The Midnight Visitor

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound woke me up from an otherwise restful sleep. Who was at the door? Why were they there?

Throwing back the covers and grabbing my robe, I swung out my legs and stumbled my way out of my bedroom and toward the front door.

When I opened the door, I blinked and rubbed my eyes, making sure I was seeing things correctly. “Ben?”

Standing on my front porch in dark blue jeans and a light gray sweatshirt was my childhood neighbor and close friend, whom I hadn’t seen since we graduated from high school.

He pulled back his hood, revealing short, messy black hair and sharp blue eyes. “Tessa.”

His voice reached the recesses of my mind, memories flooding back with a surprising intensity.

I tugged my beige robe tightly against my chest. “What are you doing here?”

“May I come in?”

I nodded, the cold breeze slapping me as I let him through the door. I then turned on the kitchen lights and began making a pot of coffee, unsure what to say.

Ben sat on the couch in the living room, turning on the TV but keeping the volume low. I didn’t recognize the show, hearing the coffee brew and the smell in the air.

“I haven’t seen you since twelfth grade; where the hell have you been?” I grabbed the cups from the mug tree on the counter.

Ben chuckled, “Yeah, I suppose I did kinda disappear.”

I couldn’t help but snort, “The last time anyone saw you was at the graduation party.”

He nodded as I walked over with the mugs in my hands. “So, why show up now?”

He grabbed one mug from my grip. “A lot of shit has happened these last ten years.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“It’s complicated.”

I raised an eyebrow, sipping the hot liquid from my mug, “I think I can keep up.”

Sighing, Ben set his coffee down and looked right at me, his gaze going straight through me. “You remember my parents always being away for work?”

I nodded, the late movie sessions and parties flooding my mind. From what little I knew, they had business clients around the world and were often gone because of that.

“Well, it turns out they weren’t the wholesome businesspeople we all thought they were.”

I tilted my head. The few times I did see them, his parents had always been kind and so welcoming toward me and whoever else was visiting their home.

Ben shook his. “I still don’t know all the details, but they were involved with some bad folks, and my sister and I ended up whisked away into Witness Protection right after graduation.”

“Oh my God.” I set my coffee down, unsure if I was dreaming. This sounded like the beginning of a true crime documentary.

“I know.”

“So why come back now?”

He took my hands into his. “Because I miss home and I miss you.”

I blinked, my heart rate speeding up. Was this about to become a love confessional? And was I ready for that?

Ben smirked, “What?”

“This feels like a movie right now.” I stood, pacing around my living room, my heart racing. “You come back into town, knock on my door, tell me the reason you left was because your parents were Mafia bosses, then are about to confess your romantic feelings for me.”

I felt a headache starting to form, rubbing my temples as I walked around. The crazy part was that if this had happened five years ago, I’d be weak at the knees.

But right now, I didn’t know how to react.

Ben rose to his feet, gliding over and gripping my arms gently. “You’ve always known I’ve had feelings for you.”

“But that was ten years ago, and a lot has changed.”

“I know, but I had to see if I still have a shot.”

I blinked, surprised at his boldness. He’d always been the shy kid in the corner at the Homecoming dance, while I was the one in the middle of the crowd dancing the night away.

But ten years can change people so much.

Then I felt the butterflies form in my stomach, realizing how close we were, his hands still holding my forearms, the heat seeping into my bones.

“Well, I suppose late is better than never.” I inched closer, wrapping my arms around him, sighing as his arms tightly hugged me back.

I’d forgotten how good Ben’s hugs felt, a lump forming in my throat. I squeezed even tighter, my eyes burning as everything flooded back.

“Shh, I know.” Ben began rubbing circles into my mid-back. “I’m sorry it’s taken this long.”

I nodded, burying my face into his neck and chest, feeling the wetness fall down my cheeks and being absorbed into his sweatshirt.

I held on for dear life as he moved us back to the couch, convinced he’d disappear if I let go.

And the last thing I wanted was for Ben to disappear again.