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Over the last 12 months Sophie’s strength had returned, she had been able to get back to almost a normal life before her accident. She was baking again, she was using her chair less and less and Benedict had passed all his A-Levels and like Kate, had gotten into University.
Kate was joining Anthony at Oxford and Benedict was off to Oxford Brooks for his Art and Film course and Sophie had managed to push her apprenticeship back, the owners of the cake shop that she was going to work at had been very understanding and told her the job was hers for whenever she wanted it.
The Crabtree’s turned out to be friends of the Bridgerton’s. William Crabtree knew Edmund Bridgerton it turned out, and when they had heard about Sophie’s accident had just pushed her place back for the year.
Everything was supposed to be set, she wasn’t starting for a few weeks as she and Benedict had decided she needed to get used to the new flat, get used to the area with her leg and work her way up it but then disaster had struck, the flat they were supposed to be moving into had flooded when a pipe burst, and they weren’t going to be able to move into it for at least 2 months.
Benedict had to go to University, he was due to start in September and Sophie had point blank refused to let him postpone a whole year when he could just stop with Anthony for the time being. Kate had accommodation on Campus, though Sophie knew Kate had no intention of using it, but Kate had been the one to suggest that until the flat was ready, that Benedict be the one to move in with Anthony in his flat.
Benedict hadn’t wanted to because Anthony’s flat was a second floor flat, and it meant that Sophie couldn’t come with him. She was going to have to wait, she was going to have to stop and home and neither of them wanted it.
Since her accident and her being released from the hospital they had barely been apart so to know that she wasn’t going to be able to go with him, that they were being forced apart by circumstance broke her heart.
As Benedict had his car, and most of his stuff would just come over to Oxford with Sophie in a few weeks when the flat was ready for them, he was just going to go on his own. Anthony was already settled in his flat and Kate was being took down her by parents. Miles, Mary, and Edwina had set off a few hours ago and Kate and Anthony had said their goodbyes to Sophie, but Benedict had lingered. Neither of them able to let go just yet.
They sat in her bedroom, Sophie holding onto him, clinging to him as she desperately tried not to cry.
“It’s only a few weeks” Benedict said “and I’m coming home every weekend to see you so you won’t have time to miss me, and we’ll talk every night, your computer is all set up so we can video chat” he said as he brushed his thumb over her cheek. Desperately trying to be cheerful, desperately trying not to let his own heart break at the thought of not being next to Sophie every day. He had his heart set on seeing her every day, waking up next to her but now they had to wait, and he was desperately trying not to cry himself.
“You might not have time” she said in a quiet voice.
“Tinkerbelle” he said sternly “I will always have time for you. I don’t care what I am doing, or what I am meant to be doing, I might be in Oxford, but you are still my number one priority” he said, and he leaned down and kissed the tear away that had escaped from her eyes. His heart breaking knowing how much she worried, knowing that she feared he would change his mind about her.
“You are going to be so sick of me texting you all the details of my day, I just know everyone is going to be so sick of me talking about my amazing girlfriend, my courageous and beautiful girl that I miss more than anything” he said as her tears fell in earnest.
Sophie sniffled “really?” she said, her voice so small and quiet.
Benedict nodded “really. Soph. you are my world, you are everything that I need and if I could travel every day from here to Uni I would, but I don’t think your dad’s, or my parents would be thrilled at me getting up at 3am to get ready to go get to Uni for my lecture at 9am”
“Why 3am?” she asked
“Well, I’d have to say a proper goodbye to you before I left for the day” he said with a wicked smirk.
Sophie blushed, they had said their proper “goodbye” as Benedict had called it whilst Charles and Henry had been out doing the shopping earlier and this was just them trying to pull each other apart.
“I love you Soph. I promise, I will call you as soon as I get there, you can video chat me and you can leave it on overnight and it’ll be like we’re not even apart” he told himself, trying to convince himself.
“I love you too. I just… I’m going to miss you” Sophie said holding onto him more. “I know I told you to go ahead without me, I just hate this…” she said gesturing at her leg “being the reason we have to part…” she said sadly.
“Babe, I do too but I don’t want you to hurt yourself, Bill and Alice have everything waiting for when you start, we don’t need you having a setback so it’s going to suck but it’ll be worth it in the end” Benedict said.
There was a knock at the door, Henry popping his head through “Ben, you’re going to have to make a move if you want to get there tonight before it gets dark”
“Right, thanks Henry” Benedict called back, his heart falling to his feet.
Sophie’s lip wobbled as she tightened her grip on him, more tears in her eyes “I’ll be back in 5 days, I promise” Benedict said sadly as he picked Sophie up, he knew he was going to have to be the one to pull away otherwise he wouldn’t leave, and it was going to kill him.
He had said goodbye to his parents that morning, his mother had cried a little and his father had clapped him on the back and told him he was proud of him and he had thought that had been hard but leaving Sophie… it was like he was leaving a piece of his heart behind.
Sophie was a little unsteady when she got to her feet, tears falling down her face as she followed Benedict to the door. Charles and Henry shaking his hand and hugging him, telling him how much they were looking forward to hearing about University when he came back on Friday.
Sophie clung onto Benedict’s hand as he got to the door, Henry and Charles left them to have some privacy and Benedict let a tear fall down his own face. He leaned down and kissed Sophie again “I love you Belle” he said softly as they each tried to kiss away the tears from the other’s face.
“I love you too Charming” she said back sniffling as he pulled back and wiped her cheek with his thumb. Sophie reluctantly let him go, but as he got halfway down the path she called his name and ran out after him and kissed him again, sobbing on him this time not wanting him to go but she knew it was for the best.
The kiss was desperate, it was passionate and had to last them a week. She was still crying when he pulled away “I have to go” he said sadly.
Sophie nodded and mouthed “Je t’aime” as he climbed into the car, mouthing the same back, his own tears falling as he pulled away.
5 days… they could do that…
But as she watched Benedict’s car turn the corner and she felt Charles’ arms wrap around her, to stop her crumpling to the floor in a heap, she wasn’t sure, it wasn’t just 5 days… it was 5 days then they would have to do it all again, 5 days apart, 2 days together for 8 weeks…
This was going to be the true test… Sophie just hoped he had meant what he said… she couldn’t bear the thought of not having Benedict in her life, but he was at University, with prettier girls than her, whole girls that she was but that night when he called her, and then every night for the 5 nights they were apart, her worries lessened, especially when Anthony sent her messages of Benedict huddled in his room every night rather than going out.
8 weeks, they could manage this.
8 weeks then they could begin their forever. How hard could that be?