1963
(A/N: Sorry for skipping so much, I just didn't know how to connect the story in the middle. Also, I was scared it was getting a bit draggy. Sorry guys!)
(3rd person POV)
Benny and Y/N pulled up at the hotel. Y/N was clutching her bag tightly as they got out of the car. Benny noticed her stiff state.
"You okay?" He asked placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hmm? Yeah, I'm alright." She said while looking down.
For the past few months, Y/N had been working non-stop. She took whatever job was given to her. She really needed the money and she was determined to get it done. Of course, this drew suspicion from Richard's side of the family and they did ask her about it. But she simply replied them, that she wanted to get as much work done as she could before settling down knowing she probably won't have time to do it again. They bought her lie.
"Y/N, you've been working your ass off. If you're tired, you should get some rest." Benny told her.
"I'm not tired Benny. Just...nervous." She mumbled.
Benny looked at her with a straight face. He placed his bag down and put both his hands on her shoulder.
"Y/Full/N look at me."
She did as she was told.
"You are unbelievably talented and no one can convince me otherwise. If those judges don't pick you as the winner of this damn competition, then they are deaf. Even more deaf than Beethoven!"
Y/N stomped on his foot. He hissed in pain, his grip on her shoulders tightening.
"Don't make fun of composers like that!" She scolded.
"Sorry." Benny winced.
"Seriously, how do you have so much strength? I think you may have broke my toes." Benny continued hissing.
Y/N rolled her eyes.
"Oh, man up Benny for goodness sake." She said with a smirk before walking over to the counter.
"Hi, how can I help you?" The receptionist asked.
"Yes, hi! I'd like to check in. There should be a reservation under my name, Y/Full/N." Y/N told the person.
The receptionist went over the reservations.
"Ah, yes. We have your room ready miss. One King room." The receptionist said before handing her the key.
Y/N looked confused.
"I think there must be some kind of mistake. It should be a Twin room." Y/N said.
"I'm sorry miss, but your reservation is under the King room." The receptionist explained.
Then it hit her.
"Mom!" Y/N thought to herself in frustration.
Y/N shook her head.
"It's okay then, thank you." She thanked the woman who nodded courteously.
She walked back towards Benny and held up the keys.
"Let's go."
________________________________________________________________________________
Y/N pushed open the room door and the smell of fresh flowers hit her face. It was a clean and calming place. The windows were thrown open to let in the blinding sunlight.
"Pretty good huh?" Y/N remarked as she turned to Benny who was staring at the bed.
"Did you ask for one bed? Or were there no choices left?" Benny asked whilst pointing to the bed.
Y/N cringed. She knew this question was going to come. Then a look of realization dawned on Benny's face.
"Your mom?"
Y/N nodded.
"I guess she really wants us to start getting close with each other huh?" Benny smirked coming closer to Y/N. He placed his arms around her waist.
"Don't start Benny." Y/N groaned but playfully wrapped her arms around his neck.
Benny smiled at her gesture. He leaned down and kissed her softly. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds but it was enough to fuel them for the next few hours.
When they pulled away, Y/N grinned.
"Why don't you have a look around? I heard there's a chess tournament around here. You might meet a few old friends." Y/N said.
"I'd rather be here with you than with some cocky jerks and their tight suits." Benny nuzzled his face into her neck.
"Are you sure you're not the cocky one?" Y/N teased.
Benny looked up at her. and raised his eyebrows.
"What did you say?"
Y/N smirked and pulled away from him.
"I'll see you later, I'm going to hop in the shower real quick. Love you, bye!" She said quickly as she grabbed her towel and went into the bathroom.
Benny heard the bathroom lock click and he sighed.
What was he going to do now?
________________________________________________________________________________
"And the rook comes to the seventh rank." Benny finished explaining to a bunch of guys surrounding him.
"That right there...that is a bone in the throat. Guy takes one look at this, he pays up, 20 bucks." He concluded. "The Caro-Kann Defense, genuine bummer."
"What's wrong with Caro-Kann?" The man beside him asks.
Benny moves his hand to the side.
"It's all pawns and no hope." He said while waving his hand a little.
"Here, look, I'll show you, all right? This is Caro-Kann." Benny moved a piece across the board. The minute the piece clicks on the board, he heard a soft voice behind him.
"I'd take the knight."
Benny turned around. The girl had bright red hair and big eyes.
She walked up the stairs quickly.
Benny had a feeling he'd seen her somewhere before.
"You're, um..." He placed a hand on his chin trying to remember where he'd seen her before.
After a while, he finally remembered.
"Aren't you that kid from Kentucky who wiped out Harry Beltik?"
"If you take his knight, then you double his pawns." She said, not answering his question.
Benny nodded, slightly impressed by this girl's skill.
"Big deal. Like I said, it's all pawns..." He starts doing what she says. "And no hope."
He looked at her.
"Let me show you how you win with Black. Watch this." He moved the pieces according to how he wanted them to be.
"What does White do here?" He asked.
"Queen takes pawn." The girl and the men replied.
Benny nodded.
"Rook to king eight." He moved his rook. "Check. Queen falls."
The man next to him thinks for a second.
"That's Mieses-Reshevsky." He said.
"Yeah." Benny confirmed.
"From the '30s." The man continued.
"Very good. Margate, 1935." Benny told him.
"White played rook to queen one." The man said.
"What else has he got?" Benny said as he looked down at his chess board.
The men nodded in understanding.
"All right, I 'gotta go." The man said.
Benny nodded and started keeping the chess pieces up.
"Hey, you know what?" He said to the girl as he continued keeping the pieces. "Reshevsky, he was playing like that... Back when he was your age, little girl. Or even younger." He told her before looking up at her..
He closed the box containing the chess pieces and was about to walk off.
"Are you playing?" He heard the girl ask.
"Oh, what, here?" He placed the box in his bag before flinging it over his shoulder. "Nah, nah. Just come through..." Benny thought of an excuse he could make to cover up the fact that he was here for Y/N's competition. "See some old friends." He finally said.
He looked at her.
"And plus, playing too many opens..." He waved his arms a little to try to get her to understand what he means. "It can only hurt me, you know what I mean?"
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Good luck." He wished, before walking off.
He continued walking towards the direction of where the rooms when he passed by a young boy reading the news with the redhead girl from before on the front page.
Beth Harmon
________________________________________________________________________________
Y/N was sitting at her side of the bed, or at least what she claimed as her side of the bed, while going through her music scores. She pushed her damp hair out of her face as her eyes danced across the page.
Suddenly, she heard the door's lock click open and in came Benny.
"Hey." She said shortly as Benny took off his hat and coat, before returning to her scores.
Benny turned to look at her, his mouth slightly agape. He stayed like that for a few seconds before Y/N got annoyed at him.
"What?!" She asked, annoyed at Benny's state, before looking up at him. She realized he wasn't even looking at her face, he was looking...a little lower.
Y/N looked down and saw that the robe she was wearing showed... a little too much for her liking.
Her eyes widened.
"BENJAMIN WATTS!" She shouted at him.
Benny immediately shook his head and looked away, embarrassed. He muttered a quiet "Sorry" but snuck one last glance before looking away again.
Y/N pulled the robe closer to her body to give herself a little more coverage.
She shook her head in disappointment.
Benny quietly placed his bag down and went over to her. He sat down and stared at her face.
"What is it now?" Y/N asked without looking up from the paper.
"I guess you were right." Benny muttered softly.
"I mean of course. Your eyes were literally on my-"
"No, no! I mean about me checking the place out." Benny reassured.
"I met that kid from Kentucky that kicked Beltik's ass in some chess match." He told her.
Y/N put her scores down and looked at him.
"That adorable little redheaded girl with the big eyes and pretty face?" Y/N asked.
Benny was confused with the description she just gave her but nodded.
"What was her name again?" She asked.
"Beth Harmon." Benny replied.
Y/N nodded.
"She's quite skilled."
"She's not bad."
Y/N gave him a look.
"You're so full of yourself." She shook her head. "One day, she may as well kick 'YOUR' ass."
"Hey!" Benny exclaimed before tackling her onto the bed.
"That ain't 'gon happen darling." He said with a smirk etched across his face, both his hands next to her head.
Y/N started smirking as well.
"Keep telling yourself that honey."
Benny's smirk became even brighter.
"Just you wait and see L/N. Harmon isn't going to beat me."
Y/N grinned.
"'Wanna bet?"
Benny chuckled.
"Why not? I bet you ten bucks that I'll be able to beat her if we play against each other within the next five years."
"Fine. I bet you ten bucks that if you both play against each other within the next five years, she's going to beat you so hard it's going to leave a mark in that ego of yours." Y/N smirked.
Benny laughed.
"Deal."
He leaned down and kissed her softly. Y/N smiled into the kiss. She felt one of Benny's hands move to her waist and lifted her up slightly to deepen the kiss.
They pulled away panting lightly.
"What was that for?" Y/N asked, out of breath.
Benny smiled.
"Deal's sealed with a kiss."
Y/N decided to tease him a little.
"So, you kiss all your friends when you make deals with them? Damn, people might think your gay." Y/N joked.
Benny looked offended.
"I'll have you know that I have girl friends too." He said with a frown.
"So...you kiss other girls as well?" Y/N continued teasing.
"That's not...I don't-" Benny was at a lost for words.
Y/N burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard her sides were starting to hurt.
Benny sighed and rolled his eyes. He waited for her to stop laughing before laying next to her.
"For your information, my lips are only reserved for you darling." He whispered into her ear sending shivers down her spine. The quick change of mood made Y/N turn red.
Benny smirked, satisfied with what he did. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head as she buried her face in his chest.