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Ben was tired of watching Emma do everything herself. "Emma, please let me help." He repeated, looking at her with a mixture of worry and sternness. "You can't keep doing everything on your own anymore."
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"I have to or else you'll get upset..."
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Ben wanted both to laugh and scold Emma at the same time. He settled on letting out a sort of "Huh" laugh, with a hint of a smile. He stepped closer to her so she had to look at his face. "If other people get upset when you don't do everything for them, they're not worth it. They're not good people and are lazy and rude." He spoke firmly and kindly, looking into Emma's eyes. 'Poor girl,' he thought sadly, 'A good girl, but not living life like it was meant to be lived. I wonder who treated her so badly she could be like this...' He didn't even finish the thought, knowing the answer immediately. Brock. How could such a bad person even be allowed to ride a horse? It was an outrage.
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"What do you mean? You're tricking me. This is a trick..." she muttered, feeling as though he set up a trap for him to have reason to be angry at her
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Now Ben was really exhasperated. "Emma, it's not a trick. You're working yourself to the bone and it's not good for you!" He put his hands on her shoulders, looking intently at her. "Please trust me," he pleaded.
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She bit her lip, scared, but nodded and gestured t9 the fridge where the ground meat was. "Could you grab it out of the fridge? Please?"
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Ben sighed, glad she had at least given a little. "Of course." He said, and got the meat and pasta sauce from the fridge.
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Emma cooked everything in order and put it together before plating it and serving them both. She ate quickly, did dishes, and put away leftovers
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Ben sat awkwardly in the dining room as she cooked, refusing to let him help. He ate the food, but didn't really taste it. He stood and helped her wash the dishes, then began tidying up the table.
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"I'm sorry dinner wasn't done in time." She muttered, going to put clean dishes away
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