If there was one thing that went unspoken between the Danvers men it was Ben's ... extracurricular activities. He wasn't someone who kissed and told, no matter how much success he had with the fairer sex. He admitted he got lucky quite often when it came to girls but that wasn't something he felt like discussing with his father. Ever. They'd only have one such conversation, when he turned fourteen and had started dating Whitten, and he did not envy Baylen that pending conversation at all. Outside of that he'd frequently caught his fathers exasperated amusement when he... went out with a girl. He didn't like to draw attention to that part of his life and tended to compartmentalize it. He was a gentlemen up until the point that they didn't want a gentleman anymore and he was pretty good at reading the lines.
He was also good at not pushing, no matter how much he wanted something. That, he knew, was important and something his father had stressed early on.
Being serious about wanting something, though, was a conversation he tended to have with his father. Ironically it was only the once and it was about Issie. But Issie was his best friend and therefore he'd sworn he'd never cross that line with her. Told his father that, in fact. He admitted he loved her, of course, she was too good for words sometimes. Loyal and sweet. He'd put up a wall to protect them both, at the time, and he was frustrated with himself at letting it fall with Orlaith. Ben knew himself, like his father understood him. What went unspoken between them but very known was that Danvers men tended to keep precious things. Or, well, want to keep them. Once the attachment grew past a certain point they took things rather serious. "She is." he confirmed, smilling slightly.
He wasn't sure he was ready for that but it was what he wanted. It made him nauseous and anxious but also like... it was difficult to explain but he felt like he was on the verge of something. Part of him was done denying it, at least outwardly. Orlaith was beautiful and lovely and he wanted, almost to the point where he'd give her anything at all that she wanted. He wasn't sure if he was ready to let a girl be that to him, quite yet. That power, in the hand of a Slytherin, could be for good or ill. The only comfort that he had was that, he suspected, he could be the same for her. Maybe. If he just manned up and just ... pursued this properly. "How did you know?" he asked quietly in lieu of confirming he'd introduce her to his mother, gaze flickering towards his fathers face.
How did you know. He supposed Benji could still surprise his father. "That's a complicated question. Are you sure you're ready to hear the answer?" he questioned, appraising. In point of fact the answer was quite simple when you compared it to the question being asked. The complication portion stemmed from how simple the response would be, of course. What Benji was contemplating now, however, was quite a bit more serious than he'd initially thought. He wasn't surprised he was capable of it but, rather, he'd assumed it would be Issie they'd be talking about. They'd been childhood friends and the families were quite close so he'd held out a secret hope that maybe someday they'd join business and family, officially.
Not to say he was opposed to Orlaith so much as that he hadn't thought a girl could get under the walls surrounding Benji's heart. But then she looked to be just his type wasn't she? Sweet and beautiful - two things Benji had never been able to resist.
