our muses are mistaken for a couple by someone else .
Bella felt a firm shoulder collide with her own, knocking her back in her heels, blonde hair rising off the back of her own shoulder before falling back against it in time for a frown to cross her brows. She wouldn’t do anything about it. If they were in Opulence perhaps but outside it’s barrier she felt her nerves constantly ready to alight with fear.
“You want to apologise?” Benjamin asked however, not at all holding the same fear in his own form. He’d been walking simply a step behind Bellamy, eyes on her surroundings. A guy nudging her wasn’t on his pre-emptive radar enough to pull her out of the way but it was certainly noticeable enough for him to not let it go easily.
The guy was larger than Ben but larger wasn’t stronger, his arms lacking the same definition that the vampire’s own had evidently through the navy button up he wore and most definitely he was not so tall, closer to Bella’s height than Ben’s. With Ben’s tone it all came together to result in the man uttering quietly a response. “Oh, uh, sorry, Ma’am,” his midwestern accent said, giving Ben a nod before moving on his way.
Bella frowned, more upset at being called ‘Ma’am’ than being shoulder checked, but her nerves were clear, the way her hands shook at just being touched by someone she didn’t know. Bella needed to start dealing with her fears, dealing with leaving her comfort zone, but it was terrifying.
As though he could read that thought Bella felt Ben’s arms wrap around her shoulder, drawing her side into his. “Everything’s fine, Bella,” he assured her, the name slipping out as it tended to when he could see she was in need of a softer touch. It was soft too, his hand running up and down her shoulder and to her elbow, back and forth. “We’re almost back at the hotel.”
What did surprise her though was a sudden hand on her own, the skin not at all like Ben’s. For one thing it throbbed with a living heartbeat, and for second it had thick but gentle wrinkles to it. Bella looked down at it with wide golden eyes, catching sight of a wedding band and a diamond on another on the same ring upon the hand that clearly belonged to a very old woman. One who still seemed to take care of herself because she had deep burgundy painted nails.
“You’re alright love. Best not to linger on men like that, especially when you’ve got a keeper,” the older woman said, crackling velvet voice within her cheerful compliment, patting Bella’s hand.
“Thank you,” Bella cut him off, smiling to the woman, leaning her head against Ben. Once more the woman patted her hand, moving on with the small rolling bag she carried with her, from the smell of it filled with groceries she was walking home.
Ben’s hand had stopped moving but his chin had leaned down to rest on Bella’s head, the crowded street moving around them. “No need to say more than thank you, Ben,” she insisted, inhaling deeply as she forced herself to pull away from him. “You’re are a keeper, best not to linger in specifics.”
