Gift

"Why don't we go on a walk for a bit? It's been a while since we've done that."

Ennette trailed after Benny, hands clasped in front of her and gaze on the ground. She felt nauseous, but she wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or her nerves causing that. Bars and downtown life were still new to her, with it came all kinds of drinks she hadn't heard about before-- fireballs, pickle shots, all kinds. The lights and the nightlife also took some adjusting. People were dressed so differently and their attitudes were far from what she was used to. It was almost intimidating, and yet something about it all reminded her of Benny, and the idea of being able to go to places he wanted to go and places he liked gave her the strength to keep trying to adjust.

Having an overactive imagination was a problem Ennette was well aware of, but it didn't quite hit home until now. She'd fantasized how excited and happy Benny would be to see her at a bar, not the shock and confusion he actually showed. Definitely not being asked to go on a walk.

It was a simple, harmless suggestion, yet she couldn't help but feel some kind of lingering doom with it. A line had been crossed, she forced herself into his private space; she violated his trust. All because she let her imagination run wild. This walk was to pull her away from the crowd and protect his reputation, or it was to break things off, maybe even both. The longer she thought about it, the more her heart sank. She would glance up now and then to the back of his head, never seeing the glance returned and only causing that imagination to run wild again.

Benny stopped, with the princess nearly bumping into him. She looked at the lonely, wooden bench out in the park, spotlighted by the street lamp. "This is where we first met," she said quietly, mournfully. What a fitting way to end things.

Slowly, Ennette sat down, a growing sad look focusing on her clasped hands, desperate to hold tears back. With her focus elsewhere, she wasn't able to see Benny's smirk turn into a perplexed frown.

"What's that look for, love?" He knelt down to be at a better level and put a hand on her back. "Are you still feeling unwell from those drinks?"

She was quiet, unsure of whether to talk or not mainly out of fear of breaking down. "... Y-Yes, but," she sniffed. Ah, the minute she opened her mouth the tears started coming. "I'm so sorry for going to the bar. I should have asked you first. I-I wanted to surprise you but all I did was ruin your alone time."

Benny blinked. He opened his mouth to correct her, but paused. Although he wasn't sure what he'd done to make her think she was impeding on anything, seeing her like this was... strange. Plenty of past flings had shed tears for him before, but he never thought twice about it. Ennette was different. Seeing her cry made him feel guilty. He wanted to wipe them away and bring back that smile he had started looking forward to seeing. Yet knowing she felt this strongly about him, to the point of worrying about his reactions, it was flattering in some way.

"You didn't ruin anything." He rubbed her back reassuringly and put a hand over hers. "Quite the contrary. I'd been wanting to see you for a while and this was perfect timing. There's something I've been wanting to give you."

Ennette's crying quieted down to sniffles, she looked at him. "R-Really?"

He smiled and put a hand on her cheek, wiping one tear away with his thumb. "Really. Close your eyes, if you would."

Benny moved to sit next to her on the bench, where he let go of her to take his pendant off. He held it in the palm of his hands, gazing at the silver engravings and the jewel at the center. This was important to him, but for what, he couldn't say. It'd been so long since he had this that he'd forgotten how he even got it. He looked at Ennette, getting hit with the same deja vu she'd felt earlier. To think it all started here.

Ennette felt something around her neck, stiffening with the fear that it was a bug until she could feel the warmth (or coolness) of Benny's hands close by. "Okay," she heard him say quietly, and she opened her eyes to see him leaned in close with an expecting smile. She blushed at the closeness then looked down, gasping. "This is--!"

He nodded. "I want you to have it."

She looked at him quickly. "But you've-you've always had this on you! It must be important."

Only chuckling, Benny put one arm around her shoulder, the other back over her hand. "Yes," he nodded, lifting her hand up and giving it a gentle squeeze. "But you're important to me too. Plus, that necklace looks much better on you than me." His chuckle died down quickly. A pause, a hesitation; a nervousness. "... I love you."

Silence passed. Not even the crickets or the owls dared to interrupt. Ennette felt tears fill her eyes again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Oh Benny, I love you too."

How strangely beautiful it was, for their first interaction here to lead up to this very moment.