My Ex or My Next

Chapter 6

Benjamin realized that Diana was not the typical woman he usually deals with. She was a hard nut to crack, which would be something good for him. All he had ever had was easy women. It would be nice to have a challenge. Something about her peaked his interest, but he couldn't say what. Maybe it was the fact that she was not running behind him like Suzie and the other girls did. Or maybe it was that she looked like the type of woman who had been through a lot and wouldn't take any bullsh*t from any man. It could also be because she looked like a loner and didn't have many friends. Women with a lot of friends tend to be surrounded by drama. Sometimes the drama was exhilarating, but sometimes he just wanted to be laid back.

The woman standing before him was a beautiful one. She was special. He didn't take the time to really look at her when he visited her house. He saw her again this morning, but didn't notice because of his anger. She had a fair complexion with beautiful brown eyes, a body to die for, and a small nose and mouth. She was perfection for him. The funny thing was, he had never seen her smile before, but he could tell that she had a beautiful one. The sad thing was, he didn't give her a good first impression. She probably thought he was an a*s.

"Earth to Benjamin." She waved her hand in front of his face.

"Sorry. I was just lost in thought. Please call me Ben." Benjamin said.

"Well, Ben, can you be lost in thought without having to hold on to my arm?" She asked him. He then realized he was still holding onto her. Ben let her go immediately.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." He trailed off on what else he was going to say.

"It's fine. I need to go." Diana walked away from him, to cash her items, but he couldn't have that. Even though she seemed irritated by him, he wouldn't be named Benjamin if he didn't try to shoot his shot at getting her to talk to him.

"Let me take you to dinner." He suggested. She stopped and looked him over, from his head to his toe.

"Hell no!" With that she walked away, leaving ben dejected. He had to start smaller. He followed her.

"Can I at least take you home? Look at it as me trying to make up for talking to you the way I did this morning." Ben said. Diana thought about it for a second. 'One ride wouldn't hurt, right? This would give me a chance to know if he's really a douche, or just pretending to be one.'

"Or the way you were groping your girlfriend for everyone to see. Anyone would think you guys were having intercourse right there." She told him.

"Yeah, that too." Even though he didn't see anything wrong with what he and Suzie did, he agreed with her to squash the bad blood between them.

The car ride home was more pleasant than they thought it would be. He would watch her occasionally staring out the window. They had small talk here and there because she was not a social person. He knew she was not too fond of him, but he would change that soon. He needed to bring out his charms. The ladies loved to be charmed.

Diana, on the other hand, kept thinking about when he was in front of her at the supermarket. He was even more handsome up close. She noticed the day he came to her house, but because her mind was clouded with anger towards him, she ignored the fact. His green eyes were to die for. She had never seen anyone with green eyes that close. So, while he was lost in thought, she was lost in his eyes. If his attitude was half as good as the way his eyes looked, he would be perfect. She decided he wasn't as bad as she thought he was. Maybe he acted according to how he saw fit. She didn't know anyone here, so it was OK to have someone to be acquainted with.

Benjamin drove into her driveway and was about to help her with her bags, when he heard his name from across the street. Only one person had the balls to do that. He turned around and his guess was accurate. It was Suzie, with her arms folded, walking towards them. He just got Diana to talk to him and now she was going to ruin it.

"Where the hell were you?" Suzie asked.

"At the grocery store." He replied, annoyed.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were going to the store? And with her too." She was referring to Diana.

"I'm a grown man, Suzie." Ben could have told her that he had gone to the store by himself, and met Diana there, but he didn't feel the need to explain anything to her. Suzie didn't like the way Benjamin answered her. He sounded irritated.

"Well, since you don't have any time for me, I'll just go." Suzie said, walking slowly, hoping that Ben would stop her, but he didn't.

"OK. Bye." She spun her head so fast she nearly had whiplash.

"What? Aren't you going to ask me to stay?" She asked.

"No. You want to leave, so go ahead." Ben said nonchalantly.

"I can't believe this. Why are you suddenly treating me this way? Is it because of her?" She asked.

"Suzie, we need to talk about some things. I'll tell you when I have the time, so we can meet up." She stomped off, entered her vehicle and drove off at record speed. Ben sighed in relief. Diana was quietly spectating.

"Are you that happy to see her go?" Diana asked out of nowhere.

"You have no idea." He replied.

They entered her house and it kind of made Diana nervous. Her heart rate sped up. Why? She didn't have any idea either. Maybe it was because she was in an enclosed space with a male other than Jack. Her phone rang suddenly. She looked at the caller ID and it was her father. She knew he had probably heard about the divorce and wanted to ask her about it. Not in concern for her, but for his business. She sighed. She would deal with him some other time. She turned around and looked at Ben, who made himself at home in her living room, after putting her things on the kitchen counter. For now, she had him to address.