Chapter Text
Benedict shoved the fare at the taxi driver and stepped out into the downpour. Of course, it had to rain now. Fitting , he thought bitterly. If he had to grovel in the rain, so be it, he deserved it. And maybe, just maybe, it would make a great story one day, if everything didn’t completely fall apart.
His heart pounded as he approached Sophie’s door, his breath hitching with every step. His hand hovered over the knocker, trembling with hesitation. What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if I’ve already destroyed everything? The thought of her ignoring Kate and his mother haunted him. Sophie wasn’t one to shut people out lightly.
But then her smile flashed in his mind, the soft, secret way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. That memory gave him the courage to knock before he could lose his nerve.
“Sophie!” he called, his voice raised to compete with the storm that was starting to rage. “It’s me! Please, open the door! I need to talk to you…I need to explain!”
For a long, agonising moment, there was nothing. Just the sound of the rain and wind battering against the street. Then the door creaked open, and there she was. Sophie stood there in the doorway, clad in a hoodie, his hoodie , and leggings, her face blotchy, her eyes swollen and red. She’d been crying.
“What do you want?” she snapped, her voice icy and unfamiliar, and the coldness in her tone cut straight to his heart.
“I needed to see you,” he said quickly, trying to keep the desperation from cracking his voice. “I needed to explain. Can I come in? It’s…” He gestured toward the rain, which was now pouring in sheets. “It’s really coming down out here.”
She hesitated, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Finally, she stepped aside, and he moved into the small, warm space, nerves screaming at him to turn and flee. But he forced himself to stay, to face her.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, her tone sharp, her arms still crossed. She looked so closed-off, so hurt, and it tore him apart.
“I came to explain,” he said, his voice soft but firm.
“Explain what?” she shot back, her words cutting like knives. “Explain how you showed up at my work with tulips! tulips, Ben! and then told me not to read into it? Explain how you humiliated me in front of Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree, who treat me like their own daughter, in front of customers I see every day, and strangers who probably walked away laughing at the fool in the coffee shop?!”
Her voice broke on the last word, and tears began streaming down her face again.
Benedict winced, his instincts urging him to reach for her, to comfort her, but he didn’t dare. Instead, he took a small step forward, his hands raised in a helpless gesture. “I know how it must have looked. I know how much I hurt you, and I’m so sorry, Sophie. I wasn’t thinking, I was careless, stupid. Hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do.”
Her tears fell faster now, though her voice was steady as she demanded, “Then why did you do it?”
“Because I was scared,” Benedict confessed, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. This was it. The moment to lay it all bare. He silently thanked the drinks at the pub for dulling some of his nerves and giving him just enough courage to speak his truth. “I was scared of ruining what we have, of losing you. But the truth is… I’m in love with you, Sophie. I didn’t even realise it until I was away. I know I’ve been away before, but this time… it was different. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You were the one I wanted to see when I got back, not my family, not Henry or Peter. Just you.
"I’ve never felt lonely on those trips before, but all I wanted this time was for you to be there with me. And I think… no, I know I’ve been in love with you for longer than I can even remember. I just couldn’t admit it, to you, or even to myself. I was a coward.”
Sophie’s breath hitched, and she looked away, her arms wrapping tightly around herself as though she could shield her heart from his words. She tried to ignore the way it pounded against her ribs, tried not to hope. “Ben…”
But he didn’t let her finish. “I know I messed up,” he rushed on, his voice thick with desperation. “I know I’ve probably made this harder than it ever needed to be, made you think I didn’t care, even made you think I was trying to humiliate you, but I swear on my grandmother’s grave, I’d never do that to you. Never. I panicked, Sophie. I saw that look in your eye, and all I could think about was Karl. I didn’t know you’d broken up with him, and I just… I just froze. You know I don’t think straight when I panic. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, and I’ve hated myself every second since.
But I couldn’t let things end like this. I couldn’t lose you without telling you the truth. You mean everything to me, Sophie. Everything.”
He stopped, his chest heaving with the effort of holding back his tears, his eyes shimmering with unspoken pleas. “I know you probably hate me right now, and I wouldn’t blame you. Honestly, I hate myself for being the reason you’ve shut everyone out, for being the one who hurt you like this. But I had to come here and tell you. Because if I didn’t, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
The room fell silent. The kind of silence that stretched painfully thin and made seconds feel like hours.
Sophie finally looked up at him, her tear-streaked face glistening in the soft light. Her voice was barely above a whisper, her words trembling with fragile hope. “You really mean that?”
“With every part of me,” Benedict said without hesitation, his voice firm despite the tears that glistened in his eyes. “Every fiber of my being. I love you, Sophie. More than life itself. But if you don’t feel the same way, I’ll understand. I just… I couldn’t keep it in anymore. I couldn’t fight the feeling anymore.”
For a moment, she didn’t speak. Her lips parted as if she were about to tell him to leave, and Benedict braced himself for the worst. But then, with a suddenness that caught him completely off guard, Sophie stepped forward.
Her walls crumbled as she closed the distance between them, and before he could fully process what was happening, she was in his arms. She pulled him down into a fierce, passionate kiss, her lips moving against his with a ferocity that stole the air from his lungs.
Benedict wrapped his arms around her instinctively, holding her close as the rain outside continued to pound against the windows. But at that moment, he didn’t hear it. He didn’t feel anything except Sophie, the warmth of her, the way she fit so perfectly against him, the way her kiss felt like coming home.
When they finally pulled apart, her dark eyes met his, shimmering with tears and something else… relief, maybe even joy. “Soph?” he asked softly, his voice thick with hope, emotion, and a silent prayer.
“You idiot,” she said, laughing through her watery eyes, the sound both shaky and heartfelt. “I’ve been in love with you for years too. That’s why Karl and I broke up. It’s why I couldn’t tell you. It was him yelling at me that finally made me realise it. I hate that it was him who made me see it, but… that’s the truth. I didn’t tell you because I knew how much you didn’t like him.”
Relief and joy surged through Benedict like a tidal wave, and he pulled her into a tight embrace, his chin resting gently on the top of her head. “How?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “I kept…”
“You didn’t keep it to yourself,” she interrupted, her voice soft. “I heard you before you went away.”
He winced, his arms tightening around her. “I’m sorry… I thought you were happy. I didn’t want to make things harder for you, so I just…”
“I thought I was happy too,” she admitted, her voice trembling with honesty. “But I wasn’t. I don’t think he ever made me happy. He was just… so opposite of you. I guess my head and my heart were at war, and eventually, my heart won.” She gave a small, self-conscious laugh, using the sleeve of his hoodie to wipe her eyes and nose. “Sorry… this is probably not the confession you were expecting.”
Benedict shook his head and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “Don’t apologise,” he murmured. “I’m the one who made you cry. If my hoodie gets ruined, so be it. I’ll replace it with another one if you want.” He grinned, his heart lighter than it had been in years.
“I love you, Ben,” Sophie said softly, her voice steady despite the tears still shining in her eyes.
“I love you too,” he replied, every word infused with raw, unrestrained happiness. “I’m sorry it took me so long to say it. And I’m sorry for how it happened.”
She smiled through her tears, her lips curving as she leaned back just enough to look into his eyes. “You’re forgiven. But…” Her smile turned playful, her voice teasing. “But you owe me a proper date. And no more tulips unless you really mean it.”
He laughed, leaning in to kiss her again, his lips brushing hers with infinite care. “Deal,” he whispered against her smile as he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace he hoped would last forever.
The next morning, Sophie was startled awake by the doorbell. Benedict lay beside her, snoring softly, their clothes scattered across the bedroom and living room, a chaotic yet sweet testament to the night they’d finally confessed their feelings and taken their relationship to the next level.
Throwing on Benedict’s now-dry t-shirt, she padded to the door, yawning as she opened it. Her jaw dropped. Lining the entire doorway were tulips, hundreds, maybe over a thousand of them, in every imaginable color. She stood frozen, overwhelmed by the sight, until she felt Benedict’s arms wrap around her from behind, his warm breath against her neck.
“Good morning,” he murmured, a wicked grin in his voice.
Sophie turned to look at him, her face equal parts astonishment and amusement. “Benedict… what is this?”
“You said no tulips unless I meant them,” he said with a mischievous smile, his eyes sparkling with pride.
She rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at her lips, and kissed him softly. “You’re such an idiot,” she whispered against his lips.
“I know,” he replied with a boyish grin, leaning his forehead against hers. “But I’m your idiot.”
And this time, Sophie didn’t argue.