✔️ | 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 ─ 𝒑𝒂𝒙𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒉.𝒚

THIRTY-FOUR

Once Carly Tan left the room, Ben immediately smirked at the most popular guy in school that had jealousy written all over his face. 

"Relax dude. I'm not gonna steal Carly."

"What?"

Ben chuckled. "We all know you guys are endgame so..."

"We're not? We're not anything now. Just friends."

"Ok. But we all know you guys can't be just friends."

"Whatever dude." Paxton shook his head, looking at his laptop.

"You know running away from it won't make you love her any less."

"What?"

"Nothing." Ben quickly said. He couldn't believe he said that.

"Are you sure we're talking about me and Carly?" Paxton asked.

"Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?" Ben said. He wasn't ready for the most popular guy to know he still loves Devi. It would be weird and awkward.

Paxton chuckled and shook his head. "Ok dude. You sure you don't like Devi anymore?"

"What?"

"I can tell you never got over her."

Ben sighed. "Yeah. It's just... even if she's a lot, I like her for that."

Paxton nodded. "She is a lot. But I think you're the only one who can handle it."

"Really?" Ben asked as the boy nodded. "Well we're nothing right now so."

"Dude, it's cause your flirt game is terrible."

"No it isn't."

Paxton chuckled. "Look dude, all I know is it's all about the eye contact. Which you don't do."

"I do a bunch of that."

Paxton slowly nodded. "Yeah ok. It all comes down with how you say it. You can be talking a bunch of gibberish, but with a sexy tone, she'll fall instantly. Here try this. Hey Devi. You wanna go out to a restaurant?" Paxton said leaning into the boy. "Or whatever? As long as it's you and me."

Ben's eyes widened. Was it possible to be turned on by someone he didn't see that way. "Shit. You're good."

Paxton shrugged and leaned back against his chair. "Guarantee she'll fall for you."

"Is that how you talk to Carly?" 

"No."

"No?"

"With Carly it's different. Every time I'm around her, my heart beats so fucking fast, I trip on my own words, and eye contact, nonexistent." Ben snorted causing the boy to be angry. "Fuck you dude."

"Look Paxton I'm not one to judge with how you act around Carly. But maybe you should try talking about other things with her?"

"Like what?"

"Not surface level things. If you truly want her back, you're gonna have to try a little harder than sweet talking your way into it. Carly isn't like most girls."

"Ok. What do you suggest I do Mr Hotshot?"

Ben shrugged. "Uh I don't know. Ask her about the scar she has on her forearm."

"She has a scar on her forearm?" Paxton asked, this was news to him. 

Ben slowly nodded. "Yeah dude. Pretty cool story if you ask me." That made Paxton realized, with all these years of knowing Carly, he didn't know her, know her. "And maybe for once talk about your feelings? Girls love it when boys talk about their feelings."

Paxton snorted. "And you know this how?"

Ben shrugged. "Movies I guess. Like how the troubled bad boy acts like he doesn't care about anything but when he's alone with the main girl, they talk, she finds out about things nobody else know, and next thing you know they're doing it." 

Someone's cough interrupted their conversation. Both boys' eyes widened when they saw Carly Tan in the hallway with bags of chips, soda, and a half eaten donut. "Who's doing it?" 

"No one."

"No."

Carly chuckled and walked into the room handing the boys her snacks. And the 3 of them spent the entire night watching Friends and eating a bunch of junk food as Ben released his frat quietly.