Ben's Ex-Girlfriend (Parks and Rec | Ben and Leslie)

Chapter 1: Benji

At the City Hall of Pawnee:

Leslie stops herself from holding Ben's hand while walking down the corridors of City Hall as they head to Chris Traeger's office after being summoned. It takes every ounce of self-control on her part not to react when their hands brush against each other. It doesn't help that each time her skin made contact with his, it sends tiny shivers down her spine.

Ben turns his head slightly towards her and gives her a knowing look, he notices how Leslie is struggling from keeping her hands to herself. Her attempt to look unaffected made it even more adorable in his eyes.

The grinning couple have been secretly dating for a few weeks now and both of them can't seem to get enough of each other. Only Leslie's beautiful best friend, Ann and her ball-busting mother know about the situation and they must absolutely keep their relationship a secret or else Leslie and Ben would lose their jobs. But that very real and scary consequence does not stop them from meeting up in Ann's new office to freely flirt with each other whenever they can.

"I've missed you," Leslie says as if they were talking about the most boring thing in the world, she steals a quick glance at Ben to see his reaction. He keeps a straight face.

"I've missed you too," he says casually, but Leslie can see the corners of his mouth move a tiny bit, trying to hide a smile. Only five minutes have passed since they last saw each other in Ann's office.

"Do you know what this meeting is about?" Ben asks, trying to change the subject to a safer discussion.

"No idea. Chris just messaged me to see him in his office." Leslie starts to worry. Is it possible that he has already found out about their secret relationship?

Ben seeing the flash of concern on her face tries to reassure her. "Relax, Les. It's probably nothing concerning us."

The way he said 'us' calmed Leslie. She liked hearing him say it.

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At Chris Traeger's Office:

Chris's face lights up when he sees Ben and Leslie walk in, "Ben Wyatt! Leslie Knope! Thank you for your promptness. I called you here in my office today to introduce you to Amy Santiago!" He pauses and turns to Ben, "Although, I'm sure Ben needs no introduction." Chris's smile widens as he drinks in Ben's surprised and speechless look.

Leslie extends her hand to Amy, a little confused at where Chris is heading with this. "Hi Amy, I'm Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation." Amy shakes her hand and gives her a smile.

Amy turns to Ben and suddenly gives him a tight hug, "Oh my God, Benji! It's really nice to see you again." Leslie raises her eyebrow and notices that Ben looks a little too excited as he returns the hug.

"You guys-- You guys know each other?" Leslie asks in a voice she was afraid to admit might be a little too shrill. She is taken aback at seeing this beautiful tall brunette wrap her arms around her Ben. She adds a little fake laugh and glances at the camera instinctively, pretending to be unaffected by this intimate exchange her boyfriend and this not unattractive girl is having.

"Yes. Uh. Amy here is a friend. From Indianapolis." Ben stammers as he pulls away from Amy's hug. His goofy smile slowly fading as he remembers Leslie's presence.

"Oh Benji. I'm pretty sure we were more than friends at one point in time." Amy laughs after sharing this information to the group. Her hand playfully lands on Ben's arm and Leslie is sure she sees Amy give it a little squeeze.

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Cut to One-on-One Interview with Leslie:

Leslie stands frozen in front of the camera. Eyes wide open, looking crazy. Silently mouths the word "Benji?" No sound comes out of her open mouth as she stares at the camera with her wide blue eyes.

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Back to Chris's Office:

"I see. And may I ask what is the purpose of your visit here in Pawnee?" Leslie says with a plastered forced smile on her face. Ben looks at Leslie, alarmed at how high pitch her voice sounds. He sees Leslie's crazy eyes start to form and he becomes worried, she is obviously not taking in this news with grace.

At that moment, Leslie wishes she could shoot laser out of her eyes and burn Amy's hand off of Ben's arm.

"Well, I'm a wedding planner and my client is planning to hold their wedding in their hometown of Pawnee." Amy announces, flashing her pearly white teeth at Ben. "After I found out who was the City Manager of Pawnee, I just had to come down and visit personally!" Amy claps her hand together mimicking Chris's excitement.

"Amy needs your help, Leslie. They want to hold the wedding in one of our parks. I'd like for you to give her a list of top ranking parks here in Pawnee." Chris says, pointing his finger at Leslie.

"And you, Ben, why don't you take Amy out for lunch and catch up with each other!" Chris excitedly suggests as he pushes Ben and Amy out the door. Ben glances back at Leslie, a wave of guilt hits him when he sees her frozen in place unable to express any protest at seeing her boyfriend walk out of the room with his ex-girlfriend tightly hugging his arm.

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Cut to One-on-One Interview with Chris:

"I have never been literally this excited to see two beautiful people possibly getting back together." Chris looks at the camera and smiles nostalgically. "And yes, I was the one who matched them up." Chris declares. "When I found out that Amy was single and Ben was single, I knew they were perfect for each other." Chris looks proudly at the camera as if he had just revealed the secret to matchmaking.

-End Scene-