Feels Like Home

Feels like Home... Finally

Sophie pulled onto the driveway of her childhood home next to Benedict's van a little while later and could see Benedict hard at work.

He was leaning over a sawhorse using an electric saw to cut out the pieces of wood ready for the ramp.

He had large workmen's ear protectors on as he worked, the noise he was making was vibrating through her body as she stood and watched trying not to stare at how good he looked working.

When he finished, he slipped the ear protectors off and Sophie made her way a bit closer to him so that she could pass him and head for the stairs to the house.

"Sophie," he said a little desperately the second he saw her, he didn't want her to disappear into the house as he was sure if she did he would never see her again or get this chance again "How is your dad?"

Sophie paused on the bottom step and turned around to look at him "He's okay, a few broken bones but thank you for asking. He'll be home in a few days, how long do you think this will take?" Sophie gestured towards the pile of sawn planks on the ground.

"Uh, I'll be done by this afternoon. It's not a complicated construction, otherwise I'd not be able to do it." he said a little sheepishly as ran his hand through his hair

Sophie watched the way his muscles seemed to ripple as he moved and she had to fight the urge to swallow, reach out and touch them and ignored the way her stomach flopped madly.

"Okay," she said, biting her lip a little nervously . "Well... Let me know if you need anything." Sophie made her way into the house and as she closed the door she leaned against the door and sighed.

At lunch time she could still hear Benedict using the power tools outside and she hadn't been able to take her mind off what her father had told her, about the troubles and how Benedict had struggled and she decided to be a bigger person and do something to bread ever... quite literally.

So she made cheese toasties, adding pickle to Benedict's share and poured some lemonade into a pitcher and carried it out on a tray.

Benedict glanced up from what he was doing, and he felt a glimmer of hope as Sophie held the tray up "Lunch?" she offered.

"Thank you, that would be wonderful" he said, a bright smile spreading across his handsome features.

They sat down at the top of the driveaway on the front step and looked out over Benedict's handy work, both of them taking sandwich and biting into Sophie's cheesy offering.

"It's coming together quite nicely," she said, feeling the need to say something, she didn't want to sit in silence as they ate the sandwiches.

Benedict nodded unsure of how to start what he wanted to say as he silently chewed a mouthful of his cheese and pickle toastie, his elbows resting on his knees as he gazed out over the garden.

"Did you know I'd be here?" Sophie asked, now unable to look at him.

Benedict turned his head to look at her, his heart beating, this was his opportunity, "No, Charlie had told me you'd gone back to work for Doctors without Boards but that you were coming back but not when you were due back... but I had hoped you would be."

They sat silently for a moment, it was uncomfortable but eventually Benedict lost his nerve and went back to his lunch as Sophie released a breath that she didn't even realise she'd been holding.

Sophie racked her brains for something to say, something to start off an actual conversation as this was just torture, "How's your mum and Siblings?" she asked, a little lost for something else to say