Forever My Love Ch. 05

Forever My Love Ch. 05

Comments, critiques and tips are welcome!

***

"Amber?" David gasped, staring at her wide eyed. "You know Ben?"

Jim's skin prickled with a clammy cold sweat at the question David had asked. Goosebumps rose like a constellation of fear as if his body sought to shield itself from the impeding danger. He'd never been as scared as he was. He knew that if Amber opened her mouth to say anything, it would all be over.

"Well..."

"No!" Jim chimed, chuckling nervously. "Actually, mother was telling her about the new business deal our company got. She showed her some pictures and I guess he's just surprised that Ben is here. Isn't that right, Amber?"

David was waiting for an answer. His eyes on Amber whose eyes didn't leave Ben's, even for a bit. She was so shocked but happy at the same time. God knows how much she wanted to just throw her arms around him and hug him for hours. But...

"Yes!" She said with a soft smile. "He's so handsome in person though." She chuckled. "Thank you so much for bringing our bundle of joy to us. You have no idea how worried we were."

"It's... it's nothing!" He stuttered, moving his eyes away from her and onto the handsome boy. "I am glad that he is safe."

David kissed his son's face several times, staring into his cute little face. He couldn't believe he was holding him.

"You gave me quite a scare there, my love." He said with tears in his eyes. "Where did you go and why did you run away? Why?"

"I am sorry papa..." He spoke softly.

"Don't scare me like that ever again." He said, smiling at him. He began kissing him again.

Meanwhile, tears welled up in Ben's eyes as he watched the emotional scene between father and son. He imagined seeing David with his grown-up daughter displaying the same emotions. A bittersweet smile played on Ben's lips as he gazed at David and the boy. It wasn't until he felt a tear going down his cheek that he came back to reality. He quickly rubbed his tears and his face became stern.

"Where did you find him?" Amber asked. "We've been looking for him the entire day."

"Well... actually, I found him in the park." He said softly. "He was crying excessively."

"What?" David gasped, his eyes widening. "The park? But that's far away from school. How did he get there?"

"He... he said that he was scared of someone." Ben said abruptly. "Someone that threatened to take his father away from him... he was scared of the person that wanted to take you away from him."

Jim's pulse quickened, and his breath became shallow. His hands trembled involuntarily, and he gripped his clothes, trying to calm himself.

"What?" David snapped. "Someone threatened my son? Who?" He asked, staring at the boy who dropped his face. "Son, who threatened you? Tell me who that person is right now."

The little boy though scared at first raised his face slowly and stared at Jim who looked like he had seen a ghost. He knew very well that he had to act fast, otherwise, things were gonna get bad.

"Why are you asking him all these questions?" He chimed in, rushing towards father and son. "Our son has obviously been through a lot and right now what he needs is a bath and some proper foods. Who knows if he's eaten anything."

He slowly opened his arms, smiling at the boy.

"Come on, Michaeal, daddy will bath you and prepare a very good meal for you."

The boy though hesitant at first started going towards him but to his surprise, he rushed past him and went to Claudia instead. Claudia took the boy in her arms, kissing his forehead. Everyone saw how excited he got when he was with her. Even Ben couldn't help but smile.

"Come on, let's go get you cleaned up."

With those words, she started going back inside. As she did, the boy waved at Ben and he couldn't help but wave back at him. Somehow, as the boy left, Ben felt an emptiness in his heart that he couldn't explain. How could that be, he thought? He had only him a few hours back and felt peaceful and content with him. It was strange.

When the boy disappeared into the mansion, Ben couldn't help but feel empty. It was until David spoke that he came back to reality.

"Thank you so much, Ben, for saving my son. I am truly indebted to you." He said, putting his hands together. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost him. I would have died, I swear to you. You saved two lives today and I shall forever be in your debt."

He smiled sheepishly, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"He's a very nice boy." He said simply, staring into David's teary eyes. "Please, take very good care of him. He loves you and his greatest fear is to lose you. It is during this moment that we can either build a happy child or a scared child depending on what we say to them. You're lucky to have him because not every parent was given this opportunity."

"I promise!" He said softly. "This will never happen again. I will personally take care of him. I will never let him out of my sight."

Ben nodded, a mixture of sadness and pain swirling within him.

"I have to go now. Your son needs you."

David nodded, staring deep into those eyes and the yearning feeling he got was scary. He didn't understand it. And then, with a final, lingering look, Ben turned and began to walk away. David stood rooted to the spot, his heart heavy with a mixture of grief and gratitude. With a sigh, he rushed back inside the mansion with an angry Jim behind him.

Ben reached his car with tears welled up in his eyes, shimmering like tiny diamonds, before cascading down his cheeks. Each drop bore the weight of a thousand unspoken words, a myriad of hopes and dreams that had been shattered by circumstance. He didn't know why he felt so hurt seeing David and his family. Before he went further...

"Ben!" He heard a familiar voice behind him whisper.

He felt a shiver go down his spine and he slowly raised his hands to rub his tears.

"I can't believe it's you." She rushed in front of him and when her eyes fell upon him, she got emotional. "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening. Ben!"

"Amber!" He chuckled, his voice raw with emotion.

Amber took a hesitant step forward, her heart pounding in her chest. She gazed into Ben's eyes, her own shimmering with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. Ben mirrored her movements, closing the gap between them. Their hands reached out, fingers trembling, until they finally intertwined in a delicate dance of intertwined emotions.

The distance between them dissolved further as Ben's arms enveloped Amber in a gentle embrace.

"God, I can't believe this is actually you," Amber whispered.

After what felt like forever, the two friends pulled away but still held each other's hands, their eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"This feels like a dream too. I didn't think I'd see you."

"Where have you been?" Amber slightly hit him on the chest. "You didn't call... you didn't text... you didn't even send a freaking email. Last time I heard of you was when my brother came back and..."

Amber paused once she realized what she had been about to say. She watched as Ben's smile faded for a second before he smiled, pretending like nothing had happened. Whatever had happened, she knew that Ben was still hurt by it.

"What happened, Ben?" She asked softly, rubbing his hands sweetly. "Up to now, I am still confused because my brother left everything for you... his life.... His friends... his family... all the wealth. He loved you and I had never seen him so much in love. But he returned and..." She paused and took a deep breath. "What happened?"

"He realized he didn't love enough!" He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I don't wanna talk about the past. Everyone has moved on, including David and I. He's got a family."

Amber sighed gloomily. "He was involved in a terrible accident barely a month after they got married. He was in a coma for almost five months. When he regained consciousness, he had lost 3 years of his memories. He had difficulties remembering and..."

"I don't wanna talk about it." He said, slightly closing his eyes. "Your brother made a decision that day and that was the day everything ended."

He didn't wanna think about it as he was in so much pain.

"I have to go." He said softly, letting go of her. "If you need to talk to me, you know where to find me."

"Alright!" She sighed.

Ben got into his car and drove off as fast as he could. Amber remained standing there, thinking about the whole thing. She had seen the way David was staring at Ben, the yearning in both their eyes and not forgetting that she had found Ben crying. She was no fool. Those two were still in love with each other.

***

Ben arrived at the house feeling mixed emotions. He had felt so emotional along the way that he had to stop the car just to cry and breathe. Now he was back home and he was hoping that no one was gonna notice anything.

"There you are." He heard Carlos' voice as soon as he entered the living room. He was coming down the stairs in his pajamas, wearing a beautiful smile. "I missed you at dinner. You promised you were gonna come home early."

"I know..." He sighed, throwing a bag on the couch. "... I planned to but my day didn't go as I had planned."

"Really?" He frowned, rushing to Ben. "What happened and why didn't you call if you needed help?"

Ben felt a myriad of emotions at that moment and he didn't want to break down. He had to be strong... for as long as he could.

"I was in the park today when I found a child crying..."

He began narrating the story to Carlos and he could tell that the man paid so much attention. He said everything, including every detail.

"I am so sorry..." Carlos said softly, holding his hand sweetly. "I know how painful this must have been to you."

Ben shook his head. "Funny thing is that it wasn't even as painful as I had anticipated. This boy..." He paused and took a deep breath. "...he made me feel at peace. He made me feel so happy when I was with him. No child has been able to make me feel the way I did when I was with him. When he was crying... my heart bled. When he was laughing, my soul rejoiced and when he waved at me, I felt so empty. That was when my pain returned."

Carlos stood there staring at Ben like he'd grown another head.

"Maybe... I just got emotional." He chuckled softly, a tear going down his cheek. "I went to their home not knowing that it was where I was going."

Carlos took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Ben's shoulder.

"Come here!"

That was what Ben needed at that time. He went into Carlos' arms and feeling them wrap around him felt like haven. He hugged the man tighter and felt his hand moving through his hair.

"I know how this must feel and I know it wasn't intentional that you went there." He said, his voice soothing. "But you're home now and you're gonna forget about that man and his family. All we need to do is concentrate on this moment right now."

Ben nodded and chuckled.

"Thank you so much!" He said softly. "You really have a way of making me feel better."

"Of course," He laughed, holding him tighter. "Who else if not for me? That's my job and I am happy doing it. Just tell me when I am getting paid."

The two men laughed but remained in that position for what felt like hours before they sat and just talked. It was what Ben needed to get his mind off his troubles.

***

Elena's face contorted into a mask of rage, brows furrowed, lips curled into a snarl, the very sight of what she was looking at radiating a menacing aura that warned of an impending eruption. She gripped the magazine with white knuckled intensity, feeling every fiber of her being vibrating from the rage she felt deep within.

It was a picture of Ben on the cover of the magazine with the words, 'the brains behind the current success of the chocolate empire.'

"Fuck!" She screamed, ripping the magazine in half and then to shreds. "How did this little bastard gain such fame? I hate him so much!"

She began pacing around the room, her fists clenched and her face red from rage. She heard her phone ring and she didn't waste time answering it. It was her son and his voice didn't sound pleasant.

"What's wrong, baby?" She sighed.

'Mom, I have just had it with Ben.' Jim complained angrily.

"You're also having a dose, huh?" She chuckled bitterly. "Welcome to my world."

'What?' He gasped.

"I just saw his magazine. He graced the cover of 'hot and running.' Apparently, he is the hottest thing happening in the business world. But forget about that, what happened?"

Jim didn't waste any time to start explaining to his mother every single thing that had happened. Each second that happened, his voice rose and he hissed.

'I am just sick and tired of him, mom. He's becoming a bigger thorn in my flesh and I need it out. We need to do something about him before he destroys everything that I have worked hard for all these years.'

"I swear to God, that little bitch needs to stay in his lane." She seethed. "But don't worry, I will tell you exactly what to do by tomorrow morning. Right now, I need to come down in order to think straight. Is everything alright over there though?"

'Thankfully, Michael hasn't said anything to David about why he ran away. And I plan to keep it that way.'

"Good!" An evil grin appeared on her face. "Hang in there... I'll get back to you soon. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Jim said on the other end.

Elena kissed the phone and cut the call. She had barely put the phone down when the door to the mansion opened, revealing her husband who was busy on the phone. She hadn't seen him the entire day and she was pissed with him. But her anger went overboard when she heard the conversation that he was having.

"Are you sure that you couldn't find out more than you did?" He asked with a sad sigh. "There has to be a connection because his mother died years ago. He doesn't even know where she was buried. There has to be more than you've already told me."

He waited for a few seconds before he spoke again.

"Well... thank you very much. I guess my son didn't wanna be found after all."

He cut the call and stood there for a few seconds lost deep in thought. He was being haunted by the decision he had made in the past. Something bad must have happened to his son and he couldn't find out what it was.

"What the hell was that all about?"

Jerome got out of his thoughts to find his wife staring at him like she was ready to kill him.

"My son!" He said simply, ignoring the look of irritation on her face. "I am trying to find out what happened to him all these years. But seem like..."

"Spare me the details!" She snapped, shaking her head angrily. "I just don't understand you. It's like you've been possessed all of a sudden. Ever since this stupid boy returned, you've simply lost your mind. Have you forgotten what happened in the past? Have you forgotten how he almost ruined our son? But you don't care about that. All you do nowadays is come in and out whenever you like."

"I am busy." He said, moving past her.

"When last did you kiss your wife? When last did you check up on our son?"

"You're fine." He furiously turned. "Jim is also fine. You two can handle yourselves but until my family is back to the way it used to be, I will not rest. I made a mistake once and I need to rectify it. The only thing that can make me feel better is when I have my son with me."

"I will not allow that." She seethed, her fists clenched at her sides. "We're happy the way we are."

"You're happy! I am not." He said softly, tears building in his eyes. "You have your child with you, but I am missing one of my own. As a mother, I expected you to understand that."

He shook his head sadly and rushed upstairs, leaving her standing there feeling hurt. She had never felt the pain she felt at that time in the last 5 years. She had been happy. But no, she couldn't allow that to happen to her.

"We'll see." She said under her breath, a tear running down her cheek.

***

There was noise and cheering and singing... coming from the children and the women that watched as joy unfolded. Ben, with a beautiful smile and scarf around his neck twirled gracefully, his arms reaching out to the heavens. His eyes sparkled with joy as he moved to the music, his body in sync as the women and kids cheered for him. He exuded an irresistible energy that drew the kids towards him and started dancing with him.

He was very happy and fulfilled as the kids danced with him. But just as fast as it had started, it ended and he had to move away, leaving the children playing with their toys.

"Wow, they're just so happy when you're around." The beautiful blonde woman in charge of the orphanage said to him. "You should visit more often. And let me just say, you're gonna make a wonderful father one day."

He just stared at her without saying anything, except his eyes that spoke so much for him. He knew how good of a father he'd have been had that chance not been snatched away from him.

"Thank you so much." He put his hands together.

"No problem."

With a pat on his shoulder, she left him alone. Ben took a deep breath and started walking around the beautiful area, admiring how good the orphanage was maintained. They had a very beautiful garden, a play area and a pool. It had almost everything children loved.

He was walking in the garden area when he suddenly stopped and watched the scene before him. A distance from him was a very beautiful family, a handsome man, a very beautiful woman and a girl who was barely above 7 he guessed. They seemed so happy. The woman was pregnant and her husband had his hand on her tummy, feeling the baby kick. He had the excited little girl on his shoulders and they seemed like a perfect family.

For a moment, Ben had a flashback of his previous life when he had been staying with David. The man used to play with him like that, imagining he was carrying a baby. It gave him so much pain and by the time he was realizing it, he had tears in his eyes and the family was already heading out.

He took a harsh breath and cleared his eyes. Then he turned quickly and started heading back where he had come from. He had only taken about two steps when he suddenly stopped and stood there like a statue without even blinking. He didn't know if he dreamt it or his mind was playing tricks on him. In front of him stood David who wore a very beautiful smile when he saw him.

"Hey! What a surprise!" David gasped in shock, feeling excited at the same time. "What are you doing here?"

"W-what?" he stuttered, feeling his heart begin to race. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Oh... I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Ben heard a happy voice that took his entire attention. When he looked in the direction, he saw a handsome little boy rushing towards them. He seemed so happy... he wore a white shirt and a black jean.

Ben expected him to rush to his father but got the shock of his life when the little boy instead rushed to him and wrapped his tiny arms around his legs tightly. In that moment, the world seemed to have fade away. It was like he was suddenly connected to a cable of electricity, feeling a connection he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt like every broken thing in his life had been mended... like his troubles had melted away and his heart began racing so fast that he thought it was gonna burst out his chest.

His eyes robotically moved to the child and his hands found his hair, running them through it. He didn't know when he knelt or when he cupped the child's face but he found himself staring into those beautiful blue eyes.

"Hey!" He chuckled nervously, smiling brightly. "Look at you, you're smiling. How are you doing?"

"I am okay." He answered excitedly. "Ben."

Ben felt his bond with the boy grow stronger, like the unbreakable thread of fate.