7 Months Later
Benny let himself into your apartment, shutting the door behind him as he shrugged off his coat.
"Y/N—,"
"Quiet," You said sternly, not even looking at him as you slouched over your desk, tapping away at your typewriter. "I'm almost done."
Benny huffed as he slumped on the couch, hat still on his head despite being inside. You finished what you were doing, reading off your final line—
I see him in every King, every square of the board, and that's all I need to keep going.
You loosened the final page from the typewriter, sliding it out and holding it triumphantly for a second, before you let it drop onto a pile of another hundred completed pages. You turned to Benny, exhausted, tired, but happy.
He looked you up and down expectantly, eyes beaming. "Done?"
"Done." You confirmed. Before you had time to sigh, he'd jumped up, grabbing you from the desk chair and kissing you hastily. You let yourself fall into his touch, savouring every kiss he gave you like it was fuel. He pulled away, tucking stray pieces of unbrushed hair behind your ears.
"I always knew you'd be a writer, but if I'd known your first book was going to be about chess, I would have edited my own a bit more precisely," He smirked at you in congratulations. You could feel how proud he was of you, just from the way he looked at you.
"I don't know how I had it in me, to be honest. Winning the US Championships this year was enough to make me want to sleep for twelve years," You finally sighed, dragging your feet over to your bed. You jumped onto it, curling into a ball as Benny sat on the edge. He placed a reassuring hand on your ankle, circling his thumb over your skin.
You still didn't know how you'd managed to get him, all to yourself.
"Russia will make you want to be cryogenically frozen, then," Benny let out. After you'd won the championships, you'd forgot that secured you a place in Russia, against the best of the best. It was where your father had secured World Champion—it was where Benny and Beth had competed, too.
It was a lot.
But secretly, despite your exhaustion, you knew you were going to give it your all. Now that the book was done, you had time to relax and train before flying over in a few months. Your mother and Benny were coming with you.
"Cup of tea?" Benny asked, flicking his eyes over you warmly. You smiled smally, your eyelids beginning to droop.
"Yes, please." You let out, as Benny raised from the bed and headed for the kitchen. You forced yourself up once more, rubbing your eyes harshly. You blinked stars out of your eyes, as you made your way back to the desk.
You couldn't help but smile at the manuscript that laid before you—
Adjournment by Y/N L/N.
It was a mixture of many genres—your biography, your father's autobiography and chess tactics laced within. It was a labour of love, taking you three months to complete on top of your end of first year university work, competing in tournaments and the US Championships and somehow holding down a relationship with someone you never thought you'd be able to have—
Benny fucking Watts.
He'd been nothing but caring and supportive, helping you balance everything and keeping you fed and hydrated. Somewhere deep down, you still felt you didn't fully deserve him, but you were learning—and he was helping you realise your true worth.
You stacked the pages neatly, sliding them into a manila envelope and scribbling down the address of the publishing company that had approached you for the book deal. You stuck the envelope down, sealing it tight.
"I still don't understand one thing," Benny spoke up from the kitchen. He added a splash of milk to one mug, opting to have coffee for himself. If Benny were a drink, he'd be a bitter black coffee—raw and coarse, but warming and familiar. He sauntered over as you leant against the desk, handing over your tea. "Why call it Adjournment?"
You sent him a small smile, taking a warming sip of tea. "It's a metaphor," You let out, and Benny rolled his eyes to oblivion.
"You can take the girl out of England, but not the English out of the girl," He joked.
"Woman," You replied, raising your eyebrows.
"Sorry—beautiful woman. That's what I meant to say," He sidled up to you, snaking an arm around your waist. You breathed him in, getting a whiff of coffee and his cologne. It was a smell that you never wanted to be without.
"Adjournment is postponed play, a break," You began, trying to find the right words. "That's what I did with myself—with what I really wanted. I put it on hold, too scared to accept that this was what I wanted to do, too trapped inside a box I put myself in. I did it with my father, with you," Benny regarded you sullenly, remembering that month of no contact. You knew soon after reuniting just how much it had pained him.
"I called an adjournment on my own life." You let out, as Benny's eyes floated over you in recognition.
"It's perfect." He beamed at you, no hint of smugness on his face for once. It was only one of many tells that showed you just how much he adored you—loved you. "Also, you don't have to come, but Beth and Jolene are in the city—,"
"They what?" You interrupted, smiling excitedly suddenly.
"They're at Kayden's right now. I think they're all heading to Monte's later," He smiled at your excited expression, looking at you like a piece of gold.
"Of course, I'm coming," You said, as you began to rush around your apartment and planned what to wear.
"If you need to rest, that's okay though—,"
"Oh, please. I can deal with being tired, Watts," You turned to him, sending him a smirk. "What I can't deal with is missing meeting Jolene for the first time, or for not celebrating the fact I just wrote a fucking book."
The corners of his mouth turned up smally, as his face squished into something so cute that it almost made you let out a groan.
"That's my girl," He whispered.
You and Benny left the apartment a few hours later. You'd had a coffee as well, waking yourself up a little as the excited buzz hit you. You approached the mailbox, manuscript in hand, as Benny flipped open the letterbox.
"What if they don't like it?" You said, practically bouncing on the spot.
"They're gonna love it," Benny reassured. You breathed out slowly as you slot the script through the letterbox, gripping onto it in a silent prayer, before you dropped it into the mailbox. You let out a squeal, jumping up and down to expel your adrenaline.
Benny came forward, giving you a peck on the forehead and gripping you tightly. "I'm so proud of you." He muttered, and you grabbed his hand as the two of you made your way further down the street, headed for Monte's.
Amanda screamed as soon as she saw you, bounding her way over to meet you before you'd even made it to the table. "Did you send it?" She questioned. You nodded quickly, not even bothering to stop the grin that grew on your face.
She yelled again, almost deafening you, before she rushed you over to the table, her hand clutching yours. "She's an author! An author!"
Everyone took their seats, muttering warm congratulations at you. Kayden placed a beer in front of you, as your eyes finally landed upon Beth and Jolene—
"Oh my god—," You said suddenly, reaching out to grab Jolene's hand. She sent you a smile back, big and wide and beautiful, squeezing your fingers in her own. "It's so amazing to finally meet you," You let out. You'd only ever been acquainted with Jolene on the phone, but you'd had some stellar conversations.
She was even more beautiful than you'd imagined.
"You too, Hunny," She replied. Her eyes sparkled at you. Beth grabbed onto Jolene's arm affectionately, as the two of them leaned into each other.
"Right—a toast," Benny said. He stood, raising his beer to the sky as everyone else reciprocated. You looked round at all of their faces. Kayden, Amanda, Matt, with their beaming smiles. Mike, Beth and Jolene with their kind eyes—
Benny— Benny was simply perfect.
"To the third World Champion chess player in our group—,"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't jinx it," You spoke up, rolling your eyes at him.
"Fine," He let out, sulkily. "To the English major, turned chess player, turned author, and soon to be World Champion—," He raised his glass higher, and everyone followed his lead as you felt your cheeks begin to flush a neon red. Benny glanced at you, soaking your soul into his own body. "Our dear friend."
As everyone cheered and clinked glasses, the strangest sensation came over you—this was your life. These were your friends.
It was a life you'd never thought you'd actually attain—
It was life your father would be proud of—
It was a life you weren't going to adjourn any more.