Benedict Cumberbatch: Life With Ben

Chapter Nine: The 4x4 The Idol and The Paparazzi

"Sam, what's wrong?"

"You, young lady, are in trouble!" Sam said seriously.

"W-why?"

"Those pictures you sent to me."

"Yes"

"Why was I not in any of them?" Sam burst out laughing, "Oh my god, you should have heard your voice! You poo'd yourself! You thought you were in trouble! Put me on speaker I want to talk to both of you"

"You" I replied, "you, made me really worried! I thought I was generally in trouble!" Both of the boys burst out laughing!

Ben replied chuckling, "Good one Sam!"

"Claud, your exam timetable has been confirmed, you also have a revision pack from all of your teachers waiting for you when your home!" Sam said trying to calm himself down and act all serious.

"Okay thank you, lovely! Did you have fun at school?"

"Yes I did thank you, I'll explain when you guys are home! Love you Smelly!"

"Love you Ploopy"

"Hey, what about me? Where's my love?" Ben said acting like a 5 year old

"Love you Ben..." Sam said a bit awkwardly

"Love you too!" Ben said happily and merrily! And with that Sam was gone.

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We arrived at Sam's house and Ben's reaction to seeing Sam's cottage was amazing! "Is this really Sam's house?" I nodded, "it looks like my mum's cottage! It is beautiful!" Ben reminded me of me when I saw Ben's roof garden. I took hold of Ben's hand and led him through the gate to the front door. I opened my bag to find the key and fed the door the key and it allowed us access to the cottage.

"Sam, we are home!" I shouted through the cottage. "I'll be down in a minute just getting changed" Sam replied. I turned to Ben and said, "Please, make yourself at home. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes please, Darling. Would you like any help?" Ben replied.

"No, I should be okay thank you anyway" Ben acted like how I did when I was at Ben's house-awkward and a bit flustered. He had a look around the front room at the books, DVDs and the pictures that decorated the room.

I came in to the front room and Ben was admiring an art piece that I painted a few months ago. "Who painted this?" Ben enquired, "I did, it was just a five minute job really, nothing big!" I said.

"This is amazing. The colours and how they blend but also repel and try and get rid of each other is just, wow!"

I smiled and replied, "Why thank you, I've got loads stashed under the stairs in boxes." I walked to under the stairs and pulled a box out from there. "They aren't as good" I put the box on the rug and sat cross legged and dotted the canvases over the floor. Ben sat cross legged on the other side of the box. He saw a painting at the very bottom of a vase of red roses. The roses were withering apart from one what was fake and the words "I will love you until the day all of the roses die" were painted around the picture. "This is beautiful! May I hold it please?" Ben said acting like he's just seen the Mona Lisa, "Of course!" I took it out of the box and handed him it, "It is truly a beauty! Wow!" He stared intensely at picture analysing every square centimetre of the painting. "Do you really like it?" He nodded, "Why don't you take it home and add it to your collection of artwork? It's just collecting dust under the stairs so please, keep it!" He looked at me and was shocked but honoured at the same time, "Are you sure?"

"Yes of course! Please keep it! First can I wrap it up please?" I asked.

"Of course, Darling!" He handed over the painting and I took off my shoes and ran upstairs, whilst Sam came running down the stairs in his Doctor Who pyjamas.

I put my shoes in my wardrobe and I took a role of wrapping paper out from under my bed and a note pad off of my desk. On the pad I thought long and hard and I knew what I was going to write;

"Dear Benedict,

This painting is for you. I just want to say, thank you so much for being an amazing idol! You have kept me strong and sane! Thank you so much. Your cardigan you gave me will be forever loved. It's so warm; I can't believe you've given it to me?! You strange man *awkward giggle*!

I love you loads, Mister! Hope you enjoy this painting more than I did!

Lots of love,

Claud xxx"

I folded it up and slipped it into an envelope and sealed it with a kiss and placed it on top of the painting as I wrapped it up in floral wrapping paper.

I ran down the stairs and handed Ben the present, "I hope you enjoy it more than I did" I said with a smile on my face, "Aw thank you, Princess" Ben said, standing up to take the present off of me and to exchange it with a hug. "You're so lovely, Claudia" Ben said wrapping his arms around me, whilst adding "Sam, you are such a lucky man to have a niece like Claudia" "I know, I know!" Sam replied.

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The clock struck 10 and I became very, very tired. I sat in my Monsters University pyjamas, still wearing Ben's cardigan, whilst snuggled up alongside Sam as Ben had left to get home. Sam removed his arm from me and said "Claudia, come on, let's get you into bed before you fall asleep" "Okay" I went upstairs with Sam following behind. I slithered into bed, took all of my jewellery off and placed them on the bedside table. Still keeping the cardigan on, I pulled the duvet up passed my chin and turned to Sam and said, "Sam, could you plug my phone in please?" I pointed to the plug socket down next to my bed but I couldn't reach. "Okay, pass it here then" I passed him my phone and he plugged it in and put my phone on the bedside table as well. My phone lit up showing my lock screen picture of me and Ben, "You both look so happy together!" Sam said, "We were really happy, this was just after lunch so we were very happy! I wish you stayed though." I said. "Maybe next time, beautiful!" with that Sam got up shut my curtains, kissed me on the forehead and left the room leaving me to sleep.