Wednesday, December 16th, 2015
Ben didn't sleep well, and woke up about 5:30am. Glancing down at his phone to discover he had one missed text from Shay. He got up out of bed and started the coffee as he opened up and read her message:
S-Hey I just wanted to say, thank you so much for yesterday! It was such a sweet surprise to see you first thing in the morning ;) and the presents were amazing! It meant so much to start my 18th birthday with such a special person. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Talk to you soon...BFF ;) sent 10:32pm
A small smile crept onto Ben's lips as he read this message. It was a nice change from the feelings of last night.
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After his morning with Shay yesterday, he went into work, and spent the entire day reworking a proposal that was supposed to have been done weeks ago, by one of his employees, of course.
When he got to work that day and discovered that it wasn't anywhere near done, he couldn't hold it in anymore...in a very loud (and rather forceful) way he fired the employee right there on the spot. Needless to say, it was a crummy start to the work day. When Ben finally finished the proposal around 10 o'clock, he felt absolutely drained. He was surprised he even made it home.
After showering and laying in bed, he felt tired, exhausted, angry, fed-up,...done. That was it...he was done...done with fixing messes, done with having to always take to blame, done with everyone relying on him, when he had no one to rely on himself.
And then, out of nowhere, Ben recalled Shay's words from a few nights ago....
"God sent his son, Jesus, to die for the sins of the world, because he loves us. He loves us so much, he died in our place, he cleaned up our messes, and he promises to always be with us, if we just accept him into our life."
But what does any of this mean? Ben thought. Why would a god send his son to clean up all our messes? I mean, I clean up messes, but just because they usually come back on me anyway when things don't work out. But why wouldn't he, this Jesus guy or what-ever, just leave our messes...surely that would have better outcome for him? Why? I mean seriously, why die for us...for me, without gaining anything?
And that was the last thought on Ben's mind before drifting into a fitful sleep.
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After Ben finished reading the text, he took his coffee over to the couch, and typed out a response:
B-Good morning! It was my pleasure m'lady ;) Spending the morning with you was the best part of my day, and I'm so excited for the future when that becomes an everyday thing... sent 5:38am
Ben immediately cringed a little on the inside, hoping she didn't think that what he said was too weird or stalker-ish. He wasn't trying to be super-mushy or anything like that, but the thought of getting to spend some special moments with such an amazing girl every morning couldn't help but make him excited. So, he flipped on the TV and decided to enjoy his coffee after his restless night and await the judgement of his message until Shay woke up.
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Shay rolled out of bed around 8am, so thankful that she had later classes today. Per her normal routine, she flipped on the shower to start heating up and pulled out her Bible.
Reflecting on last night, Shaliene couldn't help but smile. When she had gotten home from the coffee shop, her family had surprised her with her favorite dinner of fajitas & queso, followed by some Ice Cream and one of her favorite movies, Steele Magnolias. Needless to say, it had been an amazing birthday, and she wouldn't have traded any part of it...or anyone in it for anything in the world. God had blessed her big time this year. And she was so excited to see how the rest of his plan would unfold over the next year.
After showering really fast, Shay checked her phone to see a text from Ben...
B-Good morning! It was my pleasure m'lady ;) Spending the morning with you was the best part of my day, and I'm so excited for the future when that becomes an everyday thing... sent 5:38am
Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she read it again... excitement, nervousness, and glee, all wrapped into one was just about how she felt.
Gosh, silly girl, she thought. You don't even really know him yet....but despite the nervousness, the excited anticipation won out...by a long shot.
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S-Hey Ben! Good morning to you too ;) and that's so sweet. This whole thing is so bizzare...and weird...but exciting too ;) you still up for coming with me to youth group tonight? sent 9:02am
B-Yeah, you took the words right out of my mouth. And absolutely! What time should I pick you up? sent 9:05am
S-What time do you get off work? It starts at 6:30, but we can get there whenever if need be. sent 9:06am
B-My work hours are very flexible ;) do you want to grab dinner beforehand? I could pick you up at 5, and we grab a bite...if that's okay? sent 9:08am
S-Sounds great! See ya then ;) sent 9:09am
YOU ARE READING
My Past, Your Past, Our Future (arranged marriage)
RomanceI knew the moment he walked through that door, and into my life, everything was about to change. For better or worse, I didn't know. But one thing I do know is that I'll never forget him and all we went through. This is our story. (Christian Romance)
