Forever My Love Ch. 03

Forever My Love Ch. 03

"Nice to meet you, Ben." David said excitedly, extending his hand to the handsome young man. "It is my pleasure."

Ben didn't even hear what the man had said, but stared at him like he had two heads. There was a lot that was going on in his mind and his brain couldn't function fast enough to process it.

'I love you so much!' A voice echoed in his head. 'It will be you and I forever. I promise!'

'Leah!' A scream quaked through him like a tornado and he felt his body shaking.

"Ben!" He felt a hand on his shoulder that made him to almost jump. When he looked beside his shoulder, he found Carlos staring at him with a smile. "Are you okay? The man is waiting."

"Huh?" He gasped, his eyes glancing at the extended hand.

Something was wrong. He could sense it. He slowly and robotically moved his hand until he held David's. When their hands met, he felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time. It was like a breath of fresh air in his life, like the first time he had kissed the guy. But it was accompanied by something, a lot of pain, heartbreak and disappointment, all a reminder of his past.

David on the other didn't know how he could have felt the way he felt. It felt right and wrong at the same time. When his hand connected with Ben's, he felt sparks all around him. He struggled to compose himself and it wasn't just him who saw it, but others too. He immediately began sweating and his heart beat so fast and hard just like a parade of soldiers on a matching spree.

He became so nervous and a grin crept onto his face, it soon stretched from one side to the other showing every single tooth.

"You're beautiful!" He whispered.

Ben felt a shiver go down his spine with those words and he quickly withdrew his hand, wondering what was going on.

"You seem awfully familiar, like we've met before." He added, not even blinking. "Do we know each other?"

Ben's mouth opened but no word came out. He was very confused.

"No!" Jim chuckled nervously, rushing to his husband. He coiled his arm with him, pulling him closer. "You've never met before. How could you when I don't even know him?" He said with his eyes on Ben.

Ben's body didn't know how to react, it just shut down. He froze to the point where he was hardly breathing.

'What's going on?' He thought. 'How's it possible that he's asking me these questions? How could he not know who I am?'

"By the way, I am Jim, his husband." He said with a stern face. He was no longer scared. "We've been happily married for the last five years, so in case you're wondering if he's single, he's not."

Ben diverted his eyes to Jim and when he saw that mock in his eyes, he knew what the guy was trying to do. Instead of letting him intimidate him, he smiled and chuckled.

"Is that so? Congratulations to the both of you." He said simply. "Excuse me!"

With those words, he quickly turned and started going out of there. He felt so suffocated by the painful memories that were flooding his little head. He couldn't deal with all that, not with everyone in one place. He was rushing when he suddenly heard a voice behind him...

"Ben!"

Ben stopped in his tracks and froze where he stood, that voice bringing so many memories to him. He didn't even bother to turn.

"I am sorry."

Ben felt his heart jump in his chest. He slowly turned and found David staring at him with an apologetic.

"I would love to apologize on behalf of my husband." HE continued. "He shouldn't have talked to you that way. That was very rude of him."

Ben smiled sheepishly. "It's okay. I don't find offense in what he said. Some people are just like that and they don't like to feel threatened. But you should reassure your husband that he has nothing to worry about. As long as your love is pure and true, it can never break. Excuse me!"

Without getting an answer, he rushed out of there and went into the bathroom. David remained standing there, watching as the boy left. He felt so lonely, so empty and he couldn't get why he had a yearning in his heart.

Meanwhile, Ben reached the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Misery, pain and hurt took him like lightning. He slowly walked to the mirror as sorrowful tears streamed down his face as he sobbed softly, his shoulders trembling.

The light didn't seem to shine as it used to for him. Nothing seemed to brighten his world and he felt like he was surrounded by a darkness with no way out. He had just launched a brand in his daughter's name. He didn't need to cry that much.

"Damn you, David!" He sobbed, trying to rub his tears. "Damn you! Why are you here to hurt me again? Isn't what you did to me five years ago enough? Why did you have to be here again?"

There was nothing left of Ben's happiness. Everything was gone. It wasn't anger that took it. He did not feel anything at all, but his face said otherwise. He could hardly keep himself together. He was shaking.

After what felt like hours, he raised his face to stare into the mirror and saw his reflection. His face was so wet that it reminded him of the times when he used to spend his days wailing.

"No!" He shook his head. "Not today, Ben. You cannot be defeated today, even if it's for your daughter. You need to be strong because she wouldn't want to see you this way. You promised that you were gonna try to be happy for her. You're not a coward and you're not scared of anyone."

With a deep breath, he washed his face and took some towel to clean himself. In no time, he was back to himself, looking confident as ever. He took a deep breath and got out of the bathroom, wearing a smile that was obviously fake.

As he got out...

"Why are you back?" He heard a voice behind him, a very familiar voice.

Ben stood still and heard the footsteps get near him. In no time, Jim came in full view and he had a mocking smile on his face. Ben knew what was gonna go down. But he promised not to be weak in front of him.

"You know, coming back here was not necessary." He continued, shrugging. "Nobody needed you here and nobody actually missed you." He got closer and crossed his arms. "I know your scheme, Ben. Coming back here, inviting all of us here and then trying to play victim so that you can lure my husband into your trap again. We've played this game before and I don't need to remind you that..." He raised his ring finger, flaunting his gorgeous ring. "...I am the one that David put a ring on. I am the one he chose and he doesn't even remember you. He doesn't even wanna remember you."

Ben chuckled bitterly, taking a deep breath. "Good for you!"

He started going but Jim blocked his path. Ben stood, his fists clenched by his sides and rolled his shoulders back.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it? A man that you've always wanted, someone you stole suddenly leaves you in your dying moment. Oops!" He gasped, his mock astonishment, chirping at Ben. "Must have hurt and I am actually surprised you survived." Then he lost the smile on his face on his face. "I don't know how you managed to enter this chocolate company and honestly, I don't care about it. But stay away from my husband. You may fool everybody, but you cannot fool me.

David left you for me and just like a vengeful bitter bitch, you are trying to seduce him again."

Ben burst into laughter and then got a stern look.

"Wow, looks like someone is scared. Afraid your husband is gonna come back running into my arms?" He raised an eyebrow, wearing an evil grin. "You know, for someone who's really confident, you're so insecure. What are you really afraid of? Is it that David will stop loving you and come back to me or that I am too sexy for him to resist?"

"Ben!" He raised his voice, finger raised at him. "Don't you dare..."

"How confident you are to approach me like this and try to rub salt in my wounds." He scoffed, getting closer to Jim. Jim felt his heart pound in his chest. "You know what they say about a wounded lion? You don't know me anymore and you really should be afraid because you have no idea what I am capable of doing."

Ben watched as beads of sweat appeared on Jim's forehead. He loved it so much.

"And why the hell would I invite you here?" He crossed his arms, staring deep into Jim's eyes. "This is a very important occasion for me and your presence here just irritates me. I can see very well that you don't wanna be here just as much as I don't want you here. So..." He paused and eyed him from head to toe. "...why don't you use whatever decency you have left to get out of here. You're not needed here."

Jim felt his pulse beating in his ears, blocking out all other sounds. He kept on staring at Ben, noticing that he seemed different. The Ben that he remembered would have been scared of his warning but this one wasn't.

Ben shook his head and rudely passed Jim, bumping into him. Jim made a slow turn and watched as the boy left. As Ben was going, he bumped into Elena who was looking at him like she had seen a ghost. When their eyes locked, an evil grin appeared on Ben's face. He didn't say anything but just chuckled and walked away.

"What happened?" Elena asked when she met with her son. "Are you okay? What did he say to you?"

Jim took a harsh breath and stared at his mother. "I need to get out of here right now." He said simply, hitting his forehead. "I feel so suffocated, please. This is too much for me to handle. I need to get David out of here before trouble brooms."

"You're right." She nodded. "Let's go."

Mother and son went away. They needed to find ways of getting out of there fast.

***

"Nanny!" David called as soon as he entered the living room. "Sorry, didn't mean to stay that long."

"It's okay, sir!" The beautiful elderly woman answered with a smile. "It's my job and besides, spending time with the little master makes me so happy."

David smiled and slowly walked to the couch where his son was peacefully sleeping. He looked so cute and angelic. Seeing him, he felt his heart beat with so much love. He sat at the edge of the couch and passed his hands through his hair.

"He waited for you." The woman continued. "I am surprised that you took so long. This is the longest you've spent at a party in a long time."

"I know." He took a deep breath. "This one was different, nanny. And I really cannot explain, but I felt at peace and didn't wanna leave."

"Really? What happened?" The woman asked.

David glanced at her and smiled. "Goodnight, nanny, you can retire to bed. I'll take my son to bed."

"Goodnight!" The woman patted his back and left.

David slowly and carefully picked his son from the couch and into his arms. The boy moved and mumbled something but didn't wake up. David took him upstairs while rubbing his back so as not to disturb him.

Meanwhile, Claudia and Jim who had been staring at them looked at each other. They were both nervous and the fear in them couldn't be masked.

"Mother?" He took a harshly breath, gripping his hair. "Did you see that? David doesn't seem like himself. He didn't wanna leave and he kept on staring at him the entire time. I... I have never been so scared in a very long time."

"I understand your fears because I got scared when I saw that boy too." She sighed, slowly walking to the living room. "I was so scared that he had recognized him. But I thank God that he didn't. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened?"

Jim rushed to Claudia and looked into her eyes.

"We cannot proceed with this partnership, mother." He couldn't mask the fear in his voice. "We need to find ways of cancelling that meeting tomorrow. I cannot have David around that bitch for another moment longer."

"Are you insane?" Claudia gasped, shaking her head. "And what are we going to tell David? Last time I checked, the meeting for tomorrow is already set. David knows about this and even if we called to cancel, David will probably Call Gustavo and ask him why the meeting was cancelled. He already saw how nervous we got when we saw that boy. He'll start asking questions and soon, he's gonna find out the truth."

"What truth?" A voice asked.

Both of them almost jumped and quickly directed their eyes towards the direction of the voice. It was Amber and the look on her face was from out of this world. She crossed her arms as she moved closer, staring at the both of them.

"It doesn't come as a shock that the both of you are discussing this." She said happily. "Nothing makes me happier than seeing Ben and David together. After such a long time, my brother was finally comfortable at a party. He didn't even wanna leave. And did you say the way he was staring at him?"

Jim groaned. "Shut up, Amber. You don't know what you're talking about. David was probably just impressed with the brand. You know how much he wants to invest in the business for the sake of our son. Whatever is in your head or whatever you saw, David loves me and even if he was to remember him, I am the one he chose to marry five years ago. It wouldn't change a thing."

"Really?" Amber raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't really forget what happened five years ago. How stressed my brother was for that wedding. How he cried before he said 'I do.' And what exactly led to him losing his memory. I might be wrong, but for someone so confident, you're too nervous. I don't know what the both of you are hiding but..."

"We have nothing to hide. We're just worried for David." Claudia sighed gloomily, hitting her head. "You heard what the doctor said. Besides, somethings are better left in the past. Whether he remembers or not, it is not your decision so I am warning you Amber." She raised her finger, pointing at her daughter. "Don't you dare cause any trouble because you will live to regret it."

Amber burst into laughter. "I won't even have to do anything." She shrugged. "All that is needed is for David to be around Ben and his memories will come flooding." With those words, she turned and started going upstairs. But before she even went far, she stopped and turned.

"By the way, I think David saw Ben at the restaurant that you and Michael went to." She paused and watched as Jim's face became white as a ghost. "He thought his voice sounded familiar and followed him outside. How did he call it?" She asked, looking to the roof like the answer was written there. "Oh!" She gasped, shaking her head. "De javu."

She left laughing, leaving Jim standing there looking lost.

'I just came for some air.' David's voice echoed in his head.

He robotically moved his eyes to Claudia and she couldn't miss that look of fear in his eyes.

"Don't let her intimidate you. You know..."

"What if she's telling the truth?" He gasped, sitting slowly on the couch. "How did she know what happened if she wasn't there? David probably told her and if..."

"Calm down!" Claudia sat beside him and wrapped an arm around him. "This is what that boy wants and if we're acting like this, he's winning. We need to be stronger. Besides, no one knows how you and David got married five years ago except for you, Elena and I. Not even that boy knows what happened. You've been with David for the last 5 years; you've got a five-year-old son. Nothing can break that."

Jim glanced at Claudia. "But..."

"Shhh..." She whispered, bringing him into her arms. "It's okay. Mother is here and nothing is gonna happen, okay."

'I will make sure that what happened five years remains a secret, forever if I have to.' Claudia thought. 'If my son finds out the truth, I might lose him forever. You're not gonna win this, Ben. I swear!'

***

The heaviness of the room settled over Ben as he slowly entered, closing the door behind him. Sighing, he slowly walked forwards, his eyes settling on the crib that was on the floor with all the toys that he had bought for his daughter.

His eyes scanned the room, wishing that there was more life to that room. There was a plum and a few other baby stuff that he had refused to dispose. This was the first time he had seen those things since his return. The room was dim but it reflected his emotions so he didn't even bother turning on the light.

He was lost in melancholic reverie, his eyes haunted by the ghosts of past sorrows that refused to fade. Reaching there, he dropped to his knees and rested his hands on the crib, moving it. It began swinging and he felt a pain in his heart with its movement.

A silent tear traced a path down his cheek, a silent testament to the depths of his misery.

"I don't know what to feel today, I wasn't prepared." He whispered in despair. "I know I promised not to cry on this day but I could not help but think of you, Leah! I met your father and I just couldn't help but think if you would have survived had he been with us. And maybe if you still hadn't survived, would I have been feeling this way? Would he have kissed my pain away? Would we have had another child?"

So many questions and yet he couldn't even find an answer to them. He took his baby's blanket and covered it around himself, curling into himself, arms tightly wrapped around his body, seeking solace in the comforting embrace of his sorrow.

***

6 years ago...

*

Ben was standing on the beach with his arms wrapped tightly around himself, trying to keep himself warm. It was cold, lonely and he was so scared. That was the first time he had ever spent away from his family and he missed his father. But he couldn't do anything because the man had disowned him.

"Hey!" He felt a hand on his shoulder.

He glanced across his shoulder and found David staring at him with an assuring smile.

"Are you okay?"

Ben nodded sheepishly, trying to put up a smile. "I am okay, I am just nervous and scared. I don't know if what we've done is the right thing, David." He sighed. "Especially for you. You left your family, all the luxuries just to be with me in this place. I can't help but worry about you. How will you cope in this place?"

David laughed. "You're so sweet." He took Ben's hands and held them tightly. "But I've made this decision and there's no turning back. I love you so much, Ben, and spending my entire life in this place with you is better than any luxuries that can be offered to me. I'll die loving you."

He got nearer, staring deep into his eyes, their souls connecting.

"I just wanted to apologize for whatever has happened since I came into your life." His voice was so sincere. "I want to make it up to you. Without my coming into your life, you wouldn't be in this situation. But then again, I would still be miserable without you."

"It's nothing!" He said, blushing.

"It's not nothing." He added. "My love, I am so sorry. I didn't see how important your family is to you. Despite everything that has happened, you still think about them. I just want to let you know that I am really glad that my beautiful baby is a good person."

Without wasting any time, he pushed his hand in his pocket and knelt in front of Ben, staring at him. When Ben saw what he did and what he was holding, he got so emotional. His heart began racing and tears built in his eyes. He didn't know how to react.

"My love, in this place where we're about to start our lives anew and with God as my witness, I vow to love you." He said with so much passion. "I vow to love everything you do and make sure that you have a family in future. From now on, we will be a happy family. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am not joking."

Ben couldn't control himself. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he didn't even rub them.

"Will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"

Ben kept on staring at David without giving an answer. He was overcome with a lot of emotions.

"Please, don't make this any more difficult for me." He joked. "My knees already hurt. Please say yes."

Ben laughed. "Yes! I will marry you."