The Boy in the Lake (BEN Drowned x Female Reader)

Chapter 30- Bittersweet

There was that feeling again, telling every ounce of my body to keep moving forward. No, I told myself. I was done allowing myself go into stupid situations that'll leave me in shambles. I stared at Ben, not saying another word. He stared back, waiting for me to say something.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come say hi?" Ben asked.

I shook my head. "Can't. Danger tape tells me no."

"The caution tape tells you that you can't say hi?"

"You know what I mean."

Ben stood up, shaking the sand off him. Weird, I didn't think he would have any reason to do that, him being a ghost and all. He approached me, tilting his head slightly. Then, he stopped in front of the caution tape, not crossing it or touching it. "I missed you, (Y/N)."

I scoffed. "Did you really? You kill someone and then you disappear for a month? Right, it definitely feels like you miss me."

"Maybe I was just waiting for you to visit me. I've been here this whole time." Ben's expression looked almost remorseful. 

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" I spat, hating how upset I felt in the moment. "Why didn't you come back? I thought I was going crazy and I made you up. Everyone is making me think I started going crazy."

"(Y/N)..."

"I thought you were gone for good, Ben. And of course, the one day I was ready to accept that you weren't coming back, I find you here."

"(Y/N)."

"Why the hell should I-"

"(Y/N), I can't leave this place."

I shut up immediately. "What?"

"Yep," Ben kicked up some sand. "So, funny story. Well, not actually a funny story. That night I killed Peter, I felt something change. You probably saw it. I wasn't just a ghost anymore, I was a monster. I killed the person who killed me, and it felt amazing. But after that, I wasn't able to leave. I couldn't get myself to."

Ben stared at the caution tape, then looked at me. Those demonic eyes were so haunting, yet so comforting in a way. "I'm sorry."

The silence was loud. I had no idea what to say, or even how to say it.

"Do you remember what happened?" I asked. "The day you died?"

Ben nodded. "Started like any other day, except Peter was acting stupidly suspicious. He had been bullying me for a while, and that day he made it seem like he was sorry for what he had been doing. Like an idiot who was desperate for the bullying to finally stop, I believed him. Then, he invited me to a lake bonfire, which ended up being a cult meet. Then, I was drowned and sacrificed to a 'moon god.'"

"They were going to do the same thing to me?" I asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

I sulked, feeling worse than I had been before.

"How did no one discover that you were killed?"

"Peter is one hell of a liar."

"Right..."

...

"So, what now?" I asked.

"I don't know," Ben sighed. "I guess I'm stuck like this."

My heart sank. Was Ben just doomed to be a killer entity forever?

I stayed silent for a moment, letting my thoughts come and go. At that moment, part of me wanted to hold Ben's hand, tell him I was sorry and hug him. My heart beat sped up at the thought, and internally cursed at myself. He's a killer, (Y/N), you've seen it for yourself. I stared at the caution tape. It was just plastic, but it seemed like it was a great divider, separating two different worlds. I was tempted to tear down the tape, but I refused the temptation.

"(Y/N)?"

"Yes, Ben?" I replied, moving closer to the tape.

"You should leave," Ben said, stepping away. "Thank you for everything you've done for me, but you shouldn't be here."

"But-" I began.

"Goodbye."

And with that final word, Ben began walking back towards the lake. I shook my head in disbelief. Was he really going to turn me away, just like that? I wasn't going to let that slide. I ignored my past refusals as I braced myself, tearing down the caution tape. I stormed right towards Ben, feeling my emotions take over.

Ben turned around, looking surprised. "I don't think you should've done that."

"Are you seriously going to act like nothing happened between us?" I spat, ignoring his comment. "You may be dead, but I know you aren't stupid. I fell in love with you, are you just going to let me think you did the same, or was it all a lie?"

Ben stayed silent as I continued rambling.

"I can't lose you, Ben. I don't care if I have to visit this lake, every single day if it means I can see you. But I can't just let you tell me to leave. I'm not going to, even if some stupid caution tape gets in the way. You have no idea how much you mean to m-"

Suddenly, I was pulled into a kiss. My heart pace quickened as I leaned into the kiss, Ben's hands slowly grabbing my waist. A few seconds into the kiss, I pulled away.

"You didn't let me finish," I said.

Ben shrugged. "I thought you said enough. I just needed to shut you up."

***

Ben and I sat on the shore of the lake, leaning our heads against each other. We sat like that as minutes passed, but it felt like it could never end. I finally felt some peace in my soul, knowing that I still had Ben. Yet, another piece of me shattered knowing that Ben was still in a tortured state of being. I decided it would be best to only acknowledge one thing at a time.

"I probably need to head back soon," I said, remembering the walkout I had with Anaya.

"Do you want to head back?" Ben asked me.

"Not really."

"So, don't."

"Ben, it doesn't work like that."

Ben gave me a peck on the cheek. "Too bad."

I rolled my eyes, but remained where I was. I hadn't been gone for too long. At least, I hoped so. It didn't matter anyways. I was where I wanted to be. 

With Ben.

***

After some time, we parted ways and I went home. Anaya was worried that I had done something to hurt myself, and was discomforted by how much calmer I was when I got back. I just shrugged it off and said that a walk was what I needed to clear my mind. She accepted my excuse and decided to move on, and proceeded to be good company while she stayed at my house during her visit.

On the other end, my life slowly got back together. I finally found the courage to check up on James. As stoic as he was, he seemed to be doing a lot better and appreciated the concern on his leg. We were steadily becoming good friends.

Belle and I never fully recovered from the trauma of Peter's death. Things stayed awkward between us, and it was most likely going to stay that way for a while.

As for Ben and I, I continued to visit him at Lunar lake. It wasn't the easiest, trying to find a way to sneak over there, but I made it work.I didn't want to accept the fact that Ben was cursed to be a broken soul, so I did everything I could to figure out a way to save him. It all proved futile in the end, but it was okay.

I knew the love between Ben and I wasn't going to last forever, and we knew it wasn't going to work out in the end. But we weren't going to separate anytime soon. Even when it would happen to end, there was no way I would be able to forget that there was a boy in the lake.

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The end <3