HANNAH // OCTOBER 17
Vivi and I were walking into school feeling pretty down about ourselves. The line at our favorite coffee shop had been so busy we had to skip our favorite meal.
"We should have left earlier," I sighed.
"I know, I'm sorry. I blew a fuse this morning straightening my hair," she looked down at the floor.
"Happens to the best of us," I nudged her.
"Ladies," Ben greeted us.
"Benjamin," we both said.
"Nate, you got the tray?" Ben asked and Vivi and I gave each other weird looks.
"It's pretty cold out there today, wouldn't you say?" he asked me.
"Yeah, it's really windy," I played along.
"So, I figured this would warm you up." Ben said before he reached back towards for something. When he turned back around, a smile spread across my face.
"You didn't," I said.
"Pumpkin spiced latte for Vivian," he said handing her the coffee cup.
"Thank's, Benjamin," Vivi raised her cup to him.
"And caramel macchiato for you."
"What are you up to?" I gave him a suspicious look, but took the coffee anyways.
"Nothing," he smiled. "Nate and I wanted coffee this morning," Ben wiggled his half-empty cup in my face. "Have a nice day, babe," he said as he kissed my cheek. The smile dropped off my face as Ben messed up my hair as he walked off with his boys.
"I hate it when he messes up my hair. Doesn't he know how long I spend getting my life together?" I said to Vivi, knowing she was probably rolling her eyes.
"Well, maybe if he spent the night, he would know." Vivi said slowly.
"Oh my god... I kiss the guy a few times and go on a few dates and—"
"You kiss him way more than a few times. You practically make out with him in the hallway... after games... before school..."
"Vivi! Stop!" I covered my eyes.
A lot had changed between Ben and me in the last two weeks. Ever since I ended up making out with him in that closet... Things were different between us now, but a good different. I found myself thinking about him, texting him, and just wanting to spend time with him. It didn't matter what we did, but it was like I had this urge to be around him whenever I could. It was nice.
"And you ended up in his bed like two weeks ago!" Vivi interrupted.
"That was because of the party. We got home at like 3am. There was no way I was sneaking into my house at 3am." I laughed. "But that's besides the point."
"Okay, PG, enlighten me," Vivi said and I shot her a glare.
"The point is that you want me to marry the guy!"
"So?"
"He's not spending the night." I readjusted my bag.
"Why not?"
"Because my aunt and uncle would never let him?" My answer came out as a question.
"So wait until they go on a business trip or something. They're always traveling." Vivi made a really good suggestion.
"They try not to travel around the holidays."
"So stay at Ben's house. Ever think of that?" she asked me as we walked into history.
I took a sip of my coffee. "Holy hell this is good coffee." I closed my eyes and let the liquid warmth run down my throat.
"Is it good coffee because it's good coffee? Or is it good coffee because it's from Ben?" Vivi asked.
"A little bit of both."
"So because it's from Ben?"
"Ben," I nodded as we sat down. "He's never gotten me coffee before," I thought out-loud to Vivi.
"That's sweet of him." She nodded.
"And he got you coffee too." I looked at her. "He must want something." I came to that conclusion. "Like to get out of the dance!" I said in an ah-ha voice.
Vivi laughed. "Stop overthinking it and enjoy your coffee."
"Ladies, why am I seeing those knees bend on those kicks?" Coach asked all of us as we ran through the routine again. "Take five to stretch and then we'll try it again," she said, nodding at me.
I walked over to the other side of the field to get some water and saw Will watching me from the football field. I looked away, towards the boy's soccer team, and found Ben almost immediately. They were in the middle of a passing drill right now and it looked to be insanely complicated. Ben was so enveloped in his passing drill and then there was Will, who couldn't even focus on his drill. I looked back towards Will before dropping my water bottle and heading back over to my team.
We ran through the routine a few more times before Coach finally called practice. "Nice work today, ladies," she clapped. "Those boys are going to have a hard time keeping their eyes on the field tomorrow night."
"Our boys or the other team?" Brittany called out.
"Both," Coach gave us a sly smile before she left.
"So, hows the new hottie?" Brittany asked me, which prompted a few of the girls to stick around.
I couldn't help but smile. "Insanely hot." I bit my lip as I twirled my hair through my fingers.
"Spill, Han..." Jilly said as we walked over towards all our bags.
"About?" I asked.
"Um, everything," Jilly looked at me like that was a dumb question. "The boy, the kisses, the hotness. Come on!" She grabbed me and shook me.
"Ok, where do you want me to start?" I rummaged through my bag for my jewellery.
"Ooo! Me first! I totally get to ask the first question." Kayla said putting her hands up. All of the other girls remained silent, waiting for her to ask. "Is he a good kisser?"
"Yes," I giggled as I put my earrings back on. "Good is an understatement, though," I told her.
"What's it like?" Kayla asked.
"Kissing him?" I clarified.
"Yeah," she and a few of the girls nodded eagerly.
"Well, it's like when you go to a restaurant and you order something new—something that you didn't think you'd like—and then you take the first bite and it's absolutely amazing." I tried to describe it to them.
"So Ben is your new favorite food?" Brittany asked as I put my necklace back on.
"Yeah, something like that." I shrugged, my face feeling flushed and I was sure if it was from talking about Ben or because I just had practice. "He's like the type of food that you go to a certain restaurant just to get, because you don't want to eat that food anywhere else." I'm pretty sure my analogy just ran off the train tracks, but kissing him was kinda hard to describe because it was just so damn good. And he was just so damn hot.
"Ok, I get dibs on question two," Jilly said as she put her sweatshirt on. "Have you gone farther than just kissing? Like have clothes come off?" Jilly asked.
"No, but she wants to," Ben called out as he and the rest of the boys soccer team ran by. "Just ask her about the closet last Saturday..." "Oh, we heard." Kayla wiggled her eyebrows at me.
My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe Ben had just said that. A few of the girls giggled and some oooo'd. "He's so hot." Brittany said to me.
"I totally am!" Ben called out again. How the hell could he still hear our conversation?
"Understatement," a few of the girls said in unison.
"Have you seen his abs yet?" Brittany asked.
"I'm pretty sure the entire school has." I laughed because whenever Ben scored a goal, he lifted his shirt up for the world to see.
"Good point, have you touched them yet?" Brittany revised her question.
My fingertips tingled, and I could only nod before taking a sip of water.
"How do they feel?" Kayla asked.
"Like heaven. Actual literal heaven. Heaven is Ben's abs," I said, my eyes never leaving Ben's body.
"What's the best date that you've been on, since you're in that dating class and all?" Jilly asked.
"The one I'm taking her on tonight." Ben said as he ran by again, but this time he hopped out of line and jogged over towards me. A few girls awww'd. "Hi," he said, trying to steady his breathing.
"Are you trying to make coach make you run more?" I asked him, ignoring his greeting just because I could
"I'd run across fire for you," Ben told me with a smirk on his face
"Shut up," I hit his arm.
"So dinner? With me?" he asked.
"Ehh, I'll think about it." I shrugged.
"Don't lie, Montague, you know you want to stare at me all night over good food." Ben basically read my mind, but I wasn't going to let him know that.
I knew that every single girl on my team that was listening right now had melted into a puddle of feelings.
I shook my head. "Who would want to stare at you all night?" I asked him. A few of the girls raised their hands.
"Sorry, ladies, I'm taken." Ben said to them, running his hands through his hair.
"Go finish practice, before Coach yells at you again." I told him. I stood up on my tippy toes. "Do that hair thing one more time." I told him, so only he could hear. Ben ran his hands through his hair again and I tried not to bite my lip, and failed miserably.
"Try not to get all worked up here." Ben said to me in a low voice.
"It's really hard for me not to." I rolled my eyes. "If you go back to practice, I'll let you take me out to dinner." I crossed my arms.
"I'm already taking you out to dinner." Ben was clearly confused.
"Oh, no dessert?" I asked him, tilting my head to one side.
Ben laughed. "What are my options?"
"Chocolate cake, me, hot chocolate..." I trailed off.
"I will take all three and I want whipped cream." Ben told me without hesitation.
"Fine, you can have whipped cream on your hot chocolate."
Ben shook his head. "I want whipped cream on you." And then he put his lips close to my ear. "So I can lick it off your stomach."
"Benjamin Copeland!" I smacked his arm.
"Don't worry, you can do the same." He held his hands up.
"Go back to practice and I might consider it." I told him with a shaky voice.
"Hannah," he said to me, his eyes lighting up. "That may have been the best news I've heard all day."
"Ben," I said to him at the same time as his Coach yelled for him.
"Copeland, you have exactly seventeen seconds to get your skinny, pathetic ass over here."
"Is my ass skinny or pathetic?" Ben asked.
"Why don't you turn around and I'll tell you." I said to him, biting my lip. Ben turned around and I kicked his butt.
"Fine, I get the message," he said to me, but turned back to give me and gave me a quick kiss. "Wait for me. I'll be done in like five minutes."
"Okay." I smiled at him. Ben gave me another kiss before running off.
"I don't know about you guys, but I am officially in love with Benjamin Copeland," Kayla announced to the entire group.
"Dammit, Hannah, you are one lucky girl." Jilly said.
"Did Ben Copeland just tell you he wanted to lick whipped cream off of your stomach?" Brittany asked.
"Maybe," I answered and she squealed.
"He did not just tell you that," Jilly said.
"Are you gonna let him?" Kayla asked.
"I told him I was considering it." I laughed.
"I don't know how you manage to be so sassy and sarcastic with him." Brittany said.
"Ehh, it's just Ben." I shrugged, which was a complete and total lie and the girls called me out on it.
"No way in hell is it 'just Ben.' It could never be 'just Ben.'" Brittany said.
"Yeah, have you seen what 'just Ben' looks like?" Kayla asked. "Or do you just go blind whenever you see him?"
"Yeah, blind with love," Jilly laughed.
"Okay, I need to be sarcastic when I'm around him, or I'm going to end up kissing him... or something... which is what I want to do, like 24/7."
"Good luck, Han," Jilly put her hand on my shoulder.
"And have fun," Brittany said before they walked off.
"Thanks, guys," I said before packing up.