The Boy Next Door

Chapter 20 | Ben's Little Secret

Chapter 20: Ben's Little Secret

(Brianna's dress above⬆️)

When I woke up, something was on top of me. That was the first thing I realized. I jolted awake, but sighed out of relief when I saw that it was just Alec. I kissed him lightly on the lips and tried to pull away, but I was surprised when his hands shot up and grabbed my face, keeping my lips on his and kissed me. I kissed him back, and we had a little make-out session on the bed.

We were interrupted with a knock on the door. I pushed him away and looked in the mirror, swatting down stray pieces of hair and rubbed my face to give it some color. I trotted to the door and opened it, and was greeted by the smiling face of Ben.

"Hey!" I said, hugging him.

"Hello. Um, could I maybe talk to you?" He asked. I could tell he was uncomfortable, and I immediately nodded.

"Of course. Alec, I'll be back in a couple minutes. I'm going out with Ben." I yelled and grabbed a jacket before walking out and shut the door. I led him to a picnic table out in the front yard and sat him down. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Well, remember that time when you teased me about wanting a girlfriend? I... I... I have to tell you the reason why I said I'm not looking for anyone." His lip started trembling, and he bit it to keep from crying. I wondered what was he was so sad about. "I-I'm gay."

My eyes widened I looked at him with surprise. He started crying after he saw my reaction. I'd never seen him crying, so I wasn't sure what to do. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry I teased you about it." I said and hugged him.

"Are you going to ditch me because of this?" He asked.

"What?! No, why would I? I could care less about your sexuality, it doesn't matter. All that does matter is that you're Ben, and you're my friend. It's fine if you're gay or not, you're still the same Ben." I replied and he hugged me back.

After a while, and he calmed down, we broke apart. "Are you fine?" I looked at his tear-streaked face.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"So, does all the other guys know?"

"Nope. Neither does my parents."

"Oh, really? I'd thought at least your parents would know."

"No, but—I'm planning on telling them today. They're throwing a party and I think I'm going to announce it on the loud speaker and come clean to everyone I know. Even the guys will be there. You're now invited too, and Ellen too of course. It's a formal party, so do you have a dress you could wear?"

"Uh, yeah I guess. I'll call Ellen and see if she can come."

"Ok, thanks." He hugged me again. "Thank you for listening. Well, I better go back home and help them set up for this party. See you later, I'll come pick you up at 6 PM."

"Alright, bye." I waved and went back inside. Alec wrapped his arms around my waist as I tried to go into my closet to search for a dress.

"What did he say?" Alec asked.

"You'll know. You're going to Ben's party tonight right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, well then I better go choose a dress. I'm not even sure if I have one that'll fit for the party." I walked into my closet, but turned on my heel and looked back at Alec. "What kind of party is it?"

"I heard it was Ben's parents' birthday. I'm not sure which one though, but it's probably his mom. Because he bought a necklace for her." He informed me.