Ten Minutes Ago // Ben Tyler Cook

Part Three / Chapter Eighteen

Marlee's POV
Once I leave Ben, I chat with some of my friends before excusing myself to get some air. As I open the door to go outside, Taylor stops me.
   
"Hey, where are you going?" She asks.
   
I shrug. "Just to get some fresh air."
   
"Oh. If you want, you can go out on the fire escape," she offers. "It's a nicer view than the street, anyway. And you won't have to get someone to buzz you in when you decide to come back inside."
   
I nod. "Thanks."

Taylor opens the window in the living room. "Have at it." She smiles sweetly and walks away. I duck out of the window and step onto the fire escape. Taylor was right; the view is really pretty. I walk over to the railing and sit down, my feet hanging off the edge. The cool spring breeze causes me to shiver slightly, but it feels nice compared to inside.

I look out over the city lights, watching cars drive back and forth down the roads. The past few months have been crazy to say the least. Looking out over New York reminds me of when I lived in London, wishing I was home. As much as I loved Wicked, New York is my home. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank Josh enough for that one phone call. If he hadn't called me, I may still be in Tennessee, doing who knows what. I love my friends dearly, and I'm so thankful I've gotten the chance to be in Mean Girls with them. Shows and rehearsals have been so much easier now that Ben and I made up, too.

"I thought I might find you out here." I turn and see Ben sticking his head out the window. "Can I join you?" When I nod, he climbs out and sits next to me. He doesn't say anything for a few moments. "Some party, huh?"

I breathe out a laugh. "Yeah. Taylor sure knows how to put one together in a hurry."

"I have this theory that she's always stocked and prepared, and she just waits for a time to invite people over," Ben says, smiling.

I grin. "Were you looking for me?"

"What makes you say that?"

I shrug. "You said you thought you'd find me here." I turn to look at him, but he's already looking at me. "What's up?"

Ben nods slowly. "I came out here because I think we need to talk." His tone changes from the previous playful one to a more serious one.

"Okay. What about?"

"About us," he says. I'd been dreading this conversation. "We're friends, right?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"And I'm happy we are. But-" Ben looks down for a second, pausing to find a way to phrase what he's going to say next. "But part of me doesn't want to be friends."

"It doesn't?" My heart sinks, scared that he'll say he doesn't even want to be friends anymore.

"No, it doesn't. It's the part of me that longs for what we used to be," he says earnestly. "Marlee, I miss you. A lot. I missed you when you left Newsies, and I missed you when you went across an ocean."

I glance over at Ben. "Even though I broke up with you?"

He nods. "Yes, even though you broke up with me. I told you that day that I still loved you, even though you didn't want to marry me."

He's quiet. My turn to say something. "Turning down your proposal is one of my biggest regrets," I admit quietly. "I still can't believe I said no. And I'm so sorry for putting you through that."

Ben still doesn't say anything.

"Ben." He finally looks at me. "I really am sorry about everything. I-I never meant to hurt you, but I did. I turned you down and then I broke up with you before I left. The moment you left my apartment, I knew I had made a mistake." I can't help the tears filling my eyes as I recount what I felt. "If I could do it all over again, I want you to know that I would say yes to your proposal in a heartbeat."

A small smile flickers across his face, and he meets my eyes. "You would?"

I nod. "I would."

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that," he breathes. "Although I haven't told you what I came out here to tell you yet."

"What did you come to tell me, then?"

"I came to tell you that I'm still in love with you, Marlee." He watches me. "I never stopped loving you for a minute." My heart beats so loudly that I'm afraid he can hear it. "I needed you to know that. A-and if you don't feel the same, I understand. It's been so long that-"

"I'm still in love with you, too," I say quickly before realizing what came out of my mouth. "No matter how much I tried to forget it, I still love you."

"You are?" His voice is so soft and full of hope that I can't help but smile.

"I am." I nod.

He smiles brightly, but pauses. "What now?"

Standing up, I smile. "Dance with me?"

"Wh-what?" He laughs softly.

"Dance with me." I take his hand and pull him up. His arms rest on my waist, and I loosely hold mine around his neck. We don't dance much, but we just sway. I hum a soft tune, smiling to myself.

"What are you singing?" Ben murmurs, sounding more content than I've heard him in a long time.

"A song you once sang to me," I answer. "Except the night you sang it to me, you forgot that it's a duet."

"Could you sing it for me?" He requests.
"Sure, Ben." I sing the rest of the song.

     Ten minutes ago, I met you
     And we murmured our how-do-you-do's
     I wanted to ring out the bells
     And fling out my arms
     And to sing out the news
     I have found him!
     I have found him!

Ben grins down at me as I hum the instrumental break in the song. We're no longer swaying, but he's leading me as we waltz in a small circle.

     In the arms of my love, I'm flying
     Over mountain and meadow and glen
     And I like it so well that for all I can tell
     I may never come down again
   
We finish the song by singing the last phrase together.
     
     I may never come down to earth again

"I love that song," Ben says softly as we stop dancing. "And I love you." Hearing him say that makes my heart skip a beat.
   
"Would you be willing to try this again? To try us again?" I question.
   
He smiles. "Nothing would make me happier, MJ." After he says that, he leans down and kisses me. It's like a breath of fresh air. No words will ever be able to describe what I feel in that moment or how much I missed him.
   
When we part, I mumble, "As much as I would love to stay out here with you all night long, we should get back inside before they start missing us."
   
Ben laughs. "What would you say if we went back to my apartment instead of staying here?"
   
I smile. "I would love that, Benji." He smiles more at my use of his nickname.
   
He offers his hand to me and I take it, lacing my fingers with his. Hand-in-hand, we go back through the window, feeling like Ella and Topher from Cinderella:

     In the arms of my love, I'm flying
     Over mountain and meadow and glen
     And I like it so well
     That for all I can tell
     I may never come down again
     I may never come down to earth again

~~~~~
the end!!!!!
thank you everyone for reading this, I can't believe so many people actually liked this book :)
your votes and comments meant the world to me, thank you for continuing to make me smile with your commentary haha
hopefully I'll see you all in my next book!