Kevin's head whipped around, annoyance flashing across his features at the interruption.
"This is a private conversation."
Ben didn't move. If anything, he seemed to straighten, his presence suddenly filling the hallway. With his wide shoulders and dark expression, he wasn’t someone she’d want to meet in a dark alley.
"It stopped being private when you started yelling in a shared space. The lady looks uncomfortable."
"The lady," Kevin sneered, "is my girlfriend, and this is none of your business."
Ben took a step forward, smoothly inserting himself between Kelly and Kevin. His movement was casual but deliberate, creating space for Kelly to finally breathe.
Kevin had taken several steps back, and she was able to move forward so that she and Ben were standing side by side.
"That's not how you treat a woman," Ben said, his voice firm but controlled. "Not your girlfriend, not anyone. I would have thought your parents taught you better than that."
"Fuck you. This is none of your business,” Kevin said, his face flushing an ugly shade of red.
"I think it's time for you to leave,” Ben replied evenly.
Kelly watched the exchange with a strange mixture of embarrassment and relief. Part of her wanted to step in, to handle Kevin herself. Another part of her was utterly exhausted from walking on eggshells. She was grateful for the intervention.
I don’t need some knight in shining armor. But for now, I’ll take it.
Kevin looked past Ben to Kelly, his expression expectant. Waiting for her to side with him, to dismiss this neighbor and continue their "discussion" behind closed doors.
Nope. Not going to happen. She’d been right in not inviting him in when he’d shown up unexpectedly tonight.
Heck, even George the doorman didn’t seem to like him.
"I think he's right. You should go."
The look of betrayal on Kevin's face was almost comical, confirming that she should never have had a second date with him.
"If I walk away now, I won't be back," Kevin said, his voice low and intense. "You can go to your stupid backwater wedding all by yourself. I'm done."
Promise? Don’t threaten me with a good time.
His words hung in the air, intended to make her backtrack, to apologize, to beg him to reconsider. Instead, Kelly felt a weight lifting from her shoulders, specifically about a hundred and seventy pounds.
Give or take.
"Then I guess we're done," she said, a smile blooming on her lips.
She hadn’t felt this light and free for weeks.
Kevin's jaw worked as he processed her response. He hadn't expected this. He had assumed, as he always did, that she would eventually give in to avoid conflict.
"Fine," he spat, turning on his heel. "Don't call me when you're lonely at your sister's wedding. Don't call me when your family reminds you of how much of a disappointment you are. We're done."
He stormed toward the elevator, jabbing the button repeatedly as if the force of his finger could make it arrive faster. The doors remained stubbornly closed, the light above indicating it was several floors away.
Kelly watched, her amusement growing, as Kevin shifted his weight from one foot to the other, the dramatic impact of his exit diminishing with each passing second. He refused to look back at them, his shoulders rigid with indignation.
She had to suppress a giggle at his predicament. He loved to get the last word, but not this time.
When the elevator finally arrived with a cheerful ding, Kevin stomped inside, turning to face them with what he clearly intended to be a withering glare. Instead, he looked almost comical. He was a grown man having a tantrum because he didn't get his way.
"Are you okay?" Ben asked, his voice pulling her back to the present moment.
