Little By Little

Chapter 2- Growing Older

**Anika is 10 Ben is 11**

We were playing in my front yard. I was throwing the frisbee to Ben and he was catching it.

"Anika, can we go inside and do something else?" Ben asked me after a while of throwing the frisbee back and forth.

"Sure!" We both walked inside and went into the kitchen. My dad was in there, chopping a cucumber. I watched as he put the chopped bits into a salad. He turned around to put the cutting board in the dishwasher when he saw us.

"Ben! What are you doing here?" He exclaimed.

"I'm hanging out with Anika."

"Dad, were going downstairs. Bye," I told him before grabbing Ben's hand and dragging him downstairs.

"So," he said, dragging out the O.

"Do what you want, I'm going to play the piano is you don't mind," I said. Yeah, we were like that. He came over to my house or I went over to his to hang out and we just did what we wanted to do. Even if it wasn't with each other.

I walked over to the piano and started to play 'Someone Like You' by ADELE. I had been playing the piano since I was four, so I was pretty good.

Ben plopped down on the chair beside me and grabbed my hands to stop me from playing.

"I'm bored, lets go watch some TV in your guest bedroom," he said. I nodded and we went down into the guest bedroom. Ben closed the door and locked it behind us. But I didn't feel uneasy, I trusted Ben with my life, if he was going to lock the door, then he was going to lock the door. I sure as hell wasn't going to stop him.

We sat down on the bed and I turned the TV on. We watched spongebob for a bit before I decided we were going to watch a movie.

"Friends with Benefits, Love Actually, Iron Man, or The Hunger Games?" I asked Ben, spreading the movies out in front of us.

"Umm, Friends with Benefits. Don't tell anyone but I love this movie," he said. I giggled.

"Friends with Benefits it is, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone," I said, slipping the movie into the slot. We both scrambled back onto the bed as the movie began.

"Ben, go turn the light off," I said lazily.

"Why can't you? It's your house," he argued.

"Exactly, it's my house, I always have to turn off the light, so it's your turn."

"Fine, I will... Only if you kiss me first," he smirked. I shot up from my sitting position.

"What?" I asked him.

"Kiss me first."

"Fine." I moved over by him and kissed his cheek.

"No, right here," he said, pointing at his lips.

"Argh." I leaned forward and quickly pecked him on the lips.

"Oh come on, longer than that," he whined.

"Fine." I leaned in and pressed my lips against his for a little bit longer.

"There, now go turn off the light." Ben groaned and turned off the light. We spent the rest of the night watching movies and eating popcorn.