#//lol idk for once the title came to me instantly so i'm just rolling with it :' )))

[honorhearted]

"he's out. won't be back till dinner... do you want to wait?" from molly to beyn in that alt pre-w.ar verse we talked about

@retrograderesemblance

A chill of dread ran down Benjamin's spine, stark and sickly-sweet, at the realization that it would be cowardly, wrong, unkind to recant his visit.

"Um..." Clearing his throat, he peered over her shoulder at the neighboring wall, almost as if the hewn wood held all the answers. Brow furrowing, Benjamin drew a breath before nodding. "I could wait," he allowed. "Selah wanted me to pick out some scripture for...for..." the f.uneral.

Unable to bring the words to fruition, he exhaled and barreled into the house, his shoulder nearly clipping Molly amidst his rattled disposition. Many years prior, it had been Molly and Selah who comforted him -- could he truly do the same, he wondered, now that his neighbors were plagued with that all too familiar grief?

Keeping his back facing his h.ostess, Benjamin kept his eyes focused on something, anything other than the young woman behind him. He was on leave from s.chool, if only for a short while. The moment Selah informed him of his loss, he'd felt it his duty to return, only... He winced. Benjamin never thought it would be her he'd need to face.

"How have you been?" he lowly asked.

Small talk had never been their thing -- nothing was ever truly polite between them -- and yet in this instance, Benjamin believed he should make the effort.