De Fragee Prutia

o n e

It was the last day of the school year at Auradon Prep. Everyone was scrambling around, signing yearbooks, making summer plans, and saying goodbye to each other. Nami was clearing out her locker when she felt two arms wrap around her middle.

"Combien de temps encore avant que je t'ai pour moi aujourd'hui?" Ben asked. (How much longer till I get you to myself today?)

His head rested on her shoulder. Nami smiled to herself. Hearing Ben speak French made her happy, it was reserved for his parents and her only.

"As soon as I send my stuff back home."

"And how long will that be?"

Nami held up a finger before pulling out her phone and texting Mama Odie. As soon as the text sent, all the boxes in the locker disappeared. Nami smiled. Gotta love magic. It might have been frowned upon in Auradon overall, but Maldonia still found it okay to practice.

"Ashidanza," Ben breathed out.

The word made Nami look up from her phone in surprise. Where had Ben learned the word? Nami thought she was careful not to speak Maldonian or French unless she was at home, it must have slipped out here and there. She didn't think Ben was paying that much attention.

"What brought that on?" she asked still a bit in shock.

"You're wearing it. I wasn't sure if you actually would."

Ben was referring to his ring that rested on her pointer finger. It was gold and shaped like a beast's head. Ben grabbed her hand and kissed the ring.

"Of course I would wear it. Now, what did you have planned for us?"

"Are you staying the whole summer in Maldonia?" Ben asked as he laid out the picnic spread at the pavilion by the Enchanted Lake.

"We're stopping to see my grandma in New Orleans first, then we're all headed up to Maldonia."

"That didn't answer my question. The whole summer? Are you staying?"

"Ben, are you asking me to come back early?"

"I would just like to see you outside of Auradon Prep," Ben said as he fed Nami a strawberry. "I would like to take my girlfriend on a vacation or have a date that's not confined to making sure we get back before curfew."

"Okay, I'll talk to my parents about coming home early."

She was confident her parents would say yes. They weren't too strict about much, just simple rules about being a generally decent person was all she had to follow.

"Want to take a dip?" Ben gestured to the lake.

Nami looked at a black curl that landed in her face. If she got her hair wet it would be ruined and she didn't feel like restyling.

"I'll just dip my feet in. You can go ahead though, I'll watch."

Nami scooted to the edge of the pavilion and stuck both legs in. Ben jumped in, careful not to splash her. She watched and laughed as he jumped around in the lake. Nami grew a bit concerned when Ben disappeared for longer than she thought was normal; but, before she could call out his name he popped up in front of her, placing a smoothen heart shaped stone on her lap.

"Hey, Benny-boo?" Nami chuckled as he made a face at the nickname she knew he hated.

"Do you have to call me that?"