My Annoying Yet Possessive Bad Boy

Chapter 25

❣️Crystal's POV❣️

Arriving at the street where the grocery store is located, I walk towards the building. Luckily, there aren't many people around because it's late. I pull out my phone from my pocket and check the list my mom sent. I grab a cart and start looking for ingredients. Five minutes later, I have everything except for Cocoa Krispies and Fruit Loops. My mom and dad love them but can never decide what to buy, so they decided to buy both.

I soon find the aisle where cereal is and locate the ones needed. The only problem is that they are at the top of the shelves and inside, far out of my reach. I get on my tiptoes and try to reach for them but fail miserably. After some time, I almost quit and wanted to look for any store workers who could give me a hand when I felt a warm body almost pressing into me.

"Excuse me," a familiar voice says, and I turn to see Ben and some tall guy looking around with masks, wearing a black hoodie with the hood over his head. I can see brown hair and forest-green eyes looking around as if they're searching for something. His eyes land on me, and they crinkle a little as if he were smiling at me. He raises his chin in greeting, and I nod back, giving him a little smile.

"Do you need anything else?" Ben says, and my attention is drawn back to him. In his hands are the Cocoa Krispies, and I take them. "Could you help me reach the Fruit Loops?" I ask, and he nods. He reaches out and takes one of the boxes, passing it to me. "Thanks," I say and take it from him. He puts his hands in his pockets. "What are you doing here?" he asks. "Um... shopping?" I say, but it comes out more like a question. He scratches the back of his head; his nervous demeanor is a big contrast from his normal aloof attitude. My mind goes to the kiss on the Ferris Wheel, and I feel my cheeks get hot and look away. Could he be thinking of that, and that's why his attitude changed? I shake my head to clear out those ridiculous thoughts. "Right. Sorry, dumb question," he says, clearing his throat, and reminding me that he's still here.

Changing the subject, I look at him. "So who's your frien-" The words don't even make it out when I notice that the guy that was here a moment ago had disappeared, and I didn't even notice any movement. "Hmm," Ben hums and looks at his side, a small smirk tugging at his lips as he mumbles something under his breath. Before turning to me, his face neutralizes, and he shrugs. "Just a friend I reconnected with. He usually likes keeping his distance away from people," he says, but that makes it all the more strange for me to understand why he was greeting me. Maybe he was trying to put himself back out there in society. "I see," I say, and then there is this awkward silence between us until his phone starts ringing. He pulls it out from his pocket and places it on his ear. "What's the verdict?" he says, keeping a little distance as he listens to the person on the line. I understand that it could be a private talk, so I play and turn up the music in my earbuds.

From the corner of my eye, I see that Ben's face remains neutral until it turns into a scowl. Gosh, what the person on the other line must have said something really serious because Ben ends up cussing, and I can hear it even with how loud my music is in my ears. He says something I don't hear and hangs up the call. He turns to me, softening a bit, and I turn off the music on my phone. "Hey, I have to go. It was nice seeing you," he says. "Yeah, uh... it was nice seeing you too," I say, and he gives me a heart-fluttering smile before he turns and rushes away.

I place a hand on my chest. Even when he isn't around, my heart refuses to behave. "Be still, you traitorous heart," I whisper to myself, then take a deep breath and let it out. These days, my thoughts keep going back to Ben. I don't know him very well, but my heart keeps fluttering around him. He's mysterious and has secrets locked in tight where no one can reach them. I know that being around him can be a sure way for me to end up on Amber's radar, but what can I do when our paths keep crossing, and what can I do when he says it was nice to see me? Are we even friends? Highly doubt it. My thoughts wander off to what Nora said about Ben wanting to be friends and how he never reveals anything about himself to anyone. I shake my head. In the span of my getting to know him, he has been on and off, cold and warm to me, but never actually stuck to one side.