Seven Minutes in Hell

Chapter 13 ~ No Reputation

Katherine rose the mug to her lips, hesitantly tilting the liquid towards her mouth. She swallowed her coffee, knuckles curled around the warm cup, the heat warming her hands, but sending a comforting chill running down her spine. 

"How was your day, Benji?" she implored out through an exhale to keep her body warm. Head shifting to gaze out the window over her shoulder, revealing the snow that started to cascade down. Spotting the glass streaks of flakes slipping down like tears.

Benji chuckled, shoulder's raising. "It was good, you?"

Katherine eyed him suspiciously, then returned to the mug. "Besides the heating being terrible in the school, it was alright," she snickered a bit at the end, shaking her head in dismay. "We wanted to talk about the investigation," she started, reminding them of what had brought them to the cafe. She snuggled closer to her fur jacket, slouching back as if she was in a turtle shell. "I don't know where we should start. If there is such a place to even go?"

Benji gnawed anxiously on his bottom lip, "Have you seen Annmarie?"

She straightened her posture, tension filling inside the cafe and in her mind, blowing up like a balloon and on the verge of popping. She hadn't noticed her holding her breath as the seconds went by, but when she exhaled, the words sounded shaky, "Not since the funeral."

Benji nodded, making a small hum in agreement, "What about Harold?"

Katherine denied the question, "Same thing. I just, didn't want to face it, but I haven't even thought about how they must be feeling right now. Would it even be the right thing? Or should we just avoid it-"

"We can't avoid it," Benji clarified, the hurt he was feeling evident in his tone. "We can't. I mean, we practically spent everyday with him. We were there through it all. I just- Shit," he cursed under his breath, "I don't wanna cry," he dragged his hand under his eyes, forcing the tears to disappear.

"You're right. No matter how you put it, we should start there."

Benji's hazel eyes drifted towards Katherine, the frown faint across his face. "I don't want to either. We're gonna have to go before Harold comes back from work-"

Katherine sighing heavily, "I assume this is where we start? What do we do? We shouldn't overstep our boundaries-"

"Annmarie loved us, it would be unlike her to cut us out of her life? I mean, Shaydon was so close to wanting to tell her about us-"

Katherine shoved a piece of muffin on their nearby napkin into her mouth, stuffing her face as she grumbled out, "If it wasn't for Harold."

Snickering with amusement, Benji had nothing else in him, but to agree. "If it wasn't for Harold," he repeated proudly, breaking away another piece of the muffin to munch down on. He fixed his eyes on the napkin, dazing out, remembering the many memories they spent together.

He swallowed down the pastry, uttering out a sentence, inaudible to her ears.

Katherine's head snapped in his direction, "What?"

He attempted again, but unsuccessfully.

"What is it?"

"I wish I told him."

 Katherine urged quietly, leaning closer to him, "Told him what?"

Benji shot her a look of pain, revealing itself behind his eyes. His mask ripping away like shreds of plaster, till all what was left was the shy and vulnerable Benji that the school had known. "I wish I told him, I love you." he shook his head, a few loose tears escaping from his eyes. "I never did. I was too scared-"