⎾ CLEVER ⏌

[xDarkWinterx]

Making small talk was not really in her forte either. She found it hard to start a conversation. There was so many things buzzing in her head. Evie had so many questions she wanted to ask, but didn’t know where to start. Talking about their wedding was good and all, but Evie knew that it wouldn’t matter. If all the things she hoped to plan out, she knew it wasn’t going to happen. Indeed dreaming was lovely, but it was only a dream. A marriage between them would no be there own. Nothing would be what they wanted, at least perhaps there honeymoon would be their choice, but one could only hope.

Evie knew calling Ben, and asking him out would do them both some good. After all she didn’t hate Ben, hardly.. She barely knew the man, but she wanted to at least ge to know him before they got to the altar. If anything, she didn’t want to arrive at the altar to marry a man she barely knew, even if that was what she was doing. Evie didn’t know really either how living together would be, were they going to get their own place and if so, where and what would it be like.

After ordering herself a tea, the waitress left them to talk some more. Evie nodded as Ben spoke smiling at him. ”I don’t think I ever will be done with midterms and tests, at least for a couple more years.” She spoke knowing a couple was merely small while in reality it would be at least six to eight years, before she was finished. Evie was still in the beginning of her schooling. She didn’t want to rush it, but it gave her something to do. After all she wanted to earn her way in life, not be taken care of.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

Even though it was still kind of awkward, he too wanted to talk with her. There were so many questions about so many things he did not know about her. Twenty-three years they'd been promised to one one another and he felt like she was still such a stranger. The last time they met was nice. He was surprised by how much they had in common. Their dreams of a more simple wedding were nice too. It was almost a shame in knowing that those wishes more than likely would not be met. But they had no control over it, what could they do other than bow their heads and just go on as they knew their parents would.

Benjamin didn't mind spending more time with Evie. In the long run, he knew it was good for both of them. If he waited until after the wedding to get to know her, it would only be more awkward. He didn't want that. From the sound of things, they would both need the vacation. He didn't want to ruin it by acting like a p***k before the wedding. It was better to get it all out now. Even little things some people might find trivial, like at home habits. For all he knew, Evie might be a chronic nail biter who bathed once or twice a week.

How she lived at home was something else he would like to learn. After all, he assumed that once they were married they would be expected to live together. Benjamin would be a bit of a slob when he got busy. But most days he liked things clean. He wasn't a fan of foul smells or letting his dishes sit for days in the sink. He wondered what sort of habits Evie had like that. Were any of them just an absolute deal breaker? Or would they both have to learn to overlook such habits?

After ordering their drinks, Benjamin turned his attention back to Evie. He smiled back at her and listened to her speak. He laughed softly as she complained about the amount of tests should have to endure. "It's the price to pay for such a degree." he teased. Still, he did empathize. She had a long road ahead of her before all was said and done. Even then there was likely to be more things to study to keep up with the technology, new residents to teach that to as well. It seemed as though a life in medicine was never ending. He admired her drive for even attempting such a career. "So school and work aside, what else is new? I don't think I saw you come back in to the party." he said, knowing full well he hadn't seen her. Still, he was curious and he wanted to know. Was it something he had said or done? Perhaps the food at the diner was too much for her stomach. He didn't know and his parents had not said anything either. Whatever the reason, he wanted to hear it straight from her own mouth.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

It was only a month before the wedding, so many things had yet to be planned. The venue was at the Essex house. Evie had already gotten her wedding dress chosen. They had settled on mauve and grey for their wedding colors, even though it was definitely hard between her mother and Ben’s mother going at it. Evie wished she didn’t have to go through the plan making of the wedding. All she wanted to do was show up and have it finished, so she could be married.

Between school and planning their wedding, things had been difficult. The semester was almost over and Evie was planning to take the next semester off. She didn’t want to rush the marriage, or the honeymoon. Evie wanted a chance to get to her future husband better.

Being Saturday it was her day off. Evie awoke early that morning after feeding Luna. She had taken a shower to pass the time. It was a little after nine when she finally grabbed her phone. Evie sent a text to Ben. Heading to gym, want to come? :] She texted as she went about getting dressed.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

The rest of their date had gone quite smoothly. They talked, laughed, had a great meal, and parted ways in the same place he had met her. He didn't bother trying to kiss her again. Honestly, he still wasn't sure if he she had liked it the first time. Somewhere in all their conversations, he never really thought to ask her. He didn't want to overstep his bounds again and ruin the mood. So he thought it better to wish her goodnight with a friendly hug and a wave goodbye. By the end of the night he was looking forward to their next meeting.

The month leading up to their wedding had practically flown by. Benjamin was ready to through a parade when his mother announced they had decided on a venue. It wasn't long after that he sent out to a tailor, by his fathers' choosing, to have his tuxedo made with the colors of their weddings in mind. Benjamin didn't mind the colors he that had been made. They were actually something he had been leaning towards. Never did he think they would actually be chosen. Still, with those two headaches gone more were cropping up by the day. He was ready to just elope and get it all over with.

As the days passed, Benjamin continued work as usual. Almost everyday he had to listen to someone bombard him with questions about his "big day". Or congratulating him as if it were new information. It was annoying for the most part. But he knew it was all meant with good intentions so he tried not to let it affect him too much. He carried on as usual, as he did not want to leave too much work behind when he left for his honeymoon.

The following Saturday was like a blessing in disguise. Ben was finally free from work, he had no plans of meeting his parents, or his brothers. He had the day all to himself! He woke up some time close to nine. Wearing nothing but a pair of sweat pants, he pulled back the covers and padded down the hall, and into the kitchen. The morning sun was already out and filling up his kitchen. He squinted against the harsh glare of light as he came towards the Keurig on the counter. Ben went about preparing the machine and popping a Starbucks Pike Place pod into the machine.

As he stood by waiting for the coffee to brew, he heard his phone going off in his bedroom. Ben pealed himself away from the counter and went in search of his phone. Honestly, he couldn't remember where he laid it last night. He just set it down somewhere and went to sleep. When he reached the room, he saw the device blinking down by the bottom of his nightstand. Walking over, he bent down and picked up and turned it over in his hand. As he slid his thumb across the screen, he saw that he had a message from Evie. "I literally just woke up." he texted back. "At least let me finish brewing my coffee and I'll meet you there." Pocketing the device he started back towards the kitchen. Already, his coffee was filling with the smell of fresh coffee. As he stood there waiting for his cup to fill it dawned on him. He no idea where he was even meeting her. Pulling out his phone, he tapped on the message icon once more. "Btw, what gym?"

 

[xDarkWinterx]

Evie had not been bothered by their first kiss. The kiss was not what bothered her. It was the mere way Ben had treated her when they parted ways to head back to the engagement party. Evie liked Ben, however she did not enjoy being treated like some random whore. She had given him the benefit of the doubt by offering to have dinner with him. Evie didn't mind the awkward hug but she worried about their next meeting.

Texting Ben, she went about getting dressed. Evie pulled on a black shorts bra, gray tank top, black athletic pants and her running shoes. When she finished getting dressed Evie heard her phone go off again. She grabbed her phone reading the text. Evie laughed softly seeing Ben was not a morning person. She couldn't help herself, after all she herself enjoyed morning though night time was just as fun.

Heading into the bathroom, Evie flicked on the light grabbing her brush. She quickly brushed her hair, then pulled it high into a ponytail. Evie brushed her teeth as well before leaving the bathroom. She went back to grab her phone seeing Ben sent her another text. Sorry to wake you...I was going to head to the Crunch Gym.” Evie texted smiling to herself. She was not rushing Ben by any means if he had other plans.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

In no manner did he mean to come off as treating Evie like a whore. While he knew little about her, nothing about her screamed whore to him. He had only respect and meant it as such. Yet it seemed somewhere in his mannerisms it came off more insulting than he had intended. Even during their date, he felt a bit awkward and wondered if she too felt the same. He eventually brushed it off and hoped that they might be seeing one another in the future.

Waking up this morning it seemed he would get his chance to meet with her again. Though he wasn't entirely awake yet. Benjamin, at best, tolerated mornings. He wasn't exacted a morning person. For his job though, he would get up early. On the weekends though, oh no. The mornings were his. He liked to sleep in a little later than normal. But he wasn't as horrible as his brother Samuel. He couldn't stay up all night and into the wee hours of the morning, night after night. Once in awhile was fine, but not everyday of his life.

Benjamin went about making his coffee when he heard the phone going off in his room. He padded back and was surprised to find a text from Evie. After sending two texts back, he padded back towards the kitchen. Already it was filling with the aroma of the fresh brew. He leaned against the counter watching his phone. The device gave a low beep as it indicated that Evie had read his messages. He waited. Half of the waiting was her while the other half was for that warm, magical drink that would turn him into a real person.

He rubbed the grime from his eyes as the machine soon finished filling his mug. Smiling to himself, he pushed away from the counter and walked towards the steaming mug. Picking it up carefully, he brought it back to the counter just as his phone pinged with a new message. He took a small sip and set the mug down and traded it for his iPhone. Benjamin read her message and tapped to reply. "It's fine. I needed to get up anyway." he texted back. "Give me....fifteen minutes and I'll meet you there. Sound good?"

 

[xDarkWinterx]

After texting Ben, Evie continued to get dressed. Even if Ben didn't want to join her she was still going. Grabbing socks from her dresser along with her tennis shoes. Evie took a seat on her bed and finished getting dressed. Once dressed, she left her bedroom heading toward the kitchen. She grabbed her water bottle filling it with ice and water.

Her phone went off again as she was heading toward the door with, phone, keys, earbuds, and wallet in hand. Evie smiled seeing her text from Ben. ”Sure fifteen minutes, see you there.” She texted back before soon leaving her loft. Evie walked down the flight of stairs toward the parking lot.

The drive to the gym wasn't long. Evie made it there in fifteen after sending her text to Ben. She pulled into the parking lot, parking her car. Evie sat waiting in her car for Ben. She didn't want to rush him after all she had invited him once again out. Evie wondered if it would always be her making plans to see him.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

As much as he hated the mornings, he really did need to get up. It would do him no good to just lay around all day and do nothing. He'd faster end up with a beer gut if he allowed himself to do so. And going to the gym so early wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After texting Evie back, Benjamin took one more sip of his coffee before heading back into his bedroom.

Because he had already showered the night before, he did not bother taking another one. He stripped down to his boxers and tossed the sweat pants he had been wearing on the bed. Padding over to his closet, he pulled out a grey t-shirt, a pair of plain black basketball shorts and white socks. He took the items back into his bedroom where he quickly dressed in the simple sports wear. He then grabbed a pair of grey Nike's and pulled them on to his feet.

It had taken him a little less than five minutes to get dressed and another two to brush his teeth. He spent the remainder of his time gathering a few items to take with him. He first picked up his usual essentials - keys and wallet. Then moved to find his headphones, and into the kitchen to pour what was left of his coffee into a travel thermos. Once that was done, he picked up his phone and saw he had another message from Evie. He smiled at the text and typed a quick reply. "See you soon."

When he had finished gathering his things Benjamin headed out of the apartment. He locked up behind him and headed down to the parking garage. Outside the sun was shining and the air was filled with noise. Benjamin walked the short distance across the lot and slipped behind the wheel of his car. The drive over wasn't too terrible. The traffic was fairly light and he was only late by three minutes. Hopefully Evie wasn't counting. He parked his car in the first available spot and stepped out of his car. His head swiveled as he looked around wondering where she might be. One of these days he was going to have to show up on time. Or at least be the one to initiate an outing.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

Sitting in her car, Evie fiddled with the radio. She wasn't a very patient person. Evie glanced over the parking lot as she sat there. She didn't mind waiting after all it wasn't like she had anywhere to be. Evie listened to the news as she sat there. She pulled out her phone adding some new songs to her Spotify account while she waited.

It wasn't long before Evie saw Ben's head above all the cars. She wasn't surprised that he was late but who's counting. Turning off her car, Evie stuck her wallet in the middle console. Stepping out of her car, Evie locked it behind her. She walked toward Ben smiling at him. ”You made it, finally.” Evie teased as she started toward the door. ”Come on.” She spoke motioning Ben to follow her.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

Benjamin knew it wasn't a good idea to be late all the time. He honestly was not trying to make a habit of it. But between living in such a populated city and not being a morning person, it just couldn't be helped. He drove as fast as he legally could before pulling into the parking lot. He parked his car in the first available spot, and slipped out of his car. Looking around the lot he wondered just where Evie might be. He wasn't entirely sure what kind of car she drove, or if she drove herself at all.

Hearing her voice, he turned toward around to see her walking towards him. "Yeah, sorry about that." he replied shyly. Shutting the car door, he locked up behind him and followed her towards the entrance. "So did you wait long?" he asked curiously. Together they crossed the parking lot and entered the double sliding doors. Benjamin followed in behind her and looked around the gym curiously. It wasn't much different from his usual gym. But there were some differences.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

Evie didn't mind waiting after she had invited Ben to join her. There was no reason she couldn't wait. Finally seeing Ben, she got out of her car to greet him. Evie shook her head as Ben apologized. ”It's alright, though seeing as your not a morning person.” She spoke teasing Ben. It was nice to learn something new about him. Although that would change once they were married. Evie wondered too what other bachelor things Ben was used to that would need changing.

Heading toward the entrance, Evie shook her head hearing Ben speak. ”Not really.” She spoke shrugging it off. Evie hadn't minded waiting for Ben though she wouldn't have waited much longer. Entering the gym, she walked towards the counter scanning her card. She was already a member here as for Ben he might have to pay a visitors fee which was only ten dollars.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

Benjamin hadn't meant to make her wait. But it couldn't be helped. He did his best to apologize but it seemed that it was unwanted. He watched as she shook her head and listened to her speak. He smiled shyly as she teased him. He had never been an early morning person. The older he got, that was not likely to change. But it would be interesting to watch her try and break his bad habit. It would also be interesting to learn what sort of bad habits Evie might have.

Together they walked towards the entrance. Benjamin tried to make a bit of small talk and watched as she again shook her head. He nodded quietly as she spoke and followed her towards the desk. Benjamin watched as Evie pulled a card from her pocket and scanned it. Ben on the other hand turned towards one of the attendants at the counter to ask about how much it would cost for visitors. He pulled out his wallet as he was given a price and handed over a single bill. Once that was taken care of he turned to Evie and followed her inside. "So what do you feel like doing first?" he asked curiously.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

There was nothing that Ben had some wrong. Evie didn't blame him for being late. She took his apology having accepted it. Evie knew wasn't going to be able to change Ben, nor would she want him to. However that didn't mean she couldn't try. She didn't see Ben's hatred of mornings a problem. Although she would take great delight in bothering him in the morning if he were to try to sleep in.

Entering the club, she waited as Ben paid for his entry. Evie grabbed two towels handing one to Ben. She glanced toward him as he questioned her. Evie nodded toward an open area where a few others were already stretching. ”How about we stretch first?” She spoke heading toward the area not sure what Ben's norm was when it came to working out.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

After paying his fee, Benjamin followed Evie into the club. He quietly thanked her as she handed him a two and turned to question her. He wasn't sure what Evie's normal routine consisted of. Personally, he liked to start off with some light leg exercises and move on to something full body. He was also known to take advice from a trainer every so often and follow whatever instruction they gave him. He watched her motion towards an open area and nodded as she suggested they stretch first. He followed her towards the stretching area. He picked an open spot that wouldn't be too in the way of others, and began to warm up his arms and legs.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

Usually Evie would start with some stretches, then move onto her legs and end with her upper body. She never really used an instructor as she liked doing her own thing. Evie want into others telling her what to do or what she was doing wrong. She walked with Ben over toward the stretching area. Evie set her towel down as she grabbed a mat. She laid it out on the ground as she took a seat on it. Evie went about doing a few different stretches, that involved her legs.