While all of this was going on, Vincent was still sitting in the coffee shop, trying not to listen in on the thrumming outpouring of emotion that was twanging along his bloodline from Owen. It was like peeping uninvited, he felt, especially when Owen was still upset. He'd hoped that Owen would get into his car and drive away, but after some time passed, it occurred to him that Owen might already be in his car, sitting there and trying to calm down before driving away. That was a sensible idea, and Vincent was proud of him. There was no other reason why his young husband would be lingering. He looked down at the ring on his finger and twirled it, having faith that this separation wouldn't last, and that hurdles like Ben wouldn't come up too often. Belatedly, he'd realised he should've relented as soon as Owen had reacted adversely. He'd promised himself not to push it, yet he had, so when Ben called, it made sense simply to end things as cleanly as possible. He was sad for him, but if Ben had gone through all that he had and survived, then he would survive this too. Vincent's path to Owen should be clear.
Ben was using the rain to wash the pain out of his hands, though his knees felt hot and itchy. He figured the itch would be from his knees healing. They'd felt as though they'd scraped through his jeans, but the pain was slight and grounding. It made him feel real, because everything else about this scenario wasn't.
He'd been right in his assumption that Owen hitting him would lead to guilt and an apology in return. Guilt was a powerful emotion, Ben knew this first hand. Why not wield it in his favour instead of letting it beat him down time and again? He nodded at Owen's words, though wary. If Owen was to be believed, he hadn't given Vincent an ultimatum, he'd asked for time to think it over. So why had Vincent ended it? Was his guess correct after all: that Vincent had chosen to deny Ben further training because Owen had been initially angry? He hoped not, that would just be a ridiculous expectation! Of course Owen would be angry upon finding out!
"Alright," Ben said, not caring about his own car even though it was in a tow-away zone should it remain parked there longer than a couple of hours. If it was towed he'd pay the fine and get it out. It was liberating to not miss opportunities because of financial concerns working in the background.