The word please might have meant anything, but the hand stopping his progress was fairly clear. Ben assumed her hesitation had something to do with their proximity to the rest of humanity, since from his perspective she had really started the whole undressing trend by starting to fiddle around with his buttons. Either that, or she was a tease. While they'd come far enough for the dim lights of the town to have faded into nothing but a vague glow behind them, however, he could very well believe that she was nervous about being caught — even given the precautions they'd taken of coming somewhere so out of the way to begin with.

"Hey, don't worry," he said soothingly, leaving the clasps on her dress alone for the moment and moving his hand instead to gently caress her breast through the fabric. "No one's going to happen by. It's just the two of us."

Ultimately, however, if she wasn't comfortable getting her bosoms some fresh air here, Ben wasn't going to try and press the issue or wheedle his way into anything. He hadn't come to Ireland with the intention of sleeping with her, after all, and he hadn't even consciously thought about whether that was his intention now. He hadn't been consciously thinking of much since they started kissing; he was just following her lead on what happened next, and her small but positive signals were enough to continue prodding him down the path he'd traveled several times before. He certainly wasn't prepared to coerce her into anything she wasn't keen on doing.

He kissed her collarbone lightly before leaning back so that he could see her face again. "Want to walk a ways further?" he offered.

  

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MJ made this <3

He seemed to have more control than she did over the situation, which was alarming as a whole but good in this moment. He wasn't going to pressure her further, she realized, which may allow her time to figure out how to vocalize what she wanted and didn't want without stumbling or giving into his efforts. It was ridiculous how she, a young woman who claimed a great amount of willpower, could be rendered so helpless against his advances! Maybe she was a harlot.

When he pulled back, she could see that he was much calmer than she was. The moment she reached up to brush away a stray strand of hair, her palm brushed her heated face. "I-I suppose wa-walking would be good. Yes," she stammered, looking up at him shyly. She allowed him to lead her forward, but she wasn't even sure if he was actually leading her towards the floo or if he'd found his own path to take them on.

By the time they'd reached another corner, Bella felt confident that she could voice what she really wanted.

"I should probably be getting home. I don't need a search party on my case. Witch Weekly would have a field day with that story; imagine the headlines," she joked, trying to incorporate humor into her tone so he might not take it personally or be disappointed.

  

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Oh, she was nervous. How adorable. He could tell just by the way that she looked at him, but her response was proof enough as well. He shrugged it off and walked a ways with her in silence, until she broke in again. It seemed as though she was more anxious about continuing their little tryst than he had at first imagined; if she wanted to go home, it was more than just the chance of being found out that had her fretting. Of course he didn't take her notion of a search party seriously (nor did he much care whether or not the two of them wound up in Witch Weekly again, at this rate), but he didn't need to call her on the flimsiness of her little excuses if she was uncomfortable. He hardly wanted to press her into something she wasn't interested in doing.

That being said, he wasn't going to hurry along for her sake, either; walking took the time it took, and he still wasn't going to apparate or let her do so after they'd been drinking. With a casual shrug, Ben slipped his arm over her shoulders — because that seemed slightly less intimate than keeping it where it had been around her waist — and said blandly, "You are getting home. Not much further, now."

Ben allowed the silence to stretch on for a few more steps, then added in an optimistic tone, "I hope you had fun, tonight." Not that that had been at all in doubt as far as he was concerned up until the last thirty seconds of the evening; he just hoped that her nerves now wouldn't color the entire experience, looking back.

  

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MJ made this <3

The two of them walked together for a bit longer, and she was more comfortable that he'd put his hands over her shoulders — which, while still intimate for an unmarried man and a woman, didn't give her the dreaded feeling that she was doing something that would scandalize even her wildest of friends.

The moments of silence allowed her to relax, and soon the color on her face had returned back to its peachy tone. Her body's warm was now sufficient to protect her from the brisk air, though admittedly she could feel herself becoming a bit drowsy. The whole experience of running off to spend time with a man (and the actions that had subsequently followed) left her feeling a bit drained, both physically and emotionally.

When he finally stopped and spoke, she allowed a genuine smile to slip onto her face. She reached up and pressed her palm against his cheek. Even though his advances had made her uncomfortable at time, was he really to blame? She'd been the one who'd agreed to meet him there, and she hadn't pushed him away. He was a nice guy, she assured herself — definitely not one she'd likely shove from her life simply because they'd fooled around a bit.

"I did," she responded, warmly.

And then the screen faded out because Bree could not be bothered with a proper outro.

  

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— MJ is MAGICAL —