The Wild

-11- Coldhearted People

            And then we realized she was in view from the eyes up, and Bennet stopped at the closet to stare between Amaya and I.

            Since none of us would say anything, it took a while for Amaya to speak up, "Bennet, I-"

            "Sorry, I didn't realize you were in here," he blurted out quickly, quick to rush back to the door just as she stood up and found herself staring at an empty room with me and Bennet's abandoned shoes and shirt still there.

            "Shit," she groaned, shoving me in the shoulder as if the whole interaction-gone-wrong was my fault.

            As casually as possible, I set my yogurt cup aside and made an attempt to start a positive conversation that would remove at least a minuscule amount of the sheer awkwardness surrounding us. I didn't get very far, though, considering Bennet came rushing back in and didn't even take time to notice what type of shirt he chose from the closet before basically sprinting back for the door.

            "Does anyone need to use the bathroom? No? Okay, I'll be taking a shower now-" he rushed the words out, and I swore he said it all in one breath. Still, even if he tried to avoid talking with Amaya, she lunged over the bed and nearly took out my head with her elbow if it weren't for the fact that I dodged it a split second before she soared through the air.

            "Oh no you don't! Get back here!" she howled, disappearing out the door and down the hall where ruckus commenced. There was a thud against the wall and the paintings shook over the headboard of Bennet's bed.

            "Ow!"

            I scrambled off the bed and threw myself out the door to stop Amaya before she could bash in his skull. I found her blocking the bathroom doorway, a foot against his stomach, and her free hand yanking at the shirt in Bennet's hand as he cradled the side of his head. I pried myself between them and pulled at the shirt, but it was like they were two dogs fighting over a bone.

            "You can't take a shower until we talk!" she yelled, even though it wasn't exactly the situation that required her to start shouting up a storm. He sidestepped her foot and moved back from me, and when I glanced over my shoulder at him, he looked tired from his run and terrified of Amaya.

            She was looking at me pointedly, and with a curt gesture towards the door, I knew she wanted me gone.

            "Fine, but Lily stays here," Bennet bargained, pulling me back by the hand on my shoulder. She scowled at him. "For my protection."

            "Fine," she settled, folding her arms over her chest and giving a defiant shuffle towards the bathroom door, as if he was going to ditch their agreement. "Explain yourself."

            "Maybe I shouldn't-" I started to object to my presence in the situation, but it was useless since Bennet tightened his grip on my shoulder. He was a big guy and could hold his own in a fight, but when it came to a sensitive topic such as the accidental kiss they shared, he needed support and I was going to be there for him.

            "I don't know what to say-"

            "Did it mean anything?" she hissed with such venom, it was no wonder Bennet was scared of her now.

            "O-Of course—you know me better than anyone, and you know I wouldn't do something like that if it wasn't sincere," he insisted.

            "But-"

            "I get that it was out of nowhere, and if you don't accept it now, I'm willing to stay friends until you understand that I've always cared for you since we met. So I just want you to know... I didn't just pull it out of my ass." I figured I wasn't supposed to say anything, so I kept quiet with my eyes to the ground until I started to hear Amaya's familiar giggling followed by her signature snort.