I haven't updated in around two weeks, I think. Well, I'm baackkkk!!!! I had some mental issues going on, and the time pressure from having to update every week was just too much. But I'm back!

(Ben's POV)

The car ride home was silent. As soon as we stepped into the house I flopped onto the couch, shaking my hair out of my eyes, running a calloused hand through it.

It was like... I don't really know. She didn't look emotionally affected at all by the song. Not even a single teary expression! Nearly everyone else in the audience was bawling their eyes out (Mike included.) Instead, those icy blue eyes bored into mine, showing 0 emotion. Zip. Filch. Nada. I suppose the nickname 'Ice Queen' was pretty accurate. Her raven hair fell in waves down to mid-chest level, as impeccable as ever. She looked healthy, at least she was okay.

I felt a sense of disappointment, I guess. Erica and Adam had already been dating for around a month, and that was longer than we had been dating.

Before, I had been upset. Now I felt jealous, which really isn't a good thing to be. I tried pushing my feelings away, but I... I don't know. I missed calling her Lovey. I missed holding her hand. And I missed how we could watch Disney movies as full-grown adults and still enjoy them.

And now, we weren't together, and Adam was sharing those moments with her, and Adam was the one holding her hand. I hated it.

I held my head in my hands, feeling like I might start crying if left unchecked. Suddenly, a spurt of anger hit me, and I picked up a blue vase and threw it against the wall. It shattered blue and white misted pieces on the ground. The shattering sound of glass seemed to snap me out of this flux, and I hurried, trying to pick up the pieces. I cut my hand on a small piece that was a swirl of blue and white, and it almost looked like bubbles were stuck in the glass.

I stared at my hand, transfixed by the mesmerizing sight of blood falling down my hand. It was a burgundy color, and my focus was broken as a drop fell on the floor. I cursed, and picked up the rest of the pieces, walked to the kitchen with them held carefully in my hands, dumped them into the trash can unceremoniously. I grabbed a thick white bandage from a cabinet under the stove and wrapped my hand up. I think Mike kept bandages in that cabinet for sports injuries so that he could have quick access to med supplies.

I walked to my bedroom and fell onto my bed, letting the warm blankets envelop me. I just needed to fall asleep at this point.

(Erica's POV)

I didn't really let it affect me on the outside. On the outside, I had made it seem as if the effect had just rolled off, deflecting it.

Adam seemed unconcerned but had been making more of an effort, planning elaborate dates, and honestly just speeding things up. We had kissed a few times, but it felt emotionally disconnected. (I don't know if he felt the same way, he seemed to really like me.)

It just didn't feel right. However, I had the feeling that if I ended things with Adam, I would backslide to Ben, and get back together with him. Which was bad. Because he kissed Ashley and had even been seen out on a date with her recently.

Not gonna lie, that hurt me a lot, seeing him with someone else. (Although I suppose he was hurting the same way I was when he saw me with Adam.)

I didn't really understand how I felt. It was like a big cocktail of emotions, garnished with a hint of anxiety.

My mom had had to travel abroad for work, so I didn't even have her emotional support anymore. My friendship with Zoe had kind of deteriorated, and we were at the point where we weren't really friends anymore, and it just kind of happened without either of us realizing.

Zoe and I were never the best of friends, she was just kind of there when I was going through this whole Ben thing.

(Mike's POV)

"I don't understand why the chicken nuggets have to be dinosaur-shaped," I grumbled, but somehow grumbling in a good-natured way. Ever looked at Ben with wide imploring eyes. "Don't be silly Mike, of course, they have to be dinosaur-shaped." He chided me.

"Great. Now you're on her side?" I gasped in mock accusation. Ben tapped his chin dramatically with his bandaged hand. We had wisely left him to be, and he seemed to be in a much better mood after a long nap. "Hmm... let me think. YES!" I had enlisted Ever into tricking Ben into helping me make dinner because I knew it would cheer him up to spend some time with Ever and I. He had been moping ever since he had gotten no reaction from Erica during his song.

Ever giggled, and hopped around the kitchen. Despite her expansive vocabulary, she still loved playing like a little kid and acting like a little kid. She twirled around, laughing as she spun, singing a random little song, majorly off-key.

Ben smiled to himself as he got out the ketchup. I smiled to myself when I saw him smile. "She's adorable, isn't she?" Ben commented idly. I nodded absently, watching her enthusiasm light up the kitchen. "Yeah. She really is a wonder on this house." I murmured.

I turned myself back to the stove, watching the timer tick down to the last second. Beeeeeeep. I hastily grabbed my oven mitt and took out the tray of chicken nuggets. Was it unhealthy to eat chicken nuggets as a football player? Well, the season had just ended, and despite my stellar performances, the defense just hadn't been doing their job, and we didn't even make it into postseason play. But anyway, it was my cheat day, so it was okay.

I don't think Ben had to regulate his food like athletes do, yet somehow he's still ridiculously in shape. I know he goes to the gym because he needs to stay in top shape for his stunts in his spy action movies. Perhaps he just had a godly metabolism.

Anyways, I turned my attention back to the chicken nuggets that I was placing on the table. (Dinosaur chicken nuggets, I might add.)

Ever darted over to the table, and clapped her hands together. "Yay! Dinos!" She exclaimed. After being in the house with us for a while, she had brightened up and had stopped being so formal. But if she needed to be, she could be surprisingly composed.

She happily munched her chicken nuggets, and Ben slathered his in ketchup. She paused her eating and scrunched her nose at all of the ketchup on Ben's plate. "Ketchup is gwose." She informed him in a very matter-of-factly tone. Ben reeled back in shock. "Says who?!" He asked. She stuck out her tongue. "Says me. Back me up, papa?" She asked, turning her wide puppy dog eyes on me.

Those eyes had both Ben and I wrapped around her finger. I looked down reluctantly at the ketchup bottle I was about to squirt on my fries, but sighed and put it down. "Ever is right," I said gruffly. "Ketchup is gross." Ever puffed out her tiny chest triumphantly. Ben glared at me playfully, his green eyes lighting up. I felt a pang in my chest, briefly thinking of Zoe. I dismissed the thought, there was no need to dwell on the past. Right?

(Adam's POV)

Ever since that song, I knew I had to step up my game. I could see through her, and I could see how much that song had affected Erica. I could see that she was drifting closer to Ben's side. It was like an extra-long game of tug-of-war.

I loved her. I hoped she cared about me very much, but I couldn't tell. You know what they say. Nip it in the bud. And that was exactly what I planned to do. Unfortunately for Ben Ripley, I had one last ace up my sleeve. Well, actually, the ace was in my coat pocket, in a black velvet box.

"Ready for Cody's tonight?" I asked politely. "Ready as I'll ever be." She responded. We sat in silence during the cab ride, my hand occasionally going to my pocket, rubbing my fingers against the smooth velvet of the little black box.

When we arrived, I held the door for her, and I did a quick scan of the room. I noticed Ben was there. That could make things more arduous.

Erica and I chatted casually over a drink, and about an hour onto the night, I slipped the black velvet box out of my pocket and into my hand. I got down on one knee and took a deep breath.

"Erica Hale, will you marry me, and make me the happiest director in the industry?" I asked, presenting the open box to her. Her expression immediately changed from benign to disconcerted.

I sucked in my breath, waiting for her response.

🤭 cliffhanger!

AND THE PLOT THICKENS!!!!!!!!!!!! Mwahahaha I'm supremely evil to all my readers, sorry not sorry. 😈

I felt bad for not updating for a while (I had some mental stuffs going on) so I made it extra long!!! Around 1500 words! Ya got 50% more words than usual.

I looked at some demographics today, and I found out I have readers in the US, France, Australia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Canada! Pretty Dope.