Brand deals started being a reality, and Mal soon started with the renovations; most of them were done during the week by her, and some days two guys she hired with the money Mal expected to earn from the videos. She was so happy to see that the series previews were giving her more views than she had initially foreseen, and soon, Mal realized that Ben's dream plans had a great chance of becoming a reality.
For two weeks Mal focused on painting the dining room and finishing the living room; she installed some floating shelves and searched for some decor to make it look finished. Mal wanted to change the carpet too, but that would be expensive, and they weren't in bad shape, so she just put it on her list as something to see in the future. Now she knew Ben used only half of his garage and wanted to do something cool with the other part, but her next task was the kitchen. That was going to be a problem because they use their kitchen constantly, and taking out the cabinets and painting them plus making some changes to the island was going to take time and make it unusable.
At night they would eat together at the island; even though the living room was ready, they still needed to find the right table and chairs, Mal thought about ordering one, but the delivery time was too much for her impatient self. So they were planning to check out some garage sales and thrift stores to see some that they could DIY, which would be one special video. In the two weeks, Mal posted on youtube and some IG reels and cut some little videos of Ben and his friends for him to post on his IG. The boy was confused as to why he needed to do that; he never posted things about his house, but Mal told him that it would help her, so he did. Just like Lonnie predicted, the power of Ben once again showed itself, and her views and subscribers increased.
On Friday, after Mal was done for the day and was making dinner, Jay called her and told her that he wanted to help with the renovation. "I know Ben isn't going to accept my money, but the least I can do is give you guys a hand. So, is anything you need help with?"
Mal told him about her plans for the kitchen, and Jay told her that he would help. "We can do the job in a week between me and Ben's friends. I've done work like that before, and it is not a big deal; we just need to wait for the paint to dry. I can also help with the bathroom renovation that I assumed you guys are doing cause it really needs it."
The girl laughed, Jay was right, but she didn't have enough money for that part yet, and she didn't want to lie to Ben about the expenses vs. income; she promised that the projects would be done without using extra money even if she knew the money would come in eventually. After she said that, Jay went silent and told her that he would visit next week to do the kitchen and talk about the rest when he was there; Mal said ok but told him again that she was not lying to Ben. The boy chuckled and went to tell her that she was right not to do that because relationships are built on trust and then said his goodbye, and the line went dead. Mal didn't need to see herself in any mirrors to know she was blushing; why exactly did Jay say that to her?
In the last two weeks, Mal and Ben got closer. Lonnie always said her goodbyes after dinner to talk to Jay, except for Fridays when they all watched a movie. Still, in the nights she went to her room, Mal and Ben spent hours downstairs, each working on their things and sharing stories. Mal couldn't deny the many nights she stayed up later than she needed just to have more time with the boy that was starting to be an important part of her life. Even Carlos had made comments about how all her stories ended up in one way or another, mentioning Ben even though the boy wasn't always part of them.
Mal remembered the first few times they did that. Ben called and told the girls that he wouldn't join them for dinner because he was working late. Lonnie and Mal prepared their food quickly and ate while talking about their day; soon after, Jay called Lonnie, and Mal was alone. At first, her instinct was to take her laptop and go to her room to finish her editing, but the couch called her name, and Mal loved how near the snacks were. That's how Ben found her two hours later; when he arrived at the house tired and hungry; he was shocked to see Mal there. He knew that Mal usually worked late in her room but seeing her there made him wonder if maybe she was waiting for him and the possibility made him smile.
The girl was startled to see him, and when he asked her what she was doing, Mal told him how the couch was a great place to work because of the snacks, and Ben agreed sharing with her that he usually stayed downstairs working for that exact reason. That night they talked while Ben made his dinner and then continued for hours; at one point, the boy went upstairs to change, and Mal was done with work, but she knew he would come back down, so she decided to start with her next video. By one, both of them closed their laptops and walked upstairs in comfortable silence; the boy walked behind Mal and stopped when the girl turned to say goodnight. They were closer than they expected, and for a second they just stared at each other with shy smiles wondering what would happen if they leaned in but neither of them made a move.
After that night, even if the three ate together, both of them changed into their pj's and went downstairs to spend time with each other. At some point they realized that they were ahead of their schedule work because neither wanted to be the first to go upstairs, so they would talked or even play some board games. Mal's phone ding, and she saw a message from Jay asking her to please send him her detailed plans for the kitchen and the bathroom so he could look them over. The girl felt the urge to roll her eyes at the mention of the bathroom but decided to send them to him; in the end, if Jay could convince Ben to let them put the money upfront, things would go faster.
The door opened showing Ben and Lonnie walking in. The boy was wearing a casual outfit, and the way the light hit him made him glow; Mal blinked making herself focus on Lonnie and what she was saying instead of him. Lonnie went on to tell her that Jay called her a couple of minutes ago, telling her that he had changed his flight and now he was coming on Sunday morning. The girl's excitement made Mal smile, and she could see Ben was looking happy about the news. In the time she knew Jay, she had never seen her interact with Ben, but the way he talked about his friend, she knew their dynamic would mirror one of brothers.
Lonnie went to her room to change, and Ben asked Mal about her day; the girl remembered that she didn't make dinner and asked him if he wanted to order something. "How about we order something and pick it up? Lonnie is going to call Jay again, so we have time."
Mal nodded and smiled at the fact that they would get some alone time. "Yeah, that sounds great. Let me get my jacket, and we can go." She made it two steps up the stairs and turned to ask Ben if they were going to order now or when they were waiting, and she found herself an inch away from Ben, who was coming up behind her. The step made them be the same height, and Mal could swear that the boy was looking at her lips, making her blush; then their eyes met, and she wanted to lean. In a split second decision, Mal started to lean, and so did Ben, but again Lonnie's voice broke the moment, and both of them moved back blushing and feeling awkward. Ben took a step back and almost fell off the step and Mal went to help him and almost fell too. Lonnie was coming down the stairs asking them if they were ok, and Ben told her that he had just slipped and Mal was helping him.
"Oh right, Be careful, Ben. So how about we go out to eat?" Ben looked at Mal, and the girl avoided his gaze and nodded to Lonnie telling the girl that it was a great idea and that she would change and be back in a second. Ben turned to look at Lonnie, and the girl was focused on her phone, and even though he felt disappointed, he knew that it wasn't the girl's fault, so he just told her that he was also going to change and would be back so that they could leave. By the time he made his way downstairs, Mal and Lonnie were laughing on the couch, and he smiled at the scene and wondered if he imagined Mal leaning towards him a few minutes ago and hoped that she wouldn't feel upset about him leaning in.
They ended up having a great time, Mal called a few of her friends and by the time they made it to the rooftop restaurant, they were all waiting for them. Ben noticed how a big part of the group were taking pictures or talking to their cameras, and he assumed these were the people Jay would find most things in common. Lonnie seemed to think the same and came to stand next to Ben and lean her head on his arm saying how all this situation made her miss Jay. Ben nodded, and putting his arm around her, he followed the group as they all went in and started doing their thing, they were welcoming but at the same time they already had their dynamic and soon enough Ben, and Lonnie felt left out. They ate and have a couple of drinks, and now the group was planning to go to another place to have a late night and the couple decided to go back home.
"Hey this was fun, but Ben and I are going to go home. Are you ok to make your way back alone?" Before Mal could answer Lonnie one of her friends, Miranda, told the girl that Mal would stay at her place, so there was no need to worry. Lonnie looked at Mal for a second a little taken aback, wondering if Mal had planned that when she invited her friends. Sure, they all had a good time but if Mal wanted to spent time with her friends, they could've had a lovely time just her and Ben. Lonnie had noticed how they were getting closer, and she was happy for Ben, but at this moment she wonderd if the girl was interested in her friend or just like the fact that he was close and available.
Lonnie nodded and went on his way to meet Ben, who was awkwardly listening to a couple of girls openly flirting with them. Part of her wanted to laugh at how obvious it was that he was not interested in their advances. Still, she decided against it because these two girls who were friendly with Mal were flirting with Ben, making it clear that she was wrong about the girl being into Ben. "Mal is going home with one of her friends, so we are free to go."
Ben nodded, and after a quick goodbye to the girls in front of him; he made his way out with Lonnie. At first, Lonnie was a little confused as to why Ben didn't say goodbye to Mal, but when they were in the elevator, she saw his expression fell, and the boy looked disappointed. Lonnie wondered if Ben thought the same about those two girls flirting with him and decided to be upfront and asked him what he was thinking. "Mal ditched us the second she was with her friends, and from what I heard, they usually go out, but Mal was so busy with the renovation that she hadn't joined them lately. So, she is not into staying home like she told me when we talked. Then and I know you know this, Lonnie. We have been getting closer, but I've lost count of the number of times those two girls who seemed really close to her flirted with me. So, maybe I'm wrong and they are not close, but maybe I was wrong in thinking that we were getting closer. Either way, things are not as I thought, and I need to protect myself cause I don't want to get hurt again Lonnie."
Lonnie hugged Ben and stay like that until the elevators door opened, and they made their way out. "We can kick her out if you want; I'll get her stuff out of the house tonight."
Ben let out a sad chuckled and put his arm around her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "No, she can stay. I think is good that I have clarity now. Also, the house is a mess and we are in the middle of renovation so let's not act irrationally."
"I know you don't care about the renovation Ben, is ok you can handle this as you wish. I promised not to do anything to make things awkward, but the second she hurts you, I'm taking her down; remember I know self defense." That made him laugh, and he gave her another kiss promising to always be open with her about his feelings.
They arrived at the house, and even though it was late, Lonnie didn't care and the second Ben went to sleep she called Jay. It took her a couple of rings to wake up her boyfriend, but once she was sure he was paying attention Lonnie told him everything that went on that night. From the almost kiss Mal and Ben shared, yes she knew about that it was an accident that she broke the moment, to their conversation in the elevator after their outing.
"Well, that took an unexpected turned. I think Mal likes him, but I don't know her that much honestly. Whenever I saw Mal in New York she seemed cool, and whenever I saw her videos, I always thought she would be a nice match for Ben. She did seem like someone that enjoy spending downtime alone, but vlogs only show you a part of the live of the person, so there was really no way to know her through that. Look, Ben is right he needs to protect himself but let's hope he doesn't completely close himself to the possibility of a relationship." Reluctantly Lonnie agreed and told Jay how excited she was to see him tomorrow. After hanging up, she texted Ryder and Azis, telling them that Ben needed a distraction tomorrow and that they should come by the house to take him out. They answered a couple of minutes later asking her if something had happened, and she just told them that there was a "Mal issue" and they promised to be there at nine to get Ben out.
Lonnie woke up the following day to Ben laughing, and she smiled. She changed quickly and made her way downstairs where the three boys were talking. Lonnie said hi and asked them what their plans were and after a couple of minutes of talking the four of them were out the door ready to have a fun day. They did many things, and by the time they decided to go to lunch, they got together with some people from Lonnie's work. One suggested they go to a Pinball arcade bar, "Shortys," that sold hot dogs and food like that and it sounded so unique that they all agreed.
Mal made her way to the house after having brunch with her friends; she had a great time, but realized that even though she missed going out with them if she had to choose, she would rather have a movie night with Ben and Lonnie. At brunch Rachel and Susie asked her about Ben's relationship status; both of them found him cute, and even though they made it clear they were interested, the guy didn't seem to like either of them. Miranda, who was closer to Mal and realized how the girl watched the interaction between Ben and the girls, told them that he was off-limits and gave the subject as finish. The night before, a tipsy Mal had shared her feelings for the boy with her and how she was sad that he didn't spend time with them that night.
Mal was disappointed to find it alone when she got to the house, so she sat on the couch and wondered where her roommates were. Taking out her phone, she checked her IG, and to her surprise, Ben and Lonnie had stories up, so she went into her finsta to see them. They seemed to be in an arcade with friends; the little videos showed them playing and drinking. There was a boomerang of Ben cheering with his friends and then drinking a bottle of beer, and another on Lonnie's stories showed a larger group laughing while trying to take a picture. They looked happy, and Mal wished she was there with them; she couldn't help but go through the tags trying to see more photos of Ben and if he was closer to any girl.
Taking advantage of her finsta, she screenshot several pics of Ben that she liked from his account and some of his friends, including Lonnie, and sent them to Evie. Soon the girls were talking on the phone, and Evie told Mal that she needed to have a conversation with Ben now that she realized she saw him as more than her roommate.
