naive | ben tyler cook

✦ five ✦

( one month earlier )

•

rylee fell onto her back on the soft grass, feeling the warm sun shining down on the exposed skin of her face and neck. she adjusted her sunglasses and watched ben as he took a seat beside her. taylor and the others were still getting their food from the hot dog vender stationed by the washington monument.

"wanna sit by me on the plane?" ben asked out of no way, his eyes trained down his phone.

"i don't know. taylor asked me the same question, so i'll let ya know." rylee picked at the grass, piling it up on her stomach.

ben made a face and rolled his eyes at her. "you'll obviously choose me. you love me more than her."

rylee grabbed her phone quickly and took a snapshot of his face as it was still astonished by her response.

"we'll see about that. you just have to win my heart over if you want to make up my mind." rylee snickered slightly at the photo and put her phone away.

"what're you laughing at?" he lifted his head, making eye contact with her.

"nothing." rylee tossed a wad of grass at his face.

a piece stuck to his lips and he moved onto his belly to stuff some into her ear. she cringed and picked it out.

"ugh!" she exclaimed, throwing more at him. "i hate you! you're such a dick!"

"nope, that's a lie." he leaned in close to her ear, "you love me, darling."

rylee's face turned bright red and she sat up quickly. "don't call me darling, benjamin."

"why?" ben furrowed his eyebrows and sat up with her. "what's wrong?"

"it's just," she struggled to explain it to him. "i just get all flustered over nicknames. so please don't use them on me."

"okay," he paused, staring at her as she flickered her eyes over the grass awkwardly, "babygirl."

"ben!" she punched him in the shoulder, causing him to fall backwards. he grabbed her elbow at the last minute and pulled her down with him.

they laughed hysterically for the next few minutes. they sat up again and resumed their regular conversation. it went silent for a minute as ben typed rapidly on his phone. he paused a couple times, his face seemingly set in a thinking expression. then he set his phone down and sat up again.

"wait," he pressed his thumb to his chin and tilted his head down at her, "you don't like being called nicknames, right?"

"as i've already told you." rylee rolled her eyes playfully at him. "why?

"because that means that you-" ben gasped and slapped a hand down on her thigh. it didn't mean anything, it was just a gesture that he'd discovered something shocking. but it sent a shockwave up rylee's stomach. "you have daddy issues!"

rylee sat up frantically and pushed his hand off of her thigh. her face turned bright red and she felt like bursting into tears. she shoved her head into his shoulder, gripping his shirt in her hands.

"you're so mean to me!" she faked a sob into his chest, her shoulders shaking like she was crying crazily.

"i'm kidding!" he wrapped his arms around her and rocked them back and forth as if he were actually comforting her.

they went silent until ben pulled away, gripped her shoulders, and rose an eyebrow at her. "do you? have daddy issues, i mean?"

she blushed again and fell back onto her spine. ben attacked her in a hug, apologizing over and over that he exposed her.