When it came time to pass around the jollof, Nana spoke up. "This dish is new to the table because it was made by Ben's friend Iris here, I'll let her tell y'all about it," she said, looking at Iris expectantly.

Iris widened her eyes, not expecting to be put on the spot as several pairs of eyes swiveled in her direction. Ben flashed her an encouraging smile. Taking a fortifying breath, she cleared her throat slightly. "Um...this is called jollof rice. It's from Ghana. I guess it's kinda like red beans and rice, or jambalaya," she added, relieved when the confused stares turned into curious nods as they eyed her jollof.

"Is it spicy?"

Iris turned to the voice, surprised to see it came from Ben's dad, who was staring at the jollof, intrigued.

"Ah, no sir, I don't believe it is too spicy. I made it milder than usual," she replied, slightly flustered.

He nodded pensively, his expression one of anticipation. Nana chuckled lightly. "I'mma let y'all eat now since y'all are practically salivatin'," she said, taking a scoop and passing it down the table. As people took curious bites, a few gulped down a couple sips of water while most of them glanced at Iris in surprise. Murmurs of "wow", "it's delicious", and "she made this?" rippled around the table, warming Iris' heart at how they dug into the rice with relish.

"What'd you say your name was again?" Ben's father asked.

"My name is Iris, sir," she replied nervously.

"Hmm. Well. I hope you enjoy yourself, Iris. It's nice to meet you," he said, a hint of a smile gracing his face.

Iris smiled wider, a more genuine one, especially when Clarissa also warmly welcomed her.

Ben leaned over again. "Told ya," he said with a knowing grin.

Iris smiled shyly and bent her head, the warmth whetting her appetite as she ate heartily, conversing with those near her. It took almost no time before she was even laughing merrily with his father, whose exterior had melted away entirely upon finding a topic he and Iris enjoyed. Unbeknownst to Iris, the handsome young man next to her was watching all of this between bites with a proud, content smile.

After everyone had sufficiently stuffed their faces, they began to spread out into different areas of the house. The people who wanted to watch the Thanksgiving football game spilled into the large living room and passed around snacks. Others went outside to soak up the last few rays of the autumn sun while the children took the chance to play with each other again before they had to go home. Iris helped Nana and some of the others in the kitchen to clean up and wash the dishes, despite Nana's fervent protests.

When Iris finished, she wanted to say goodbye to Ben before leaving when she passed by the room where the game was being played. A football fan herself, she paused in the doorway, deciding to watch until halftime since she knew she'd miss most of the game driving back, and she had sipped some wine at the table. She didn't have the courage to sit with the others since she didn't really know them that well. She silently cheered for her team until a play when the opposite team had intercepted the ball and taken it to what seemed like a touchdown. Thanks to her father's former profession as a soccer referee, she had learned to pay attention to small details very quickly.

While everyone groaned at what they thought was a touchdown, she mindlessly spoke, eyes glued to the screen. "His knee was down before the ball broke the plane. It's 1st and goal, ball at the one, not a touchdown."

Realising belatedly that she'd said it out loud, she tore her eyes away from the screen to see a few of the family members looking at her in surprise. Sure enough, the commentators and referee on screen both confirmed her observation.

"How'd you see that in the pile of limbs?" BJ, Ben's father, asked in pleasant surprise. After their dinner conversation, he was much more willing to speak with her so he spoke up first.

"Um...my dad used to play, coach, and referee soccer, so he taught me the same thing when watching football," she replied quietly.

Impressed murmurs rose with her comment. Ben, finally spotting her, walked up, whispering that he'd been looking for her. BJ looked at his son.

"Did you know your Iris here watches football?" he asked.

Glancing at Iris, he looked back to his dad. "Yeah, I knew. She likes a lot of different sports."

"Did you know she's also got Instant Replay eyes?" BJ asked with a chuckle, alluding to the system the NFL used to play back and zoom in on disputed plays.

Surprised, Ben glanced at Iris again. "No…?"

BJ filled him in on what happened. He turned to Iris in pleasant delight, eyes twinkling. "You should stay and watch the game then!"

Nods and murmurs of fervent assent rippled around Iris as everyone encouraged her to stay. Heart warm but still worried about imposing, Iris tried to refuse. After some more encouragement, she finally agreed, allowing Ben to take her by the arm and lead her to one of the couches that a couple of Ben's cousins cleared immediately so they could sit together. A bag of chips was thrust into her hand and a few unopened bottles of beer were placed before her to choose what she liked.

"Looks like I'm probably staying in Rosewood overnight," she thought to herself as she picked up a bottle and popped the top off with her teeth to the rowdy amusement of Ben's cousins.

Next thing she knew, Iris was thoroughly enjoying herself once more around Ben's family as they cheered and booed at the screen as the game went on. By the time the game ended around midnight, she was utterly exhausted yet full of affection thanks to the warm welcome that Ben's family extended to her the entire time.

After saying goodbye to the people who were leaving in their cars to go home, she was back in the sitting room when Nana strolled up to her. Nana found her alone and engrossed in her phone, eyebrows scrunched in deep thought.

"What're you up to, honey?" Nana asked, breaking her reverie.

"Oh, hi Nana," Iris said, looking up with a smile. "I'm just trying to figure out whether I should call a ride back home or to a hotel in town for the night."

Nana peered over at her phone, noting the lack of available cars on the map. She grinned as an idea began to take shape in her mind. "I have a spare bedroom no one uses, why don't you stay over tonight?"

Iris looked up sharply, surprise apparent in her eyes. Nana pointed at her phone.

"See? There's no one even workin', much less available," she said.

Iris considered for a moment. She felt like she had already imposed on Ben and his family, and now she had to rely on their hospitality again to spend the night. She contemplated sleeping in her car for a few hours until she was okay to drive, but Nana shot the idea down immediately.

"I will not have anyone out in that cold when there's a perfectly warm room inside my house," she protested vehemently. "I've got unused toothbrushes, toothpaste, and spare clothing you can sleep in, and I can put your clothes in the wash right now so you can wear them again tomorrow if that's what you're worried about."

Iris shook her head. "That's not necessary. I have an overnight bag I keep in my car for work emergencies."

Nana brightened. "Then that's all the more reason why you ought to stay! You can drive home on your own in the mornin' after you're refreshed instead of worryin' about how to get your car back even if you do get a cab."

Iris looked down at her phone again. She refreshed her app screen one more time, just to see that there still were no drivers available.

Ben, passing by after seeing off all the others, overheard the conversation. "What's goin' on?" he asked, walking into the room and flashing Iris an easy smile.

"I'm trying to convince Iris to stay the night in that spare room," Nana said, giving him a pointed look and raising her eyebrows.

Catching Nana's meaning, Ben grinned. "Well of course you should stay. I'm not going anywhere myself tonight. A lot of us crash at Nana's every year, don't think you're imposin' or nothin'."

Iris looked a bit distressed, thinking they were just showing their normal hospitality. While she was lost in thought, Nana surreptitiously elbowed Ben, tilting her head slightly toward Iris' direction.

Ben sat down next to Iris, getting her attention. "Look, I wouldn't have asked you here if I didn't want to see you. And you haven't overstayed your welcome, trust me. You'll know when Nana doesn't want you around," he said as he and Nana shared a chuckle. "Stay over, make yourself at home, and you can be refreshed to go home tomorrow morning...or I guess later today. How 'bout it?"

Iris thought about it. She didn't really have much choice, and she would have been lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to spending more time with Ben, even if it was just a few more minutes in the morning before she left. After a moment she nodded, only half reluctant.

"Okay. Thank you Nana for letting me stay the night," she said, looking gratefully at Nana and Ben in turn.

They both grinned so widely at her that she idly wondered if their faces hurt. Their joy infectious, she found herself smiling too, even when she was immediately led to the door of a spare room, BJ smiling knowingly at Ben before bidding Iris a warm goodnight.

"This can be your room. Ben's room is right next door," Nana said, pointing at a door to the left side of the spare room with a smile. "I figured you'd wanna be close since he's the one you know the best. There's spare toothbrushes and travel sized toothpaste in the medicine cabinet of this bathroom too," she finished, pointing at an open door across the hall.

"Thank you, Nana," Iris said before Nana bid her goodnight. After Nana left, Iris remembered that her overnight bag was in her car. Ben insisted on going with her to get it, so she reluctantly agreed.

As they walked out of the now quiet house, Ben and Iris remained silent, both lost in their own thoughts. Iris retrieved her bag, thankful she didn't remove it from her car when she'd left home. Ben insisted on carrying it, so she let him as they walked slowly back to the house, neither of them in a hurry to part. When they got to the spare room, Ben handed her the bag.

"Um, if you wanna wash up before bed, you can use that bathroom, I'll go use another so you can take your time," he said awkwardly.

"Oh, thanks," Iris said, shy all of a sudden. After a beat, she continued. "Well... goodnight Ben. I really enjoyed myself thanks to you today."

Ben grinned widely. "I had a great time too, I'm glad you're here. Good night, Iris."

With that, Iris went inside the spare bedroom and Ben went down another hallway. Coming back out after dropping her bag inside the spare bedroom, Iris scurried quickly into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a shower before bed.

Slipping back into the room and under the warm covers, she heard the sound of a door closing from the adjacent wall, knowing it must have been Ben returning to his room. She smiled to herself as she stared at the ceiling, absolutely amazed at how her day had gone. Never in her life did she expect to be here, in Ben's grandmother's house, spending the night with her college crush in the next room after spending Thanksgiving with him and his extended family.

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