Never Have I Ever Season 3: an alternative theory

Chapter 6: Part 3

“Unlocking Chemistry.” Ben scoffs, sliding the thick textbook back onto its shelve. “Urgh, I can’t believe I have to catch up.” He mutters to himself quietly.
Ben wonders through the library, minding his own business, when he briefly looks up he see Oliver afar.
The way Oliver approaches Ben with that wide grin that makes no sense to him, raising many questions as to why that grin seemed directly directed toward him… specifically… first, he never sees Oliver wondering through the library much… or if at all, he were always busy with some kind of activity to do with drama, or sport, or just generally with his friends… second, the way he gazes at Ben with some sort of amused excitement… well, that were also confounding to Ben… and he wasn’t entirely sure what that grin was about, or what it was meant to say… or how it came to finds its way to Ben, actually...
Ben's brows quirks up. Confused, he stops all his doing. He watches on as Oliver jogs the rest of the way until he has reached him.
There Oliver stands, a grin that suppressed a laugh, hands resting on his hips and his feet slightly set apart. A stance that said to Ben that maybe what Oliver had to say were maybe more important than he had actually thought.
“Dude.” He starts, panting alittle, catching his own breath, having had just jogged some of the way up just to catch up to Ben, having almost lost him through the school corridors. Oliver releases a heavy sigh combined with a small laugh.
Ben watches him attentively, feeling whatever it were Oliver had had to say it would for sure be something that would definitely draw Ben’s attention… and so he begins to feel that inkling surge of suspense that begins to build as he waits… his brows crinkling, eyes invested, and he watches with interest and confusion.
“You would not believe what I just heard.” Oliver gives a small chuckle, pointing his finger to Ben.
Ben keeps his gaze on him, waiting, but… Oliver is still catching his breath, and it’s making Ben’s heart race a little, anxiously, and still very confused.
“Hey Oliver, yeah, hey. Ok, what did you hear-”
“You kissed Devi, man?”
Ben’s eyes instantly flash with suprise and widen on him. His heart feeling as though it wanted to skip a beat… then instantly turn to mush…
“Mmmhmmmwhat?-" he mumbles out a little stupidly, not knowing what to say… he presses his lips tightly together into a thin line to prevent himself from mumbling out more… not trusting that he wouldnt give his position away… or that what he could possibly say next may get him into a whole heap of trouble… with Devi. So he pretends to not have heard what Oliver had just said- which does not work out for him as Oliver echoes his question out again-
“Devi… did you kiss her-"
“Shhhhh.” Ben can't help but jump in this time, his heart racing a little, having not expected or been prepared for what Oliver had just asked, and not having known that this was what Oliver would have been bringing up, catching him by suprise… Ben’s worry was escalating… if the whole school found out about all this… what they had been saying… what this conversation was going to be about… and all it contained… oh boy, Ben- he believes Devi may never speak to him ever again…
The rumors it could cause!- may make her out to seem as though she were cheating - which had a small kind of truth to it - but those rumors could be taken out of proportion and come out sounding bigger and even worse then it really were…
“Where d-did you- where did you hear that?” He rasps quietly, looking around… darting his gaze about nervously, his eyes misted with worry. Somehow Ben had already felt like this would all somehow come out to be his fault… even though he hadn’t said a word.
Not that the library wasn’t quiet enough, it were so quiet today, his sure everyone could hear a pin if it had dropped… or maybe that were just Ben's nerves, he could practically hear his own heart pounding in his ears… and Ben wasn’t so sure he could encourage an overexcited Oliver to keep his voice down… or low enough for others to not to hear in.
“What do you mean, dude? I heard it straight out from Devi.” Oliver scoffs amusedly.
“What?!” this time its Ben who exclaims loudly.
It was Ben’s voice that bellowed this time, and loud enough to startle a couple of students from their books and bring their gaze up to meet the two boys.
Apologeticly, he awkwardly and impatiently smiles their way and waits for their gazes to return back to their books.
Oh… ok now… now this… Ben couldnt believe…
Whilst everything in him still said for him to stay and remain calm and collected, hush his voice whilst having this conversation with Oliver… Ben also starts to feel a sudden sense of relief… stunned Devi (the one who had threatened to ‘kill’ him if their secret were leaked) had been the one to ‘leak’ their bit of secret first… soooo… it couldn’t be his fault if things got out of hand… could it? If it leaked further… it would be for sure 100% her fault, right?… I mean, she did start it- the disclosure of this bit of information anyway, not their kiss…
…he had started their kiss… something he will never regret or ever forget…
“Are you sure-” Ben huffs, breathing a little heavier, still choked up with disbelief. “I mean, it were Devi right? Devi?-"
“Yeah. She was all like, telling Aneesa about how you kissed her and that she kissed you back and about how she felt something and didn’t know how she felt about you-”
“W-hat? W-w-wait? She said that?!” He stammers, choking up on his own words. “S-she said that- are you sure?” he tries again, a little squeal to his voice.
Oliver gives him a strange look. He were just about to ask if Ben were ok, when Ben shakes his head, pulling himself together, trying to remain cool… preparing himself to try again.
He steadies himself before jumping back in. “Are you sure- like are you absolutely sure?- thats what she said-like-shit- did she say it in a particular way-” Ben cuts himself off, realising he wasnt succeeding in calming himself, feeling the stir of excitement in his stomach. He watches as Oliver's face twists into another amused strange look.
Stop being weird, Ben, get yourself together- he tells himself, slowing himself down.
Oliver shakes his head, grunting as he thinks back, then suddenly chuckles teasingly.
“Damn, dude, it’s not about how she said anything, it’s more about how you had two girls argue over you.”
Ben clears his throat loudly, the drying in his throat giving him trouble and trying to stop him… choking him up again. But trying to swipe those feelings well away, he chuckles awkwardly, trying to pretend to sound collected… trying to sound all cool about all this, the nervousness clearly laced to his laugh. He swallows before he continues, still processing what had been said.
“W-here-” he stops himself again, still lost for word, running a hand through his hair, thinking it might calm his racing mind. He sighs, starting again. “Where did you- actually, no, thats not important- what else did you hear her say?”
“Devi or Anees-"
“Devi.” He pops out quicker than a shooting bullet. But then rolls his eyes, knowing pretty much both perspectives were important. “Ok… so maybe both… what did they both say?”
“Ok, Ben… first, chill. Second… I feel like Im your inside man now, right?” Oliver chuckles, offering him a fist pump, which Ben hesitantly but eventually obliges to, hoping it would encourage him to go on. “Well… she- Devi- said something about how she doesn’t know how she feels about you… also that she doesn't want to loose Paxton, but that her mind can’t stop thinking of you?” Then he searches his mind a little before going on, not realising at first how his last words had impacted Ben. “Then Aneesa got all upset, saying that Devi shouldnt be-” Oliver slowly slows down, realising Ben had seemed adrift in thoughts… as though he had stopped listening somewhere along the line of the last part of what Oliver had just said…
Ben's brows fused together. It’s almost like his world stops. Oliver could tell how distant Ben seemed and inserted into his own thoughts… and Oliver questions if he should continue on or not, eyes flickering over Ben, trying to read him, not knowing if he were even going to be listening now…
Ben were finding it hard to believe what Oliver had just said…
“Shit.” He finally mutters, mostly to himself. “Oh damn… I was right.” He clicks his fingers as he says this, shifting on his feet excitedly.
That uncontrollable grin that forms on his face as bright as day, he has to bite down his bottom lip to prevent it from growing any wider, and a chuckle wants to creep up on him but he holds it back. “She can't stop thinking about me?...” his words so suddenly soft, melting away into the air as soft and sweet as honey… as though his breath could barely hold onto his own words…
Rubbing a hand over his face, realising Oliver were still there, his face flustered. But his eyes seeming so invested to the world of thoughts that were thrumming away through his veins, making his heart beat with pride and determination he can barely make his eyes meet back to Oliver.
“Sorry, man.” He finally says. “T-that that just came to me as a suprise, that’s all.”
“Yeah, all good.”
“Did she say anything else?” Ben questions, his tone alot more calm and controlled now.
“Truelly man, that was about all Devi said.”
Ben laughs.
“Yeah, ok. Awesome. Oliver, have I ever told you how cool you are?” Ben teases him, whilst Oliver gives him a strange look.
“You'd do the same for me right? If Eleanor mentions a thing about me, I wanna hear it.” Oliver reminds him, as their feet begin to wonder away from the library and toward the exit.
“Yeah sure.”
“Like, whats the deal with Trent, by the way? Why is he so suddenly interested in Eleanor? I have zilch respect for the guy… and they have absolutely nothing in common-"
Ben blanks out from Olivers words… his mind bubbling in thoughts of Devi… unable to stop his thoughts also from coming back to what Oliver had said… and then he does see her… close to the library, Devi arguing with her friends mildly, throwing her hands in the air like the argument could become acoploytic…
He wants to go save her…
Admiring her from afar- which he knows sounds like a total mess considering she is fuming like this right now- but Devi can capture him in ways the almost seemed inexplicable to him…
His mind stops… he wants to go to her defense, but his indecisively and hesitates… her eyes turn to him, and they glitter at him in a way that makes his stomach stir with excitement… he needs to talk to her… a strong profound desire begs him to go to her… but he turns it back, knowing how now wasn’t the best time… and so he keeps it to himself, and keeps his feet put.
He decides he'll have to do it at the end of the day as they are off home from school.

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Hey Guys! Another part done! Hope it turned out ok! I'll keep it short today!☺️ Xxxx all!♡♡♡