Ben stood up and groaned when he saw Lauren, a little too excited, ringing his bell and waving at the ring camera. Mal came to stand next to him and asked him if it was Emily's granddaughter. With everything going on, Ben forgot that the next two weeks were going to be Emily's son's turn to have his kids with him, and that would mean that the woman would share with her granddaughter that Mal was living there with them. The boy shared the information with Mal and apologized for forgetting to share the information with her sooner, but Mal told him not to worry.
"I knew living here this could happen, so better sooner than later, I guess. I'll go upstairs to change. I rather not meet her in my pj's." Ben nodded and waited for her to get upstairs before opening the door and saying hello to Lauren.
The girl smiled brightly at Ben, which she always did, and shared with him that they had just arrived at her father's house and she was just coming here to say hello. Ben nodded and said hello, asking her how was her time at her mom; part of him felt bad about having the entire conversation standing at his door, but if there were a chance for the girl to leave Mal alone, he would try. Lauren didn't seem to mind at first and went on with a couple of stories about school and her friends; however, by the end of the second story, the girl decided to share that her grandmother told her about Mal and she was here to meet her.
Ben nodded and told Lauren that he understood she followed Mal on social media, but it was Sunday morning, and maybe it would be better for her to meet her later. The girl argued that it was almost ten in the morning, and Mal usually woke up early on Sundays, so it was the perfect time to meet. The boy managed not to groan; this girl would be a problem for Mal, but as he was about to ask her to leave, Mal opened the door behind him, telling him that it was ok for Lauren to come in. The teenager gave Ben a smug look and went inside; Mal squeezed his arm, mouthed a thank you, and followed Lauren inside the house. Ben made a point to turn towards Emily's house and shake his head, he couldn't see the woman, but he was sure she was watching the interaction.
Lauren saw Lonnie sitting eating her breakfast in her pj's, then noticed the other two plates with the two mugs next to them and, for the first time, wondered if she was intruding. Then she turned toward Mal with an accusatory expression on her face. "In your vlogs, you are always done with breakfast and going on with your day by this hour. Did you lie?
Lonnie rolled her eyes at Lauren even though the girl didn't see her because she looked at Mal. Still, she explained to the girl that Mal was sharing breakfast with them because they like to spend Sunday morning together to share news about their week. Lauren didn't turn to see Lonnie but told Mal that she saw her IG live with Ben and his friends and told her that she was free to help with some of the projects. "My friends can help too; we'd like to be part of the videos, and we can post them on our socials to boost the engagement."
Again Lonnie rolled her eyes, and this time, Ben made his way toward her, unsure how to stop Lauren but sure that Mal was the only one who could hopefully handle the situation. Mal nodded at Lauren and thanked the girl for the offer but never agreed to let her join the videos. The girl seemed not to notice at first and went on to talk about how her friends were coming to visit her that day, and she would be back with them so they could get to meet Mal.
Lonnie and Ben fight the urge to facepalm themselves, and Mal smiled at their expression, making Lauren turn toward the couple to see what is happening behind her. Mal cleared her throat and told the girl that she would meet her friends another time because she planned a chill day with Ben and Lonnie. Lauren told her not to worry that they would just stay for a little while, so there was no need to give them a specific day, and this time, it was Ben who told the girl that today was just for the three of them, so they wouldn't be able to see her friends.
Lauren seemed taken aback and turned to say something to Mal, but Lonnie had made her way next to the girl and asked the girl to please leave because their breakfast was cold, and they had plans for the day. The girl huffed and made her way out of the house and Mal felt terrible for the girl that seemed to be upset about their request to leave the house. Lonnie's voice took Mal out of her thoughts, and soon she was wondering what exactly happened with Lauren that morning.
"I've never seen Lauren act like that. She is usually shy when she first meets people, even at school. I know she doesn't have a lot of friends but a few close ones. Today she acted like she owned the house, and the way she invited herself to be in the videos and bring extra people was really out of character for her. I guess we will have a visit from Emily soon enough to clarify the situation because Lauren will tell them what happened this morning. Mal, before your brain even goes there, let me say that you shouldn't feel bad for not accepting whatever Lauren tried to do here today. Ok, with that settled, can we heat the food and have a relaxed morning?" Mal wanted to say something, but she knew that Lonnie was right, and in the end, the three of them warmed their food up and talked, getting to know each other more.
After they ate, they decided to go out and visit one of Mal's favorite museums, but when they were making their way out, they saw Nick, Emily's son, signaling them to wait for him. Ben took a couple of steps in front of the girls; Nick didn't usually come to talk to them, always busy with work or doing things around his house. The boy assumed he was coming to speak with them about Lauren, and if the man wanted to say something, Ben rather he was the receiver of any complaint or comment about what happened in the morning.
Mal came to stand next to him, and when he tried to walk away trying to shield her, Mal put her hand on his arm and told him that she wanted to hear what the man wanted to say. Ben turned to look at her, ready to ask her to please let him talk to Nick incase the man was coming here with a wrong impression of what happened that morning, but Mal stood her ground. Lonnie soon was next to them and waved at Nick, who was finally a couple of steps away from them, and told him that they were leaving and if they could talk later.
"I was just coming here to apologize for Lauren's behavior. Hi, you must be Mal." Nick offered his hand to Mal, and the girl took it, and they shook hands, sharing a pleasant smile. "I didn't know that she was coming here to see Mal this morning; my mom told her before she came this weekend that you were here, and apparently, she shared the news with her friends. Sadly, other people overheard her, and some girls who are usually mean to her invited themselves to come here because they thought she was lying. I'm not telling you this so that you stay and meet them; honestly, I don't want to meet them. I just wanted to assure you that Lauren is a good kid; she just made the wrong decision, but she will be fine, and I hope that in the future, you two can get to know each other." With that, Nick said his goodbyes and made his way back to his house, leaving the three of them feeling sad for Lauren.
"Well, he is really good at making people feel bad without trying. I wonder if it's a skill that one develops after being a parent." Lonnie said, and the other two nodded. "So what are we doing? Because I'm guessing we are not letting Lauren have one of the worst days of her life while we go to a museum."
Ben turned to look at Mal and told her that she didn't have to do anything, and the girl appreciated his words, but she told him that she would feel horrible leaving Lauren alone with that mess. "I still don't want to meet the girls, though; it is like they are being rewarded for being horrible to the girl."
The boy shared an alternative with them; they took Lauren to the museum, and Mal posted pictures with her. That way, everyone would know that she wasn't lying, and Mal didn't have to spend time with the other girls. They all agreed and got into the car, went to Lauren's house, and talked with Nick; the man thanked them but asked them if they were sure. He knew that they planned to have the day to themselves, and it wasn't right for Lauren to interrupt their day; in the end, the girl and his younger brother Joshua went with them, and the five spent a great day together. Mal talked to Lauren, and the girl shared what happened, but also assured her that she had never given her address to them but knew that it wouldn't be difficult for them to find out and apologized to the girl if in the future they found Ben's house.
Mal assured her that it was ok; she knew it was a possibility but also asked Lauren to please tell her if they were mean to her because she would see the way to help her. Once they talked they turn to see Ben chasing a laughing Joshua, and Mal couldn't help but smile at the scene.
"Ben is always nice to us. I remembered when he moved to the neighborhood because my grandma was spying on him, and Joshua and I were curious about him too. One day she finally decided to talk to him, and we joined her; it was fun he showed us his almost empty house and shared his plans. Joshua sometimes asks him to play catch when dad is late from work, and if Ben is at home, he always agreed. I've always thought he was hot, my girlfriends have crushes on him, so when we saw your IG live they were freaking out. He never posts in his account, so they are happy that you are going to have some content with him." Lauren laughed, and Mal turned with a smile to look at the teenage girl and then at Ben and she understood why her friends found him attractive.
The day went on quickly and soon they were making their way back to the kids house, Ben helped carry Joshua inside the house while Lauren said her goodbyes to Lonnie and Mal. The boy made his way back to the car and drove the small distance to their house, the minute they arrived the three went inside and collapse on the couch. They ended up having a great time but never made it to the museum, they went to an arcade so Joshua, who was ten, could play, and soon enough they all joined the fun. After that, they went to a big park so that they could take some shots for Mal's IG and then posted a few tagging Lauren and soon the mean girls DM her and she ignore them.
Lonnie's phone rang and the girl made her way back to her room living the couple alone. Ben turned his head to look at Mal and told her how he was grateful for the way she handle things with Lauren and Joshua. "They are great kids and is good to know that Lauren understood why is important for you to have privacy."
Mal smiled at him and asked Ben if he knew that he had a little fan club making the boy laugh. "You are talking about Lauren's friends right?. I think they like me because I'm nice to them and older, they wouldn't like me if I was their age they would find me boring."
The girl shook her head, but Ben went on to tell her that he enjoy having a quiet life. "Days like today are my perfect day, go out with friends to a quiet place, maybe a museum on rare occasions a bar but I'd be equally happy to just stay home and watch a movie or do something in the house. I've seen some of the boys that hang out with Lauren that she friendzone and I remembered how I was just like them at high school. So, yeah they like me because they imagine I'm whatever they want instead of seeing how the boys that are their friends are just like me and age-appropriate." He laughed again and stood asking Mal if she wanted something to drink or eat before they made their way upstairs.
Mal looked at Ben and shook her head standing up and making her way toward him. "You know they may not realize that there are Ben's their own age surrounding them but that doesn't mean that they are wrong liking you. Ben, you have a special quality to make people comfortable and are always looking out for others without realizing it. I also think today was a perfect way to spend the day and spending a day at home with the right person would make it a great time."
The girl stood looking at him and Ben found it hard not to ask her if she wanted to spend a day doing those things with him without anyone else. Lonnie's voice asking them to please bring her some water when they make their way upstairs broke the moment and Mal laughed nervously saying that she was going to get the water for Lonnie. Ben said goodnight and went into his room frustrated about the entire situation, he wanted to ask Mal out, to be able to spend more time with her being open about what he thought of her but he knew that this wasn't the time. They needed to get to know more about each other he was done jumping into a relationship and Mal living with him was still an issue.
Still, that night both of them dreamed about spending a day like today without anyone else and had a great night's rest.