A/N: I'm really enjoying writing this story, I hope you like it! Dedicated to pancake714 because she made me the cute cover on the side :)

Chapter 11: Sweet as a Lolly

I was sitting in a coffee shop, directly across from the one known as Benjamin Fisher.

I was more excited than was normal. It may not have been a big deal to most people, but he'd asked to have coffee with him. Was it a date? He hadn't given me any clue, so maybe we were just hanging out.

Whatever it was, I didn't care, because I was here with Ben. I hadn't known him long, but he made me smile, even when he was being rude. The only problem was, I didn't know what to talk about.

The waitress approached our table and deposited our coffee in front of the respective person, flashing us a large smile.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed cheerily.

She nodded once. "Would you like anything else?"

I glanced at Ben. He stared at me, and then looked at the waitress. "Could you bring us a slice of the chocolate lava cake?" he asked.

The waitress beamed at him, jotted it down on her writing pad, and trotted off. "Why did you order that cake?" I asked curiously. He'd even managed to pick the thing I'd been eyeing since we came inside. "I thought you didn't like sweet things."

"I don't," he replied. I nodded, prompting him to say more. He wouldn't say more than necessary unless you practically forced it out of him. "You...you just looked like you wanted it," he explained quickly, and then turned his head.

I had practically bit my lip in half from trying not to smile like a creeper, but those few awkward words were enough to make me want to hug him. "You're so nice!" I said, pleased by that aspect of his personality.

"Right," he said and made a weird face.

I wanted to laugh because he seemed like he was forcing himself to be rude to me. "You are," I said, nodding my head enthusiastically.

"Okay," he said, obviously not believing me. "You're a bit of a weirdo."

This time, I actually did laugh. "I know," I agreed good-naturedly. "It's a genetic trait - my mum was weird too."

Ben looked at me carefully. "Was weird," he repeated.

I was taken aback, because he was observant enough to pick up the past tense. I automatically reached for a napkin and began moulding it with my fingers. "Yeah," I said absentmindedly. "She passed last summer."

Ben nodded once, and didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. "Why are you still smiling?" he asked suddenly.

In my surprise, my smile shrank. "Am I not allowed to?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing. My mum was dead, okay, yeah. I loved her to pieces, but she wouldn't want me crying every day. That was why I smiled instead.

"That's not it," Ben said. "I mean, you're allowed to, but you smile like you have no care in the world. Like nothing matters but you." His tone was almost accusing.

"Actually," I said, "I have many cares, but I'd rather not be a bother to others." I smiled because my mum said it made her feel warm. I figured other people might want to feel like that too.

For a moment, Ben squeezed his eyes shut. "You're weird," he said finally, cracking his eyes back open

I shrugged. "So I've been told."

He shook his head and gulped his coffee. I wondered why he wasn't choking from the heat, because I could only take small sips at a time.

I didn't want to talk about myself anymore, so I leant on my elbows and waited for him to finish drinking. When he noticed my position, he raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How old are you?" I asked him.

"Twenty," he said, seemingly surprised by my question.

I smiled. "Me too! Actually, I turn twenty next month."

Ben looked uncomfortable. I hoped I wasn't bothering him with my chatter. "When's your birthday?"

"The third," I replied. "The third of November!"

"Then this is your second year at uni?"

My grin grew. "Nope, this is my third year. I just started school a bit young."

He nodded. "Cool," he said simply.

I took a deep breath - it was a good thing I was pretty talkative, otherwise this would've been a disaster. But then, the waitress glided our way with an enormous plate of chocolate lava cake, and my words died in my throat. "Oh," I said, my eyes widening. "Thank you very much, miss!" She shot me a smile and peeked at Ben before scurrying off. I couldn't blame her for looking - Ben was really handsome.

"You're drooling," he said and snorted, a faintly amused look on his face.

"I'm not!" I cried, but smiled anyway, because I loved it when he wasn't scowling at me. He was a handsome guy even when he frowned, but when his face was all kind, all bets were off.

"You are," he argued, gesturing to my chin.

I knew he was trying to bait me, so I crossed my arms and leant back in my chair. "Not," I said childishly and even stuck my tongue out at him. But let's be real, I was also making sure I really hadn't drooled. It was possible, though, because that cake looked more beautiful than anything I have ever seen before in my life.

I worked at a bakery, sure, but that didn't stop me from admiring creations from other places. I wasn't cheating on Good Eats, not at all. Just...checking out the competition.

Ben's forehead wrinkled as he watched me. "You were checking for drool, weren't you?" he asked after a beat.

I looked away. "No," I squeaked. When I peeked back at him, it seemed like he was struggling to hold back a smile. I bit my lip. I wanted to hear him laugh again. "Okay, I was," I said, throwing my hands up in the air. "Go ahead. Laugh it up."

He took one look at my pout before he began roaring with laughter, his shoulders shaking with how much he was laughing. It made me happy to see him laugh like that, and the sound was such that as soon as I heard it, I had to giggle along with him. When the noise died down, I still had a faint half-smile on my face.

"Oh Christ," Ben said, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye. "Why did that make me laugh so much? You're such a dummy."

I didn't even mind that he'd called me dumb, because he definitely didn't mean it. "I know," I said. "My mind tends to dim when I'm around others of higher intellect."

Ben did that tough-guy thing that guys do, you know? The one where a half-smirk lifts up one corner and they crack their necks, looking unbelievably cocky.

"The waitress looks like she's studying at Oxford," I continued innocently. He froze and glared at me, but there wasn't much heart behind the look. I snickered behind my hands.

"You're funny," he said.

"I know you want to smile," I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

And for some reason, he did.

***

"Thank you for paying, Benny!" I said, as we made our way outside the coffee shop.

He nodded, burying his hands inside his jeans' pockets. "I invited you, of course I paid," he muttered.

"Well, I'm happy anyway," I told him. "That means I get to buy more packs of mini M&M's at the market today."

He half-laughed and half-huffed, following me down the sidewalk. "How are your teeth not rotted from all that sugar?"

I laughed. "I brush my teeth, genius."

"I don't think I like it when you make fun of me."

"Don't be sensitive," I teased, nudging his arm. "That's what you get for inviting me out." Now, since I knew Ben better, I felt comfortable enough to be a bit cheekier than usual.

"Maybe I should just stay at home," he said, using his hand to push me further away from him.

I held back a laugh. Every time I walked too close, he'd awkwardly reach around and scoot me about two feet away. A safe distance, I suppose. "But you'd miss me."

"Most likely not."

"Probably," I agreed. Ben didn't really need me, 'cause he was all tough guy and whatnot.

This time Ben was the one nudging me. I was so surprised that I wobbled off balance and would've fallen if he hadn't caught my arm. "Did I push you that hard?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

I laughed at his annoyance. "No, I'm just clumsy," I said, allowing him to help me.

"Okay," he replied warily.

There was silence for a moment. I needed to fill it up. "Do you live at school?" I asked.

"No," he said.

He wasn't one to offer up information, but I was getting used to it. "If you don't mind my asking, where do you stay?"

"Clark and I share a flat nearby."

"Yeah?" I said curiously. Jesus, he took a man of few words to the next level. "That's pretty cool."

He nodded at me. I wished he would smile a bit more, because I absolutely loved it. It made his whole face light up. But I supposed that was why I liked his smiles so much - because I rarely saw them. It made them special.

Since the coffee shop was only a couple of blocks away from uni, Ben just walked me to my room, since he had a lecture to attend.

"Hey, Benny?" I said, right before he walked away.

He inclined his head to me, acknowledging my words.

I smiled at him. Not like my regular cheesy grins, but one that tried to tell him something. "Thank you," I said.

His voice rough when he replied, "Alright," and then quickly walked away.

Ben was strange. He didn't speak much, nor did he smile, and he was extremely snappy. I didn't mind too much, though, because that little blush I caught as he turned away seemed to make all my efforts worth it.