InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Hypothetically..."

molly suresh can beat anyone at hide-and-seek (humanmapquest) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2011-05-15 17:09:00

Entry tags:

ben winchester, molly suresh

WHO: Ben Winchester and Molly Suresh
WHAT: Lunch between ~~a former couple~~ friends.
WHEN: [Backdated] The afternoon following this.
WHERE: A diner not too far from City Hall.
RATING: TBD (doubt it'll be too high)
STATUS: In Progress

When Molly was a little girl, back when her biological parents were still alive and she hadn't realized such awful things as death and terror existed in the world, she had dreamed of the day she would meet the love of her life. She had spent time with her friends, giggling over pictures of little boys and discussing their Perfect Wedding Ever. She had done what most other girls her age did and planned out everything, down to the finest detail, of just how it would all go. And, of course, it had started with meeting someone in school who was perfect and spending the rest of their lives together because it was just that good.

By the time Molly had made it to Colligo, she was old enough to know that nothing was ever completely perfect. Some things were better than others, sure, but nothing was ever exactly right. Yet her discourse with the world at large and fairness of the universe as a whole hadn't deterred her from the belief - however far-fetched it had seemed during the peak of her bitterness and cynicism - that she would still eventually find Mr. Right and, when she was old enough, start a life of her own with him.

And the day Molly finally saw Ben Winchester as someone other than one of her best friends was the day she truly believed that dream of hers was starting to come true.

Unfortunately, things don't always go according to plan. She loved Ben, had given herself to him, had chosen him as her first, and had truly believed they would be together forever. However then she'd started college, and had begun looking toward the future, and something in her had shifted. She still cared for him, still loved him in her own way, but she had realized with how little interest he'd put into her schooling, and a few other things along the way, that their paths in life were most certainly going in different directions. So she'd broken up with him, as much as it had broken her heart to do it, and then the city had seen fit to return him home.

He was back now, and slightly different than Molly remembered. She could only assume it was because he'd also grown up outside of the city instead of simply here, as he'd done the last time. That was enough to make anyone a little different from what they used to be and Ben would certainly be no exception to that. Yet it didn't really matter. What did matter was that he was back and, although things weren't quite the way they'd been before they'd been a couple, Molly was desperate to have her friend back in her life. So she'd invited him to lunch and was doing her absolute best to get there on time, too.

Even so she was still a few minutes late as she finally stepped inside the diner and glanced around for some sign of Ben. Her stomach was fluttering ever so slightly when she spotted him, a smile sliding across her face as she offered him a wave and made her way over. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized, slightly out of breath sounding as she took the seat across from him. "I swear, the Mayor is positively losing his mind more and more with every passing day."

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classicrockkid
2011-05-15 09:55 pm UTC (link)

Ben had been rushed in to maturity, his first time in Colligo. He'd been a kid one day, and he'd woken up a teenager the next day. He had memories of the years he skipped over, but it wasn't the same as actually living it out. He'd been a child, trapped in an over grown body.

He returned to Colligo after a couple months absence, and could only assume he'd been kicked out of the city so that he could grow up properly. He hadn't even thought of Colligo while he was away, it had seemed like a long ago dream. But now he was back,, and he wanted to think he was a bit more mature.

He knew he'd screwed up with Molly. He hadn't lost her friendship, but he had lost a few points of her respect. He'd been a dick, he'd been selfish and stupid, and immature. Anyone else might have drop kicked him right out of her life, but Molly wasn't like that. Molly was the type to give a guy a second chance.

He couldn't know what the future held, if they would be more than friends again. That was his hope, but he knew he'd been the one to fall short the first time. He wouldn't, and couldn't, blame her if she wasn't interested in giving him that much of a second chance.

He had gotten to the diner a few minutes early. He'd ordered drinks. He sat and played with his straw while he waited for her. She was late, but that was okay. She had an important job, and he kind of expected she might be late. He wasn't thinking she wasn't coming. He knew she wouldn't stand him up without good reason. So he wwaited, glancing at the door, out the window, looking for her familiar form to come waltzing in.

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humanmapquest
2011-05-15 10:30 pm UTC (link)

Ben really was a sight for sore eyes. With all of the crazy going on in the city lately, not to mention the chaos of her job and upcoming exams in school, she was grateful she could just sit down and have a nice, normal lunch with a good friend. There was still that familiar... something, in the pit of her stomach, as she looked at him but Molly had long since decided that anything that might or might not happen between them was going to have to be natural. Forcing it was only going to lead to one, if not both, of them getting hurt and that was the last thing she wanted to see happen.

"You look good, Ben," she complimented him as she got settled at the table, a light smile on her face despite the mild look of exhaustion that everyone who worked at City Hall had been sporting since the election campaign began. "Did you order yet?"

He was one of the few she could trust to order for her, knowing he was well aware of her vegan status as well as what sort of diner-type foods she would and wouldn't eat for various reasons. Molly didn't consider herself a picky eater, really, just one who had very selective tastes based primarily on her religious beliefs as well as tendency to prefer Indian dishes. Of course, most who knew her would probably argue that point but she really didn't care. She still wouldn't eat anything that didn't look at least somewhat appetizing and most American-based foods simply didn't, to her.

But Ben was enough like his dad that he definitely liked the greasy burgers and fries and other sorts of things found in a place like this and Molly had found several items on the menu here that she could, and would, eat, so it had seemed like a good choice for neutral territory. And Molly couldn't help but be a touch amused that the biggest worry when meeting with her ex-boyfriend was that she'd picked an appropriate restaurant. Her life - and his, too, for that matter - were just not the same as other people's.

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classicrockkid
2011-05-17 11:37 pm UTC (link)

"Course I do," Ben grinned and brought a hand up to wave his fingers at his hair. "I got good genes." He laughed at himself, hoping to keep things calm and casual between them. He hated how he'd screwed up, but at the time he hadn't realised what a jerk he was acting. He'd had time to reflect, to think on it. And even if he couldn't win back her heart, he was damn sure going to keep her friendship.

"But, however good I look, it doesn't compare." His hand followed through to wave in front of her. She was far more gorgeous than he was handsome, and fool could see that.

He dropped his gaze, to the table. The menus were stacked together, but hadn't been taken away. "I ordered you a steak. I hope you don't mind." He brought his gaze back up to smile at her, an ornery, impish sort of smile. The diner might be a good one, but it wasn't the place to order steak, and he was certain she'd know he was kidding. he just hoped she appreciated the joke.

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humanmapquest
2011-05-19 06:40 pm UTC (link)

Molly snort-laughed at his good genes comment, though she actually did agree. If there was one thing the Winchester men could say it was that they were all a very attractive bunch. Which really didn't help her in her confusion as to her feelings regarding him, because as level headed as she was she was still a young woman with hormones of her own and a connection with him that far surpassed most others she had in the city with the exception of Jude and Adam.

However Molly was bound and determined to let this be as casual of a meeting as possible. They were still friends and, while she wasn't going to rule out the possibility of them ever being anything more again, she had to make sure she was doing what was best for both of them first. Which meant seeing if they even still had that aforementioned connection they'd once shared.

Around about the time he commented on ordering her a steak, she realize that their connection was very much there. From the way she couldn't help but giggle at the joke to the way her stomach fluttered when she met his gaze, it was all pretty obvious that the spark between them hadn't faded very much if at all.

Unfortunately, Ben wasn't the only one she had a connection with in the city now. She and James Sirius had been hanging out, got on really well, and she liked him a lot too. It was a conundrum Molly never thought she'd be in - liking two boys at once - and wasn't something she wanted to dwell on now. Maybe later, when things weren't so crazy everywhere else in her life, but for the moment she honestly just wanted to enjoy her meal with someone she had missed terribly.

"As long as it's extra rare. Practically still mooing, even," she joked back before her smile shifted from teasing to simply happy. "I've missed you."

She hadn't really meant to say it out loud but very much meant it.

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classicrockkid
2011-05-21 11:46 am UTC (link)

He might have made a comment on the extra rare steak, but the moment passed when she said she missed him. He dropped his gaze for a moment, then looked up again, with a smile. "When I was gone, my memory was wiped. I didn't even remember this place." Ben rarely got serious, but his voice had a somber sort of tone.

"But now I'm back, And I think, even if I didn't remember, I think I missed you too." He found a smile, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "I know it wasn't my fault, and there wasn't anything I could do, but I'm sorry I left." He'd been gone about five months, which sort of seemed like a lifetime, now that he was back.

He reached for her hand, covered it with his. His hands were bigger, rougher. Her hand felt so small and delicate and perfect under his touch. The moment was awkward, but not exactly tense. Actually it made Ben feel so much better, to touch her. Like her touch could melt the stress and tension right out of him.

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humanmapquest
2011-05-23 02:18 am UTC (link)

If there was one thing Molly and Ben definitely had in spades it was chemistry. Even as kids there had been something between them, a spark that wasn't quite as strong as Jude and Adam's had been but definitely came close. From the age of eleven onward she had been so very convinced that Ben was The One. They were going to grow up, get married, and live happily ever after just like their two best friends.

Unfortunately, life often had a way of making a mess out of the best laid plans and the idealism of youth faded much too easily once you reached adulthood. So while Molly could still feel the connection between them, and a part of her could still see herself waking up beside him every day for the rest of her life, she also knew better than to blindly believe that was going to happen just because she wanted it to. Not to mention Molly honestly wasn't sure if that's what she still wanted or not. She would always care for Ben, a part of her would always love him, but five months without him had showed her that she could do this on her own if she had to.

Fortunately, there was no need to rush down the aisle or otherwise, and nowhere was it written that she had to make a decision about him on the spot. So for the time being she simply smiled at him, turning her hand beneath his so their palms were touching. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, she replied, "Just try not to make a habit out of it, okay? It just isn't the same without you here."

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