⎾ CLEVER ⏌

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

Indeed they did not have the luxury of being shy. They could either ask their questions while the opportunity presented itself, or be married as the complete strangers their parents intended them to be. Benjamin much preferred to know the woman that would soon become his bride. He watched the woman as he answered her question. She sipped at her coffee before following up with her next question. Benjamin didn’t mind. Smiling back at her, he thought for a moment. ” I try not to snack too much at night. But when the mood does strike my go to is usually a pint of ice cream. Preferably something with chocolate. What’s your go to?” he asked.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

⋮ ۩ ) • • • Being a stranger held no interest for her. She knew that her parents would probably be upset if they knew she was meeting Ben without their knowledge. In some ways, they were still traditional. Evie though didn't want to be blind in marriage to Ben. She knew the only way she was going to get to know Ben was if they communicated. Evie questioned Ben so listening as he spoke, questioning her himself. She smiled in agreement that ice cream was a perfect late night snack. "Mm, ice cream does sound good though I'd have to go for some vanilla instead maybe mixed with cookie dough." Evie commented, agreeing but adding her own likes.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

Benjamin was sure that his own parents would have a similar regard to their meeting. They barely allowed him to say so much as hello to her when they were in the same room. It was absurd. He wanted to be a good husband, not just the man that she married. But to do that he was going to need more than just a hello. He enjoyed their game of getting to know one another and happily answered her questions. As he finished speaking he turned the question back to her. She smiled and agreed with him. ”Hmm I can’t remember the last time I had either vanilla or cookie dough ice cream. But I don’t hate either of them.” he replied. ”So what do you like to do while you’re snacking late at night? Do you watch anything or just stand alone in the kitchen?”

 

[xDarkWinterx]

⋮ ۩ ) • • • Sipping her coffee, Evie found this game of twenty questions amusing. She was making the effort to get to know her husband to be. Evie didn't exactly like surprises. She listened as Ben responded, finding his words comical. Evie laughed at his words. "Always chocolate never anything adventurous?" She asked as Ben soon questioned her again. Evie shook her head, "Mm, guilty pleasure watching on the couch in my living room." She responded smiling at Ben. "And you?" Evie asked in return.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

Benjamin had never been as much a fan of twenty-questions as his brothers were. He thought it to be a bit dull and eventually very easy to lose interest. But so far with Evie he was quite enjoying himself. It was nice talking with her and getting to know her on a level deeper than "this was the woman he was deemed to marry". Benjamin smiled as Evie laughed and teased him lightly. "Not always. But a lot of my favorites do use chocolate in their base flavor, like Ben & Jerry's half-baked or Tillamook's peanut butter and chocolate." he countered. Benjamin listened as she continued on to answer his follow-up question, a moment later she repeated his question. "Definitely guilty of crashing on the couch. Usually it's either something dumb or the last show I was watching. I'm too lazy most nights to scroll for hours until I'm able to find something to watch." he replied honestly. When he finished speaking, Benjamin reached for his own mug once more to take a sip of his coffee.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

⋮ ۩ ) • • • If Ben didn't want to answer her questions, he was free not to. However Evie was trying to make things interesting and fun. She could easily give Ben his space if he only wanted to marry her to seal the deal between their families. Evie didn't think that was the case after all they wouldn't be sitting here if it was.

Listening to Ben talk, she found it amusing. Evie didn't mind chocolate though it wasn't exactly her go to. "Mm, well last I remembered Ben and Jerry's half baked has cookie dough in it and half vanilla ice cream." She teased as Ben soon followed up with his own response. Evie nodded as Ben spoke of the guilty pleasures of sitting on the couch late at night. She watched as Ben reached for his coffee and took a sip.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

Benjamin definitely would not be here if he wasn’t enjoying himself. So far he was really enjoying his time with Evie. He didn’t mind her questions or teasing, it just added to their conversation. Benjamin continued list a few ice cream’s that he enjoyed. In return she teased him and reminded him that one of his favorites included exactly what she enjoyed in ice cream. ”That’s true, but it also has chocolate fudge brownies and a version with peanut butter in it which is really good.” he replied, smiling towards her. Benjamin enjoyed indulging in his late night treats but tried not to make it a habit. He’d be more doughy than her beloved cookie dough if he allowed himself to indulge too much. After taking a sip, he looked her over, thinking how it might actually be fun to be married to someone like her. She was nothing he was expecting her to be. ”Alright, so what about for the nights that ice cream and TV aren’t enough to hold your attention. What do you do on those nights?” he asked curiously.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

⋮ ۩ ) • • • Evie could understand not wanting to indulge too much. She had her own physique to worry about as well. Evie enjoyed her sweets but in the end knew her limits. She listened as Ben spoke about other flavors. Evie laughed softly, "Oh, no doubt." She teased about his other choices. Evie listened as Ben soon went on to question her. "Hmm, well if I'm not cramming for a test then perhaps I'll go out dancing with some friends." She responded as she took another sip from her drink. "And you? Are you all about work?" Evie teased as she watched Ben.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

As they continued their conversation, Benjamin soon changed the subject. He was curious to know what else Evie enjoyed. Her hobbies, interests, anything they might have in common. There was still so much to fill in before the big day, he hoped to learn as much as he could about her. He sipped on his coffee while Evie spoke about her friends and dancing. It sounded nice. Setting his mug back on the table, he listened as she turned the question back on him. "I try not to be." he admitted. "I do like to go out every now and again with a few colleagues. We mostly get drinks, have dinner, catch a game on the weekends. Are you at all into any sports or teams?" Benjamin didn't have too many friends, but he generally liked hanging out with the few he did have. He smiled as he shared a bit about the things they did together. It was kind of typical, but she had asked.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

⋮ ۩ ) • • • Indeed there was still so much to learn about each other. She wasn't expecting to learn everything about Ben, just enough to keep her interested for more. Evie responded though she had soon teased Ben about his own ideas of down time. She listened as Ben spoke, soon questioning him. It was a typical male response which she didn't mind. "Mm, well not exactly though I've watched hockey a little only cause my dad likes it." She responded in truth. Evie wasn't big on sports though would watch them if she had to.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

When the question was turned to him, there wasn't too much to add. He had a couple of friends, some of them from work, others he'd known a bit longer, and they all pretty much enjoyed typical guy stuff. He could only hope that wouldn't disappoint her too much. Though he had a feeling that he wouldn't need to worry as much. At least with her. Any other girl in his social circle would likely cut him off and change the subject to something she was interested in. But not Evie. As Benjamin talked about his hobbies, he followed up with a question of his own. He wasn't surprised to learn that she was not a big sports fan. In truth, he wasn't the biggest fan either. He certainly wasn't one of those people that could name off any given player along with their stats. He mostly just liked going to hang out with his friends. "Oh yeah, what team did your dad like?" he continued. Benjamin didn't follow too much hockey, but he was was at least familiar enough to know the different teams.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

⋮ ۩ ) • • • Since they were getting to know each other, Evie only saw it far to question Ben. She had many questions for the man before her but didn't want to overwhelm him. Evie was hardly concerned with bombarding Ben with her own life. She was having a good time so far. Evie was curious about their future. She knew that their marriage was an arranged one though that didn't mean necessarily they'd be happy with each other.

Such thoughts dwelled in her mind and yet she didn't want to think about it. Evie lived for the here and now. She was glad to know Ben wasn't big into sports. The thought was a semi turn off though she wouldn't fault him for it. Evie smiled as Ben questioned her about her father's choice in hockey. ”He's partial to the Boston Bruins as long as they are winning.” She commented lightly as she shook her head, finding it amusing.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

For the moment he was fine with answering all of her questions. He thought it nice that they were able to have this time to get to know each other. Though he was sure if his parents - mainly his mother - found out he'd been spending time with Evie without supervision, they'd have a stroke. To him, the idea of marrying a complete stranger just sounded too outdated. He didn't understand how his parents and grandparents did it. Sure Evie was pretty, she came from a nice family, but that was hardly enough to constitute a marriage. Benjamin wanted to know as much as he could about her. They didn't have to love each other right away, he just wanted to know that when the big day did finally come, he would know if they could stand to be on friendly terms with one another. There was no sense in going through with any of it if they couldn't even manage that much.

As they continued to talk, Benjamin hadn't really noticed that Evie was spacing out. He kept the conversation going as he asked a bit about her dad and sports. He watched as she smiled and spoke about her fathers' favorite team. Benjamin laughed softly at her answer. "Sounds a lot like my dad with the New York Rangers." he replied. While Benjamin didn't follow much of the sport, his father did. For as long as he could remember his father was a sports man, and most of his teams were from either New York or New Jersey. If one, the other, or both of them started to lose, he would switch to whichever team was doing the best that season. It was a bit silly in his opinion, not that it really mattered.

 

[xDarkWinterx]

⋮ ۩ ) • • • Their future wedding seemed just around the corner. Evie hadn't hated the time she was spending with Ben though she worried. While they had spent time in good laughs, she wasn't too sure what to expect after the wedding. Their marriage would be based on title and paper. Evie knew people could be married and yet still hate each other and never see each other unless necessary. She knew of a cousin of hers that had married though her and her husband led separate lives almost worlds apart.

Evie couldn't help but be spacey. She was still holding the conversation though. Evie listened as Ben laughed at her words. She smiled as Ben spoke of his father's favorite hockey team. While Evie wasn't a fan of sports, she had another question for Ben. ”Mm, and what about when you were younger, did you play any sports?” She asked curiously, figuring Ben had though didn't want to assume.

 

[Pure Acid Dreamer]

Indeed, it seemed as though their wedding was growing closer and closer with each passing day. When he was younger, it was easier to pretend that it was further off and he had plenty of time before he got married. Now not so much. Benjamin wondered if he would make a good husband. It was hard to say when he they weren't even dating. Benjamin didn't want to be like one of those husbands that were only married on paper. After all their talks he liked to think that Evie would want more, at least he hoped so. As for after the wedding, it was hard to say what their life would be like. It would be a hard adjustment for sure. It would probably take them awhile to get used to the others habits and routine. He wouldn't even be surprised if she wanted to sleep in separate rooms for a bit.

He couldn't help laughing. Her words reminded him of his own father and said as much. Across the table, he watched as Evie smiled and continued to question him. He didn't mind, it was nice getting to know her like this. "We all did." he replied, briefly mentioning his brothers. "It started when I was in second grade, our mom made us take swimming lessons after school. From there, it was pee-wee soccer, pee-wee baseball, and flag football. I also played lacrosse a couple of months in middle school before deciding I was really bad at it." His parents had wanted them all to be apart of some after school activity. Often reminding him how it would look so good on a college resume. For Benjamin, he had never really found the sport for him. Whereas his other two brothers had found theirs; Sam, had taken to the water like a fish and to this day was still apart of his high school swim team. And Oliver had somehow found his way on to a varsity wrestling team. "And you? Did your parents ever make you play any sports?" he continued.