Mal was standing outside Ben's office waiting for the boy when Carlos's voice calling her name made her turn. When she finally saw her friend, she noticed Carlos and Jane hand in hand while waving to her and signaling her to walk towards them. Looking at her phone, she decided to call them, making the couple look at her funny.
Carlos laughed awkwardly when he answered, asking her why wasn't she coming toward them instead of calling them, and Mal explained that she was there waiting for Ben so they could go out to eat together. At that moment, Ben came out of the building and called her name, and she turned, smiling at him. She took a couple of steps to get closer to him and then gave him a quick peck on the lips. Ben noticed the phone and asked if she was in the middle of a call because she had lowered the phone, so Mal grabbed his arm, showed him where Carlos and Jane stood looking at them, and told Ben she was talking to them.
Mal put the phone back on her ear and told her friends that she would see them another day, and saying goodbye, she ended the call. Ben asked her if she wanted to say hello to them, and Mal declined, assuring him that they would probably end up eating with them if they did that. "I love them, but I haven't seen them in a while, and knowing them, that subject will monopolize the entire conversation. I want to have a relaxed lunch with you today, ok?"
Ben nodded, taking her hand and kissing it; he asked Mal if she wanted to go anywhere special. Smiling brightly, the girl hugged his arm and started guiding him to a little restaurant she saw on her way to see him that caught her attention. When they were outside the restaurant, Mal asked him if he was ok with trying something new, and he smiled at her excitement.
However, before they walked inside, Carlos's voice came from behind, calling Mal's name again, making the girl groaned. She knew this was a possibility, but she was hoping they would have a chance to have another nice date. Turning Mal smiled and said hi to her friends; the couple hugged her and asked her how she was doing with her arm. They had seen several of her stories with the cast and called her when she was in New York. Mal had explained everything that happened, and they continued to talk about getting together, but they never decided on a day, so she was waiting for a time when her cast was off, or at least she wasn't so busy with deadlines. The only reason she was out today was that being with Ben made her relax; it was like he had the power to help her see things in perspective; also, she missed the boy when she went away and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.
Mal assured them she was ok and that they were in a little hurry because Ben had an hour to eat and go back to his office, and they wanted to have a little walk before returning. The couple nodded, saying hello to Ben for the first time and apologizing for not doing it before they explained that they were worried about Mal and suggested that they all have lunch together to catch up. Ben took Mal's hand in his, told the couple it was a great idea, and motioned them to go in first. Jane looked at the restaurant and told the couple that she was in the mood for sushi, and there was a great place a couple of blocks away, taking Mal's arm and started walking while asking the girl how things were going.
Ben turned to follow them and was about to stand next to Carlos when the boy took a few quick steps and walked next to Mal. Shaking his head a little, Ben smiled; he knew that the couple was not ill-intended; instead, they genuinely missed Mal, which he could relate to. Mal stopped walking, telling the couple they were being rude to Ben and turning, she reached for the boy and took his hand. Again the couple apologized; they didn't mean to exclude him; they just were used to walking that way when they were out with Mal, so it was like second nature for them. Ben took Mal's hand and assured the couple that he understood and asked them if they could give them a minute so he could have a private chat with Mal, and they nodded, walking away.
"Mal, I think it is best if you go out with them and we can do something tonight. Just the two of us, ok?" Mal shook her head, but Ben told her that he knew the place Jane wanted to go, and it usually was packed, so there was no chance they wouldn't be waiting for a table, and he needed to return to work.
"Then we go and eat something just us, and I'll tell them that we can go out with them another day," Ben asked her to see their point of view; they missed her and wanted some time to talk. Mal looked annoyed, and Ben promised her that they could have lunch in the place she wanted the next day and still do something that night, just the two of them. Jane called their names, and after excusing herself for interrupting them, she said they needed to start walking toward the sushi place so they could have a good table. Ben felt Mal tense, and he told Jane to start walking; they would be behind her; the girl hesitated and moved towards them just for Carlos to call for her to walk with him.
"Come on; I'll walk you to the restaurant and say goodbye to them." Mal agreed, and they made their way to the restaurant in silence; the line for the place consisted of at least 20 people, and they saw Carlos and Jane standing in the back talking. Before standing in front of the couple, Ben raised Mal's hand to his mouth again and kissed it, making the girl smile at him and again telling her that they would have some time for them later that day. Finally, standing in front of the couple, Ben told them that he was leaving but hoped they had a good time; and although it was quick, he noticed Carlos looking at Jane and the girl looking uncomfortable. Still, Ben powered through that and said his goodbyes just as two girls from his office waved at him, obviously making their way back to the office with what looked like their lunch.
After Ben left, Mal tried to start a conversation just for a couple of girls standing close to them to turn and ask her for a photo. The conversation with them and some other followers that walked and saw them lasted enough for the group to get a table. Mal and her friends were about to sit down when the girls invited them to join them at their table, not ready to end their conversation, and Mal agreed.
Mal loved meeting followers, and the girls were such kind souls that she felt horrible about declining, so they all ate together and had a great time, and in the end, she paid for the meal. After they said their goodbyes, Jane and Carlos asked if she wanted to walk around for a while, and she agreed. They went to some stores and talked about the things there and then Carlos told them that they needed to go to pick up some groceries, so while making their way to the store he asked Mal where she was traveling next.
"I'm not sure; I'm not really looking forward to traveling for now. My arm is better, and the cast is going away soon, but I miss being home." Carlos and Jane exchanged a look, and the girl fought the urge to roll her eyes. They always thought they were subtle with their nonverbal communication when in reality, they were terrible. "So, I'm guessing both of you have thoughts about that, and I appreciate that you are not sharing them." Mal finished that with a smile making the couple roll their eyes.
We are worried about you, Mal. You used to travel and go out with friends and us; now you are spending a lot of time in the place you are staying. Mal looked at Jane like she had three heads. Was she kidding?
"Are you kidding? First is my home; I live there, which makes it my home. Also, I've always enjoyed spending time at home, I do go out with friends, maybe not as much, but I've been busy. I've traveled to several places, I understand that we haven't gone out like we used to, but that's a two-way street, Jane." The girl looked like she wanted to say something but didn't, and Carlos took that chance to ask Mal if she was staying in the city the rest of the month because he was planning something for his birthday. Mal nodded, and the conversation centered on his plans and the people he would invite.
After sharing the rest of the day with the couple, Mal texts Ben to ask the boy to pick her up before going back home. The boy and Lonnie called her when they were outside the couple's place, and Carlos told Mal to ask them if they wanted to spend some time with them before going home. When Ben and Lonnie came into the apartment, Mal welcomed them with a hug and told the boy that they didn't need to stay long. "We can still have the mini date we talk about if we leave soon."
Ben nodded, but they didn't know then that Jane had already ordered food so they could all stay for dinner. The couple had felt bad about the situation they had created in the afternoon and wanted to have a chance to spend time with the boy so they could get to know him, and this was their best opportunity. Carlos also used this opportunity to invite the boy and Lonnie to his birthday celebration. When they finally made it back to their house, all of them were exhausted, so without many conversations made their way to sleep.
The next day Mal woke up late and saw a note from Ben telling her that he would wait for her to have lunch and the place she mentioned the day before. When the time came, Mal made her way to the boy's office and sent him a text, he answered telling her to go ahead to the restaurant, and he would meet her there. A couple of minutes went by, and while Mal was checking the menu, Ben came and after giving her a quick kiss, he apologized for his delay.
"So a weird thing happened today at work, and I'm nervous about sharing." Mal looked at him funny, but she felt an uneasy feeling starting to grow in her stomach. "Do you remember Maddie? She is one of the new seniors on my new team. Well, she is supposed to help train some people in the new office opening in Austin next month, so she needs to leave in two weeks and stay there until the last week of October."
Honestly, Mal didn't remember Maddie or that there was a new office opening in Austin that would need the girl to leave for almost three months, but she was dreading the reason why Ben was sharing this information. The waitress chose to come to take their order at that moment, and Ben asked if she could order for both of them since he didn't get a chance to see what he would like. Mal did that and turned towards the boy doing her best not to look as uneasy as she felt right then; however, she wasn't doing the best job because Ben, instead of continuing his story, asked her what was wrong.
"Is just that I don't remember Maddie, so I'm a little confused. Could you finish your story, please?" Ben looked put out but nodded and continued to share that Maddie was great at her job and he was learning a lot from her. So Maddie was ready to leave in two weeks, but she would take this next week off and return the week before leaving.
"Well, the big news is that Maddie's boyfriend proposed to her yesterday. They've been together for years and already live basically like a married couple, so they don't want to have a big celebration because they rather have the money to travel. They plan to marry at the courthouse and then go on their honeymoon, which honestly sounds awesome." Mal nodded; she never dreamed of a big wedding but hoped to have a great European honeymoon whenever she gets married.
"Josh is about to start a new job in October, and he is leaving his current job next month, which would give him a little over a month free. Do you see where I'm going with this?" Mal nodded slowly, and she was feeling uneasiness again but decided to focus on how the story would continue. "Well, Maddie is great at her job, and they know that if they denied her that month off she would just quit and go on her way and probably find a better job whenever she was ready to come back. So, she is leaving for Austin in two weeks, and then she is returning and taking time off."
The food came, making Ben stop his tale and thank the waitress. It seemed like the boy was done, but Mal needed him to tell her if he was going to leave for Austin for close to two months and leave her behind. "Ben, could you finish the story?"
"Oh, sorry. So, I'm not in a Senior position, but they need all their other seniors for projects here, so they will send me to finish training. This is an excellent opportunity for me, Mal; they will pay for an apartment there, and it is a new experience. Plus, I've never been to Austin, and I'll get to explore a new city and maybe travel a little on the weekends? I don't know. " Mal forced a smile; she truly wanted to be happy for Ben. This was a great chance for him to grow, and the fact that they chose him was a testament that they had big plans for him.
That's amazing; I'm happy for you. Maybe I'll visit you while you are there." She couldn't help herself; she would miss him and hope he would be open to that idea. The smile on his face made her feel better, and her appetite returned.
"Well, I was hoping you could do more than that. I know it is a lot to ask, but maybe you could come with me for a while or the entire time?. We could explore together, and you could film it for your vlogs; I don't want you to feel like you have to decide now." Mal smiled brightly at him and nodded.
They ate, talking about what they knew about the city, and time flew by; walking hand in hand, their made their way back to his office. After saying goodbye, Mal started looking at hot spots in Austin that she would love to visit because she was going with Ben.