-Mason-
We ended up parked at a nearby park.
By then, the drizzle had escalated to a vicious downpour, and the silence was easily overwhelmed by the dramatic racket of the water crashing down onto the car. The thumping of the rain was ceaseless, stretching across the roof and down the windshield as the rain found its way to us, making its presence loudly known.
I quietly signaled to him while lowering back my seat, chuckling when he quickly followed suit, still cozily wrapped up in my hoodie as he settled back. I watched curiously as he let out a small yawn and stretched out on the seat, melting against the leather. And in that quiet comfort, we chatted about nothing and everything.
And it all felt so easy.
Bennett seemed to open up gradually, becoming more animated as time went on... like he was slowly defrosting. So, I leaned into this, of course, enthusiastically nodding along to his rambles while doing my best to follow along. It was an endearing kind of refreshing, his eyes lighting up whenever he rambled about something he found interesting.
I focused on the way he'd meet my gaze to make sure I was actually listening. And the way he'd grin contentedly when he realized that I was, as if I could ever willingly look away.
And without the awkwardness of first meetings looming over us anymore, it finally felt like we could... exist. I relaxed against my seat as well, letting his bright voice flood the car as he rambled on about this one superhero anime he adored. I'd watched the first two seasons of it too, and mentioning that was enough for him to gasp in excitement, questioning me about my favorite characters immediately. He even shyly hinted at the fact that he shipped the protagonist and deuteragonist together, which was more than I'd expected him to share.
With anyone else, it might've been annoying; however, Bennett seemed so sincerely thrilled that I couldn't help but try and match the enthusiasm. I was entirely biased, but seeing him so eager was so refreshing.
After some time of going back and forth on how we thought the show would end, I off-handedly inquired about his classes, wincing sympathetically when he complained about how stressed he was about the upcoming finals, particularly when he muttered the name of the same spiteful professor that I'd had a few years back for another science class. More than anything, I was surprised the old rat was still teaching at our campus.
"Oh, he's a bitch," I agreed, shaking my head in disbelief. "But don't worry about the final. It'll be open notes. He's swearing up and down it won't be, but that's just to intimidate you. You can even look it up on his online reviews. He pulls that lie every year with the freshmen."
His eyes widened. "Y-you sure?"
I nodded my head, signaling for him to look it up himself and pettily snickering as he grumbled when he found the evidence online. He shook his head in disbelief, rubbing at his temple. "Wow... I've been stressing out for nothing."
"You tend to do that," I joked, chuckling when he flicked me in the forehead. I froze before frowning over at him. He'd picked that up from me.
I flicked him back, of course.
"Yeah, yeah."
He laughed at the light flick before slipping his phone away into the front pocket of my hoodie. It was most definitely too big for him, so much so that he looked like a head atop a pile of black clothes; though, there was no way I was taking it away from him.
"What?" Bennett asked, curiously furrowing his eyebrows.
"Nothing," I replied before yawning against the back of my hand, reaching down as I felt my phone buzzing for the tenth time that night. I rejected the call. "Glad you figured out the phone situation."
Bennett pursed his lips, quietly glancing up at the car roof, as if contemplating how much to say. "Yeah, me too," is what he settled on, and I didn't press for more.
"I'm also glad you called," I added, perhaps a bit boldly. But by now it was nearing five am and I was so sleepy and giddy that all I could do was grin over at him when he seemed surprised.
Bennett turned to face me, offering a puzzled look. "You are?"
I nodded my head.
Why wouldn't I be? Lately, he was all I could think about. I enjoyed being around him, no matter the time or day. If only I could just... express that openly. And get closer. So much closer, until there was no space between us. Even now, I was holding back the urge to drag him onto my lap. Fuck, I wanted to pepper kisses along his jaw and throat, teasing him until he was nothing but a muddled, horny mess against me. This was nice, but I was growing greedier.
I knew it far too well.
I could feel myself coming undone at the seams, all the self-restraint within me being held together by thin, fraying threads.
"Yeah, I really—" I jolted as my phone's ringtone started blasting, huffing as I reached down to grab my phone. I cringed when I realized it was Ricky, answering semi-worriedly.
"What's up?"
Eric scoffed from the other side of the line. "I—I knew it! You were ignoring my calls!"
I rolled my eyes just as Ricky yelled out an apology in the background, clearly having had his phone stolen. I couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed that, though.
Oh god, I'd probably arrive back home to Ricky tied up in the closet.
"Yeah, I turned off sound for your calls too," I muttered, pulling the phone away from my ears as he yelled out a string of expletives. Oh boy, Peter would most definitely not appreciate that at this time.
Bennett frowned at me curiously, fighting off a small smile. He could probably hear that it was Eric, so at least I didn't have to explain the chaos away. I just shrugged, pretending not to know what my beloved best friend was stubbornly pestering me about.
"He's drunk," I lied to Bennett.
"I'm not drunk, asshole!" he yelled out in response, his voice loud enough that Bennett chuckled in response.
"Give me a second," I murmured to Bennett before sighing into the phone. "Eric, I'm going to go, alright?"
"Tell him!" Eric yelled. "Do it!"
I sighed. "Eric..."
"Mason!"
I hung up.
It was too late, though. When I turned back towards Bennett, he looked mildly curious. Eric had been yelling loudly enough that I was almost sure it had been heard even outside the car, so I didn't even humor the delusion that maybe Bennett hadn't heart him.
I seethed silently.
"Ask me what?" Bennett asked curiously. "O-or was it about someone else?"
I caved, of course. "It's about that stupid party."
I expected, or perhaps hoped, for Bennett to show no interest. Or, at the very least, it would've been convenient if he were busy on that day. Unfortunately, quite the opposite happened. He seemed to light up at the sheer mention of it, flashing a shy smile. "H-he still wants me to go?"
I grumbled under my breath at how adorably unsure he seemed, nodding my head slowly. Fine, fine. He could go. This ultimately meant that I also had to go, yes, but then that also signified that I could (and would) smugly monopolize his time the entire night, which was still a win-win for me.
"Okay, fine..."
I expected another adorable grin, but instead his face fell a bit. "Unless you don't want me to?" he asked apprehensively.
"Huh?" I questioned before shooting up in my seat, fervently shaking my head. "N-no! It's not that. I—I do want you to go! It's just... complicated."
Bennett didn't look any less disappointed, so I forced myself to continue.
"Those parties are kind of... chaotic. I—I don't want you to deal with that, y'know?" I tried, wincing when I realized how lame I sounded. In reality, I was worried he'd be bothered by any of those frat idiots. Most of them were very casual friends, which is exactly how I knew they were the kind to act out of pocket and mess around with freshmen. There would also be a lot of idiots just... getting all kinds of fucked up. And Bennett seemed a bit too bright-eyed and curious for his own good sometimes.
"I'm not a kid," Bennett countered, pouting again.
God, that pout. I wanted to bite his bottom lip.
"I know, I know."
"And you'll be there too, right?"
"I—yes, of course."
"So?"
"Hmm, you think I'm your guard dog or something?"
Bennett shrugged, blushing a bit. "N-no. I just... y'know. You can watch my back, right?"
And bite anyone that got too close, yes.
"You really want to go, huh?" I tried, ignoring the urge to ask if he'd ever been to one of these kinds of... gatherings. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd never even tried alcohol before, let alone any of the shit he might be offered there.
"It'd be... fun."
I sighed deeply, unable to come up with a proper excuse to not let him tag along. It wasn't even me who had invited him, but I knew damn well that he'd back off if I were to ask him to. However, he seemed quite adamant on going now, perhaps due to my own doing...
So, all I could do was nod my head in agreement. And swear to myself to watch him like a hawk.
"It's on Thursday. I—I'll pick you up from work, okay?" I offered. "So, take some clothes to change into...e for after."
Bennett grinned victoriously, and I just let him and Eric have this one. To be quite frank, I didn't have it in me to say no to the brat... and something told me he was starting to realize this too, even if subconsciously.
I opened my mouth to continue, halting when there was suddenly a small, distant meow.
I thought nothing of it at first, almost convincing myself it could've have been possible over the rain. Though, it was apparently quite important, as Bennett immediately sat up to glance out the window.
It took seeing a single black cat perched atop one of the nearby benches for Bennett to light up, gasping like someone looking out the window of a soaring plane for the first time. The downpour had tamed back down to a light drizzle, which was mighty helpful considering Bennett chose that exact moment to lower the window.
I chuckled at that, my heart aching at how adorably he beamed while trying to call the cat over. He psst and cooed, but to no avail. Unfortunately, the cat seemed altogether disinterested, licking at its left paw. It also didn't seem very bothered by the rain, which was likely because it had settled for one of the benches under a large, wooden gazebo... completely safe from the rain.
It did glance back at Bennett every so often, its tail wagging a bit, but then it'd go back to leisurely grooming itself.
"I don't think they do that," I mentioned as Bennett tried to call it over once more, snorting at the thought of the cat actually listening. None of mine ever did when I called for them... though they did listen to my mom. "That's dogs you're thinking about."
Bennett glared back at me before trying again. "Please, kitty... I'm so nice. I'll give you so many pets," he whisper-yelled, beckoning it over as eagerly as possible.
"But I'm right here," I grumbled under my breath, clearing my throat when Bennett suddenly turned back and looked at me expectantly, clearly having missed what I'd muttered.
"What?"
"I said 'I bet it can't hear'."
He thought about it and nodded his head in agreement, furrowing his eyebrows determinedly before turning back and nearly climbing out the window. "Kitty!" he yelled out, and I jolted in my seat before bursting out laughing, pulling him back by the waist and briefly covering his mouth. "H-hey! It's late! They'll call the cops," I reminded him, unable to fight off a grin.
Bennett complained against my hand before I let go, sighing under his breath before turning back towards the cat. "I've always wanted to adopt a cat," he mentioned off-handedly, waving at the black cat once more before turning towards me. "He's so cute."
Damn it, he was too endearing.
"That one does have a collar, though," I pointed out.
He sighed warily, resting his chin on top of the car door panel, glancing out the open window longingly. As if I couldn't also rock a collar.
Ahem.
I sighed, frowning at the back of his head before blurting out, "I can take you to meet my cats sometime." I offered it without really thinking about it, frowning when he suddenly stared back at me with wide, excited eyes.
"Y-you have cats," he whispered, leaning closer. "And I can meet them?"
I released a shaky laugh as I leaned back, suddenly only inches apart. Huh, so this is when he decided to stop being shy? Fuck, any closer, and he'd probably be able to hear the brutal beating of my heart.
I cleared my throat while nervously glancing away, nodding my head in agreement. "They're old, though. So, they're not very playful."
"A cat is a cat is a cat," Bennett replied seriously before reaching his pinkie out. "You must bring me to them."
I smiled softly, locking his pinkie with mine. "Fine, fine. But they do live with my parents, s-so... you'd have to meet them too," I pointed out, a bit nervous at the mere idea of it. My parents were nice, but there was no way Eric hadn't snitched on me about Bennett to at least one of them. And goddamn it, they were not subtle.
Panic briefly crossed his eyes before he frowned with that same, eager determination from earlier. "Y-yeah. I can do that."
"Also, can you put the window up? We're getting soaked."
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A/N: Thank you for reading.