Aliyah thought about what Ben had playfully said earlier. Yes. she made his life miserable back in college, and even though he was being excessive with his ways, he had all the right to want to exact revenge on her. Now that she was thinking back, she did not exactly know why she was so fixated on him.She shrugged off the thought and followed them into the living room, she had some acting to do after all, and Ben would kill her if she did not put her act together, at least for now. Ben and Aliyah sat on a couch together, while his grandfather was on the couch opposite theirs, his eyes scheming through them as if searching for any hint of false chemistry between them. He still wasn't ready to accept that Ben was being honest because he was sure that the young lad wouldn't have done anything to make him quit talking about bringing a partner. Ben sat comfortably on the couch, his hands draped across Aliyah who seemed to be having a mini panic attack, she was already tired of th

When they were done having dinner, Ben wiped his mouth with a napkin and rose swiftly, making Aliyah follow suit, it felt almost as if she could read his thoughts for a moment. "Grandpa, I have to leave," he paused briefly, his words disrupted the decorum of the room. He then continued. "Something came up, so I'll be heading home first. I'll come around first thing tomorrow morning on my way to work."Mr Vawn had earlier told him to meet him in the library after the dinner, and it seemed to be important, but he could tell that Ben had something of urgency he needed to attend to as well. He sighed in acceptance. "Alright, I hope you remember the promise you made earlier, boy," Mr Vawn asked, his heavy, half-closed eyes narrowed at him. Ben hesitated, his gaze traveling to Aliyah and back to his Granddad, "alright I'll keep that in mind"Mr Vawn's stare turned to Aliyah, and he seemed to flash a subtle Smile, obscured by the deep wrinkles that lined the sides of his cheeks. Maybe th

Aliyah was beyond terrified as she had never seen or heard a gun go off this close to her, sending a man into the cold embrace of death. Aliyah shut her eyes. Why? Why did he have to bring her here? She could have lived her life peacefully without ever seeing a scene like this. Without ever knowing the kind of things Ben could do to any man who crossed him."It seems today is not your day," Ben uttered in a calm tone. The gun was still raised at him.As Aliyah heard his words, She gently opened her eyes to the sight, and a subtle relief swept through her bones. No one was dead, at least not yet. the bullet grazed the man's left cheek leaving him in visible shock as well. Poor man. She could see as he jerked continuously out of immense fear. Which was understandable, since he just had a brush with death, its cold hands shaving past his face. She wasn't the one who got shot at, but she felt her limbs giving out on her. Did he miss the shot or was that on purpose? She asked herself

***The next day, Aliyah was beside herself with anxiety. She had gone to bed wanting to hopefully and magically forget the whole chain of events when she woke up. That would have been convenient for her, but things never worked that way for anyone in the real world. It was like an irrevocable moment, a stain on her psyche, that only time could wipe up. She recalled Ben's reply when she sought his forgiveness and the thought of it unsettled her, sending shivers down her spine, she had no idea just what he had in mind for her. Just when she thought he was beginning to go easy on her, unknown to her he still had things on his mind— far from forgiving her actions. The past was one thing, and forgetting it is another, but Ben didn't seem like he cared about either of them— At least that was what she thought, up until he said those words about making her suffer. He wanted to make her life miserable, and he was making it clear to her.The wounded man earlier, from what she could gather,

As Ben came into view, there seemed to be a glimmer in the old man's eyes. "It's barely been 3 days since I last saw you and you seem to miss me already," Ben said as he stepped closer to his Grandfather. Mr. Vawn scoffed."Don't flatter yourself, boy, I had nothing doing so I thought I might as well come visit you." The old man said as they walked side by side, down the hallway. "You say that, but your being here right now proves it" He smirked at the old man. The walk from his door to the living room seemed to last a lifetime. And it bothered Mr. Vawn. "Was it always this far away? Why do I have to take such a long walk before getting to your living room""Are your old bones giving out on you already? We are almost there, see?" he said, gesturing his hand along the space of the living room as he entered. ”Where is Aliyah? I trust you informed her that I'll be coming by today.”"Yeah she is a bit occupied at the moment but you'll see her.""Okay then."They spoke for a while in t