Not a Love Story

Twenty // Too Humble

Oliver Greene

A week had passed since the biology test and I'd already gotten my grade back, but I hadn't heard about it from Ben yet. I flicked on the lights in the library, watching the bulbs slowly turn on as I made my way to the table. I heard the door swing open as I set my backpack down. I looked up, seeing Ben walking towards me, a wide grin on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"I got an A." he said, reaching the table.

"What?" I replied, shocked.

"I got an A." he repeated, still grinning.

"You got an A!" I exclaimed, beaming.

"I got an A!" he echoed, wrapping his arms around me in a sudden hug. I wrapped my arms around him, melting into his embrace to my surprise. Ben quickly unwrapped his arms and let go, clearing his throat. "Uh, sorry." he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he took a step back.

"It's fine. Congrats, Ben. You worked hard for this." I said, still smiling and trying to fight off the blush that was rising in my cheeks.

"Thanks, Ollie." he responded.

"Why don't we take tonight off? You deserve a break." Ben nodded in response.

"Do you wanna grab something to eat at Cherry's?" he asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good." I responded.

"Cool. Do you need a ride?"

"Yeah, Henry has the car tonight."

"Sweet, let's go." Ben grinned. I pulled my backpack on and took my phone out, shooting Henry a text about not needing a ride home as we walked out of the library. I locked the door, feeling Ben's gaze on me as I did.

"What?" I asked, his eyes on me.

"Huh?" he responded, eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Is there something on me?" I asked, looking down at my sweatshirt as I slipped the key into my pocket.

"What? No, I don't think so." he responded, looking down the hallway. I thought I saw a light blush dust his cheeks, but I couldn't be sure under the half lit fluorescent lights. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's go." He led me to the parking lot and to his car. I got in and put my backpack at my feet as he turned the car on, music floating through the air from the radio. "I'm guessing the test went well for you." Ben said, turning out of the parking lot. A grin broke out on my face.

"Yeah, you could say that." I responded, earning a chuckle from Ben.

"Nerd." he grinned.

"Jock." I shot back, laughing. Ben shook his head as he stopped at a light. He looked over at me, still smiling. I felt something in my chest flutter as his eyes met mine. We held each other's gaze, time suddenly slowing down. A honk from the car behind us broke both of us out of the trance like state we were in. Ben looked away, seeing the light was green before driving through the intersection.

"Oops." he muttered under his breath. I found it hard to focus on the road in front of us, my gaze drifting towards Ben for some unknown reason. Ben pulled into Cherry's parking lot, finding a spot and turning the car off.

We got out of the car and headed inside, Ben holding the door open for me.

"Thanks." I whispered, briefly meeting his eyes as I walked past him and into the diner. He trailed behind me, following me to the counter. "Do you know what you want?" I asked, looking back at him. He nodded.

"Yeah, go ahead." After ordering and getting our food, we sat at an empty table in the corner. Ben took a sip of his pop before grabbing his burger.

"Are you excited for fall break?" I asked, realizing we were 3 weeks away from it.

"Hell yeah." Ben replied, swallowing his bite. "I can't wait to sleep in and have a break from football."

"You aren't going to be lost without it for a week?" I joked, taking a bite of my sandwich.

"Don't get me wrong, I love it. But I don't mind a break every once and a while. And the rivalry game is in a few days, so after that things should calm down before states." I nodded.

"I get it."

"What about you? Are you doing anything for break?" he asked, taking another bite of his food. I shook my head.

"Finish college apps. That's really it." I shrugged. Ben nodded.

"If you don't have much to do we could hang out." he suggested. I felt my lips quirk up.

"Yeah, that would be fun." I replied.

"And it's my turn to pick the movie." he grinned.

"Okay, okay." I chuckled, reaching forward and taking a few of Ben's fries.

"Hey!" he protested.

"What? It's my payment for tutoring you." I replied, smirking.

"Fine, I guess it's only fair." Ben sighed. I smiled and snuck a few more. Although I'm sure I wasn't all that sneaky judging by the look Ben shot me as he took a sip of his drink. We continued joking and talking, noticing that Ben had pushed his basket of leftover fries in the middle, both of us grabbing a few every once in a while.

"Are you ready to go?" Ben asked, the basket void of fries. I nodded.

"Yeah, if you are." he nodded, grabbing our trash as we headed for the door.

We drove back in relative silence, the radio and Ben's fingers tapping against the steering wheel along to the song the only sounds in the car. I looked out the window, watching the lights pass as we drove. A few minutes later, Ben pulled into my driveway and parked, turning down the radio.

"Thanks for all your help, Ollie. I couldn't have done this without you." he confessed, his expression genuine.

"Of course. But this was all you, Ben. You worked really hard." I replied. Ben's lip quirked up in a soft smile.

"It wasn't, but I know you're too humble to admit it." he smirked, nudging me with his elbow. I met his eyes, feeling my chest flutter again. I dropped my gaze and grabbed my backpack.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I responded.

"Yeah. Night, Ollie." he responded as I got out of the car.

"Good night, Ben." I said, closing the door. I waved at him as I stepped inside, seeing him wave back from his dark car, a light smile still on my face.