A Convenient Excuse (Veiled_Desire & Charming Primrose)

[Veiled_Desire]

Christmas was supposed to be a joyous time of year. The time where you were given a holiday without having to use up one of the precious vacation days. A day where you would get presents and be around family who were supposed to understand you. Yet as Benjamin Carter turned 30, he realized that being around his family for more than a few days a year could be quite the stressful event. Of course there had been the stray comment here and there every Christmas since Ben went off to college. He would come back to Seattle each year and hear his parents or his siblings snide remarks about Ben being the only one to not bring someone special home to meet the parents.

At first they had just assumed he wasn't popular enough to have a girlfriend. But once his older brother showed them how to access his social media page and they saw him with his arm around more than a few girls they began to think that he was just hiding his 'shameful' family from his current lovers. It was hard to explain that he wasn't ashamed of them, that it was simply due to the fact that Ben never found anyone he was that serious with. He never saw the need to settle down. He could go out on dates, and occasionally he would find a girl who was worth becoming monogamous for, but never one he would want to bring home to meet the family. His longest relationship had been 8 months, and it had ended near Christmas last year when he had finally told his now ex that he didn't want to spend the holidays with her family.

That meant that this year he was again the only one with a wife or husband on his arm. He and his family had the bizarre tradition of heading to the mall the day after Christmas. They told everyone it was to admire the Christmas tree and to get an amazing photo to send to the extended family, but Ben knew it was more to take part in those after-Christmas sales and make sure to return any gifts from the members of the family that they were not found of in a "discreet" manner. That left Ben walking around the mall with six other grown adults. His parents Jane and Mark, his older brother Steven and his wife Rebecca, and his older sister Susan and her partner Jessica. Ben stood more in the back, watching as the group began to part ways and go off into their own stores to do some last minute shopping. As they all began to part Jane called back to everyone, letting them know that they needed to meet up in front of the tree in an hour for the family picture.

That left Ben to pull out his cellphone as he took a slow and meandering walk over to the tree. He didn't have anything to do, so he figured he could just take a seat at an open bench and wait for everyone to come back to him. He spotted an open bench a few feet from another family he had never seen before. As he made his way over there he heard the older couple practically yelling at what appeared to be their daughter, a very pretty brunette in a brown shorts and jeans. He tried not to eavesdrop, but it was hard to ignore the tone of the conversation and the general points being made as the elder couple complained about her not having a boyfriend once again for the holidays.

Ben cracked a smile at that, knowing exactly how that woman must feel as her parents seemed to throw up their hands and storm off in frustration. Instead of just heading for his bench, Ben made his way up to the woman, giving her a rye smile as he said, "Glad to see I am not the only one who has to deal with parents that think being single is a sin or a direct slight to their parents. Hopefully, you don't have to deal with that for much longer." He walked up to the fence separating the tree from the crowd that she had been standing next to, resting his elbows on the wooden rails as he gave her a playful grin. He was wearing a less than festive outfit, just a grey jacket with a lighter grey turtle neck and some worn jeans. He didn't see her parents heading back and added in, "If you are looking for an excuse to run away for a bit, I could use some time away from my family as well."

 

[Sunshine and Whiskey]

❝Oh, the weather outside is frightful...❞ Victoria started to sing along with the radio while she sat in the backseat, arms folded and head against the window. She wanted to drive herself to the mall but as always, she was bested by her parents and they were driving her since they also needed to do some last-minute shopping. A soft sigh escaped over parted lips, which fogged up the window. She didn't even bother to wipe the fog away since they were in the parking lot of the mall now, so it didn't really matter to her.

Once they all emerged from the vehicle, she tried to hurry her pace up because she really didn't want to associate with her parents. Especially considering that they tried to set her up with one of the neighborhood gentleman, which didn't work although they did it expect it to. But she was also blindsided by them. Victoria wasn't in a rush to be in another relationship since she was dumped by her ex last summer, which did devastate her but she quickly got over it. She rarely even thought about it but couldn't help but to last night and apologized to the gentleman that she had to deny in front of her family and friends.

Inside the mall, she went her separate way and immediately to the food court to order herself a pretzel that she began picking chewable pieces from the moment the transaction was finished. She wandered aimlessly before stopping in front of the mall's Christmas Tree, which was fenced off and had benches surrounding it. She leaned against the fenced railing, huffing another sigh and finishing her pretzel. Her eyes saw the wonderful couples that came up to the tree to take pictures with the handpicked tree and show their love for each other. It made her sick to her stomach that she actually felt the pretzel come up briefly as she sat down on one of the benches with her arms folded again. Although there was some shopping that she needed to do but wasn't really in the mood for it right now.

Victoria's hands ran through her brunette locks of hair, eyes went directly to her parents as they finally caught up with her. She rolled her eyes at them as they came over yelling about the exact same topic of conversation since yesterday that she didn't really want to have. Speaking of which, she backed down from last night but decided that they weren't going to win this war and lashed out at them. Many patrons looked on at the back and forth interaction between herself and her parents before her hand raised up to silence them. ❝Look, we can continue this at home.❞ She surrendered finally, which is exactly what her parents wanted. ❝Actually, I am going back to my apartment tonight and spending the holidays alone.❞ She declared while her parents surrendered, clearly furious as they walked away, mumbling a few choice words about the matter. Victoria absolutely hated arguing with her parents even though sometimes, they really deserved the tongue lashing she had given them.

She raised a hand up to rub against her forehead, also frustrated then gasped upon hearing a male's voice beside her. ❝It's not nice to eavesdrop, you know?❞ Victoria stated in an annoyed tone then pressed her lips together. ❝Sorry.❞ She apologized quickly, not meaning to take her furious tone out on this stranger. Her brow raised up at the proposal that was practically laid out for her, which she gave some thought to.

Even though she was reluctant, she accepted. ❝Anything to get away from here.❞ She spoke, standing up and secured her purse strap over her shoulder, and walked over to stand beside him. ❝But first, I'm Victoria.❞ Her voice was soft and her hand was out for him to shake. ❝And you, stranger?❞ Victoria inquired with a bright smile making an appearance between her lips.​

 

[Veiled_Desire]

The woman shot back a retort even before she turned to look at him, letting him know that she might not be in the mood for some playful holiday banter with a stranger at the moment. Yet that annoyed look on her face did slip away as she gave him a genuine apology as she looked at him. He watched as she arched an eyebrow at him, seriously considering his idea before she finally agreed to give him a little bit of her time. That brought a smile to his face as she secured her purse and told him she just needed a break from this place.

"Excellent," He gave her his own beaming smile, letting her know that he was quite excited to get to speak to someone like her. As she extended her hand he brought his own hand up and gave her hand a firm but brief shake, "I'm Benjamin, but you can call me Ben." He nodded in the direction opposite of where her parents had gone before saying, "I am in town for the holidays and I also am looking for an excuse to get away from my family. I guess when I finally saw someone in the same boat, I wanted to reach out and offer a helping hand."

As they began to walk away he made sure to keep the same pace as her, standing side by side with his hands slipping into his pockets as they walked. "Do you also have a family that seems to get a little extra crazy around the holidays, questioning every one of your life choices merely because you aren't on the 'right path' or copying every choice you parents made at this age?" He didn't want to assume anything about her family, so he figured he would let her know how crazy his could be before assuming she had to deal with the same insanity that he did based on a single conversation he partially overheard.

 

[Sunshine and Whiskey]

❝Nice to meet you, Ben,❞ She spoke softly while their hands briefly shook each other. Her hand fell back down to her side while her eyes followed the direction of his head nod, groaning almost furiously to herself. ❝I grew up here and looking for more than an excuse to get away from family, as well.❞ Victoria stated as she removed herself from the railing that surrounded the Christmas Tree and started to walk alongside Benjamin, who didn't completely creep her out or even give her a reason not to follow him. Her arms folded over her ample chest once more but only out of habit and she kept them there while her ears listened to Ben's question.

It was almost like fate had brought them together on this faithful day. After all, the holidays are when certain events are bound to happen.

After she gave his question some thought, eventually her mouth parted for her to speak but a sigh escaped over them instead. ❝Yes and I am sick of them trying to control every aspect of my life or comparing my life to their own,❞ Victoria finally responded with that annoying look returning to her facial features as she shook her head. ❝Especially my love life.❞ She muttered in almost a whisper but loud enough for Ben to hear her. Her eyes bounced over towards her current companion as they continued to wander around the mall side by side. ❝I could practically be a bachelorette with how many guys that have introduced me to.❞ A light chuckle came after that statement, which was definitely true. Her parents might as well line every guy up on their street and she'll give them a rose or deny them. However, something like that will never happen because she'll never, ever agree to it.

Victoria stepped up onto the escalator and leaned against the railing while enjoying the ride going up to the second floor. ❝What about you?❞ She threw the question back to him as the escalator ended and they started to wander around the second floor now. ❝Oh, you don't have any shopping to do, do you?❞ Victoria questioned him curiously because they were just wandering around and she didn't want to hold him up even though he initiated this conversation between them. While she waited for him to respond, instinctively her hand went to his arm as she stopped and wanted to stop Ben in his tracks, as well. Across the way, she saw the ex that dumped her coming her way with his new girlfriend headed their way. ❝That's my ex,❞ She explained briefly in a soft whisper to Ben, eyes looking up at him before going straight ahead.

She smiled whenever they reached herself and Ben and her hand fell back to her side. ❝Hey, Victoria.❞ Her ex, James, spoke and then introduced his girlfriend, who she really didn't even care about. ❝Hey,❞ Was all she said in a tone that showcased her true feelings towards him. ❝Oh, this is Ben,❞ Her hand waved slightly dismissive toward Ben while James nodded his head at him and grabbed his current girlfriend's hand before chuckling and waving goodbye as they walked off. Another groan came from Victoria along with a huff and her gaze went up to Ben again. ❝That's a long story for another time.❞

For her, it really was a long story but she placed that in the back of her mind to focus on Ben once more. ❝So, you were saying?❞ She wanted to bring back the current topic of their conversation, really hoping to herself that he wasn't going to ask questions about what just transpired right before their eyes. Victoria doesn't think she had the energy to explain the situation to him right about now.​

 

[Veiled_Desire]

As she fell in alongside of him he gave her a warm smile and a nod, hoping that she did not recognize how his eyes flashed down to her chest as she folder her arms in frustration at her situation. "It is a pleasure to meet you Victoria." The pleasure was beyond having a beautiful partner to talk to for the next few minutes or so. He could tell that their frustrations matched and that he might have been able to finally find someone who understood his need to vent and didn't just roll their eyes and tell him to put up with it because 'they are family.'

Those suspicions were confirmed when she opened up to him, letting him know that she was experiencing something just as bad, if not worse than him with her family. He nodded along fervently, letting her know he knew exactly what she was talking about without cutting her off halfway through her own exasperation. When she mentioned that they were particularly keen on her love life his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Victoria was a gorgeous woman, and he supposed she wouldn't have any problem finding a man (or woman) to be her partner if she wanted. He could have asked if her family was trying to hide her sexuality or anything like that, but then she made a witty comment about the bachelorette and he actually found himself laughing out loud at the apt analogy. "Oh, I know what you mean, they kind of just figure that if they keep throwing people at you than you will eventually give in and marry someone just because they warn you down, not because they want you to actually be happy and find your ideal partner." He had the same experience with his folks, and it was getting old fast.

As they reached the elevator he leaned against the other side of the railing, looking back at her with an amused smile and said, "I really wish I could say I have no idea what that is like, but I am basically in the same boat. My parents can't understand that I am not willing to settle down with a woman just because I dated them for over a few months. They swear the only way to be happy is to get married and have as many kids as possible so that they can have a basketball team's worth of grandkids."

At the top of the escalator he shook his head and pulled out his phone for her to see before saying, "Nah, I did all my shopping online this year, what about you?" She might have had time to answer that question, but just then she suddenly reached up and gripped his arm, pulling him close to her in a very intimate embrace that caused him to arch an eyebrow at her. Luckily, she answered his unspoken question quickly by saying she spotted her ex, and he nodded along understanding the sudden reaction. The pair was heading their way and Ben stepped even closer to Victoria and reached his free hand up to pat her hand holding onto his arm.

When the four met there was the usual awkward greetings, with both Ben and the mystery woman knowing not to say a word as the pleasantries were exchanged. As Victoria mentioned his name he gave them both a broad and welcoming smile, nodding at them before the pair walked off. Victoria told him it was a story for another time, and that brought a new smile to his face as he said, "Another time? I would be down to hear it if you are ever up for sharing." He noticed that she hadn't let go of his arm, and he didn't mind the sensation as he merely walked along with her in the opposite direction of that couple.

"Yeah, I am just killing time myself, my family has forgotten their shopping and I was dragged along for the ride." He gave her a long stare before saying, "You know, we pulled that off quite easily back there, the whole fake couple thing. And we both do have other people who could do with knowing that we are seeing someone. Would you possibly be interested in seeing if we can fake this relationship thing a bit longer? Maybe get our parents off of our backs by saying we found someone...on Christmas no less. That in and of itself would make my parents insanely happy because they are just way too into Christmas movies by this point." It was a big ask, but they were still holding onto each other and not acting awkward about it in spite of just meeting moments ago.

 

[Sunshine and Whiskey]

Her mind was unfortunately still on her ex because of the fact that she hadn't thought about him since their breakup and tried to avoid him at all costs. Luckily, she did have Benjamin there to help her out because perhaps he thought that they were dating. Everything went silent for a second as if the only sound audible was the lightbulb going off in her head. Victoria's lips curled up into a smirk but then Benjamin's voice brought her out of her thoughts and back to reality, which she needed to be present in for the moment. Her thoughts could literally wait but placed them in the back of her mind.

❝I'll tell you more about it over a pretzel.❞ She stated with her smirk forming into a smile because of the fact she just had one. Pretzels were her guilty pleasure food and were a must-have for her every time she went to the mall. ❝I have done all of my shopping already, as well. I'm really just here because my parents dragged me out of the house.❞ Victoria took a small breath before she continued. ❝Literally.❞ Her eyes met with his own gaze, longing while they trailed down to his lips and they clung to every word that spewed over his lips. It was just a thought that she had in her head then noticed that she was still holding onto him, which she quickly removed herself from.

Not for any reason besides she didn't want to seem creepy or anything remotely close.

❝We did, didn't we?❞ She agreed questionably and continued to listen to him. ❝I'd be more than interested because it would get our parents off of our backs.❞ Victoria stated plainly while walking closer to him, basically grabbing a hold of him again. It felt natural to her at this point but kept quiet about that since she didn't want him to run away already. ❝But we can't tell them until we've worked out all of the kinks of this arrangement.❞ She basically declared while dragging her feet towards the food court that was upstairs, where she ordered herself and Benjamin a pretzel, passing it over to him after paying for it. ❝Okay, so about this ex.❞

Victoria picked a piece of the pretzel off to throw it in her mouth, chewing it into swallowable pieces then continued on with her story. ❝Long story short, we met through mutual friends and lasted two years.❞ She took a breath before her eyes rolled over to stare at him to gauge his reaction. ❝Then he dumped me last summer.❞ A soft sigh escaped over her parted lips as she walked alongside Benjamin, lowering her head to the floor beneath them before lifting them up again. She gave him the short version because the longer version was too painful and hoped that he didn't pry for more information considering she gave just enough.

After finishing her pretzel, she wiped her hands off with the napkins it was wrapped in and again chain-linked her arm with his. Again, it felt most natural and instinctive by this point and thought of a statement that he made earlier. ❝I just remembered you saying something about your parents wanting you to have a basketball team for grandkids,❞ Victoria paused briefly while licking some pretzel residue from her lips and clearing her throat. ❝Is that true?❞ She further inquired and even continued on to ask another question. ❝Also, will this be a no strings attached situation?❞

Victoria stopped in her tracks to remove her arm from his and stood in front of her, a curious eyebrow raised up because that's exactly how she was feeling currently. She had hoped that this was no strings attached, which it probably was since it was fake dating but Victoria just had to make sure that it was.

While waiting for him to respond, her eyes caught sight of her parents headed their way and that caused her eyes to widen and her teeth to bit down onto her bottom lip from nerves. ​

 

[Veiled_Desire]

Everyone had been where Victoria was at some point in their life. he had run into exs out of the blue one to many times in his life for it to be considered cosmically funny anymore, so he was glad he was able to provide even the littlest bit of help to someone he genuinely enjoyed talking to. As she promised to fill him in on the details over a pretzel he couldn't help but give her a probably goofy grin. He had been offered repayment over drinks and dinner, but over a pretzel, that was probably a first for him. Hearing why Victoria was here made Ben flash back to that initial conversation she had with her parents, and he could very well picture those people dragging her out of the house with part of the doorframe still in Victoria's grip by the time they got her into the car.

Luckily, as the pair continued to talk they were able to drift naturally close to one and other. Maybe it was because they found themselves in such similar situations, or maybe it was because they might actually be good for one and other. The part of his brain that denied him the right to be happy told him not to read into it too much and to just assume that she was using him as he needed to use her...nothing more. They continued their chatting until they got to the food court where the pair were able to get their pretzel before beginning another lap of the mall with the food in their hands.

He nodded along to her story about the ex, raising his eyebrows at the fact that they had been together for so long. It was impressive, and it made sense why she would not want to see him after such a big relationship like that. When she told him how it ended he gave her am a reflexive squeeze. summer break ups out of the blue never genuinely were the result of someone deciding they didn't want to get caught cheating...at least, that was what his experience had taught him. This was not a moment where he could or would ask follow ups. She was giving him more details than he had any right to hear, and he was not going to pry her for information he did not need.

Once they had finished their little meal and had thrown away the trash Victoria asked him about his grandparents desires and he had to laugh and unfortunately nod his head in confirmation. "Unfortunately, I mean...thankfully they realize it is not the 18th century and they won't demand that from each of their kids. But I think they view grandkids the same way generals view medals on soldiers. The more you have, the better you are and the more you can brag to those around you."

She seemed genuinely accepting and possibly even excited about this idea, and he gave her another nod of agreement at her condition before saying, "Of course. After all, this is to make our lives easier, I can't be throwing in drama or rules to make your life more difficult or there would be no point in this arrangement." As she stepped in front of him he saw a bench near a roaring fire and nodded towards it so the pair could sit down and plan this out. He had seen the look of shock on her face and figured the best way to avoid whoever had caught her attention was to get into a position where people wouldn't be able to find her easily.

He reached for her hand, gently pulling her down and out of the line of site of the people she had spotted before saying. "So we are in agreement so far. Pretend boyfriend and girlfriend, no plans on getting 'engaged' any time soon, and no strings attached to this relationship of ours." He figured he should mention that in case their parents eventually asked what their plans for the future would be.

"Judging by your expression time might not be on our side here. Why don't you give me a backstory you think you parents will buy. I will let you know what, if anything, is a no go and then we can meet your parents first. If the story is good then we won't have to make up a backstory for my folks that could contradict the first. How does that sound?"