problems // ben tyler cook

Chapter Twelve

One week later

I reach over and grab my phone as it buzzes, propping it up on my table so I can continue with my hair.

"Hi." Ben grins, sitting in the couch at his parents house in Virginia.

"Hey." I smile back. "How's Virginia?"

"Quite cold." He responds, which makes me laugh. "How's New York?"

"Snowy." I tell him. I reach for another bobby pin to fix my hair with. "But my family arrived last night so I spent the whole day with them so I'm in a great mood."

"Well, that's good." He brings the phone closer to his face and squints. "Oh my god, are you doing that on your own hair?!"

I laugh. "Yeah. My wig got all messed up after the show last night, so I just came in a little bit earlier to do the style myself. It's actually not that hard, and I have enough hair to do it."

"You're crazy." Ben chuckles, then suddenly sighs as he looks off screen. "What?"

"Are you talking to your girlfriend?!"

"Yeah, Mom. But-" Ben is forcibly moved over as his mom comes to sit beside him, and she grins.

"Hello, Rose, I'm Jill!"

"Hi Jill." I grin, waving for a moment, then pushing in another bobby pin.

"Glenn, come here! Benny is talking to his girlfriend!"

Ben's eyes go wide. "Mom, seriously, stop."

Watching this encounter just makes me giggle, and Ben rolls his eyes at me. Ben's dad is now thrown into the shot, and he has to turn his phone to fit everyone in.

"I'm Glenn!" He exclaims, and Ben rolls his eyes again.

"Hello!"

"Rose, next time we're in New York, we're gonna come see Beauty and the Beast. Benny and Emma have told us so much about you and how great you are and how spectacular the show is!" Jill babbles on.

"Hopefully you'll get to see it, yeah." I reply, uncrossing my legs as I finally finish my hair.

"This is places, everyone. Everyone to places, the show begins in ten minutes!"

"That was places. I gotta go." I pout into the camera.

Ben sighs a frustrated goodbye, obviously annoyed that our conversation was cut short by his parents and by my show starting. But Jill and Glenn seem pleased with me as they shout goodbyes.

I laugh, collecting myself and heading to the stage.

****

"Aunt Rose."

"Yeah, baby girl?" I murmur as I braid my nieces hair into two Dutch braids.

"Why don't I have a boyfriend?"

I immediately start giggling. "A boyfriend? Why do you want a boyfriend?"

"Because I like boys." She shrugs. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Mhm, I do." I hum casually. "But why do you want one?"

I hoped that she wouldn't pay much attention, but of course, my confirmation was the only thing that she heard.

"You have a boyfriend?!" She shrieks, jumping up and effectively ruining my braid. "Mommy! Daddy! Aunt Rose has a boyfriend!"

I groan as she goes running into my kitchen, then drags my family back into the living room.

"Aunt Rose has a boyfriend!" She shouts again, pointing to me.

"You can't keep a secret, can you?" I tease, which makes her giggle.

"Is my child tripping or do you actually have a boyfriend?" Jack smirks as my family sits around the living room.

"Well, yeah, I do have a boyfriend." I pull Melanie back onto my lap so I can fix and finish her braids.

"And when were you planning on tell us that?" Mom gasps. "My little girl has a boyfriend!"

"I'm not a little girl, Mom. I'm eighteen and I've lived by myself for almost three years. I'm anything but little." I respond, not looking up. "His name is Ben and it's only been like, three months but-"

"That's a long time!" Christina exclaims.

"Oh shush." I laugh. "We've been together for around three months now."

"He's a theater guy?" Dad asks. "I thought all theater guys are gay."

"No, Dad." I roll my eyes.

"Well, I'm glad you've found a boyfriend, Rose." Alissa, my sister in law, grins.

"Thanks Lis!"

"Tell us about him!" Mom exclaims, which makes Sean just rolls his eyes. He's ten, he couldn't care less about my love life.

"What do you wanna know?" I respond, tying off Melanie's first braid.

"How'd you meet? What's he like? What shows has he been in? Where's he from?" Dad quickly lists off, which actually surprises me.

"Right now, he's casted in the Newsies tour. So he'll be leaving soon, and for a long one, but that's okay. Him and a bunch of the people in Newsies came to see Beauty and the Beast, and we met there. And he's done a few things on broadway. He did Billy Elliot when he was younger, Tuck Everlasting, and he does a whole lot of dancing, like, all the time."

"Interesting." Mom responds. "Don't you have to get to a show soon?"

"Yep, I do. Y'all are coming tonight, right?" I confirm, finishing Melanie's second braid and tying it up.

"You know it!" Christina exclaims.

I say goodbye to my family and head to the theater. As I go and sign in, sending a quick text to Ben to let him know that my family now knows about our relationship.

All he does is respond with a dorky selfie that just makes me giggle.

But then my happiness has to be tarnished when I see Andrew. Oh god, I hate this man more than anything.