Just Me (You & Me 1)

It was nothing new to flip out over fear for Katherine. She always felt someone was after her, so it wasn’t crazy to think that someone was following her or out to get her. Danger, however, was much worse than fear because it involved the threat of harm.

At the event, with her guard stripped away completely, Katherine felt an attack underway and was too afraid to doubt its validity. She needed to seek shelter, even if it meant looking like a complete weirdo to Ben.

She knew deep in her bones who she had seen, it was her husband Tim. He had found her just like he always did. She got too comfortable, thinking that she could go on and build a life without him and he had found her, coming to destroy it all.

Before she could convince herself of otherwise, Tim appeared from across the room, scanning the crowd as he searched for her. He knew she was there, she could see it in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ben. I have to go,” Katherine explained.

“What? What's wrong?” Ben stammered through his sentence.

“I should’ve never asked you to breakfast that morning.” She shook her head as she tried to make sense of the thoughts flooding through her mind. Ben had been such a bright spot in her life, Katherine thought he could possibly outshine all the darkness chasing her.

But she was wrong.

Tim had proven that no matter where she went, no matter how close or far, he would find her and ruin whatever it was that she loved. It wasn’t right to bring this type of negativity into anyone else’s life, and she instantly regretted ever meeting Ben.

“Sweetheart, you have to explain. Tell me what’s going on?” Ben pleaded, trying to search her face for understanding.

When he caught her staring across the party, Ben tried to follow her sight of vision, but he looked back to her with a blank stare as if he had not seen the evil Katherine knew existed in Tim’s eyes.

Ben glanced back, and she forced herself to take in every detail she could remember about him. Katherine wanted to remember the way his eyelashes curled, and the unruliness of his bushy eyebrows, the things that were forgotten with time.

Her life had become trying to remember as much as she could, and for the brief moment that she thought she could live in the moment or even have a future, Katherine was grateful. Ben had shown her what she thought was impossible, and she hoped he wouldn’t hate her forever.

“I’m going to tell Rachel and Will we’re going. Just stay here. I’m going to take you home,” Ben gave his instructions with an unsteady tone as if he wasn’t sure if Katherine would obey him.

“Okay,” she nodded, her eyes darting around the party as she focused in on Tim.

Tim was making his way across the room, and so Katherine moved behind a pillar, alternating around the room to avoid the man who had made her life a living hell. He was the polar opposite of Ben—everything that was wrong and evil in the world.

Ben made Katherine feel like a million bucks, constantly telling her how beautiful she was and taking her out to events to show her off. Tim on the other hand tried to tear her down, claiming she would be nothing without him and locking her away in his home, controlling her every move.

Now, standing in the room, literally between the two men in her life. Tim with his abusive ways and Ben with his ability to give her peace—she knew she had to protect Ben from the man she had married.

Ben didn’t deserve to be bombarded with the drama of Katherine’s life. She felt awful for what she had inadvertently exposed him to by doubting Tim’s reach once again. Tim had proven again that he would find her, and yet she still went about her life like he was a joke.

Tim’s various connections with law firms was probably to blame for her being caught, but Katherine couldn’t worry herself with that at the moment. She needed to get out of the party without being spotted by Tim. She had to get to her apartment and clear it out before he could take everything she owned.

Just when she was ready to make her exit, Ben reappeared with a determined look on his face. “What’s going on?” he demanded, pulling her to the side.

Katherine had planned to run out of the event before he returned from Will and Rachel’s table, but the pull to him was stronger than she imagined. No matter what she said, Katherine could not pull away from Ben, her feelings had grown too deep.

“This is why I never let my guard down,” she again shook her head, as she explained the tragedy that was her life. Looking on in confusion, it was apparent that Ben wasn’t ready to walk away from whatever Katherine was facing. He tried his best to be helpful, but she had shut him out thinking it was for his protection.

“Tell me what you mean, Katherine. You’ve got to talk to me, sweetheart,” Ben pleaded with her again.

“It always falls apart like this because I’ll never be able to have my life again,” she said, her words heavy and ominous as Ben clutched her hand in his.

Tim had clearly spotted Katherine now, and he was walking quickly across the party, careful not to make a scene as the presentation continued from the stage. Staring at the man she once loved, Katherine could finally see the signs she once ignored as he stormed across the room ready to humiliate her.

In their old life, she would have cowered in the corner, waiting for him to discover her and berate her in front of her friends. Tim was ruthless in his ability to shame Katherine, and she couldn’t bear to have that happen in front of Ben. He had only seen the good in her and Katherine planned to keep it that way.

“I have to go, Ben. I’m sorry,” she pulled her hand from his clasp slowly, watching the confusion coat his face as he followed for two steps.

“Please, don’t—” Ben started but Katherine stopped him, holding her hands to his chest as she paused his movement.

This was something she would have to do without him. Tim was Katherine’s mess to fix, and she didn’t want to drag Ben into drama that didn’t involve him.