To say that Ben was ecstatic to be able to meet Naomi before she had to fly off to Georgia was a blatant understatement---the man was beyond eager to meet her after having not seen her much these past two weeks, even after she'd gotten back from Boston.

Mackenzie stopping by his apartment for a quick chat was not something he'd expected to encounter while Naomi was away so when his ex-girlfriend showed up a couple of days after Naomi had left for Boston, he had no choice but to invite her into his humble abode. The last time he'd spoken to her was that night at the art exposition, which was also the only time he'd ever uttered a single word to her post-breakup.

Ben was just about to give Naomi a call to ask how her night went at the black-tie event when a knock sounded at the door. Of course, Ben being Ben, hadn't bothered about peering into the peephole before answering the door but as soon as the door swung open, he'd instantly regretted the decision.

"Mind if I come in?" Mackenzie asked, peering at Ben from behind her eyelashes.

Despite the two-letter word being on the very tip of his tongue, Ben couldn't bring himself to reject her rudely so, with much hesitation, he stepped aside to allow her to stride into his apartment in her two-inch heels.

"New York's far different from Kent, isn't it?" Mackenzie quizzed as she twirled carelessly around his loft. "This little crib is nothing compared to your detached residence back home, isn't it?"

Ben's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her comment and retorted with, "I happen to like this little loft a lot. It's immensely cozy and close to everything I love here in New York."

Mackenzie snickered, though her face was faltering at his steadfast reply as she'd expected a whole other response from him. "Like Naomi?" She feebly queried, biting her bottom lip as she awaited his next reply.

Ben was slightly taken aback by her question because he didn't think that his feelings for Naomi were that noticeable---but who was he kidding? He's known Mackenzie for a long time now, long enough to know what she's like and how she's like.

She was quick to spot lies and cover-ups, far better than anyone else he's encountered so far and she was sensitive to just about everything. Sure, she appeared as a tough cookie to many but the ones who are closest to her would know that she was just a girl who dreamt of having everything in the world---a little naïve, yes, but it was one of her biggest desires.

Ben averted his gaze from the glass of water he had in his grip to the woman who was standing before him and quietly sighed. "Like Naomi."

After their little conversation a couple weeks back, Mackenzie chose to take her leave and left his loft in a flash. As soon as she was out the door, Ben had set his glass down on the coffee table and plopped down on his leather couch.

Considering the fact that Ben has known Mackenzie for a long time now, he knew for a fact that Mackenzie was not only with Chris for his fame but she was also hoping that sometime in their budding relationship, Chris would begin to truly love and care for her in the ways she'd imagined him to.

Ben truly believed Chris would actually have---perhaps---loved Mackenzie like he did her five years ago, had her personal interest in fame not gotten to her head and jeopardize her relationship with not only Chris but Naomi included.

Often times---especially after their little encounter at the art expo---Ben has always wondered what it would be like if he hadn't brought Naomi to the expo and instead took her to the movies to watch Bridge of Spies because he knew how much Naomi loved Tom Hanks.

Perhaps the mess wouldn't be as big as it was now or perhaps it would have been anyway.

Ridding himself off of these thoughts and memories, Ben drew in a sharp intake of breath and pulled himself together. Tonight was his night with Naomi---his last night with her before she departed for Georgia on Monday morning, and for some reason the man was scared out of his wits.

He was still very much contemplating if he should get her a bouquet of flowers as he was terrified at the thought of her running away if he presented it to her tonight over dinner.

He only hoped that the decision he'd arrive at before tonight's dinner would be one filled with anything but regret.

. . . . . .

"How could you forget about your date with Ben tonight?" Jennifer exclaimed as she ran amok around Naomi's house, her arms flailing carelessly like a mad woman.

Brie merely shook her head while Emma tried her best to stifle her giggles at the show Jennifer was putting on. Naomi rolled her eyes at her friend and ignored her question before returning to curl the ends of her hair.

"I've had a lot of things on my mind lately," Naomi explained, paying close attention to the hot iron in her hand. "And it's not a date!"

"You mean you've had Chris on your mind lately," Emma jested, winking at her friend as she continued to rummage through her wardrobe.

Brie and Emma were in charge of finding a dress for Naomi's dinner with Ben tonight---she couldn't opt for a casual pair of jeans, a fancy blouse and a pair of heels because the restaurant Ben had chosen didn't seem like they'd entertain anyone who came in the aforementioned ensemble. Jen, on the other hand, was in charge of ordering pizzas as well as scouting for a pair of heels that would match Naomi's dress.

"Wait---why are you ordering pizza again, Jen?" Naomi asked from her bedroom.

"Because," Jen replied, sauntering down the hallway and into Naomi's bedroom, "Brie, Ems and I are gonna be here when you get back from your little date tonight so that we can have a girls' night before you leave for Georgia with Mr. Christopher Robert Evans."

"I thought girls' night was tomorrow," said Naomi as she set the curling iron down on the dressing table before raking her hands through her curls.

"Well, we're gonna miss you loads," Brie piped up, coming up to Naomi from behind to help with spraying the mousse on.

"---and because we're super-duper clingy," Emma added, propping herself up on her elbows as she continued to lay on Naomi's bed.

"---we've decided to spend tonight and the whole of tomorrow with you because we're gonna die here when you've gone to Georgia for God knows how long," Jen said, finishing the sentence with a triumphant look on her face as soon as she saw Naomi's face breaking into a huge smile.

When Ben arrived at Naomi's apartment at six o'clock sharp, he hadn't expected her to already be down at the lobby because he'd secretly hoped that she'd be a little tardy for once in her life---this woman was always early for everything.

The poor bloke had been a fidgeting mess from the time he left his loft, so when Naomi sauntered across the lobby and towards the double main doors as soon as she saw his towering figure, Ben swore he nearly tripped over someone's poor dog because he was completely and utterly in awe of the ethereal beauty that was Naomi Jane Lindberg.

She was absolutely breathtaking; clad in a knee-length white dress with a sweetheart neckline, a pair of strappy black heels along with matching jewelries---he swore his heart nearly ruptured his rib cage from the sudden increase in palpitations.

"Well, don't you look very dapper this evening," Naomi complimented him, pulling the six footer in an embrace.

"You look absolutely stunning, Naomi," Ben murmured, earning a bashful smile from her, as his hands were still firmly wrapped around her waist.

"So, where are we going?" Naomi asked, snapping Ben out of his daze.

. . . . . .

"Chris, you are not seriously thinking about going to meet up with that she-devil!" Mackie exclaimed exasperatedly as he tried to shake his friend out of his daze.

Robert stifled his laugh at the mention of Mackie's 'code name' for Mackenzie before regaining his composure, joining his friends in Chris' living room with a drink in hand. "Chris, as crazy as Mackie usually is. . . he's right –"

"Thank you!"

" – she's probably got the paps there, waiting for you to waltz right into the restaurant and fall right into her trap," said Robert as he peered over at Chris worriedly.

Sebastian nodded in agreement, moving to sit next to Chris on the couch. "Bud, they've both got a point. We already know what she's like---you already know what she's like. The girl's probably got tricks up her sleeves and she's just waiting for you to fall right into her trap again," Sebastian sighed, putting his arm around his best friend. "Look, I know you always see the good in people, even when they've wronged you. . . but you need to see that not everyone will have good intentions all of a sudden, especially not after they've done something wrong."

Chris knew that his friends had a point---this was Mackenzie they were talking about; the woman who spread lies about him, causing him to slump and trap himself in an abyss for several days. But it could be possible that she'd probably done some reflection on what she'd done and was now ready to apologize and perhaps ask to stay friends.

"I don't know, guys. . ." Chris sighed, propping his elbows on his knees as his hands cupped his mouth. "Her text looks quite sincere and ill-free, if you ask me---"

"That's the thing, Chris! It's meant to look sincere and innocent and all that," Mackie reasoned before plopping down on the spot next to Chris.

"We're just trying to look out for you, Evans," Robert chimed in. "We've already seen what this woman is capable of. I mean, she went to the press about your so-called relationship, for crying out loud---"

"Exactly!" cried Mackie. "I'm telling you, Chris. I'm sure she's got the paps there, just waiting for the right time to snap a picture of the two of you---I don't know. . . kissing or arguing, maybe?"

"What---you think I'd kiss her after what she's done?" Chris asked, sheer confusion etched between his brows as he turned to look at his best friend.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Mackie protested, sitting up straight. "She could just catch you off-guard and peck you on the lips---that would give the paps enough time to snap a dozen pictures and head back to their HQ or whatever and write their stupid papers and spin it into rumors."

Even though Chris was very much as skeptical as the next person was, he still believed that it would be best to meet up with Mackenzie and see what she had to say.

If an apology was on the table, he'd accept it and bid her goodbye (and perhaps agree to stay friends, though not very close, of course) but if this was anything but an apology---a publicity stunt or whatsoever---he'd walk right out of the restaurant, even if it means having her yell at him in front of everyone because he was quite sure that she might just cause a scene if this meetup doesn't turn out the way she planned for it to be---whatever her plans may be.

"I'll meet up with her. . . but I'll have my guard up, I promise."

---
a/n; i really enjoyed writing the first bit of this chapter from ben's perspective because he's such a precious bean who needs to be protected at all costs 💖💗💞

and well, i guess we're gonna have more drama? idk 😌 who knows 😌