI canāt believe you got on a plane to come here like those chick flick movies you hate. Does this mean youāre going to move in with me in my studio apartment? Think you can handle New York?ā
[Bennett laughed, feeling a little bit sheepish as Charlie teased him.]Ā āWell actually...ā [He kept his head ducked, his cheeks red. Heād never thought heād have the chance to tell her this, but here they were, and the words were ready to spill from his mouth, without any sarcasm or bitterness veiled in his tone.]Ā āI came up here, once before. To try and find you. Tell you Iād finally made something of myself. Your folks gave me your address and everything, but I, uh... spotted you across the street, with him, and I just couldnāt do it. I turned around and went right back home.ā
[It was weird, feeling shy and nervous around her again, but it was good, too. He hadnāt felt that way since they were teens fumbling with belts and straps and whatever else in the back of his truck, or since he was dressed waiting for her to walk down the aisle. This was good, though, the whole array of feelings flooding back as he grinned up at her.]Ā āBut if thatās what you want, yeah, we can figure it out. Even New York City needs construction, right? I can design some southern charm to hide in the center of the city or somethinā. Maybe Iāll learn to love it almost as much as I love you.āĀ
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
[It was so strange how in a matter of a few minutes Charlie felt so at ease and, well, happy. She had wondered if she would ever be happy again, or if maybe her heart had truly become a black pit. Now she felt happier than she ever really remembered being. At least since she had found out she was pregnant. Charlie crinkled her nose.]Ā āHmmm, Iām sure we can arrange that.ā [She smiled and stood up so she could reach his cheek, placing a kiss there. Then she took his hand and began walking outside. She paused when one of the few people who had stuck around said they were going to miss her being around. She didnāt say anything in response, just gave them a small smile.
Charlie lead the way to a small diner that was nearly empty inside. The little dig from the bell alerted the tired staff of their presence; she walked straight up to a booth in the far corner and slid in. When the waiter appeared and recognized Charlie, she smiled up at the older man.]Ā āHey George, how are you tonight? Oh - George, this is Bennett.ā [The older man gave a knowing look and chuckled, then asked what they would like.]Ā āIāll take a chocolate shake and a cheeseburger deluxe.ā [She turned her attention to Bennett and sighed. There was a lot that had happen and her head was still reeling.]
[Bennett paused at the comment about missing Charlotte being around, but he didnāt say anything. Maybe sheād signed with a different company or had gotten a role in a different production than them; he didnāt know how dancing worked and he had all night -- and if he was lucky, the rest of his life -- to figure out what they were on about. He hardly talked on the way to the diner; it was hard to hear over the New York noise, but more than that, he just wanted to soak in being next to her, and being at peace instead of fighting, like theyād done ever since they lost the baby.]Ā āNice to meet ya, George -- Iāll have the same.ā
[Bennett nodded at the waiter once they settled into their booth, grinning happily. Maybe it was just the fact that Charlie was sitting here with him that made it seem almost cozy inside, or maybe New York wasnāt really so different than being back home. Either way, he looked around and took in the charm of a place thatĀ obviouslyĀ seemed familiar to the woman he was so crazily in love with. There was still so much for them to talk about, but he didnāt even know where to start, so instead he commented on their surroundings.]Ā āItāsĀ nice in here, huh? I see why you like it so much.ā
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
[Charlie watched him intently as he started towards her. She didnāt know what he was going to do, and was surprised at his words. Even though she probably shouldnāt have beenāwho else gets on a plane and shows up at their exās work place just to ask why they didnāt get married? But the way they left things back in Georgia made her feel differently. She felt her stomach knot up once again as he lifted her head towards him. Embracing the kiss, she raised her hands to his waist. Even though they had been apart for so many years, she fell back into the familiarity of his touch.Ā
She finally broke away, raising her hands to his as she rested her forehead against his. Once she opened her eyes, she smiled.]Ā āI love you, Bennett.ā [It was such a weight off her shoulders for her to finally accept that and say it out loud. She really did love him and only him. Moving her arms down, she wrapped them around his torso, pulling herself tightly to him. There was a soft clearing of someoneās throat and Charlie glanced over her shoulder to see the janitor was waiting for them.]Ā āBe right out, Bill.ā [The janitor nodded and left them alone once again. With her arms still around him, she stepped back so she could see his face.]Ā āWant to go get something to eat?ā
[Even though Bennett had never been physically so far from home, emotionally, he felt like thatās exactly where he was. The tension in his neck and shoulders ebbed away, the clenched jaw heād had for most of his travels slackened, and there was nothing in the room that mattered except for him and his wife. Well... ex-wife, now? Heād have to check on that and find out if the papers had gone through. That was okay, though. Bennett knew damn well that heād marry her again if he had to; anything was worth it, if they were together. Even if it meant that he had to move up here... But theyād cross that bridge when they got to it.
The only immediate obstacle he wanted to deal with, while he was floating on this cloud of happiness, was the coughing janitor. Bennett didnāt even have it in him to look sheepish about what theyād been doing; instead, he released Charlie for just a second to give a wave to the older man, and then they headed out towards the door.]Ā āFood sounds great, but only if I get to kiss you anytime I want to. I got lost time to make up for hereā
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
[As he spoke, Charlie rolled her eyes.]Ā āYouāre the reason I donāt have a heart to give him, Bennett!ā [She knew her tone sounded snippy and her words were probably not the best, but it was true. She pulled her hand to the bridge of her nose, letting out a sigh as she pinched the bone. Once upon a time she was good at stuff like this, talking about feelings and what he meant to her, but now not so much.]Ā āI mean that I never got it back from when I gave it to you years ago, not because you made me heartless.ā
āI couldnāt go through with it because that kiss made me feel more than I have felt in years and I realized I was stillā¦ in love with you.ā [She hated how she felt more in the spotlight right then than she ever did in the actual spotlight. Her nerves were going crazy and she wanted to turn and runaway, but she fought against the urge. She was tired of fighting and running.]
[There were words that he should say. Damn, there were a lotĀ of words that he should say in response to that, but instead, Bennettās body did all the talking. He couldnāt believe she actually said the words heād been dying to hear; heād come all this way thinking it was for the closure he wouldnāt let himself have while sh was still back in Georgia, but instead, sheād said everything heād spent nights tossing and turning hoping sheād say. Sure, she didnāt seem happy about her feelings -- but she had them, just the same as he did, and he stopped standing off in the wings and swiftly crossed the stage, with just one purpose in mind.]
āI still love you so damn much.ā [The words came out an emotion-filled whisper, just before he tilted his head down, brought his hands up so that one cupped her cheek and the other titled the back of her head up to meet him in the middle, and then he kissed her -- sober, completely aware of what he was doing this time, and as if his whole life depended on it.]
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
[Charlie was exhausted from trying to push Bennett away when he seemed to be so resistant. It was so physically, emotionally, and mentally tiring to fight with him all the time especially now that she knew how she felt about him. Part of her was ready to just throw in the towel, give up the whole fight. She stayed quiet as she approached him, still keeping arms length between them.] āIt wasnāt fair to marry someone that I didnāt love, or give him false hope when I knew there wasnāt a heart for him to have.ā [She did her best to keep her voice as even as she could, adding a shrug to add to the nonchalant vibe she was going for. She tried to make it appear as though the conversation topic was as mundane as the weather. She wasnāt sure how she was doing.]
āHe was oddly enough, okay with it. I think he knew before I did that he was fighting a losing battle. His mother, however, she didnāt take it as well. She accused me of playing him and called me every name in the book. And I was okay with thatāit stung a bit, but I deserved it. I had just called off the wedding, after all. But then she insulted my mom, and that was when I had enough.ā[She looked down at her right hand as she flexed it.] āIt finally healed. Took long enough.ā [She looked back at him and sighed.] āWas that the answer you were looking for?ā
[Bennett let out the breath heād been holding as her answer started to sink in. He didnāt know why heād expected her to open up now, to say anything real -- but as usual, she hadnāt. Sheād gotten close, but the way sheād acted as if she had no heart to give, as if she couldnāt be suited for marriage because of... whatever reason she didnāt think would allow her to live that sort of life. It baffled him because when sheād been younger, sheād been so vibrant, so loving and full of life. And sheād been that way around him, which was why, no matter how much he knew he should leave it, and not push farther, he couldnāt.]
āI doubt he was okay with it.ā [Bennett stalled, speaking words that were more from his own heart than from the man he hadnāt even met.]Ā āNobody who loves you could be okay with just seeing you go.ā [His throat swelled with emotion, and then he finally couldnāt hold it in any longer. He had to know, one way or another, for once and for all.]Ā āSo it didnāt have anything to do with me?ā
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
[Whoever Charlie had been expecting the strange figure to be, Bennett was not it by a long shot. As soon as he spoke and it registered that she knew that voice, the spotlight disappeared. Charlie glanced up at the spot above the audience to see if she could spot the person who had perfect timing, but didnāt see anyone. Her stomach knotted and she stared at Bennett, now able to see him better. Finally, she shrugged and walked over to grab her towel, dabbing it on her face.]Ā āNo, I didnāt.ā [She knew before she even went back to New York City that she couldnāt go through with it. It wasnāt fair to marry a guy she didnāt love when she had given her heart away so long ago. Still, she sent the divorce papers and had been focusing on her work ever since.
Charlie began gathering up things she had spread around the stage and grabbed her bottle of water, nearly drinking it all in one gulp. She eyed Bennett again and raised her eyebrow.]Ā āYou came all this way to state the obvious? I didnāt know youād even be able to breathe the Yankee air.ā [She walked over to the steps and began descending, never taking her eyes off him.]Ā āWhy are you here, Bennett? I thought you said all you needed to say before I left.ā
āOnce you were gone, it wasnāt exactly easy to breathe the air down South, either.ā [Bennett hung his head, feeling stupid. Before sheād left he felt like sheād finally opened up to him -- sure, it was in a damn text message, but heād been getting some kind of real emotion from her. Now, though, he was on her turf, and they were back to playing by her rules, which meant that she was closed off, keeping him at an armās length, and he drew in a breath then released a heavy sigh. His world had been turned upside down by seeing her again, and his head and heart just hadnāt been in anything since heād let her go. Not in his work, not in his friends, not even in playing ball with the dog. Heād had to come, even if it was just to be told that her calling off her wedding had nothing to do with him at all.]
āWhy?ā [He asked her, his heart feeling like it was going to explode out of his chest at any second. That, or sheād be ripping it out, if it turned out heād read the situation all wrong and she hadnāt felt anything for him after all.]Ā āWhy didnāt you get married? I came because... because I just need to know, okay?āĀ
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
[Charlie was always the last person to leave for the night; her obsession with perfection always took the place of sleep or even eating sometimesāthough she had plenty of people around to shove food down her throat. She had let her partner go home early since he was exhausted and needed to be well rested for their show the next night. Now it was just her on the stage - the bright light still aimed right at her, making the whole world disappear behind it. All that mattered was her and the music.
She used the time she had before she was forced to leave by the janitor to get out her emotions and frustration. One day she was caught dancing to a very personal song by one of the choreographers and they added it to the set list for the show. The raw emotion that she displayed as she did pirouettes and brise across the stage was impossible to deny.Ā
RhiannaāsĀ āStayā began to fade out as she stared at the other side of the stage, as though she was seeing someone who wasnāt there. Finally, the music kicked in again asĀ āIāll beā echoed through the empty auditorium. Although the stage was huge, Charlie knew how to make it seem just the right size as she went from one side to the other, as though she was chasing the invisible person, begging them to stay.Ā āIāll be your crying shoulder;Ā Iāll be loveās suicide.Ā Iāll be better when Iām older;Ā Iāll be the greatest fan of your life.ā She fell to the ground and reached for the person, pulling nothing towards her as she balled her body up on the ground.
Once the song was over, she stood up and squinted her eyes at the outline of a figure that caught her attention.]Ā āThis is a closed rehearsal.ā
[Bennett watched as Charlie danced, transfixed by the motions. Heād never gotten to see her up close like this before while she was doing what she loved most; at least, not since back before everything had changed. He didnāt think she even had it in her to be so expressive and emotional anymore, with how hardened and closed off theyād both become with time, but watching her felt like falling in love all over again. She was beautiful, perfectly imperfect, but she wasnāt his... Not anymore. She may not belong to the other man who sheād been planning to marry, but watching her on the stage, Bennett realized that New York was still where she needed to be. ThisĀ was what she still needed to be.
He wanted to turn and leave her in peace, but he couldnāt. He was glued to the spot, unable to stop watching how incredible she was. The idea of walking away again, of leaving without saying what he needed to say, scared the shit out of him, but watching her made him realize that his impulses werenāt fair. Bennett couldnāt tell her how he felt, couldnāt ask her to give them another try -- not when she had so obviously found her calling. Unfortunately -- or maybe veryĀ fortunately, only time would tell -- Charlieās song came to a close and she spotted him before heād come to his senses enough to make a getaway. He ignored her comment, instead blurting out the very thing that had compelled him to come all this way to find her.]Ā āYou didnāt get married.ā
WHAT ONCE WAS MINE ā Ā BENLIE F2F
[As Bennett stood outside of JFK Airport, waiting for his turn to climb into one of the taxis waiting for passengers just like him, his stomach twisted into knots. This was crazy -- him being here, him hopping on a plane and chasing down Charlie when their last conversation had made it pretty clear she never planned on seeing him ever again -- but she was all heād been able to think about since she left. Heād searched online every day for some kind of wedding announcement, some kind of sign that sheād finally moved on once and for all, slamming the door on what theyād had in the past, but it never came. And then when his parents had run into hers at Publix, and come back to report the news that sheād called off her engagement...
Well, now here he was. In a city heād only been to once before, probably about to get the same results that heād gotten then.
He didnāt even have an address this time, just the name of the dance company that she was a part of, and it was probably crazy unprofessional for him to just show up to a closed rehearsal the way he was planning to. But he handed the taxi driver her studioās address anyway, and cursed what a bitch New York traffic was under his breath the whole time. He might have been too late to even see her, he thought to himself as he clambered out of the car and shoved a wad of cash at the driver, but heād come back everyday until he found her. He wasnāt letting go without a fight this time -- Bennett had made that mistake after their kiss, thinking she didnāt care about him after all, but this time, heād get answers. This time, heād try.
It was surprisingly easy to get inside (especially when he dropped the name Charlotte Crawford -- quickly corrected to Nichols -- to the security guard), but the place was near empty, despite his assurances that he hadnāt sen Charlotte leave yet. He looked at the faces trickling out, but none were hers, and Bennett was about to give up when he heard the sound of music playing softly from the stage. He stepped into the wings, resting against a curtain rod and watching the shape dance across the open space until he definitely recognized her as his wife... Or probably ex-wife, by now.]
@twirlingcharlotte
TEXT ā Ā BENLIE
Charlie: As long as I have my dancing, it will never treat me badly.
Charlie: Have a good life, Bennett.
Bennett: Then I hope you have that for as long, long time, Char.
Bennett: [unsent] I love you.
Bennett: Yeah. You too.
TEXT ā Ā BENLIE
Charlie: I'm leaving tomorrow so I won't be doing anything to you anymore.
Bennett: Oh.
Bennett: [unsent] Fuck. Please don't do. Please don't.
Bennett: I hope New York keeps treating you good.
TEXT ā Ā BENLIE
Charlie: Fine! I'm sorry. About everything!
Bennett: Yeah. Me too.
TEXT ā Ā BENLIE
Charlie: I said I knew. Didn't say I let on. Believe it or not, that shit stings. I wanted to be mad at you! I still do. But you've taken it away from me, asshole. Closure?! That kiss fucked me up! You're the one who said you would sign the damn paper after it happened!
Bennett: What stings? The fact that you just acted like I was still some loser when I spent all this time trying to actually be good enough for whenever I saw you again? Now who's not being fair? You're with somebody else! You picked up your damn phone right after you kissed me and acted like you were fucking fine. What else was I supposed to say? If you could kiss me like that and still want him then what the hell was I even still fighting for?
