naive | ben tyler cook

✦ ten ✦

( opening night )

•

rylee shook out her hands and jumped side to side, in rhythm with taylor. she took deep breaths, attempting not to laugh at taylor's expressions.

"stop, you freak." she mumbled, turning a full circle in the sequence.

"you can never stop me!" taylor shouted and stop. she dropped down on the couch behind her, pretending to pant from the exercise.

rylee continued for another thirty seconds before sitting beside taylor. "you stopped yourself," she laughed.

taylor shrugged, adjusting her wig as she peeked into the mirror. "i control myself!"

rylee laughed and pushed herself off of the couch. she left her dressing room and went down the hallway to the women's ensemble room. she knocked lightly on the door before 'come in' was yelled from many different women.

she stepped in, waving sporadically at her cast members. "hello," she grinned at them. "just came in to say break a leg and i hope that you have a good show."

collins, who was sat on rylee's right, wrapped her arm around rylee's waist and hugged her at an odd angle. rylee rubbed collins' shoulder, leaning down to press her head against the older girls'.

"thanks," "you, too," "love you," were her replies.

she added, "and you all look gorgeous!"

some people went to reply when a knock rapped from the door. gianna leaned back in her chair and opened the door. she smiled at whoever was at the door and moved to allow them to enter.

"hello, hello, hello, ladies." he waved at all the different greetings he was receiving before landing his eyes on rylee. "rjw! come with me!"

childish oo's sounded from the girls and rylee blushed. ben left and she went to follow him. gianna grasped her hand as rylee went past and wiggled her eyebrows. she murmured the 'k-i-s-s-i-n-g' song to rylee.

she ripped her hand from gianna's and shoved her lightly. rylee jogged to catch up with ben, who was halfway down the hallway and waiting. he wrapped an arm around rylee's shoulders and stopped her.

"here, put this on." he demanded, pulling a blindfold from his back pocket.

rylee scrunched up her nose and tilted her head at him. "why?"

"because i have a surprise for you." ben smiled and reached around her neck to tie it around her hair. his fingers brushed forward to adjust it over her eyes. she shivered as his thumb ran over her cheek.

ben grabbed rylee's hand in his and tugged her forward. they went up two flights of stairs before reaching a room that he guided her into. she assumed it was her dressing room, due to the candle she could smell burning and the distance from the girl's dressing room.

ben let go of her, "stay." he rustled around with some things before she could feel him at her side again. he reached up to her face and pulled the blind fold off. "surprise!"

rylee grinned as she saw over a dozen blush roses in a glass vase on taylor's vanity. a box of schmackary's cookies were sat next to it, along with a small velvet box on top. she turned towards ben, thanked him a bunch, and tossed her arms around his neck.

"i love you so much, btc." she leaned back from the hug and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. he let go as she wandered over to her things. he pressed a hand to his cheek, feeling stunned like a teenage girl in some chick-flick.

rylee, clueless to ben's awestruck position, stuffed her nose into the roses and took a deep sniff. "i can't believe you remembered that this is my favorite flower!"

ben snapped out of it and moved to stand next to her, bearing a not-so-forced smile. "how could i forget?"

she hugged him again. "thank you, thank you, thank you." rylee revisited the black box in her mind, suddenly very curious as to why he went so above and beyond.

"listen, ben," she began as she picked up the obvious jewelry box, "i appreciate and love that you bought me stuff, but jewelry is too much. it costs too much."

ben scoffed and rolled his eyes, regaining his joking manner. "before you try to be humble, open the box."

she giggled at him and cracked open the lip. two necklaces that were set together like puzzle pieces read, 'best friends.' rylee laughed louder and pulled them out from the box.

"i love this!" she handed ben half of the necklace and toyed with the other. "it's so cute."

"here, i'll put it on you." ben took the necklace from her and tugged her around lightly. she lifted her wig from her neck and he clasped the necklace around it.

he put his own on and wrapped his arm around her shoulders again. she leaned her head into the crook of his neck and squeezed his side tightly.