51. “Calm down! You’re scaring me!” ?? PLEASE.
rey is sobbing into the phone receiver, he can hear it, her gasping, shaking breaths. “sweetheart, come on. please, tell me what’s wrong. you gotta tell me before i can do anything.” he’s almost begging with her, and it’s ridiculous, the way she has him wrapped him around her finger and she doesn’t even know it.
“can you just come pick me up?” she asks. “please, ben? please, come pick me up.”
he’s already running out of their apartment to his car when he says yes and asks where she is.
“i’m not sure,” she admits, fear thick in her voice, and she laughs a little, cynically, bitterly. “the bathroom of this restaurant.”
“turn on your location,” he suggests as he turns on the car.
“okay,” she says, and she gives him the address. only five minutes away.
“i’ll be there soon,” he promises.
“wait!” she cries “don’t… can you… could you keep talking to me? please?”
rey is still weepy when ben gets there. he nearly has to carry her out to the car.
“sorry, i just, you know, used all my energy having a panic attack,” she says with no small amount of derision.
“do you want to tell me what happened?”
she sighs. “i just saw someone who looked like… plutt,” she bites out his name, but he’s not sure who she’s angry at. “it wasn’t, of course, but between that and something caleb said…” rey throws her hands up in frustration. “i just shouldn’t date. i can’t seem to make it through one acting like a normal person.” there’s something else she wants to say, he can tell, but her mouth stays stubbornly closed.
rey studies her nails. “told me i didn’t want to be there. told me it seemed like i was in love with someone already.”
ben’s hands tighten on the steering wheel. “are you?” he asks, and he can see the exact moment rey decides to be brave, because she takes a deep breath, looks him in the eye…
he feels sick, but he tries to keep his voice casual when he asks, “who?”
they’ve made it home, are sitting in the parking lot, but they’ve barely noticed. something tenses and coils between them, a rubber band threatening to snap.
she tilts her head and smiles heartbreakingly. “i thought for sure you’d noticed.” rey smooths her hair behind her ear. “it’s you. i’m in love with you.”
and rey’s still talking, saying something about moving out if it makes him uncomfortable, but it’s like ben’s been hit over the head because his ears are ringing and he can’t hear anything. “you’re in love with me?” he says dumbly.
“oh.” and he’s smiling too, and slowly, he reaches out to her, cups her face in his hands, and kisses her. “that’s really good. cause i’m in love with you too.”
