Dear Mr. Pessimist,

Sometimes I wonder if you're the one that cleans up after me at work. I know for a fact that I forget to do it all the time. If it's you, then thank you. I knew you had a heart somewhere in there Tin Man.

With love,

Syd

p.s Did you answer my dad yet?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxxo

I would have thought it would have been awkward coming into work and spending almost the entire day with Tristan.

I was wrong. He acted as if nothing had happened. He still made sweet comments, still helped me out, he even still made sure that I was okay.

When Bennett finally walked in, I slapped the sticky note I'd wrote this morning on to his shoulder and smiled as he continued walking as if he hadn't realized I'd done it.

"He seems out of it." I pointed out, glancing sideways as Tristan. He was nodding, watching after his best friend with a longing look.

"I remember when he was so aware of his surroundings that he'd backhand me anytime I was a few feet away. It didn't matter if I had done anything or not." I nodded, running a hand through my hair and watching as Bennett walked out, tying an apron around his waist.

"You can head out, Tris. I've got it." Tristan sent me a shocked look before hanging his apron up behind us and hopping over the counter with a sigh.

"I guess I'll see you two tomorrow then." He bowed before grabbing his car keys out of his pocket and walking toward the entrance of the door. Just as he walked out, a whole influx of people walked in.

We had been crowded, sure, but I hadn't seen this many people in here in a while.

By the time we had almost everyone seated or leaving the building satisfied, I was ready to go home and pass out. I was watching Bennett as he cleared a couple tables, at the way he would occasionally glance over his shoulder and a booth and shake his head.

"People seriously need to learn how to throw things away." He muttered when he was behind the counter again, rubbing his temples. I leaned over the counter with a small smile.

"I'm sure people have had the same about us." He shrugged but didn't say anything. I looked out over all the people seated in the bakery. From the couple with a small child, to an elderly couple seated a few booths away from them. I could feel a smile tugging at the corners of my lips at the variety of people in here, and for the first time since I started working here a month and a half ago, I was grateful I've gotten to experience this place this summer.

**

"You heading home?" Bennett asked as I finished wiping down one of the tables. I turned around to face him with half a shrug.

"I was, why?" I replied.

"I was going to take a walk, if you wanted to join me." I nodded before I knew what I was doing.

I wasn't exactly going to have the greatest time at home. I'd be alone, probably eating some crappy TV dinner and watching reruns of old shows until Mom came home.

"Sure. Just let me grab my purse." he nodded and went in back, probably to relieve the new baker they had just hired to help out so he could go home. He came back out with the keys, shutting off the small microwave behind us. I grabbed my purse, hanging my apron up beside me.

"You need a jacket or do-"

"I'm good." I said, gently pushing his jacket back into his hands. He shrugged and slipped it on to himself, locking the back door before coming back and locking the front once we were outside.

It wasn't until we had been walking for a few minutes that he spoke up.

"I did talk to your Dad." He whispered, "I told to him to give me a month or so to think about accepting the job. But he was. . . he was trying to do everything in his power to get me to take the job. He offered a raise in pay, a position that's way better then what he was going to give me in the first place. He-"

"He's trying to get under my skin." I said with a cold laugh, "He doesn't really care all that much about you, Bennett. Sorry if you-"

"I told him I probably wasn't going to take the job because he's a two faced piece of shit that only cares about himself." I stopped dead in my tracks, whirling around to face him.

"You didn't." I gaped at him, shaking my head.

"I did. I'm sick and tired of flake parents, Sydney." We continued walking after a few minutes and I was surprised to find we had already started to near the park.

"Tristan told me you two broke it off. Why?" Bennett finally spoke up, his blue eyes light with curiosity. I shifted my weight back and forth between my feet as we waited to cross the street, my head bowed.

"I. . . it just wasn't working. It was all on good terms, don't get me wrong. We just. . . we're both just really busy." He nodded, gesturing for me to start walking along the crosswalk.

He stayed quiet until we reached the bench facing the street at the park, sitting down in it without hesitation.

"He seemed pretty messed up about it. I think he was in love with you or something. He's a sucker like that." Bennett said, "He actually believes that people can return his feelings." He shook his head with a bitter smile as he watched the cars rush by.

I leaned my head back against the bench, sighing.

"Not everyone is like her, Bennett. Not all girls are going to hurt you." He turned his cold eyes on me.

"Bullshit. All everyone has ever done in this shitty town is screw me over." I dropped my eyes and took a deep breath before laying my hand on top of his.

"I haven't. Tristan hasn't. Bennett, you've got to start seeing the best in people instead of the worst." I turned to look at him, terrified he was going to snap out another cruel remark. I found him running both of his hands through his thick hair instead, muttering something under his breath.

"Not yet, Sydney. But when this summer is over, when you and Tristan have better shit to do then sit here and try to be something, then you'll forget I ever existed." I shook my head, pushing his hand from his hair and squeezing it in my own.

"Bennett, we'll always be here for you. I know it seems like everyone in the world is against you, but it's not. It will-" Before I could say another word, Bennett had my face in his hands and his lips against mine without giving me any time to take in what was happening.

Even as I found myself kissing back, I could feel all the pain, the anger, the real Bennett breaking through and pouring himself into the kiss.

"Fuck." The word left his mouth seconds after Bennett had tore himself away from me. "I'm sorry, Sydney. I don't know why I did that." He was scratching the back of his head, his eyes everywhere but me.

"I do." I said once I had gotten over the shock of what happened, "You're scared." he shook his head at my response.

"I'm not scared, I'm an idiot."

"No, Bennett. You did that because you were scared and you did it before you could think it through." He slowly turned back to me, his eyebrows drawn in confusion.

"You say that like you've experienced it." He said, his voice so quiet I barely heard it over the cars flashing by beside us.

"I have." I said, standing up, "and it helped me realize just how screwed up my life was back then. So my advice to you is try and figure out your feelings before you go and drag me into them just to push me away." I said before walking toward the street, my hand reaching up to touch my lips as a smile stretched across them.

***AN***

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~ChasingMadness24