Ben stayed in the room for quite some time before he stood up to leave. "Take care of yourself, Grandpa, I can't have you missing your check-ups for absolutely no reason""No need to worry, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, I've been doing that for years before you even took your first breath. For a young man, you shouldn't be such a nag, your complaints are more likely to drive me to an early grave " He responded, trying to put to rest any anxiety that Ben had about his health."Alright then, I'll tell Steve to keep an eye on you at all times" Ben Suggested.His old eyes darted at Ben, who acted as if he did not hear a word he just said."Suit yourself then" he said before re-adjusting himself on the bed to lie down. "You can go now, I need to rest" he brushed him off and then continued. "Any more word from you and I might just kick the bucket" The shrewd old man joked, he seemed to find some sort of relief in making light of death, perhaps that came with old age. "I'

Aliyah strolled hesitantly across the corridor and headed back to the living room, as soon as she turned the corner, she met his piercing gaze, fixated on her as she moved closer. Ben was seated on the couch with his legs crossed, she wondered why he was still shirtless, perhaps he had the sudden urge to remain topless this evening. She was gone for quite a while and Ben had more than enough time to go back to his room, get something to wear, and return to the living room, but he did not. He just sat there waiting, unclad, for reasons only he knew the answers to. She could feel the heat from the lasers he was shooting from his eyes. "How long are you gonna leave my limited editions togs lying on the floor?" his words jolted her out of her thoughts, "W—W—What?" She asked in a low and submissive tone, still in a daze. "Get my Shirt off the fucking floor!" he snapped at her, Aliyah did not know when her legs moved on their own toward where she had thrown his shirt, on the ground, It

She turned to him briefly, it felt like they could both see through their eyes, what was lying deep in their souls, away from the world. Ben stared at her, his gaze being nothing like it was yesterday, not tender, but more subtle, she thought about asking him again, she had no one to turn to, no one but him, and it was all clear to her now.Even if he was a raving lunatic whom she suspects to be a murderer, she was still willing to toss those thoughts aside and plead with him again. Her Uncle did not give a rat's ass about her or about making things right, that was the weighty fact she had to come to terms with, it was the truth laid bare. And she was going to have to deal with it somehow. She felt betrayed. Being next to him, was unsettling but, the words sat right on tip of her tongue and all she had to do was just say it, her eyes were already saying it on her behalf, but he wouldn't acknowledge such a thing, he had a heart of steel. "I-" Ben interjected before she could say a

Ben fiddled with the the glass cup filled to the top with whiskey, he brought the cup to his lips and gobbled it down his throat, his Adam's apple bobbling up and down, before he dropped the glass cup on the table with a slam. An annoying thought invaded his mind. Opposite where he sat was Karl who was fiddling with a pen in his own hand, while the other hand held a glass cup which he took his time, sipping slowly from, savoring the taste, and taking a sip again. His eyes darted to Ben who looked troubled somewhat, a very unusual expression on his face. "What's up? Seems like you've got a load of things on your table," Ben spared him a glance as he settled on the couch, waving his hands through his hair, "Is it business related? Or the other?" Karl asked, visibly worried, because he was well aware of the countless number of people trailing behind Ben recently. For one thing or the other —mostly negative things. "Nothing serious," Ben answered with a flip of his finger

She felt like she was drowning in a sea of exhaustion, the arch of her back was aching and her heavy shoulders weren't in the best shape, she lifted the weight of her body on the floor and felt the warmth of what seemed like a cover in her side, she remembered clearly that she didn't cover herself with this.It looked like Ben's jacket so she quickly took it off and rushed to place it back on the rack before he came back. Her muscles were tensed and she still had so much book to cover. She could not even think for a second that it was Ben who put the cloth on her. Without much thought, she stood up from the floor, feeling dizzy. An hour passed, and Aliyah concluded her tasks at the library. Exiting after meticulously arranging everything, she descended the stairs, anticipating Ben's presence in the living room to report the completion of the assigned work. However, he was nowhere to be found, prompting her to head straight to the kitchen for a much-needed water break.Viola, hav