mamma mia | jeremy jordan

20. self control

Ana had fallen asleep on the couch while she waiting Ben to arrive. Laura, who had been on a date, draped a blanket across her friend when she came back home. Not a minute later, Ben knocked on the door to their apartment.

Laura, with furrowed eyebrows and eyes checking her watch, glanced up to peek through the small, glass hole carved into the door. She was even more confused when she saw Ben. 

Nonetheless, she opened the door and smiled lightly. "Hey, Ben! What're you doing here so late?"

Laura took in his appearance: his face was flushed red with leftover streaks of makeup cracking across his cheeks. He wore a hoodie and sweatpants and carried a backpack slung over his right shoulder.

"Hi, Laura. Uh, Ana invited me over, to stay the night." He stuffed a hand into his pocket, thumb pointing into the apartment.

Laura's smile became a mischievous one, "Oh, did she now? Well, come on in, then. Don't want you sleeping on the stoop."

"I'm gonna assume that Ana fell asleep?" Ben set his bag down by the door as he slipped off his shoes.

Laura nodded, leading him into the living room. The two of them chuckled at the girl, who was curled up with an arm slung over her face and the other hanging off of the side of the couch.

"I want to move her to her bed, but she's a deadweight when she's asleep." Laura crossed her arms.

Ben stepped forward, "I could take her," he crouched down beside her, carefully placing her hands on her chest. He brushed a chunk of hair away from her face. She stirred lightly, murmuring a name.

"Jeremy-"

"What'd she say?" Laura shifted her weight, unsure of what she had heard.

Ben cleared his throat, "She just mumbled something. Nothing important, nothing at all."

Laura nodded, "Uh-huh. Whelp, I'm gonna go to bed. Holler if you need me!"

Ben waited until he heard Laura's bedroom door close. He put an arm around Ana's shoulders and the other under her knees. He lifted her into the air, feeling her cuddle into his hold as he walked down the hallway. He stopped outside of her door and pushed it open with his foot.

He moved carefully around in the darkness, found her bed, and set her down. He went to pull the blankets over her chest when she grasped his hands.

"Ben?"

He paused, "Yeah?"

"Will you lay with me?" Ana moved over to allow Ben more room next to her.

He nodded, though she couldn't see him, and slipped into the bed next to her. She curled up into his chest, pulling his arms around her. He felt stiff for a moment, but forgot about Jeremy, and squeezed her tightly.

–

In the morning, Ana woke up with a content smile plastered on her face. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she went to sit up. Much to her surprise, Jeremy was sitting in her desk chair, twirling around a fur-tipped, sparkly pen.

"Sleep well?" He joked, spinning around to face her.

Ana rubbed the sleep from her eyes, praying that she was dreaming. "What're you doing here?"

Ben's arm was still draped across her lap, which Jeremy rose his eyebrows at. "I came to see you-"

"No, Jeremy." Ana carefully stepped out of her bed and tugged on the hoodie that was on the floor next to her.

It was Ben's: he had pulled it off in the middle of the night.

"Nice hoodie. Would look even better if it were mi-"

Ana suddenly grabbed him the elbow and thrust him out of her room. She shut the door, marched then down the hallway, and pushed him into a barstool.

"What do you want?" Ana crossed her arms.

Jeremy rose his hand sin defense, as if she were going to attack him. "I just came to see you. Thought you'd be a little happier to see me, but I guess not."

"Why would I be happy to see you, Jeremy?"

"Maybe because we're, how do you say, sex buddies? We do the frisky, even when it's risky-"

"Jeremy! Hush up! Laura's-"

"Out. For Sunday brunch with her boyfriend. She let me in, actually."

Ana squared back her shoulders, her face shaping confusion, "What did you tell her?"

"I'm here for a photo shoot."

"Oh."

Jeremy continued, "Anywho- and let me finish my sentence- I came to not only see you, but to talk, more or less."

Ana glanced behind her, as if Ben were to burst out of the her room any second. He knew what was going on between them, but he'd never seen them interact, and Ana was- for whatever reason- nervous for him to.

"Okay."

She sat next to him at the bar, her hands sweaty and her hair still sticking up in a million different places.

"Ana, I have to be honest with you," Jeremy began, spinning to face her like he had done earlier, "I know we said we wouldn't do anything until Ashley signed the papers, but I don't know if I can stand by that."

"You lack serious self control, Jeremy," Ana commented with a chuckle.

"I know, but," his hand found hers on the kitchen counter, his finger tracing over her skin, "you've done something to me, Devit."

Ana bit her lip as a blush rose upon her face, "Really?"

Jeremy leaned his face down towards hers, "Yeah."

The word barely left his lips before he caught her lips in a kiss.