“I get that, I know. But is it safe knowing he’s in town? I’m not sure about you being alone right now,” he reasoned.
“I just need a little space to work things out in my mind. I had to come to you first to make sure everything was explained before it was too late. But I still have to process this and figure out what I’m going to do,” Katherine explained.
“You’re not alone in this, Katherine. You’ve done everything right and I’ll help you in every way I can,” Ben vowed with the deepest sincerity.
“Really?” Katherine asked with shock in her tone.
“Of course, sweetheart. I promise.”
With that, Ben led her out the door and into his garage. He chose the Audi R8 for their drive, opening Katherine’s door as he always did. She quickly climbed in the car and watched him as he walked around to the driver’s side.
Ben knew the city like he had lived there his whole life, and it made Katherine realize how much she didn’t know about him. After telling him her life story, she wondered what he had to hide. Sneaking a look at his handsome profile as he backed out of the garage, she was acutely aware of how much she wanted to know about this man.
“One day, I want you to tell me your story,” she said to him, causing Ben to hit the brake and turn to face her.
“You can know anything you want, sweetheart,” he answered without hesitation, staring at her for a few seconds, as if inviting her to ask questions right then and there. Katherine smiled instead, resting her hand over his as it rested on the gearshift.
When Ben was convinced by Katherine’s silence that she had no questions at the moment, he drove through San Francisco like a pro, taking no highways and avoiding the morning rush as everyone made their way to work.
Assuming that Ben was lost in his thoughts, Katherine enjoyed the quiet ride through the city. She had said so much, she had no conversation left, and Ben seemed to be contemplating something heavy the entire ride. In a way, Katherine was grateful he didn’t share his thoughts with her, because she couldn’t take another dilemma or problem to solve right now.
Before long, they were in Katherine’s neighborhood, and soon they were on her street. Ben was taking more precautions than normal and Katherine had even noticed him glancing at the rearview mirror, checking to see if anyone was following them. When they finally arrived at her apartment building, Ben pulled to the opposite side of the street before turning to face her.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” Ben asked, his face a clear indication that he wasn’t ready to leave.
“No, you don’t have to do that,” she assured him.
“I don’t want you to have to go in there alone, sweetheart. Just to be safe, how about I come up with you, check it out and then leave you alone to give you some privacy,” Ben offered. Katherine could tell how much he wanted to care for her, and while it was sweet, she didn’t want to be a burden.
She could feel the anxiety coating her body as she considered his proposal. She was terrified that Tim could have already found out where she lived, but that didn’t match the uncertainty she felt about inviting someone into her safe haven.
This was the first home she had ever had to herself and she wanted it to be secure. From her time on the road, Katherine had learned that the more people you invited into your place, the harder it was to keep a secret.
But the pain in her body tipped the scales, and she acknowledged to herself just how frightened of Tim she was feeling.
“Okay, you can come up,” she finally relented, before opening the car door.
Ben followed closely as Katherine, on unsteady legs, headed up the stairs that led to her floor, her nerves getting the best of her. She had never shared this part of her life with a man before, and it felt like a new threshold was being crossed. As they climbed the final flight of stairs, Katherine glanced over her shoulder to see Ben curiously reading a cork board filled with fliers for roommates and dog walkers.
“So, here it is,” Katherine announced, once they got to her door. She was happy to see it was still locked after imagining arriving to a door that was ajar, only to see that Tim had taken everything she owned before leaving like a thief in the night.
When she turned her key in the lock, silently accepting all that would come with sharing her sacred space with a man, Katherine was surprised to feel no apprehension. She opened her door and invited Ben inside with no regret. In fact, she wanted him to see where she lived, and was impressed when he began wandering around the apartment on his own.
“Would you like a tour?” she asked, smiling.
“A tour? Certainly. Lead the way.” Ben smiled, holding his hands behind his back as he followed her to the kitchen.
“Well, it’s not that big so you’ve pretty much seen it all,” she admitted. “This is the kitchen, and over here is the living room,” taking a step as she held her hands out, now standing in the living room.
“It’s very nice,” Ben nodded, raising his eyebrows as if he was actually impressed.
Katherine couldn’t take Bens seriously because his home was so much more impressive than hers. Coming from a mansion, it would be natural to see this apartment as a poor excuse for a place to live. He had so much, and she still couldn’t understand what he saw in her.
“Is this you?” Ben asked, as he squatted to look at a picture of a red headed baby in a walker, smiling brightly.
“Yes,” Katherine giggled. It was one of her least favorite pictures of herself, but her mother loved it so much she never let it go, despite all the moves she had made in her life.
“Red hair?” he asked, his tone carrying a bit of over-exaggerated shock.