Closed Somewhere Love Remains

[Teagan Riley]

Putting this here for reassurance: Nobility ID #11498932

She pulled off her court wig as Teagan sigh in relief for the first time since she had handle this custody case turned criminal case. It was suppose to be just a simple case but everything got into chaos when the mother tried to kidnap their two children and almost flew out of the country where they don't have jurisdiction whatsoever. The blonde haired Barrister stood in front of her mirror, unaware of what was going on in the outside world. Teagan shed her court gown and hanged them by the door as she went out of her chamber to go home that afternoon.

Just outside the Westminster Hall was a bunch of reporters, the woman was curious as to why. It wasn't a big case, the Parliament will not return until early January either. As Teagan neared the door, a reporter spotted her, one flash became twenty, fifty and they just keep flashing on to her face. "I'm sorry all but I need to get by." Her thick accent pleading. She doesn't know what was going on and she was beginning to get annoyed, "Miss Maxwell! Is it true that you were seen with a man that wasn't your fiancé?" The Reporter who took a photo first asked. Teagan stopped and turned around just to see a phone held to her face, an article from a popular tabloid has her and Liam's photo meeting at a park, that she knows but it was taken at night.

The young Barrister knew how to handle these situations, from years of being in the public eye, the only answer that was important was "No comment on that. That could be anyone." Teagan smiled and made her way out of that suffocating cluster. Once she got out of the public view, Teagan slipped into an alley and apparated to their apartment that she shares with her fiancé. She and Liam are now on the front cover, would no one realized it was them? What about Ben? They've been together for so long now, that he would know her wardrobe well.

 

[Benjamin Riley]

Being engaged to nobility and the daughter of a member of parliament meant that Ben was no stranger to having their personal business all over the tabloids. For a week after he proposed to Teagan every detail that could be found on the pair had filled the gossip and society pages of every rag the country had to offer. It was annoying but it had been a small price to pay to marry the woman he loved.

The down side was the papers would have any bad news coming to Ben before he did. Which proved to be the case when Ben saw his fiancé on the front page of the Sun newspaper, though that was a general term for the glorified gossip rag. Teagan had been spotted with another man, a familiar looking man, it wasn’t a great photo but Ben was sure it was Liam, Teagan’ ex but not any ex, Liam was the one that got away but perhaps he hadn’t got away after all.

The incriminating copy of the Sun laid out on the kitchen table while Ben paced back and forth waiting for Teagan to come home from her day in court. When she walked through the door Ben took a deep breath before calling out for her. “I’m in the kitchen,”

 

[Teagan Riley]

*POP*

Teagan gracefully landed on their little foyer. Thinking she was the first one to come home, she sigh in relief. Stepping in the hallway, her heart shattered in pieces when someone announced that they're in the kitchen. Teagan's heeled shoes click as she walked on the hardwood flooring of their hallway. Every step she takes was every mistake she had made behind his back.

The blonde haired woman entered the kitchen in silent, her eyes darted on the paper laying inanimate on the table and back at the man whose face can't be painted at that time. "I ..." She started. But what could see probably say? Should she lie? But it was obvious that she can't. Base on the photo that was posted on the tabloid, she could tell who was in it. "He had nothing to do with this. I was the one who wanted to see him." Teagan stated.

Oh, Merlin! I sound so stupid ... Maybe I'm stupid. But it was different whenever she sees Liam, it was like the old times. It was like when they were students. But was it just because she was acting like a teenager again?

 

[Benjamin Riley]

There was something about Tegan's response to seeing the newspaper that told Ben everything he needed to know. Rather than deny the accusations she simply shouldered the blame and attempted to shield Liam. Why she thought he cared anything about her ex-boyfriend was a mystery but the fact her first thought was to defend him told him that there was unfinished business between her and her ex, a business he and their engagement seemed to be getting in the way of.

Ben was tired, he didn't want to fight, their life together had been non-stop paparazzi and media speculation about every detail of their wedding from journalists who definitely had better things to be writing about. "Just tell me, do you even want to marry me any more?"

 

[Teagan Riley]

It was hard. Hard to give him up. But who are we kidding? Our selves? There was the spark ... but it ran out slowly. Teagan was fumbling her engagement ring absentmindedly when the question she was expecting came up. She lowered her head, she couldn't help the stream of tears on her cheeks but what can she do when the love was gone? "I'm so sorry ..." Teagan trailed off, taking off her engagement ring and putting it on top of the table. "With you always gone and me working, we rarely see each other. It's never going to work." Was that it? Was that reason? "I've also seen how our future life affects you so much and I don't want to burden you with it." That reason was true, she'd seen the pressure, a pressure she didn't want Ben to feel the rest of his life.

 

[Benjamin Riley]

Ben's eyes followed Teagan's hands as she took off the engagement ring he had given her and placed it on the table. Just like that, no argument, no attempt to fight for their relationship. Teagan was just done, part of him was relieved, part of him was heartbroken she cared so little for their time together she didn't want to fight for it. He'd never stood a chance against her ex and she was only proving it by her actions. "Whatever you need to tell yourself to excuse cheating on me huh?" Ben didn't want a fight, there would be no point to it since their relationship was over, but Teagan was just trying to justify having an affair and he couldn't let it slide, not if it was the last time he ever saw her.

 

[Teagan Riley]

Teagan snorted, did he really think she was cheating on him? "Cheating? Wow!" She wiped her tears vigorously. "Yes, I saw my ex. My ex who had time for me, to talk. You and the tabloids aren't different after all." She shake her head. She didn't said anything about cheating, it was only the best but hard time to tell him the truth. "Since you proposed and I said yes, you've been absorb on your work and I know you wanted to go up ..." Teagan sigh, she was telling herself that he didn't proposed just because she's the daughter of a Member of Parliament.

But she can't help but ask, "Now I'm wondering if you actually love me and that proposing to me means you wanted to build a life with me." It was now or never. "Are you just using me? Did I just let myself be used?" She wondered asking. "But wait, before you answer that ..." Teagan trailed off and walked to the fridge. She got out a left over wine and uncorked it. The woman took a swig and came back to her post. "Let it ripped, my love!" She said sarcastically.

 

[Benjamin Riley]

Ben was a little taken aback by how Teagan had managed to turn the situation on its head and somehow make out that he was the bad guy in the situation. "What was I supposed to think? You seem to forget the period of our lives when we were friends and I heard all about Liam and how heartbroken you were when things ended, excuse me for thinking the worst when you're caught sneaking around with the love of your life," Ben sighed, watching as Teagan went to the fridge and produced a half drank bottle of wine. After she had taken a sip herself he grabbed the bottle to take a big swig himself.

"You really think that little of me?" Ben asked, his blood starting to boil as she accused him of using her. He was pretty sure she had just used him to get over Liam and got comfortable, so it was a rich accusation. "What do you think I'm doing? Using your family name to get ahead in politics? You've met your father, right? He's not exactly a progressive hero, being closely associated with him if anything will hurt me, being in the gossip rags hurts my career it doesn't help it, I put up with all of that because I love you and being with you was worth having to fight a little harder,"

 

[Teagan Riley]

Teagan narrowed her eyes like she was keeping an eye on him when Ben took her wine and had a drink for himself. Rarely was alcohol involved in a fight between them but it was rare that they also have a fight. The woman snatched the bottle back and took a huge swig before hugging the bottle for dear life. It was funny how she's acting like a teenager again. She'd never done such a thing. "Can't a person moved on from their heartbreaks?" It's like he treats her like a robot, or a borg or even a vulcan. They have emotions but doesn't really use it.

"Oh! so, you're saying that just because WE - as in me and my family - have a different view in politics that we're not good enough. I'M not good enough." She needed more than wine not to cry again. Are we really doing politics now? This isn't saving my relationship with this guy. "That's just what you thought about? Your career? News flash, Ben, people would not vote for you or your party!" There she said it, they all know the facts. But she also slowly regret that she said it. Teagan finished the bottle of wine. She sigh as she placed the bottle on the table, "I'm sorry, that was out of the line." Of course, she wanted Ben to be successful whether they don't have the same sense in politics. The blonde woman didn't fell for him because of that, she fell for him because he was normal. No title, sweet, caring and loving.

 

[Benjamin Riley]

Teagan didn't seem to be in the mood to share her wine, once she had pulled the bottle from his hands he went to lean against the kitchen counters. "I thought you had moved on, what is he even doing here? He isn't local," Ben wasn't the jealous type but he made an exception when it came to Liam, it had taken a lot for Teagan to move on from him and he'd always felt it would be easy for her to fall into old habits with him if he ever came sniffing around.

"Who said anything about you not being good enough?" Ben sighed, their political differences weren't something they often discussed but it seemed like as good a time as any. "This isn't about you or your family's beliefs, my point is being with you and being connected to your family isn't the career boost you seem to think it is," Ben laughed as Teagan railed on his party's lack of success and people not voting for them. "Oh don't get me started on our outdated voting system, you work in New Zealand you know how much better it is there," He scoffed. "Yeah well, I wasn't bring politics into this, you just missed my point entirely,"

 

[Teagan Riley]

She sighed, she had gone too far on this argument. Ben didn't deserve that. Yes, she supported him all the way even with their differences. "He was visiting. I mean, apparition is a thing. You seem busy with what you're doing with work and stuff." She wanted to end this argument, she wanted to prove that those stuff on the tabloids were just a misunderstanding. Teagan had heard enough, she had blurred lines and it got to her.

Teagan put the bottle down back, "We don't do stuff together that often. I figured that you don't want to be bothered. And then I saw him unexpectedly, we caught up and that was it." She thought that by being in public with Liam, that she was safe from people talking but she was wrong ... very wrong. "And I don't think you're a help too if I run once my father decided to retire. But that won't happened, I will never succumb myself to politics. That's your area." Teagan smiled slightly at Ben. Yes, she became a Barrister because of her father but no way she had thought to run.

The blonde woman took a deep breath, walked toward her fiancé and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Don't have to be jealous, love." She smiled and kiss the man she's supposed to marry. "Do you still want to marry me?" Teagan whispered between kisses.

 

[Benjamin Riley]

Ben ran his hands over his face and through his hair as he tried to get his head around the situation. Had he really jumped to conclusions, or was Teagan just telling him what he wanted to hear? He couldn't tell, but what he did know was he felt less angry. "I'd just appreciate it if when I'm busy your ex-boyfriend didn't show up," Ben said softly. He was no longer angry at her, he just wanted her to understand where he was coming from.

The suggestion that they didn't do anything together was disheartening, they had both been so busy but he would have been willing to carve out the time if it had been something Teagan had said before then. He had always assumed she was happy being occupied by her work. "We can change that, we don't have to be working all the time, if we still get married we will have to make time for each other," Ben laughed when she suggested she wouldn't run for her father's seat when he decided to retire. "Don't be silly, it's in your blood besides I doubt you'll have much say in the matter, you know how your lot love a legacy,"

Ben didn't resist Teagan when she made her way over to him and placed her hands on his cheeks but neither did he lean in. "Do you?" He asked succumbing to his fiance and kissing her back. "Did seeing him...bring anything back?" He was afraid of the answer but he needed to know for sure. A part of Ben had always thought Teagan had only got over Liam because he was gone, but if he could appear in her life at will then perhaps that would change.