Saturday, October 27th, 2012 -- late evening

Once they're out of the worn down house she's tugging her hood back up over her head and bringing the fabric of her red cloak forward to drape in front of her a little more for warmth. It doesn't stop her from keeping her hand firmly within Ben's. Her other hand has her basket of goodies tucked beneath the cloak as well.

She's taking a deep breath of the chilled Fall air and aside from a slow exhale she's letting the quiet linger between them. The quiet is a welcome change compared to the chaos they just experienced. It's that thought that pushes her towards looking up at him. "I hope y'weren't too blindsided by alla that. Ford bein' there an' stuff. I didn't realize he would be. I wasn't tryin' t'spring another brother on y'or nothin'."

Ben probably should've worn a coat, because it's really starting to get cold in the evenings, but that would've ruined the look, right? It just gives him a little more reason to stay close to Jackie, sharing body heat -- as if he really needs a reason to be close other than because he wants to.

He's fine with the quiet for the moment that it lasts, but he doesn't mind that she breaks it after a time, and he's meeting her eyes when she looks up at him. "Well ... I mean, I was pretty blindsided." Sort of amused, because how couldn't he have been? "But I know you weren't trying to do that; it's fine." Facing front again, he tilts his head away from her, and he's actually doing it to crack his neck. "I wasn't really sure about how I should've been acting, though. Around you, I mean." He'd noticed, that she'd avoided introducing him as her boyfriend, and that Chey had too. "He'll be fine, right? Just wasn't a good time?"

She's more than happy to lean into him, trying to offer up any sort of warmth she can. Most of the time she would linger and make slow work of getting home, but tonight she was keeping her pace up. More than likely because of him and the cold as well as her desire to get these boots off.

Her lips purse at his admission to being blindsided. "Alright, I mighta realized he was gonna be there 'cause Colt hinted at it, but I was so focused on bein' excited t'have him here I wasn't thinkin' of it like that." She's looking ahead as well. "It was too much, him bein' here in RhyDin, the party, alla us together. I didn't want Ford's introduction t'my love life with y'bein' shouted over a crowd." She gave a squeeze to his hand. "He told me he wants t'know 'bout y'. Said he wants t'hear 'bout y'. He ain't stupid, he's gotta realize. But I wanna be able t' tell 'im an' I'm sure he wants t'hear it from me."

He's biting his lip at first, but by the end of her explanation, there's a small smile at his mouth instead. "I figured that was it." A little fidget with her fingers, but afterward, he's just holding on a little more tightly. "Well, I like that he didn't badger you about it, but he didn't just let it go, either." A little pause, and a tip of his head toward her this time, faux-thoughtful. "And I like that he was freely giving embarrassing childhood stories; that was nice." Actually preemptively flinching away from her for that, but he goes on, and he's through teasing. "I'm sure he wants to hear it from you too. You think I need to prepare for that much hell? He seems like he'll be alright with it."

"I'm proud as hell t'have y'as m' man, Ben. Don't y'ever get that twisted none." She's giving an extra squeeze beneath his somewhat tighter hold. "Ford is laid back. He ain't one t'worry me. He's jus' always been closer t'Rhett than me. It was always me an' Colton when we was all younger. I mean, we all loved each other, but we had our lil' teams." A smirk aside at him. "You take them stories with a graina salt, he'll start spewing anythin' t'make me look foolish." Her hip bumped his but nothing more came than that. "I told y'. I think... y'treat me right, y'respect me, y'cherish me an' I cherish you. We make each other happy. What is there t'raise hell on with all that? Y'served yer country, had yerself a mighty fine job back home an' here until..." A wave of her hand. SPI collapsing obviously couldn't be held against him. "Y'got yerself a good kid y'raised right. Yer a good man." Shoulders lifted in a shrug beneath her red cloak. "That's how I see it."

Even though he hadn't said it, and even though he really didn't even want to admit it to himself, there had been a very, very, very small and irrational fear about the situation. The first thing she says erases it entirely, and the smile it draws from him doesn't fade. He's usually not great at accepting praise, but this felt different. It meant a lot to hear it all from her.

"Thanks, sweetheart." Quiet, because he probably doesn't need to say it, but he can't help it. "I'm just glad I'm making you happy." An absent little tug to her hand. "And he'll see that," even though she hadn't asked for the reassurance. Maybe he was telling himself more than her. It had been so, so long since he'd had to worry about any of this -- dating, family -- it couldn't be surprising that he got a little stuck on it from time to time.

He's a little lazier in the return bump of his hip against hers. "So is this really just a walk home, or do you think I can come in for a minute?" A minute, he says. "It's cold out. Just wanted to warm up a little before I head home." Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?

"I'm very happy, Ben. I'll tell anyone who wants t' listen an' if that's Ford then so be it. I'll tell 'im." She hadn't asked for the reassurance but it didn't mean it wasn't appreciated. Family was important to her, it was obvious. Ben was important to her as well. She wanted so badly for the two to be able to happily coexist in her little world.

She gave him a sidelong look at his question. Apparently something was rattling around in her head the way she was looking at him, but it took her a while longer to get the words out. When they did they came out in a quiet rush. "Can y'jus' stay with me tonight, Ben? I don't wanna be alone." She wasn't going to dance around it like he did. She laid it out in black and white.

He's not expecting her to be so to the point with it -- or maybe it isn't that, maybe it's just the way she says it, that soft rush. There's only a couple heartbeats of pause before he answers. "Jackie, I'll stay with you any night you want me to. Not because I don't want to be alone," even though he doesn't, "but because I want to be with you." He's looking aside to her too, even when he brings her hand up to his mouth to press a kiss to the back of it.

She's smiling faintly, both at his agreement to her request and the kiss. She's leaning aside into him. "Well, yer the one I want keepin' me company, too. Y'know what I meant." It's supposed to be a light tease, but there's something a little lacking in it. Maybe the next part doesn't have to be said, maybe it does. Maybe she's making too big of a deal out of it in her own head, but she feels it's best to clarify so it's not a surprise when they reach her house. The words aren't so rushed now. They're a little slower, maybe a little more thought out so she didn't say the wrong thing again. "I don't wanna sleep on the couch with y' t'night."

Maybe it didn't need to be said, but it probably did. The surprise once they'd already gotten to her place might've just made things too awkward. They'd been heading to her house at a pretty quick pace, but it slows for just a few seconds then, like he's slowing to keep time with her words -- with his own thoughts that come up right afterward. He purses his lips for a second, maybe from the surprise of it, or maybe he's just thoughtful, but after that, "If you're sure about that... Good. Because I didn't want to either. Your bed is so much more comfortable." That this made him nervous at all, made him feel those stupid butterflies, sort of left him in disbelief at himself, but none of that shows in the lopsided little smile to her that he chances.

There's a rise of worry and a tightening of her hand around his when he slows his pace some. Was he going to tell her it was a horrible idea? Give her a look that told her it was dumb or just shake his head at her? None of it seemed like something Ben would do, but even just offering the suggestion was hard and she didn't know what to expect in return.

"I'm sure." Her voice is still quiet, but it has an assuring quality to it that this is indeed what she wants. There's a curl at the edge of her lips as well that it's what he wants, too. "We'll sleep, we'll be fine. It's jus' a bed." She was trying to make that clear for both him and her because she had the same round of butterflies going crazy in her stomach. Her smile is bashful again while she's looking ahead. They had fallen asleep together in her bed, they had practically lived together. Why was the idea of curling up beside each other such a big deal now? She had no idea, but it was doing a wonderful job of warming her cheeks in the cold. Blushing twice in one night, it had to be some sort of record. She simply hoped the hood was managing to hide at least a little of the color.

Jackie's not the only one with some bizarre, irrational worry. Very briefly, after he just assumes she means going to bed together, he's wondering if he misunderstood her. It's so irrational and short-lived that relief doesn't even register when she assures him that she's sure that that's what she wants.

"It's just a bed," echoing. He kind of felt like a fool, having to repeat that, feeling this way, nervous and sort of mildly giddy about just sharing her bed again, just to sleep -- but feeling like a fool or not, he certainly wasn't bothered. "I'll even wake up extra early and make you breakfast in the morning before you go." His smile tipped a little more crooked, and there's an extra little spring in his step for the rest of the way home.