Jo was a girl on a mission.

She knocked on Ben's door, using the knock they'd established (three quick knocks, then two slower knocks), which was totally a thing friends did despite Imogen's pestering and waited for him to say, "Come in!" as he always did. But he didn't say anything. She frowned. She knew he was in his office (she'd checked with him that morning). He was probably just busy. He was the king, after all.

She took a step back and checked the picnic basket dangling from the crook of her arm for the fifth time. She'd packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Ben and a salad for herself. She'd also brought drinks. Peach lemonade for her, and a fruit smoothie for him. She'd brought snacks too for him to keep in his office in case he got hungry later in the day. She'd also brought chocolate chip muffins.

To reiterate, Jo was a girl on a mission.

She rocked back and forth on her heels. Then she checked her phone, just to see if he had canceled last minute -- it had happened before. But no, her phone was void of texts from Ben besides their morning conversation. Yes, Jo texted him good morning every day. No matter what Imogen said, it was entirely platonic.

Right?

Even if Jo did like him (which she didn't), it wasn't like they'd ever end up together anyway. Ben could do far better than her. She was some lowly girl from the Isle. At least Mal had some status thanks to Maleficent Sr. Jo was a nobody. A nothing. Why would Ben choose her amongst all the princesses in Auradon?

Why was she even thinking about this? She didn't like Ben, so she didn't have to worry about any of that.

She was jolted out of her head by the door opening. She smiled, thinking it was probably Ben, but the face who came out of Ben's office was familiar only due to pictures and press conferences. Jo's face fell and she stumbled back. King Adam. Well, he wasn't the king anymore, was he? He was just Adam. He was the Beast. Ben's father. He was the man who sent her father to the Isle over what was, at the end of the day, a misunderstanding.

They locked eyes. He was angry. The kind of angry that sent shivers down Jo's spine. Suddenly all of her scars felt fresh. She backed up into the wall as he looked her over. He didn't seem at all that impressed with what he saw. He scoffed, shook his head, and walked off. Jo released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding out of instinct.

(The less noise she made, the less likely he'd lash out.)

She tried to steady her breathing. Once she'd settled her nerves, she let herself into Ben's office. Her eyes widened. He was hunched over his desk, breathing heavily. He didn't even realize she was there until she closed the door behind her.

"Jo?" he gasped out as she rushed to his side. She dropped the basket by his desk and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. He pushed her away. "Jo. Shit. I'm sorry, I meant to cancel lunch."

"Well, I'm already here, aren't I?" Jo forced a chuckle. She furrowed her brow. "Sit down, you're having a panic attack."

"I'm fine," Ben insisted through labored breathing. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The tears in his eyes glistened. She felt a pang in her chest. She'd never seen him like this. She hated it.

Jo frowned and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Stop apologizing. I have panic attacks too, Ben. Let me help you." Ben paused, then nodded. She guided him over to the couch in his office where they usually ate their lunch. She sat down at one end and gestured for him to join her. To her surprise, he laid down on the couch, resting his head in her lap.

"Is this okay?" he asked. He was still trying to hold back his tears. "It's just, lying on my back usually helps. It resets your diaphragm."

"I've never tried that before," she said. She bit her lip and began to rake her fingers through his hair. "You don't have to talk about it, but if you want to, know I'll listen. I mean, I told you my sob story. I owe you."

Ben closed his eyes. "It's just...my dad. He gets angry sometimes." He cut himself off as the tears finally started to fall. Jo's heart broke. She wiped away his tears with her free hand. Jo didn't know what was worse. Seeing someone she cared about deeply fall apart like this, or him not needing to continue because she already knew what it was like.

He tried to talk through the crying, but she hushed him. Playing with his hair, she closed her eyes and began to sing. "When it all gets too much, I tell myself this. Somewhere, the sun is shining. Somewhere, the sky is clear and the weather is warm and it might not be here but it's somewhere." 

"Somewhere, two people are falling in love. Somewhere, a baby is growing up. Somewhere, there's music and dancing and laughter and when it all gets too much, I remind myself." 

"Somewhere, someone is thinking about you, missing you, wishing you were there. Somewhere, there's someone who loves you. It might not feel true, but it is. And someday, you won't feel this way anymore. Someday, this will just be another storm you weathered. But for today, just remember. The world keeps spinning. Time keeps moving. The sun is shining somewhere, and most importantly, you are loved."

When she opened her eyes and looked down to check on Ben, she caught him staring at her in awe. Her cheeks flushed pink. He reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I didn't know you could sing."

"I don't usually," she confessed, still stroking his head. "I hate my voice."

"You shouldn't. It's gorgeous," he assured her. For a moment, they just smiled at each other like idiots. Then, Ben sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. "Thank you for that. I'm sorry I ruined lunch."

She shook her head, chuckling and cozying up to him. "You didn't ruin lunch. We can still eat."

He glanced at the clock. "I don't know if we have time-"

"Hey," she snapped, pulling back and narrowing her eyes at him. "There is always time to eat." She jumped up and ran to get the picnic basket. When she came back, Ben had moved to his usual spot on the couch, the end where she'd been sitting moments ago. She took her usual place on the other end. They sat with their legs side by side.

She grabbed her lunch from the basket and then passed it to Ben. He took it gratefully and peeked inside. He raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you want?"

She nearly spilled her salad dressing. "What?"

"A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a fruit smoothie, and a chocolate chip muffin?" He listed off, somewhat indignant. "You're trying to butter me up."

"What? Me? Never," Jo scoffed. He narrowed his eyes and she broke, stammering, "Okay, yeah, I am. I was going to ask you about something, but it can wait."

He grinned that grin that made her insides feel weird. "No, it's okay. What's up?"

"Ben, seriously, we don't have to talk about this right now," Jo pushed. "It's not a big deal."

He rolled his eyes. "Just tell me."

She bit her lip and set her salad and her lemonade on the side table next to the couch. She rocked forward onto her knees so she was closer to him. Her hands came to a rest on her lap, clamped together to prevent her from fidgeting. "Okay, so, you know how I ran Jo's Kitchen back on the Isle?" 

He nodded, so she continued, "Well, I want to do something like that here. I want to start a business. A cafe or something. Jo's Kitchen 2.0, or a much better name. I would sell meals and baked goods. It's just, I miss feeding people. And well, I asked Evie because you know, she has her fashion company or whatever, and she said to ask you, so here I am. Asking you." She wasn't yet desperate enough to whip out the Jolie Beaumont pout, but the Jolie Beaumont puppy dog eyes were in full effect.

"Well, it depends," he said, finishing off half of his sandwich.

Her face fell. "Depends on what?"

"Will you sell pecan pie?"

She frowned. "What? Pecan pie? Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Pecan pie is my favorite," Ben explained. He smiled and laughed, putting his food down on the side table on his end. "Yes, Jo, of course."

"Seriously?" She was breathless.

He nodded, beaming. "Of course." She shrieked and shot forward. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as tight as she possibly could. His arms encircled her waist.

She held him as close to her as she could. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me." She pulled back so she could see his face, her arms still casually draped around his neck. "You are amazing. I-" And then she stopped cold because she realized if she said the word currently residing on the tip of her tongue, she would ruin everything.

"What?" he pressed, his smile faltering. She let go of him and trapped her hands between her thighs.

"It's just, I don't know how I can thank you," she half-lied. It was true, but that was not what she was going to say. Not even close. She suddenly became aware of how close they were. She fell back onto her butt, creating more space between them.

He didn't seem to get the hint, because he leaned in and gently grabbed her forearm. "Jo, you can tell me if something is wrong."

She shook her head and tried to discretely move away from him. "No, no, it's just..." She took a deep breath and managed to meet his gaze. "You're an incredible person, Ben. Possibly the best person I've ever met. You're kind and strong, and compassionate, and brave. Your father should be honored to have you as a son and a successor, and if he isn't, that is on him. That is not on you."

He searched her eyes for any sign of deception, but Jo meant what she said. They were close again. Specifically, their faces were close. She could just lean in and ruin everything. It'd be so easy.

She shot backward and rushed to gather her things. "We should get going. We don't want to be late."

She felt his eyes on her as he questioned, "But what about lunch?"

"We can eat on the way," she said breathlessly. And then she sprinted out of his office, food and drink in hand, the words she almost said playing on a loop in her head.

I love you.

*

if y'all have never heard kaylee bryant sing, look it up on youtube. her voice is gorgeous!!!

song 'somewhere, someday' written by me ;)