# CHAPTER 38: The Girlfriend Label
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review CHAPTER 38 of "Just for the Plot" — a chapter that takes us from the electric atmosphere of a baseball stadium to the quiet, complicated corners of a relationship finding its footing. Because let me tell you, dear readers, this chapter is a rollercoaster of confidence, vulnerability, miscommunication, and a love so deep it terrifies the person feeling it. So grab your popcorn, settle in, and let's dive right in.
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The chapter opens with Bower and her boss Adalade comfortably settled in a luxury suite at the stadium, watching the Bombers play. Bower's munching on nachos while Adalade nibbles Cracker Jack, and the atmosphere is alive with the roar of the crowd below. Thousands of fans are decked out in Bombers gear, and it seems like half of them are wearing jerseys with "Brinkman" printed across the back.
And that's precisely what prompts Adalade's question: "How do you feel about all the women lusting after your man?"
Bower's response catches her boss off guard. She loves it. Not in a self-destructive, insecure way — but in a deeply confident, almost primal way. She knows Bennett is obsessed with her. She knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that no woman alive could turn his head. And knowing that while watching other women throw themselves at him, fail to get his attention, and just basically make complete fools of themselves over a man who only has eyes for Bower? Well, she admits it almost turns her on in a weird way.
Because she has something they'll never have. *Him.*
Adalade, ever the perceptive one, sees the appeal. Valued. Protected. Thrilling, even. "Well, isn't that a healthy new take on a relationship?" she muses.
But then Bower reveals the not-so-symmetrical side of their dynamic. Bennett doesn't even like it when she *speaks* another man's name. Ever. He's incredibly possessive. And while she can ask him about other women — and he's honest with her, which she finds fascinating — she can't even mention another man without setting him off.
"I actually really like that that's our scenario," she says, and you can almost hear the smirk in her voice.
Adalade understands. The conversation drifts to why Bower is so curious about Bennett's past, about his prior sex life and what turns him on. Bower realizes she's never been like this with anyone else. She just wants to know *everything* about him, especially the intimate parts. Adalade says it plainly: "Because you didn't care enough about them. Bennett is different."
"He is," Bower answers, her eyes narrowing on the field as Bennett takes his position at third base.
And oh, dear readers — the description of Bennett out on that field is enough to make anyone understand why the women are feral. That swagger in every step, that perfect ass framed in baseball pants, the way he adjusts his cap like he owns the world. Bower honestly considers marching down there and rubbing herself all over him like a cat in heat, because she *can* now.
Adalade reveals she saw this coming all along, even back at that dinner. The way they looked at each other — infatuated. Clearly.
Then the conversation takes an interesting turn. Bower asks about Draco, the food critic Adalade has been pursuing. And here's the revelation: Adalade is throwing the dinner party specifically in hopes of getting Draco there. She just got confirmation that he'd be open to an invitation. So now everything has to be perfect — the styling, the menu, the drink pairings. Because he's a food critic, and if she can put on a good show, he might consider going on a date with her.
"It's about building trust and a bond," she explains. "Why do you think Bennett and you work so flawlessly together? Because you've built a base of friendship and understanding. That's what I plan on doing with Draco."
Bower actually loves that approach. The two women immediately start brainstorming, Bower pulling out her phone to take notes. She insists she can multitask, and to prove it, a ball is hit directly to Bennett. She watches him cut across the diamond, catch the ball on some insane hop off the ground, and throw straight into the first baseman's glove. She cups her mouth and lets out a loud, unladylike, drunken-man-style cheer.
Adalade — ever the refined lady — shudders and requests a warning next time. "You may cheer, but it can be with a fancy clap." She demonstrates, rapping her fingertips against her palm.
Bower scoffs. *He won't be able to hear me cheering for him with that.*
"As if he can hear you cheering against the rest of the crowd. Common sense, my girl."
"Oh, he can hear," Bower smirks. "He knows exactly what my screaming sounds like."
Adalade slowly turns, one eyebrow arched. "Well, that's an innuendo if I've ever heard one."
"Perhaps. And perhaps you're not the only one who has had their bones rattled recently."
Adalade chuckles knowingly. She can see it all over Bower's face — what she's been up to. And her only advice is simply: *Keep doing it.*
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But the playful, confident energy of the stadium takes a turn once the game ends. Bower receives a text from Bennett, asking if she's sure she doesn't want to celebrate with the team. There's only one person he wants to celebrate with.
Her reply? "OC?" — she's teasing him about a play on his name. But no, he clarifies: *You.*
And here's where Bower makes her first misstep. She's knee-deep in work — the dinner party planning with Adalade, a list of things that need to get done. She tells him to go celebrate with the guys and she'll come to him later. He offers to just sit with her. She refuses. Tells him he'll be bored and distracting. Seriously, go celebrate with Nolan and the others, she insists.
Bennett's replies are short. "Okay. Sure." He's not mad, he says, just wants to see her.
"Tonight, promise. I'll come to you."
And there's that signature Bennett charm: "If you're coming, you're coming naked."
"It's the only way I like to come. XOXO."
The text exchange is flirty, seemingly resolved. But what follows is where the cracks begin to show.
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Bower falls asleep.
She's on the couch, notebooks and computer scattered around her, a pen still in her hand, when a knock at her door startles her awake. Sunlight is pouring through the windows. It's morning. Bennett is already walking through her door with two to-go cups of coffee and a brown bag.
*Fuck.*
"Oh my God," she says, dragging a hand over her face. "I fell asleep while working. Bennett, I'm so sorry."
He takes a seat, sets the breakfast down, and pulls her onto his lap. Soft kiss. "I missed you last night."
The guilt consumes her. He won the wild card spot the night before, a major victory, and she wasn't there to celebrate. She got caught up in work — dinner party planning — and there's no excuse for it.
But Bennett, the man who surprised her at every turn, responds with surprising maturity. "Funny thing about relationships, it's all about give and take. There are going to be times where I'm really busy and will mess up, and there will be times where you do the same. The key isn't to try to make each other feel bad about it, but to have understanding and grace."
Bower is genuinely shocked. Where did that mature response come from?
"I might be eight years younger, but I'm not a buffoon."
She laughs, snuggling into him. He's not a buffoon at all — just surprising. He claims to have a lot of wisdom and proves it in true Bennett fashion: "Let's see, I know where the G-spot is and how to make my girlfriend scream so the entire building hears her."
And just like that — the word *girlfriend* hangs in the air.
Bower echoes it, surprised. Yes, they're dating. Yes, they're exclusive. But the word feels so foreign. She hasn't been called someone's girlfriend in a long time. And if she's honest with herself, they never really had that conversation.
Bennett pulls away to look her in the eyes. "What conversation is there to have?" He looks genuinely insulted. "We are dating. We are exclusive to each other. My cock belongs to you. That qualifies you as my girlfriend."
She tries to soothe the tension, kissing his chest, apologizing. But his eyes hold a flicker of doubt. And she hates it.
"Listen, Bower, if you're second-guessing—"
"I'm not." She says it quickly, almost too quickly.
But he sees what she doesn't want to admit. "Okay, because it just seems..." He trails off, shaking his head.
She doesn't let him drop it. She wants to know what he's thinking. This is a pivotal moment, readers. And Bennett, for the first time, voices the fear that's been quietly living in the back of his mind:
"It just seems that you're maybe making tiny moves to slowly separate from me."
Bower's heart stops. What is he talking about?
"And if you're second-guessing, then please just fucking tell me, okay? I'm already in so deep that if this is not what you want, then, please, just tell me now."
The vulnerability in his words is raw, unvarnished, desperate. He's standing at the edge of a cliff with his heart in his hands, begging her to catch it. To throw it back. To *do something* with it.
Bower tries to reassure him. She straddles his lap, presses her forehead to his, whispers that she values him and cherishes him. She says she's sorry if she made him feel anything less.
His hands rub along her thighs. "Thanks." A kiss on the cheek. But something feels off. Like he doesn't quite believe her.
She stops him from grabbing the food. "Are we okay?"
"Of course." But there's a pinch between his brows. A tell. He's not okay.
And then he says something that cuts deep: "I just think I'm in a different place than you, and I think I'm figuring that out now, and it's okay, babe. I've been in a different frame of mind where you're concerned for a long time, and this is all still new to you."
Bower argues. It doesn't take away from the way she feels. But Bennett is persistent. He wants to hear it. He *needs* to hear it.
"Can you say it, Bower? Can you say you're my girlfriend?"
"Of course."
"Then say it."
And here is where this chapter takes its emotional gut punch.
Bower's heart races. The words sit on the tip of her tongue. She knows what she wants to say. But something in the back of her mind tells her to tread carefully. To make sure she knows what she's getting into. To breathe. To pause. Just one pause.
One pause is all it takes.
Because that pause stretches too long. Bennett sees it. He reads it. And he nods, defeated. "It's okay, Bower. I get it." He shifts her off his lap, stands, pushes his hand through his hair, looks around the room like he's lost something. "I think I might just take my stuff to go."
Bower panics. "Bennett, don't. You didn't give me a chance to answer."
"I did, Bower," he says, looking utterly defeated. "And you're just not there. That's okay. I'm not going to drag you into a situation you're not ready for."
"But I am."
"You're not." He shakes his head, not even letting her finish. "I think you might want to think that you are, but when it comes down to acceptance, you're not there. But I want you to get there on your own time. I want to show you that I deserve the title of your boyfriend."
"Don't say things just to say them," he adds. "I'm really okay."
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And then, in a moment of pure desperation from both sides, they say the words they both know are coming.
"I think it might be best if we just cool off," Bennett says.
"Yeah, I think you're right."
Bower bends down, packs up her notebooks and computer, shoves everything in a tote bag. She's irritated. Angry, even. She heads into the bathroom, flips the shower on, and starts undressing. Her internal monologue is a storm of frustration: *I take two fucking seconds to answer a question, and he takes that as I'm not ready to be with him. I'm ready. I'm risking my longest-standing relationship to be with him. I could lose one of my favorite people in my life for him. So yeah, I paused for a fucking second. I should be allowed to do that.*
Her points are valid. But so is his pain.
As she steps into the shower and starts wetting her hair, she hears the bathroom door open. Then the shower door. Bennett steps in, naked. He takes the shampoo bottle from her, squirts some into his hand, and begins massaging it into her hair.
And that's when it hits her.
A bout of tears, unbidden and unstoppable. She'd like to say it's the stress of everything. The unknown of what's to come. But what she knows, deep down, is that she's falling fast and hard for this man and she doesn't know how to manage the emotions of it all. She's just not ready to say it out loud yet.
*Because it terrifies her.*
"Shhh," he whispers, washing the shampoo through her hair. "You're good, beautiful. We're good."
She wraps her arms around him and sobs into his chest. He holds her tight, encircling her body with his warmth, giving her that comfort and security she relies on when it comes to him.
He means so much to her. So much.
And for all her confidence, all her bravado, all her words — she hopes she can convey it to him. Even if it's hard. Even if the truth scares her.
**Because she can't lose this. She can't lose him.**
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There's something so achingly real about this chapter, readers. Bennett's vulnerability is laid bare — a man who has waited so long for this moment, who has built this relationship in his heart long before Bower knew it existed, now confronted with the fear that she might not be standing where he is. And Bower, who is all in, who has risked everything, is just a few steps behind, still catching up to her own heart, and the pause in her answer — those two seconds — nearly brings everything crashing down.
The tragedy is that Bennett *can't see* how deep she is. He only sees the gap between where he stands and where she stands. But what he doesn't understand is that she's standing at the edge of the same cliff, looking down, terrified not of falling, but of how much she *wants* to fall.
The title of "girlfriend" feels foreign to her, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want it. It just means she hasn't wrapped her head around a love this consuming yet.
And the only thing that bridges that gap? A warm shower, a gentle hand, and two people who refuse to let go of each other, even when the words get stuck in their throats.
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## READER'S IMPRESSIONS & STAR RATING
As a reader, this chapter absolutely *gutted* me. Bennett's vulnerability is heartbreaking — for a character who is usually so confident and in control, watching him doubt himself, watching him look at Bower with those eyes searching for validation she just can't put into words yet? It's raw in the best way. And Bower's internal panic, her frustration at being misunderstood, and her desperate need to fix it while simultaneously being unable to say what he needs to hear — it's *so* realistic. The "girlfriend" conversation feels true to life because these massive relationship milestones are rarely smooth when two people are at different emotional speeds. I love that the chapter ends with them in the shower, physically and emotionally entwined — a beautiful metaphor for washing away the hurt and finding comfort in each other despite the unresolved words. This chapter earns every star.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.7 / 5 Stars
## NEXT CHAPTER PREDICTION
This upcoming chapter is begging for a resolution to the label tension. Bennett is waiting for Bower to say the words — *I'm your girlfriend* — and after that emotional shower scene, she's going to have to find the courage to say them with conviction, not just to keep him from leaving. But there's also the dinner party looming, where everything has to be perfect for Draco. Could the pressure of hosting, combined with the emotional state of their relationship, cause Bennett and Bower to clash at a critical moment? Or perhaps Bower will finally give Bennett the words he's been dying to hear — and give us all the romantic payoff we deserve. Either way, prepare for feelings, because this story isn't done breaking our hearts yet.
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