They woke up late and decided to stay longer in bed, talking and falling back to sleep until hunger forced them to get up. Aside from some leftovers, there wasn't any food, so after getting ready, they went for an early lunch and grocery shopping. Mal had prepared a list, but they ended up buying more things, and Ben asked the name of a couple of snacks she had back in Seattle.
Mal smiled; she knew he had finished half of the bags that came to the house due to one of her partnerships and assured Ben they would be arriving on Monday. When he seemed confused, she explained that it was a partnership and that they would be coming this month and again next month. They talked about some other products that would be arriving so she could fulfill her contractual obligations while making their way back to the apartment, ready to put everything away and go out to eat. It took them two trips to get everything to the apartment from the car, and on the second one, the girls from the gym were getting out of the elevator when they were getting in, and Mal remembered the videos; both girls looked at them until the doors closed.
"Well, that's weird. I thought they wanted to say something; maybe they know you from somewhere and were trying to say hi?" Ben said, unsure what happened; aside from that it was a strange moment.
Mal shook her head and told him she wanted to show him something when they were at the apartment. Once there, they searched for the things that needed to be in the refrigerator, and after making sure everything was in, Mal gave Ben her phone on aTikTokk of him at the gym. The boy was confused and asked Mal how she recorded him, and she went on to explain the situation and show him other videos and how the comments had alerted her to them.
"So, those girls were the ones that filmed me?" Mal nodded, and Ben shook his head, annoyed with the situation. He knew people sometimes filmed others to make fun of them or how creepy guys would sometimes film girls, but he never thought someone would be filming him. Then he went into the comments and asked Mal if she had read them.
"Yeah, some are kind of weird. That said I didn't see any that weren't complementing you in some form or another, so if you need a confidence boost, you can screenshot them." Ben rolled his eyes, gave Mal the phone, and closed his eyes, trying to process the information. It made him uncomfortable that someone did that to him; when he appeared on Mal's social media or Jay's or even his friends, he was aware of it, but this made him feel bad. "Are you ok? I think you should just see if they are there when you exercise and be aware of what they are doing. I can see if there is someone we can tell about this; there must be some etiquette rules for the space."
Ben shook his head, they were just there for another month and a half, and they were lucky that they were allowed to use the space so they better not bring attention to themselves. "Am I the only one they filmed?" . The question surprised Mal; she never thought about the possibility that it wasn't only Ben who was being filmed. With that in mind, she went to the account and showed the boy several videos, and Ben recognized a couple of guys that he remembered seeing at the gym and a couple in the elevator. "Do you think we should tell them?"
"I'm not sure how we would do that, but I'll ask a couple of people to see if they have ideas." Ben nodded, and stood asking Mal if she wanted to finish putting the things away or if maybe they could do it later so they could go out and have a little walk around the neighborhood. The girl stood and shared a couple of places she wanted to visit while making her way to the room to change the batteries of her camera.
The couple made their way outside the apartment hand in hand, talking about how they wanted to make their way to Waco so they could visit Magnolia. "I saw that they have suggestions of itineraries if you are going for a day or a weekend. Do you think we can go the weekend after the bbq? Or do you think a day is enough?"
Ben told her he was up for spending a weekend away; he also heard about a couple of lakes he wanted to visit, and maybe they could stay near one when they were in Waco to make the experience extra special. They walked around for a while until they decided to find a place to eat, finishing their day with a lovely dinner just the two of them, where Mal told him how much she enjoyed talking to his coworkers.
"I have to admit that I was nervous. Some people are judgmental about my job; it's usually older people, but still, when I try to explain how I decided to make this my way of living is hard for people to understand." Ben looked shocked and told Mal that she had an amazing job that opened so many opportunities for her that most people their age don't get to live.
"Mal, you have traveled so much. Yesterday, when you were sharing all the places you've visited and how you enjoy what you do, is inspiring. Maybe it is the fact that I've seen Jay's journey to make this a career, but I respect so much the amount of work you guys put into this. I couldn't do it, and if people don't understand, that is their issue." Mal smiled and leaned to kiss him, thanking him for saying that. Ben asked her about her favorite places she traveled, and Mal started telling him how she loved her trip to Italy and how she hoped to go back next year with Evie.
"Evie sometimes gets invited to some runway shows there because of her job, so we travel together and go to the shows. Her work is always great about getting me a ticket because I give them great footage, and we sometimes share at least the more affordable versions of some of the clothes." The girl continued to share how some of her plans that weren't set in stone in dates already had itineraries ready for the moment the opportunity presented itself. "There are a few things that may change depending on the season because some are festivals, but yeah, every time I hear about something interesting, I make a note in case I visit the place in the future."
Ben smiled and shared how he and Jay talked about traveling to a couple of places in Europe, but with him working continuously to make his career more established, they didn't have a chance. "I've shared with you why I don't have student loans, which would logically make you think I could take things with more ease. I saved as much as possible since I started working because I plan to give the money back; I bought the house because it was a great opportunity, and I can profit from it."
Mal was confused, so he went on. "I don't want to owe them anything, so I save and invest most of my money. Jay met a guy that is great with this type of thing years back, they started working together, and I've followed the advice he shares with me. He was sure to get us to invest in crypto when it began, so that alone had made a huge difference because I put some money in and got out enough when it was up. That's why I managed to give a downpayment on the house."
Mal was impressed and asked the boy if he was sure to pay the money back when he knew that his family didn't need it and that they probably wouldn't stop making those comments even though he paid them back. The boy shrugged; he had thought about the possibility of them doing that, but he just wanted to make them stop talking down to him. "My cousins all work with my uncle. They make a point of showing off their fancy cars and things and talking about how better their lives are and how little they need to work while I have worked all my life. I only see them when I have to visit my grandparents once a year; It Is hilarious how they invite us to events when their friends go so that everyone thinks the family is a unit when most of them know we are not."
Ben went on to tell Mal how awful it was for him to go to those events and then go back home with his parents, that were mad with the entire situation. The boy's father would be in a horrible mood and would usually take it out on the boy until his mom would intervene. "Those days Jay would come around, so we would go out and stay late. When I started uni, the events were worst. My cousins would comment about how I should be grateful to my grandparents. After all, I wouldn't be able to go to college cause my parents didn't have money, while they didn't need anything because their parents basically paid for them to get in."
Mal felt anger taking over her; Ben continued to share how his father's mood was worse after those, but he was no longer at home, so he would ignore calls and texts for a few days. "Taking that money was a mistake. I've told you its impact on my relationship with my parents, so maybe giving the money back can fix it?"
The girl watched Ben, and she could clearly imagine how he must look as a little boy who just wanted to make things better, but giving the money back wouldn't help; she was sure about that. Taking the boy's hand, making him turn toward her, Mal kissed him, bringing him towards her to hug him; when the kiss ended, the hug continued, and Ben relaxed into her embrace. That night they sleep, both of them thinking about what the boy shared that night.
On Tuesday, when Ben made his way to their apartment, he found Mal talking to her camera while modeling a dress, and a smile appeared instantly on his lips. Since they had the talk on Saturday, the boy had started reconsidering his plans to give back the money. Mal had asked him if he was sure to give it back when he knew that it wouldn't change his family's comments and that his cousins would probably just use the money to have fun. Jay had made those comments through the years except for the part of his cousins, which was the reason he was reconsidering his plan. Ben wanted to give the money back, but the thought of his cousins using his hard earn money to have fun made him ill.
Mal twirled, showing the camera the dress, and Ben's heart grew. He was surprised at how easy it was for him to share things with the girl as time flew by, and he wondered if she would be open to going with him to visit his family on Thanksgiving. Did he want her to come with him? His cousins were horrible, and there was no chance they wouldn't try to flirt with Mal, which would definitely be an issue with Ben.
The boy was completely lost in thought, so he didn't notice Mal seeing him at the door and making his way towards him. "Hey, how was your day?"
"Do you want to go with me to visit my parents and maybe meet the rest of the family on Thanksgiving?" The words were out of his mouth before he knew what was happening; for a mili second, Ben wanted to take them back. Family gatherings with the Auradon's were not fun; if anything, they were torture. The only decent part was when he spent time with his parents, which all depended on how annoying his family was to them. Mal was too precious to be in that horrible situation; they would be mean to her, and he would kill them all.
"Yes, I'd love to." Mal hugged the boy and asked him if he needed her to search for flights or help him in any other way. Ben nodded, and she smiled brightly at him, telling him that she would bring her laptop so they could see dates and flights. The second she was out of sight, Ben cursed and, taking his phone out, sent a text to Jay telling him what happened and asking him for his advice.
Jay called him, and Ben answered as Mal came out of the room, asking him what dates he had in mind. "Oh, you are on the phone. Sorry" she whispered.
"Is Jay. I need to talk to him about something, but I usually go two days before and come back the next Tuesday. Could you also search for a place for us to stay?" Mal smiled at him and nodded, making her way back to the bedroom while Ben made his out of the apartment so she wouldn't be able to hear him.
Ben shared everything, from the couple's conversation from Saturday, his thoughts about the money, and how he blurted out the invitation when he was sure it was a mistake. Jay made a point to tell him that he was right about rethinking giving the money back as he had told him for years and also assured Ben that Mal would understand if he uninvited her. "With that said, I think it would be ok if she goes. Ben, you've been honest with Mal, so she knows the situation she will be walking in; just be honest about how annoying your family is and let her decide. We will be in New York too, so if things get ugly, just come hang with us, and we'll have a great time together."
They talked a little more, and then Ben returned to the apartment and found Mal sitting in the living room looking at her computer. He walked toward her and sat down; she turned and asked him if he was ok. "Yeah, I told Jay that you are coming to New York for thanksgiving with us. Mal, my family sucks, not my parents, well, not as much. I want you to be there, but the thought of them treating you like they do me makes me angry."
"I want to be there with you, and my family sucks, so I'll feel right at home, don't worry." Ben took her hands and kissed them, telling her that his cousins would probably make her uncomfortable, but he promised to tell them off. "Ben, I promise that we will have a great first Thanksgiving together in the end."
The boy smiled and nodded and leaned in to kiss her, hoping she was right.