Home Base
Title: Home Base
Rating: G
Length: 850 words
Timeline/Spoilers: Through The Debate, or thereabouts.
In the car, Leslie is on the phone to her mother, then to Ann, and then to Tom, about the canvassing tomorrow. Ben eavesdrops casually as he drives, occasionally responding to Leslie as she repeats something from the conversation by nodding or frowning or shrugging. She keeps talking as if she hadn’t had to consult with him at all, but she smiles over at him. As they get closer to her house, she reaches across the gearshift casually, and puts a hand on his leg, scratching lightly with her fingers as she runs through the details with Tom.
Ben smiles as he pulls into the driveway and turns off the car.
As they climb out, pulling their briefcases out of the back seat, Leslie keeps talking, and Ben reaches for his phone to answer emails and texts that have come in during the last fifteen minutes.
At the door, as Ben continues to thumb-type frantically, Leslie holds up a hand as she winds down her conversation with Tom, answering the questions that came up today during his meeting with some business people.
Finally, Ben stops typing, ostentatiously puts his phone in his pocket, and starts jangling his keys, staring pointedly. She meets his eyes, and says, “OK, Tom, see you tomorrow. Thanks for everything. Goodnight.”
She puts her phone in her purse and sighs. They smile and nod at each other, and Ben unlocks the door.
Once they get inside, they unload their bags, plug in their phones, and get rid of their shoes and jackets in short order. Leslie goes to get changed into pajamas, while Ben raids the fridge for leftover Chinese food and a couple of glasses of wine.
They meet again in the living room. She flops down, grabbing a plate and a glass and grinning up at him.
“What?” She’s already digging in.
“Nothing. Just...” He’s squinting a little, wrinkling his nose, looking a little antsy.
“Ben, what is it?” She reaches for her wine.
“I just... I need to invoke the ninety second rule.”
Leslie sighs. “OK, let's get it over with.”
Ben perks up visibly, starts gesturing. Leslie moves his wine over, out of the path of his arm. He talks quickly, as if there’s an actual timer going. “I was thinking that tomorrow we should go see Councilman Howser about the golf course thing. He’ll have ideas about how we can clarify the message, and he knows the owner pretty well.”
Leslie nods. “Sounds good. And, you know, we can sound him out about the ad spend - I think he bought some space in the Pawnee Journal at the end of his last campaign, too. We can find out if he thought it was worth the money.”
“He did, huh? Yes, definitely.”
“OK, great!”
“Great. Uh, that’s all I had. Ninety seconds is up. Unless you had something.”
“Oh no you don’t. We’re done. Now follow the rules and sit yourself down here and eat.”
He laughs as he settles down into the couch, grabbing his plate and glass, but then he looks over at her, smiling a bit oddly.
“Now what?”
“Nothing,” he says, as he takes a bite.
She puts down her fork, having made it through half the plate already. “Come on, what?”
He’s eating, so he just raises an eyebrow and half-grins. She waits. But just for a moment.
“Ben, what is it? Do you need to tell me something else about the campaign?”
He shakes his head.
She shoves his knee with her foot. “Tell. Me.”
He clears his throat, but keeps looking down into his glass. “I just... I was just thinking about after the campaign is over. Whether we’d have the same rules.”
“What, about my house? Keeping work out of it?”
He looks up. “Yeah.”
“Well, we wouldn’t need to, would we? Things will calm down a lot after the election, so we won’t need the break as much. And all the campaign signs and flyers and stuff, well, we won’t have those any more, so you guys can get your house back, right? So things can get back to normal.”
“Right.” Ben still looks thoughtful.
“But that’s good, right?”
“Yeah.”
She tilts her head forward, putting her foot on his knee, but gently this time.
He looks up at her. “I actually like having a space that’s just for the two of us. I even kind of liked it when we were a secret, to be honest. We have this crazy busy life outside this house, and to come here and have it be just us... I don’t know, it just... I just kinda like it.” He smiles, maybe a little nervously.
“Yeah, me too.” She smiles back at him. “Well, maybe, after the election, we can...” She trails off, uncertainly.
Now it’s his turn to ask. “What?”
She smiles at him. “Maybe we can spend a little more time here. Together. At home.”
He smiles back. “Sure.”
Rating: G
Length: 850 words
Timeline/Spoilers: Through The Debate, or thereabouts.
In the car, Leslie is on the phone to her mother, then to Ann, and then to Tom, about the canvassing tomorrow. Ben eavesdrops casually as he drives, occasionally responding to Leslie as she repeats something from the conversation by nodding or frowning or shrugging. She keeps talking as if she hadn’t had to consult with him at all, but she smiles over at him. As they get closer to her house, she reaches across the gearshift casually, and puts a hand on his leg, scratching lightly with her fingers as she runs through the details with Tom.
Ben smiles as he pulls into the driveway and turns off the car.
As they climb out, pulling their briefcases out of the back seat, Leslie keeps talking, and Ben reaches for his phone to answer emails and texts that have come in during the last fifteen minutes.
At the door, as Ben continues to thumb-type frantically, Leslie holds up a hand as she winds down her conversation with Tom, answering the questions that came up today during his meeting with some business people.
Finally, Ben stops typing, ostentatiously puts his phone in his pocket, and starts jangling his keys, staring pointedly. She meets his eyes, and says, “OK, Tom, see you tomorrow. Thanks for everything. Goodnight.”
She puts her phone in her purse and sighs. They smile and nod at each other, and Ben unlocks the door.
Once they get inside, they unload their bags, plug in their phones, and get rid of their shoes and jackets in short order. Leslie goes to get changed into pajamas, while Ben raids the fridge for leftover Chinese food and a couple of glasses of wine.
They meet again in the living room. She flops down, grabbing a plate and a glass and grinning up at him.
“What?” She’s already digging in.
“Nothing. Just...” He’s squinting a little, wrinkling his nose, looking a little antsy.
“Ben, what is it?” She reaches for her wine.
“I just... I need to invoke the ninety second rule.”
Leslie sighs. “OK, let's get it over with.”
Ben perks up visibly, starts gesturing. Leslie moves his wine over, out of the path of his arm. He talks quickly, as if there’s an actual timer going. “I was thinking that tomorrow we should go see Councilman Howser about the golf course thing. He’ll have ideas about how we can clarify the message, and he knows the owner pretty well.”
Leslie nods. “Sounds good. And, you know, we can sound him out about the ad spend - I think he bought some space in the Pawnee Journal at the end of his last campaign, too. We can find out if he thought it was worth the money.”
“He did, huh? Yes, definitely.”
“OK, great!”
“Great. Uh, that’s all I had. Ninety seconds is up. Unless you had something.”
“Oh no you don’t. We’re done. Now follow the rules and sit yourself down here and eat.”
He laughs as he settles down into the couch, grabbing his plate and glass, but then he looks over at her, smiling a bit oddly.
“Now what?”
“Nothing,” he says, as he takes a bite.
She puts down her fork, having made it through half the plate already. “Come on, what?”
He’s eating, so he just raises an eyebrow and half-grins. She waits. But just for a moment.
“Ben, what is it? Do you need to tell me something else about the campaign?”
He shakes his head.
She shoves his knee with her foot. “Tell. Me.”
He clears his throat, but keeps looking down into his glass. “I just... I was just thinking about after the campaign is over. Whether we’d have the same rules.”
“What, about my house? Keeping work out of it?”
He looks up. “Yeah.”
“Well, we wouldn’t need to, would we? Things will calm down a lot after the election, so we won’t need the break as much. And all the campaign signs and flyers and stuff, well, we won’t have those any more, so you guys can get your house back, right? So things can get back to normal.”
“Right.” Ben still looks thoughtful.
“But that’s good, right?”
“Yeah.”
She tilts her head forward, putting her foot on his knee, but gently this time.
He looks up at her. “I actually like having a space that’s just for the two of us. I even kind of liked it when we were a secret, to be honest. We have this crazy busy life outside this house, and to come here and have it be just us... I don’t know, it just... I just kinda like it.” He smiles, maybe a little nervously.
“Yeah, me too.” She smiles back at him. “Well, maybe, after the election, we can...” She trails off, uncertainly.
Now it’s his turn to ask. “What?”
She smiles at him. “Maybe we can spend a little more time here. Together. At home.”
He smiles back. “Sure.”