Love Springs Eternal | Benslie

Chapter 2

Leslie awoke the next day with a pounding headache. Damn that idiot, Ben Wyatt and everything he made her feel; up to and including her hangovers from trying to out drink him. How dare he show up to the same college parties she went to? How dare he take the same classes as her and show up to those? How dare he bang his way through girls like he's trying to get a girl for every mile of the Texas Eagle by the time he's 30?

Okay, maybe that last one was unnecessary, but contrary to Ben's belief of her being a "harlot", she'd only ever slept with Dave a handful of times when they were together, and she hadn't taken anyone else to bed since then. Meanwhile, Ben was trying to bang his way through half the Midwest. And for what? Why did he feel the need to do that? Leslie may have hated him, but she cared about him at some point, and a small part of her still did.

"How are you feeling?" Ann asked her.

"Ugh, do you have to yell?" was Leslie's response, but all that got was a smile from Ann. "Did last night seriously happen?"

Ann nodded. "Unfortunately," she sighed. "Are you okay?"

"I can't believe he brought my dad into it," Leslie shook her head. "He was there the day I lost him. I know going for his parents' divorce was a low blow, but damn. I can't believe he did that..."

"I'm not excusing what he said," Ann started, "but you were both really drunk. He may have been even more so. He was pretty wasted when we showed up. Maybe he'll apologise for it this time. It was really out of line."

"No," Leslie stated, and Ann gave her a confused look. "I don't want him to apologise for anything unless he's willing to apologise for everything. He's been a jerk ever since Chris showed up. He had better apologise for the last four years, otherwise he's not getting a damn thing from me, much less forgiveness."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Leslie took a Tylenol with some water while Ann answered the door. She was shocked at who was on the other side. "Wyatt? I hope you're here to apologise."

"Ann, can I please come in and talk to Leslie?" Ben asked weakly. "I feel like shit enough as it is. Plus, Chris wants to go on a walk and I'm way too hungover for that, so please take my place."

Ann groaned, then agreed. She grabbed her coat and exited to meet up with Chris to go on a walk. Ben entered the room properly, closing the door behind him as quietly as possible, and taking a seat on the chair placed by the desk.

"You look as shit as I feel," Leslie joked, attempting to laugh, but groaning instead.

"Look, about last night," Ben sighed. "I just wanted to say—"

"I don't wanna hear it unless you apologise for the last four years," she interrupted him.

"Four... what do you mean four years?" he asked, confused. "Cerseigate was three years ago."

"Before Cerseigate," she told him. "You started acting like an ass as soon as you met Chris."

"It was not as soon as I met him," he scoffed. "It was when he—" He caught himself before he said anything stupid. "It was a little while after we met him."

"You started shutting me out and being a playboy," she told him. "I'm surprised you even got into college. I'm sure your dad probably bribed the board to let you in to try to buy your love."

"Can you just shut up?" Ben demanded. "Who's acting like the asshole now? I came here trying to offer an olive branch and you're hacking it to pieces and making the olives rot."

"What did you expect?" Leslie laughed. "You've spent the last four years acting like you're better than me, then last night, you used my dead dad as a weapon against me in an argument. You've insulted me repeatedly in the last four years, and I could take it at first, but then your words just filled with venom and hatred. Why try to apologise to me when you've gotten what you clearly wanted in the first place? I hate you, just as much as you hate me."