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Ben stood and pulled the wood frame of his bed closer to hers, leaving a gap of about six inches.
“Maybe just push them together?” Paisley asked tentatively. She had no way to know for sure why he was agreeing to this. Was it pity? Attraction? She didn’t really care which it was. She was just relieved to know she wouldn’t have to sleep alone tonight.
Ben didn’t give much away with his expression and didn’t weigh in on whether he thought it was a good idea. He just pushed the beds together the way she’d asked.
Paisley lay down first, turning to face the spot where he would lie. If he planned to lie down at all. He was hesitating. Looking a bit jumpy. Paisley patted the bed to make sure he understood this was what she wanted. If he was being a gentleman, he could stop that now. She didn’t know much but she was sure she wanted him to lie down.
Finally looking convinced, he slid into bed and faced her, his arm under his head.
"Tell me more about your family, Ben. About your brothers and sister. I want to hear everything about them."
A smile tugged at the corners of Ben's lips as he began to share stories about his siblings. He spoke of their quirks, their shared adventures, and their unbreakable bond. It was chaos but in good company. As he reminisced, Paisley was caught up in his words, her laughter blending with his. It was impossible not to find some of it funny. They’d gotten into all sorts of trouble and somehow always managed to get themselves out in some comical way.
“Doug and I were just like that,” she explained. “Everything completely in sync even if it looked like madness sometimes. We were just a couple of kids no one else seemed to understand, then we were globe-trotting adults who everyone wanted to spend time with. It never went to my head because he knew the real me and kept me in check. When all this stalking stuff happened, he was so upset. Furious when everyone else tried to downplay what was going on so it didn’t derail my career or their movie schedules. I see that clearly now. It made sense for everyone to act like this was no big deal because it might impact my next opportunity and their next paycheck.”
“I hope that’s not true. If they put their career above your safety, they aren’t your friends. They don’t care about you.”
“I’m not saying all of them, and maybe they weren’t doing it consciously. I understand that I’ve put my whole career and life on hold, and the implications that has on everyone. It’s not just me. My team needs me at work. They need me doing what I get paid to do.”
“You can’t act if you’re dead. That should have been the first priority. Doug’s safety should have mattered too.”
The room filled with warmth from the slow burning fire, the light casting in their direction so she could make out the profile of his face and a bit of his expression. It was pained. Ben was a stranger. Someone hired to do a job. He never met Doug or saw first-hand what Paisley had been going through. But this was killing him.
“You look mad,” she said, her brain too frazzled to come up with a better adjective.
“I’m furious. But I won’t be for long.” He sighed loudly.
“Why not? Do your emotions have expiration dates?”
“I hope you decide to stay here and wait until it’s safe to go back home. But if you don’t, and these people try to hurt you while I’m around, I’ll kill them. Every last one of them.”
She believed him. It wasn’t what she wanted from him or even what she thought should happen, but she believed him.
He pulled the soft blanket up higher on her shoulder. “You should get some sleep. I’ll stay up again until you’re out cold and snoring like you swear you don’t.
“It’ll just be more nightmares. Now you’re closer for me to punch. That’s more convenient.”
“Lay it on me. I’m not scared. And if you’re stuck in some shitty dream, I’ll come find you and pull you out of there.”
“In my dreams?” She laughed nervously at the intimacy of it all. “That sounds pretty unlikely. What makes you think you’ll be able to track me down in my own mind. I promise it’s a hell of a mess up there.” She pointed to the side of her head and laughed.
“You’ll just have to believe me when I say, I’ll find you anywhere.”
CHAPTER13
BEN
He woke up with a sense of long forgotten contentment, Paisley still nestled in his arms. Birds chirped outside their window. There were no sirens or honking horns. The morning light streamed through the window, casting a soft glow on her sleeping form. He couldn't help but be captivated by the sweet smell of her hair and the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. For a brief moment she wasn’t a grieving fearful woman he was trying to keep safe. She was just Paisley, and he had the absolute pleasure of holding her.
Though he tried to lie as still as possible, Paisley stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the daylight, before her gaze met Ben's. Just as he had, before she seemed to remember everything terrible, she snuggled in closer to him.
"Good morning," Ben whispered, brushing his fingers lightly against her cheek. “You slept pretty good.”
"Morning," Paisley replied, her voice still drowsy. He could pinpoint the moment she remembered why she was at Cinderhill and the news about Doug. Her back became rigid and her breathing more rapid. She was fully awake and aware that the world was shit. "Ben, we need to call Carmen.”
He understood her urgency and nodded in agreement. They sat on the edge of her bed. It should have been more awkward. Their physical closeness in the light of day didn’t make sense, yet neither one seemed to want to put any distance between them. Ben dialed Carmen's number and put it on speaker phone. The line connected, and Carmen's voice came through. She sounded exhausted.
“Carmen, I’ve got Paisley here with me. She wants to talk to you about the arrangements for Doug.”
