They Did Not Tell Her

Dinner was mostly a silent affair. Some tried to make small talk, but it was difficult. Fortunately for all, it ended quickly. Peter and Lucy left after making their farewells to Selene and Ben, but Lucy said that she was going to try to take some vacation days and come stay with her.

Selene's parents would be staying the night, so Ben gave them some privacy and said he was retiring early for the evening. He kissed Selene on the cheek and headed to the master bedroom.

When the remaining family members went to sit on the couch, Anie asked, "Ok, you can be honest now. What happened with Ben. How is he involved?"

Selene looked down and replied, "That's not important right now. The important part is that he rescued me and that I'm ok."

Anie and Adam exchanged a look. Anie went over to sit next to Selene and put her arm around her. Drawing Selene closer, she said, "We can handle the truth my dear."

"I just don't want you to hate him again," she admitted.

Adam pursed his lips and crossed his arms. Selene pointed her chin toward her dad and noted, "See, that's what I'm talking about. I already have enough to worry about."

Anie shot her husband a glare and then turned back to her daughter. Rubbing Selene's thigh slowly, she said, "We will listen to whatever you have to say calmly." She turned to Adam, "Won't we?"

Adam turned away and mumbled, "Yes."

Selene sighed and told them the part Ben played in everything. "And that's all of it," she ended.

Anie pulled her in for a long hug. "I am so sorry my dear." When they broke the hug, she and her husband exchanged a troubled look. Selene saw it but didn't know what to make of it.

Adam said, "You know we are here for you, baby girl. I think it's best if we all just take some time like you said and get some rest."

Selene agreed, "Okay, I'll show you to your room."

When Anie and Adam walked into the bedroom and Selene closed the door, Anie looked at Adam and said with a shaky voice, "Should we still tell her?"

Adam wheeled himself further into the room and after turning around he was silent for a while. He ran his hands through his hair and shook his head, thinking about what to do. Anie went over and kneeled next to him, tears falling down her face. He leaned over and cupped her cheek. "I know we decided to tell her, but with everything she's already been told, I think it would be too much," he said to her quietly.

Anie looked down and nodded. "I think so too. I was hoping it was finally time and we could tell her. I just hope that when we do tell her, she doesn't hate us." She tried to keep her sobs quiet so they couldn't be heard from outside the room. Adam comforted her as best he could.

The next morning, Adam and Anie departed to head back home. It was difficult for Selene to say goodbye, but she knew they would video call later that night.

Ben was in the kitchen, still cleaning up. She went over and said, "Thank you again for making breakfast, and for cleaning up. It gave me extra time with my parents, and I appreciate it."

He went over to her, tilted his head to one side, and gave her a gentle look. "You don't have to thank me like you're a guest in this house," he said. Selene looked at him without knowing what to say. Seeing that, Ben went back to cleaning up.

Selene watched his back, wanting to go over and hug him, but didn't. Instead, she walked back to her bedroom. She sat down on the bed and then flopped backwards, arms above her head. "What do I do know?," she thought. She was alone with her thoughts, but didn't know what to do with them. "Maybe that's what a therapist is for?," she wondered. But then she thought about how crazy her story would sound to a therapist. Would they believe her or lock her up in a psychiatry ward thinking she had a psychotic break? The story sounded crazy to her own ears. A long lost family? Kidnapping? A daring rescue? A billionaire CEO boyfriend that returns from the past? How could this be her life? She shook her head. No, there is no way she could talk to a therapist. Hmmm…maybe she could leave out the details and just talk about the emotions and stuff?

Settling on that, she retrieved her laptop and started searching for one that did virtual therapy.

Several hours later, she received a call from Lucy.

"Hey, how are you doing?," Lucy inquired.

She responded, "Alright. I found a therapist I can see vie video call so that's cool because I've been in my bedroom all morning and I have no idea what to do or think by myself."

"Hmmm," Lucy responded, "That's good news at least about the therapist. Aaaaaand, I have more good news for the second part. I was able to get a couple days of vacation so I can come stay with you if you want."

Selene shrieked, "Eiiiiiiiiii! Do I want?! You kidding me? That would be heaven sent. I need someone to hash this stuff out with because it's too much in my head." She became quiet and then said, "Thank you."

"I can be there in about an hour," Lucy offered.

As promised, Lucy arrived at Ben's building about an hour later and coincidentally bumped into Max in the foyer downstairs.

Max saw Lucy first and his eyes lit up even though he didn't realize it. "Hi, Lucy right? Selene's friend?," he asked, smiling.

"Yes. Umm, and you're Max?," Lucy said, looking down, remembering the last time she saw him. She was embarrassed by what Kyle had done and how she had broken down in front of him.

Seeing Lucy looking a little uncomfortable, Max guessed the reason and tried to lighten the mood by saying, "Isn't it nice how the other half lives?" Then he chuckled a little.

Lucy smiled and said, "I know right? Ben's bathroom is like the size of my whole apartment." They both laughed as the elevator doors opened.

When the doors closed, Lucy asked, "So I take it you don't live around here?"

Max laughed and said, "Oh no! I mean, I live in a nice area, but not this nice. You can come over some time and check it out if you'd like?" He regretted the last words as soon as he said them. What made him say that? He was mentally kicking his own ass. "Umm, uh, I didn't mean that how that sounded. Oh wow."

Lucy laughed. "It's ok. No worries. You can come check out my dinky apartment anytime you want." She smiled so he didn't feel uncomfortable. "Why did she want to make him feel comfortable?," she thought. "This was turning into a strange conversation. Shouldn't they be making small talk?" Lucy was starting to get a strange feeling about Max, strange in a good way that was bad.

Max laughed with her and said, "I'm sure it's not dinky. You're a nurse, right? Aren't nurses in high demand? I'd imagine demand means good compensation. Anyway, do you like being a nurse?" He realized he had mentioned money, which was a big no-no. Why was making faux pas after faux pas with her? Why was he so nervous? "Good thing I steered the conversation away," he thought.

"Yes, I love it. It's…," she said. Before she could continue, they arrived at Ben's floor and the elevator doors opened.

"To be continued," Max said, and Lucy thought she heard a hopeful tone. To her surprise, she was feeling a tinge of hopefulness too. This was bad. Real bad.

Lucy smiled at him and said, "For sure."

Once inside, Lucy went to Selene and Max went to Ben. They each fought the urge to look back at each other.