Mal groaned when the ringing of her phone woke her up after what she assumed was five minutes of her falling asleep. At first, she tried to ignore it, hoping that whoever was calling realized that it wasn't a good moment for her to answer, but after it stopped just for it go back to ring for the second time, she knew there was no way out.
Carlos's picture on her screen made Mal worry about the reason behind the call when her friend was a prominent texter. However, the moment she answered, the boy started asking her if she was ok and where Mal was. It took her a second to realize that she had not told anyone about her apartment and assumed that Carlos went to see her there after posting on her IG when she arrived back in Seattle. Mal apologized for not sharing her news and promised to explain everything in detail, but asked him if it could be later because she pulled an overnight and needed sleep.
With that said, she sent him her location, and he promised to be there at seven after he finished with his work for the day. Mal turned off her phone and went back to sleep with dreams of the projects she wanted to do with Ben for the boy's place. At two o'clock, Mal woke up; it took her a while to remember where she was, and once again, sadness about what happened to her place came over her.
Taking her time, she went on to take a shower, smiling at the towel and toiletries with a note with her name. She also realized a bath bomb was there, and waiting no time, Mal started filling up the tub and smiling at how this would be a relaxing start to her day. Bringing her phone to the bathroom, she got into the tub and put on some of her favorite podcasts while ideas for making this room better came to her.
After the bath, Mal changed and made her way downstairs when her phone announced a call from Manny from the media management she worked with from the start of her career. The girl answered, and soon enough, they were facetiming, and the man asked her where she was. They talked every other Monday to check her schedule and brand deal deadlines which reminded Mal that she needed to tell him a new address so the brands could send her the products for her videos. Soon the girl shared everything that went on since she came back to Seattle, and Manny offered to send her the details from a real state agent that helped him find his new apartment. They talked for hours about different topics; after years of working together, Manny considered Mal part of his family, and he was sad to hear what happened to her place, knowing how important that place was for the girl.
By the time they said their goodbyes, Manny had assured her that some of the boxes she needed for her videos would arrive the next day so Mal could have enough time to record everything. Mal decided to export some of the content she filmed with Lonnie the day they went out while making dinner; however, she got distracted trying to put some type of organization in her room. By the time she was satisfied with the result and had a list of things she needed to shop for, Lonnie was saying hello and asking her if she needed help. Mal yelped scared from the sudden appearance, and Lonnie apologized for scaring and then shouted out to Ben not to worry about Mal's scream, explaining the situation.
Mal looked at the time at it was 7 pm; for a second, she wasn't hungry, but the memory of several trips to the refrigerator to eat fruit gave her the answer. She then remembered that she had promised them to have dinner ready for when they returned from work, and Mal felt horrible. Lonnie told her that Ben was downstairs cooking and not to worry about the food and then went into her room, leaving Mal there to decide what her next move would be. Ben's voice asking her to come down decided for her, and Mal made her way downstairs, ready to apologize for not only not making dinner but also eating all the fruit in the kitchen. The words died in her mouth when Ben smiled at her and moved to show Carlos and Jane standing in the middle of the living room.
The couple smiled at Mal, and Carlos made his way towards his friend and hugged her, whispering to her if she was ok being there. She nodded and went to hug Jane, who hadn't moved from the middle of the living room. Jane smiled and asked the girl what happened to her place and shared with everyone how Carlos visited Mal's place that morning and then called her freaking out about the state of the girl's apartment.
"Poor Carlos was worried sick about you, Mal. Of course, I tried to tell him that surely you were ok somewhere, but he insisted that you would have told him about what happened." The tone and look Jane was giving Mal made it clear how annoyed the girl was with her, and the entire situation and how Carlos came to stand next to his girlfriend show a united front. Next to them, Ben cleared his throat, breaking the awkward moment sharing with the couple how crazy things got the day before Jane cut him off, asking exactly how he knew Mal. "We all known each other since high school, and I don't remember hearing your name before you opened the door."
Mal understood why Jane and Carlos were annoyed with her, although the entire situation was horrible and she was trying to find her footing in all. However, she would not let them pour their frustration onto Ben. The boy not only helped her in her time of need but offered her a permanent solution giving her a place to live for as long as she needed without asking for anything in return. Sure, Mal wasn't sure she would take up the boy into making her move permanent but knowing that she had time to search for a place on her on time took a mountain of pressure off her. With that in mind, the girl told Jane who Ben was and made it clear that they were all standing in his home, so they needed to watch how they were speaking to and about him because he had been nothing but super helpful to her.
Ben rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and Mal noticed how he usually did that when he was embarrassed and she felt terrible about making him feel that way. The couple didn't apologize, but they looked ashamed who was something at least; Ben broke the silence asking the couple if they wanted something to drink. Before either answered him, Mal told him that they were going out to eat, and she told the couple to wait for her in their car while she went for her jacket.
By the time she made her way downstairs, Ben was leaning against the island with his arms crossed, lost in thought. Taking the opportunity to stare at him, Mal smiled at how handsome he was; she wondered if he was dating anybody or if maybe he was in a relationship. She shook her head, no there was no way he was in a relationship, and he hadn't mentioned his girlfriend. Something in him made her think that he would be the kind of guy that would make sure to make it clear to any girl that he was taken, and he would also make a point to spend time with her on weekends and after work. She was so lost in her head that she didn't notice Lonnie standing a couple of steps above her, smiling knowingly at her.
The girl cleared her throat, and Mal almost fell from the last step of the stair where she was standing, making Ben turn and come to her side, asking her if she was ok. Lonnie fought the chuckle that threatened to come out of her and asked Mal if she was ok just for her friend to turn, blushing to look at her, unsure what to do. The boy kneeled next to her, looking at her ankles and asking her to rotate them in turns, making her blush deeper to her joy; he didn't notice because he was focused on checking if she was ok.
Once he was satisfied, he stood and awkwardly asked her if they could talk, Lonnie hearing this, told the couple that she was going to check on the food and left them standing alone. Ben apologized for making the entire situation with her friends so uncomfortable, and Mal was shocked how exactly he came to the conclusion that any of what happened was his fault. Without giving him a chance to continue she assured him that he was innocent and that as much as she loved her friends they sometimes acted a little entitled, and she was sorry they were rude to him.
"I want to apologize for not only their behavior but because I told you I was going to cook and we could talk about the plans I wanted to show you. " Ben tried to interrupt her, but Mal put her hand over his mouth, surprising both of them. "Hey, I don't know you that much, but I'm sure that you are going to try to say that I shouldn't apologize, but I do, so just let me do it." After that, she moved her hand, and Ben chuckled but continued to stay quiet." So, I'm sorry. I promised that I will cook for all of us tomorrow and we can have a long conversation about my suggestions. Now I do need to meet my friends, and I promise to come early, so neither of you has to wait up to open the door for me."
She smiled at the boy then and made her way out of the house and into the couple's car that now looked as mad as when they first saw her. At dinner, Mal had a long conversation with her friends, and after she explained what happened and her plans for the near future, Carlos offered their place for her to move. Mal saw how Jane looked like she was about to chock on her food and politely declined the invitation to the girl's relief. Mal knew that Carlos meant well, but the couple had just moved in together at the end of last year, and they were still trying to find their own dynamic, so there was no need to put more variables into that situation.
When they were paying for the dinner, Mal checked her phone and saw a text from Ben telling her that he was working late and just to send him a text to let her in. Mal told her friends that he was going to uber home and made her way home while ordering some sweets so that they arrived at the house at the same time as her. Ben opened the door to Mal standing there with a paper bag a big smile.
They spent the next hour eating sweets and talking about their lives and ended up falling asleep on the couch. Lonnie woke up and noticed how quiet the house was at an hour when Ben usually would be taking a shower, so she made her way downstairs and saw the couple sleeping and ran upstairs to find her phone. After taking a few pics, she woke them up acting like she was just coming downstairs; Ben went upstairs to get ready, and Mal went to her room to change.
Lonnie smiled to herself and sent the pics to Jay with a message that read, "I told you." In New York, Jay looked at the picture and smiled.