Chapter 14 – A Proposal 

Graduation.  Ben had completed all of his courses with passing grades.  He got his political science degree. It’s not how he thought his college life would turn out. 

Ben’s injury changed his life forever.  He was no longer on the basketball team; he was too ashamed to return home after making such a big show of going off and being a star.  So, he stayed.  He had four years to get a degree.  Ben meeting with an advisor told him the ‘easier’ degree would be political science.  Other athletes were in the classes as well so they were geared towards getting them to pass. 

What Ben really struggled with was all the pre-major classes he was in.  Math, English and other college level classes that he was familiar with, but hardly prepared for the rigors of a college level pace. 

For the first time in his life, he was unsure.  He knew exactly what he wanted to be for so long that everything else seemed pointless.  The injury made him accept that he wasn’t going to get by on his brawn anymore.  Ben was at the lowest point he’d ever experienced. 

Then he meets Claire. 

This beautiful, brilliant blonde bombshell who seemed to have everything in the world going for her.  She was ahead in her studies, she was helping out her teachers and she had a drive that put her on such an unwavering path, nothing could get in her way. 

Ben had dated many girls in high school.  He would show off or have one of their friends set them up, but there was never any effort.  He simply was handsome and popular.  Ben knew that would never work with her. 

He did the only thing he could do, work hard. While their initial friendship was prompted by the realization they were hometown friends, they built a relationship on accountability and the effortlessness they had spending time together. They weren’t dating, they were friends. 

Ben would ask questions to Claire earnestly about things he didn’t quite get, meanwhile Claire would happily explain the new things she was working on.  Ben would become enamored with whatever she spoke about. It wasn’t because he was just trying to get her into bed. It’s because he finally found someone he honestly wanted to listen to. Her confidence was contagious, and before he knew it, Ben was sailing through his classes. 

Claire was not so tunnel visioned to miss what was right in front of her.  She found herself thumbing ahead in Ben’s textbooks or reading related materials based on his courses.  She wanted to be prepared to engage with him as he began to thrive. She had never really had a companion.  She had dated, as anyone with her striking visage would, but it was merely to pass the time.  

Ben and Claire both held doubts initially about sharing their feelings for one another. Multiple times did Ben walk across campus, only to walk back muttering to himself. He would think about what it would mean to lose her as a friend, and treasured their time together more than any romantic entanglement. He was smart enough to know that line cannot be uncrossed, and for now, would focus on himself. 

Claire had written letters, emails and even once on a dry erase board after finishing up a class.  They all said the same thing, but were cut off once she got the realization that these words cannot be taken back. She would crumple up the letter or delete the email, checking the recycling bin at least a few times to make sure it wasn’t still there.  The dry erase board was so coated in cleaning solution, the class an hour afterwards was excused due to ‘toxic conditions.’ 

It wasn’t until one night during their Junior year did they first express their feelings. 

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It was late, and Ben was over at Claire’s studying.  They had gotten dinner to go and she invited him over so they could discuss the latest theories of Ben’s philosophy class.  He had been putting it off for so long, but it was his last non elective he was required to take outside of his major. 

Claire could tell immediately how disinterested he was. She had become used to his zest for information, but tonight he just seemed disinterested, distracted. Sitting across from him at the other end of the couch, she finally spoke up. 

“Everything ok Ben? You seem off.  Is philosophy really that bad?” she asked 

“It’s... dry. I guess I just need to get through it.” Ben stated.  Claire however was not buying it. 

Claire leaned over and closed his book. “Tell me what’s up Ben.  We can study anytime.” 

The sudden disarmament took Ben by surprise. “It’s nothing Claire.” 

Rain, out of nowhere, started pouring. The metal roofs were being pounded by heavy rain, it muffled through the higher floors but provided a low rattling in the background. 

“Well, you aren’t going to get out of here anytime soon, that storm must have come in a bit quicker than they were calling for; you might as well spill it” Claire stated. She wasn’t going to let her friend sit around in mope. 

“Come on Claire, it’s just a new semester and the classes are getting tougher. I'll be fine soon.” Ben began loading up his bag, he wasn’t much in the mood for thumbing through his books anymore. “It’s getting late and the storm is supposed to go all night, I might as well look to ford through it now.” He stated, heading for the door. 

Claire leapt up and put her hand on the door. “While I appreciate the misuse of verbs as much as the next girl, why would you head out in the rain instead of just hanging out here until it's over?” She questioned, motioning to the food they had left uneaten. 

“Just put it in the fridge, you can have it for later.” Ben said, frustrated.  Claire stepped back, and wasn’t going to force him to stay.  If he needed time alone, she would respect his wishes. Ben left. Closing the door, Claire felt uneasy about how things went.  As she looked back across the room, she noticed one of Ben’s notebooks.  She rushed to pick it up to hopefully catch him.  As she picked it up, a folded piece of paper fell out. It looked worn, not fresh from the notebook.  She would have discarded it if she had not noticed her name written on the top. 

She opened the letter, and the first thing she noted was a lot of scribbling, things crossed out and it clearly was a work in progress. From what remained, she read to herself. 

“Claire. I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You have made me a better version of myself I didn’t know existed. I can’t imagine going through all of this without you.” The letter goes into multiple revisions, in different ink and pencil at times.  It picks back up “...since geometry. I haven’t told you because I love what we have...” Claire’s hand was struggling to hold still at this point.  

“He feels the same way...” she thought. She immediately grabbed her jacket and ran to the exit of the building.  The rain was absolutely pouring.  Water was beginning to pool on the paths as the ground failed to absorb it fast enough. In the distance, she could still see Ben trudging through the quad. He seemed to be in no hurry. She opened the door and took off running. 

Ben was halfheartedly walking and thinking. “How long can I keep doing this?” he wondered, knowing he could not keep being around her with how he felt.  He was kicking the puddles to ease his love pangs. He hadn’t been this unsure about something since the start of college, and his usual guiding light wasn’t available to him on this. So, he continued to kick puddles. 

“Ben!” he heard, shouted across the quad.  Pausing his wallowing for moment, he looked up seeing Claire dashing through the water. She was in full stride; Ben quickly regained composure and began hurrying back to her. They met at a small table and flimsy awning usually reserved for outside lunches. 

“You’re soaked! What’s the matter? Why would you run out in the rain?” Said Ben. 

Claire didn’t answer immediately, she reached in her pocket and pulled out his note. “You dropped this.” 

Ben stared at his chicken scratch.  He had looked over that paper a thousand times. He had changed what he wanted to say, changed the ink color but it always said the same thing. “I love you.” Ben whispered. 

“I love you too Ben.” Claire returned. 

“...but our friendship...” They both said at the same time, pausing and half chuckling. They stood quietly for a moment. They both were just so relieved to have gotten it out. 

“I guess we are doing the whole ‘finish sentences thing’ already?” Ben smirked, joking when he wasn’t sure what else to say. 

“Oh, are we now? Then what am I going to say next?” Claire leaned in. 

Ben said nothing else. He put his hand under her wet locks, lettering her feel his fingers caress the back of her neck and scalp.  The tingles she felt as he touched made her toys go straight out and her knees weak. Ben lightly licks his lips and closes his eyes, leaning in.  Claire, floating, meets him and they sealed their first kiss. 

This was the beginning of an unbreakable relationship. 

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Ben had a ring in his pocket. It wasn’t the fanciest, but it was a symbol of his commitment to her. 

Claire was working late.  While Ben had graduated, Claire was still working on a project for her master’s coursework and would often run late.  Ben fresh from the burden of classes finally had the time to get a ring and he couldn’t wait another minute to ask. 

Ben arrived at the engineering building.  The front desk had a loan attendant.  A young woman who was reading an engineering book herself. She barely registered that Ben had entered the foyer. 

When she looked up, she saw a man in a fine suit, holding a large bouquet of flowers. 

“Hello? Is Claire here?” Ben said, snapping the woman out of her daze. 

“Oh yes, sorry.  She’s in the back going over some things.  You can head back if you want.” She buzzed the door and let Ben pass.  

The buzz was old and ear grating. It could be heard through the whole building. Claire popped her head out from the opposite end of a long hallway, seeing debonair Ben sauntering on over. Popping back into the room for a second, Claire spit out her gum, quickly combed her fingers through her hair and straightened out her blouse. She had a pretty good idea about what was coming.  After a quick preening, she popped her head back out to usher Ben on over. 

Ben entered and handed Claire the flowers. “Claire, I wouldn’t be here without you. I know you still have some school left but I cannot wait another moment. I want to ask you if you would make me the happiest man in the world.  Claire, dearest, would you please marry me?” Ben exhaled, as he failed to take a breath the entire time. Til this day, he never stopped appreciating how lucky he was to be with her. 

“Ben, of course I will!” The flowers immediately thrown, scattered on the floor. She presented her hand and Ben slid the ring on, a perfect fit. 

Ben didn’t have any more words. He nearly lunged as he grabbed her by the hips, and sat her up on a desk. Ben was quickly loosening his pants while Claire began to take off her blouse, a task made less efficient from their constant pawing at one another. 

A loud bang echoed through the halls, and they both nearly ducked.  Realizing they were completely caught up in the moment, Claire adjusted her clothes quickly and grabbed her bag. “Let’s head back to my place, we can sneak out the back over here.” Claire led Ben out the back of the work area and the escaped into the night as two lovers do. 

Meanwhile, back at the engineering building the attendant was quickly racing out of the break room to find out what the noise was about. She dropped her unopened soda when she saw something that didn’t seem possible. 

Standing there with a shattered security door in front of her was a woman bigger than she had ever seen. Much taller than the door way she was trying to break through, the larger woman took note of the onlooker and quickly approached.  Frozen, she simply looked up at this amazon. Quickly, she squatted on her heels to get more on the small woman’s level. 

“My name is Amalia. I am looking for one of your students around here. I was told she was working into the night here.” She stated clearly, pulling out a large business card. 

Half shaking, she read the card. “Sterling Recruitment?” was all she could manage. 

“Look, bill the repairs to that door to me. Call the number at the bottom and we will settle this.” Amalia realizing, she wouldn’t be much help left her got up and went to searching the halls on her own.  At the end of the hallway, she found a room with lights on and flowers everywhere. Hunching over, she knelt down as the room barely had 8 feet of headroom. 

Searching through the scattered papers she saw “Claire” written among the engineers’ names. “Excellent.” Pulling out a small stylus, she began going through the computer files.  Claire’s work was all there. Amalia using another fine point tool, managed to get a thumb drive into the computer.  Waiting for the files to download, Amalia looked through the paperwork present. “You have given us everything we need to get started Claire. Enjoy your romance now, but soon I will be coming and you won’t be able to refuse me. Phase 1 is about to begin.” Amalia monologed to herself. Snapping up the thumb drive, Amalia disappeared into the night.  The door was never reported, and Claire would return and get her things the next day having no idea anything happened. 

Luckily for Claire, she was able to enjoy her ‘normal’ life for as long as it lasted.