Chapter 461 I Held You When You Were Little
"Yeah," Daphne nodded.
"Then spill it," Benjamin smirked, thinking she was just messing with him. "What's my nickname?"
"You sure you wanna know?"
"Yep."
"Bubba," Daphne blurted out.
Anouk had mentioned that Benjamin hated that nickname. After he turned five, he wouldn't let anyone call him that anymore. He even scrapped with Chris over it.
Even though "Bubba" didn't really fit Benjamin's vibe, it always seemed like he wasn't the type to care about names.
Benjamin's usually chill face cracked for a second, but he quickly played it off.
His eyes stayed calm, but he seemed more mysterious, adding a bit of weight when he asked, "Did my mom really tell you?"
"Yeah," Daphne nodded again.
Benjamin raised his hand to pinch his brow, a subtle, unreadable smile playing on his lips.
Anouk had sold him out without a second thought.
"Do you really hate that nickname?" Daphne's bright eyes locked onto his.
"I used to, but now it doesn't matter," Benjamin said honestly, ruffling her hair. "If you call me that, I can deal."
Daphne pressed her lips together, feeling a bit complicated, thinking she might've pushed the joke too far.
If it were her, she probably wouldn't want others to bring up stuff she didn't like either.
"Benjamin."
"What's with that look?" Benjamin immediately guessed what she was thinking.
"Actually, the nickname isn't bad; it just doesn't fit you," Daphne carefully chose her words, secretly deciding that no matter how much Benjamin teased her in the future, she wouldn't call him that nickname.
"If you want, you can call me that. It's not a big deal," Benjamin tapped her head and brought up the past. "I didn't like the nickname because of Chris."
Daphne wondered if there was more to the story.
"Why?"
"After he found out my nickname was Bubba, he got a dog and named it Bubba too," Benjamin still remembered the anger from his childhood. "Back then, I couldn't control my temper, so the only solution I could think of was to fight him."
Daphne paused, getting a clearer picture.
"What about now..." She remembered that their relationship was pretty solid.
"Now he doesn't dare, afraid of getting his butt kicked," Benjamin smiled, sharing the past with her. "That dog has already died of old age."
He still remembered beating Chris many times; every time Chris called him that, he would hit him.
Their families were close, and Chris was a kid who wasn't afraid of getting beaten.
Chris's parents had scolded him many times after finding out he named the dog Bubba, even hitting him with a stick, but it didn't work. In the end, he only stopped using that nickname after being beaten by Benjamin.
In a kid's world, only another kid could keep them in check.
Chris was very rebellious as a child; the more his parents forbade him, the more he did it.
"If he calls you that nickname again, I'll help you beat him up," Daphne said. "You chill tonight; I'll cook."
Benjamin stopped her.
Daphne looked puzzled.
"Sit down," Benjamin said, guiding her to the couch. "The kitchen is my domain; you can't step foot in there."
"Benjamin..."
"An hour is all I need." He ruffled her hair, making it a bit messy. "Go take a bath and chill out."
Daphne agreed.
After dinner, Daphne got curious about Benjamin's childhood and asked if he had any old photos. She wanted to see if he looked any different back then.
"You wanna see my childhood photos?"
"Yep."
"To be fair," Benjamin grinned. "You gotta show me yours too."
Daphne didn't hesitate. She went to her place and brought back a family album with photos of her and Lydia from when they were kids up to a few years ago.
Benjamin's eyes lit up when he saw Daphne's childhood photos.
He held up one photo and asked, "Is this you?"
"Yeah, I was about two," Daphne recognized it right away.
Benjamin suddenly smiled, his dark eyes twinkling with joy.
She looked at the photo again; it wasn't bad, just typical kid stuff with the clothes and hairstyle.
"What's up?"
"Daphne," Benjamin called her lazily, his beautiful eyes focused only on her.
Daphne's voice lifted. "Yeah?"
"I held you when you were little. When you were about the age in this photo. The boy in the photo with you is seven-year-old me."
Daphne froze, then quickly took the photo from his hand. It showed her at two years old with a boy she didn't recognize.
Her memories from when she was two were fuzzy. If it weren't for this photo, she wouldn't have known about this moment.
"Is this you?" she pointed to the cute, slightly shy boy in the photo.
Benjamin's thin lips pressed together. "Yeah."
"You..." Daphne suddenly didn't know what to say.
Although she couldn't remember things from when she was two, her mom had told her the story behind the photo. Her mom and her aunt Lyla Phillips had taken her to a resort in the countryside. Lyla was setting up the tent while Jasmine played with her.
Later, a couple with a child came over. According to Jasmine, the child looked seven or eight but acted like an adult. She said that after seeing the boy, Daphne grabbed his finger and wouldn't let go.
'Was that Benjamin?'
"I have two photos similar to yours," Benjamin said slowly, opening his album and taking out two photos. "Check these out."
Daphne took them. One was identical to the one she had.
The other was a group photo with Lyla, Jasmine, Benjamin's parents, and him.
Benjamin's dark eyes were full of smiles.
No wonder he found Daphne's mom somewhat familiar when reviewing the materials during her previous training sessions; they had met when they were kids.
Although it had been a long time, Benjamin remembered the events of that day after seeing the photo.
Henry and Anouk had taken him out to play, worried he would become reclusive if he stayed home alone. The resort's grassy area was a popular spot for families with kids.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
