Ten Minutes Ago // Ben Tyler Cook

Part Three / Chapter Eight

The door to Taylor's apartment swings open mere seconds after I knock. Erika, who answered the door, pulls me inside, a giddy smile on her face.

"Everything okay?" I ask with a laugh.

She nods. "I'm just excited. It's been a while since I've had a girls' night." Erika takes me to the living room, where Taylor is looking for a movie to watch.

"You can put your bag over there," Taylor instructs me, gesturing to a corner where another bag, Erika's I assume, is sitting. I place my backpack down and join Taylor on the couch.

"Kate's not here yet?" I question.

Taylor shakes her head. "How's Into the Woods?"

Erika claps. "I love that one! Let's watch it." Right then, a knock sounds through the apartment. "Kate!" Erika cheers, running to get the door.

I give Taylor a look, and she responds with, "Don't look at me, I'm not the one who made a pot of coffee. That's all her. I don't know how much she drank." Taylor cracks a smile.

Erika comes back into the room, dragging Kate. "Okay! Everyone's here. Let's watch a movie and talk about boys!"

"Were you, like, deprived of slumber parties as a kid?" Taylor asks, watching Erika with a confused expression.

Erika shrugs. "No. I told Marlee, I've needed my girl time." She plops down on the floor in front of the couch, crossing her legs. Erika is finally quiet once Taylor starts the movie.

However, all four of us sing during the musical numbers. The most entertaining part is when Erika convinces Kate to act out the song Agony as it's played in the movie. They're unable to complete the number because Kate can't stop giggling.

When the movie ends, Taylor gets up to grab snacks from the kitchen. I get up and turn on a lamp. Taylor comes back, sets the food down, and sits on the floor.

"Kate, Marlee, come sit down." She pats the floor next to her, and we sit down. "So," Taylor begins. "If this is truly a middle school sleepover, we can't go to sleep until we talk about boys. Who wants to start?"

Erika, of course, volunteers to go first. At least most of the caffeine seems to have worn off. "There is this boy I've met lately," she starts with a soft giggle. "But none of you can ever say anything to him! Swear it." We all promise to stay quiet. "This is going to sound really dumb, but I've been hanging out with Kyle a lot lately."

"Kyle? As in Kyle Selig? Aaron Samuels?" I ask in disbelief. Erika nods shyly.

"That's so cute!" Kate gushes.

"Yeah. Have you talked to him about it yet?" Taylor asks.

Erika shakes her head. "No, I haven't. Not yet, at least." She smiles, a blush creeping across her cheeks. "Okay, who next? Marlee, what about you?"

"Oh," I say, beginning to shake my head. "No, there's no one. I just moved back here anyway."

"Come on," Taylor pushes. "There has to be someone."

When I shake my head again, Kate gasps. "What if we set you up with someone?"

I laugh softly. "I don't know. I'm trying to focus on work right now."

"Marlee!" Erika exclaims. "Okay, hear me out. What about Ben Cook? He's cute and you already know him!"

This is what I was afraid of. "Yeah," I say slowly. "I don't know. We're not exactly friends or anything anymore."

"What?" Erika's smile falls. "What happened?"

"It's a long story." I wave my hand in the air, dismissing the topic.

"Do you mind telling us?" Taylor asks gently.

They'll end up figuring it out one way or another. I start at the beginning by telling them how we met. I move on to our first few dates, and then when he asked me to be his girlfriend. I tell them about the tour, keeping the long story as short as I can. Finally, I tell them about the night he proposed and what has become the greatest regret of my life.

Kate is the first to say something after I finish. "Have you told him that you regret it?" She asks quietly.

I shake my head. "No."

"You should," Erika urges. "He deserves to know."

"I know, but I'm scared." I sigh, all of my fears suddenly spilling out. "I'm scared that he's already moved on. I hurt him badly, and I really wish I hadn't. What if he's moved on? What if he doesn't love me anymore? I don't want to risk the chance of us becoming friends again. And honestly, I'd be okay with it if we were just friends. I just really miss him." I don't notice the tears streaming down my cheeks until one falls on my hand. "Sorry," I mumble, wiping my eyes quickly. "That was a downer. I didn't mean to dump everything on you guys."

"No," Taylor says, shaking her head. "Don't apologize, Marlee. You obviously needed to talk about it. It's okay. That's what we're here for, right?" Erika and Kate nod.

"Thanks," I whisper, finally able to stop the tears. "Um, let's change the subject."

Kate nods. "What's been everyone's favorite part of the show that they're in so far?"

Erika answers, "Oh, definitely Fearless. I love that song." She smiles.

"I like Revenge Party," I say. "Even though I'm hardly in it." I smile a little.

"World Burn," Taylor answers confidently.

Erika scoffs. "Of course that's your favorite. You kill it every single time!"

"She's not wrong," Kate says. "No, but I like Sexy." She grins. "Especially the beginning." She giggles.

"I like that one, too." I smile as I look at my friends, grateful for how supportive they are. We end up talking for several more hours, reluctantly going to sleep around one in the morning.

~~~~~
I love this chapter so much
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