a/n: small segway into what the next book is gonna be about hahaha also vv cute family chapter cause ive had a stressful 2 weeks
**
Benjamin turns the car off and gets out. He's stopped by Noah's dads' restaurant so the two can have lunch together.
He slides his phone into his back pocket before walking to the door. He walks in and smiles at Noah. He was wearing a long sleeve collared shirt.
He walks over to the register and smiles. "Hi."
Noah looks up and smiles. "Hey, baby. Come around back."
Benjamin nods as Noah holds the door open for him. "How's business going? I saw a few people out front."
"For its first day, it's going really well. My dad is super happy and the staff is pretty full."
Benjamin nods and brings his arms behind his back as he listened to Noah speak. "That's good. Is Mateo working?"
"Nah but he's gonna work here. He offered to be a janitor, how nice."
Benjamin chuckles. Noah looks down at him. "So? What have you been up to? What kinda errands have you been running?"
Benjamin shakes his head. "Oh...Nothing specific. I just needed a few things back at home so I decided to go out."
"That's fun...Well, go sit down at a table. I'll join you in a second."
Benjamin nods. "Okay."
**
Benjamin steps out of the shower, putting some comfortable pajamas on. He takes a seat on Noah's bed, waiting for him to finish up.
Noah walks out in a pair of boxers, drying his hair with a towel. Benjamin points to a stack of papers. "What's this?"
"Oh. Submission papers. And some professional photos and stuff."
Benjamin grabs them to flip through, his eyes widening. "Oh wow. You look hot." He sets the pictures down before reading the paper.
"Wow. California? North Carolina?"
Noah nods his head and walks over to grab the papers. "They're just...Maybes."
"That's far."
Noah shrugs. "Like I said, they're maybes. And weren't you the ones who said we could make distance work?"
Benjamin looks up at Noah. "Right."
Noah sits on the bed next to Benjamin, grabbing his hand. "It's next year, babe. And...we gotta start thinking about that shit, you know? We can't...Ignore it."
"But...Our schedules. We're never gonna see each other."
"There are vacations. And summers. And holidays." Noah places his hand on Benjamin's face. "Isn't that what you told me?"
Benjamin smiles and nods. "Yeah." He leans in to kiss him once before he hears a knock.
Noah's mom walks in, smiling. "Everything good, papi?"
Noah turns around and nods. "Mhm. We're good."
"Good, I-." Noah's mom stops, reaching up to grab her chest. She takes a deep breath, grabbing onto the doorknob.
Noah stands up and walks over to her. "Hey, you okay? Mama?"
Noah's mom looks up at smiles. "I'm okay. Te ayudaremos, vale?"
Noah nods and kisses her on her forehead. "Okay. Love you."
"Love you, too." She exits the room, shutting the door behind herself.
Benjamin frowns. "Is she okay?"
"I think so. I-... Yeah, I think so."
**
"That's so far away, mom! Like...So far away. What will I do if we don't go to the same state?"
Olivia furrows her brows and turns around. "Baby, I understand you're stressed but...You guys are two different people with different career choices."
Benjamin lets out an annoyed sigh and sits down at the island. "I know. That's literally the issue. I'm gonna miss his big dumb face."
"You have a year left of school, sweetheart. I'm sure you two can manage to make the most of it."
Benjamin groans and sets his forehead down on the table. "I should've never fallen in love."
Olivia laughs at him and turns off the stovetop. "Okay, mopey. Can you go in my office and get Zach, please?"
Benjamin lifts his head. "What? You don't see how my life is over?," Benjamin stands, dramatically flailing his arms around, "Life literally sucks."
Benjamin knocks on the door once before opening it. "Mom made breakfast. But don't mind me, I'm gonna collapse into a pool of my own tears."
Zach stands from the desk, setting his pen down. "What's the latest drama from you, Benny? Break a nail."
Benjamin scoffs and crosses his arms. "I take offense."
Zach throws his arm around Benjamin's shoulder, the two now walking back to the kitchen. "What's wrong with you? I feel like I'm watching a TLC drama show."
Olivia looks over and smiles. "Oh, he's just going through the whole 'relationship during college' thing."
"Oh, right."
Olivia shrugs and sets a plate down on the table. "How about you think of something more light-hearted, babe? What are you doing for Noah's birthday?"
Benjamin smiles. "Uhm...cooking him a nice dinner and I got him a few things yesterday."
"That's sweet. Anything else planned?"
Benjamin shrugs and stands from the table to grab a glass. Olivia chuckles and looks at Zach. "What does that mean?"
Benjamin pours himself a glass of orange juice. "It means nothing...Ew, mom, don't look at me like that."
Olivia shakes her head. "Is this why you asked for the house to yourself?"
Benjamin starts laughing. "Shut up...No?"
"Oh my god. I can't believe I'm condoning this."
"Oh please. Like you weren't wild at my age. You too, Zach, I'm still mad at you for that joke."
Zach puts his hands up in surrender. "I'll pull the race card."
Everyone starts laughing at that. Olivia shakes her head. "You're annoying."
**