Cute

Ben cast a sidelong glance at Liam as they exited the school grounds. He couldn't quite comprehend why Liam had returned to the classroom, but he felt a wave of gratitude towards him.

"Thanks for that. That was a pretty quick lie Ben broke the silence.

"Yeah, you seemed a bit uneasy back there," Liam replied.

"How did you know I lied?" "How did you know I was uneasy?" Both boys asked at the same time.

"Let's tackle mine first," Liam insisted.

"There's no chance my parents would call the hostel staff's phone," Ben replied, opting to keep silent about his secret phone, a privilege forbidden for students.

Admitting that would be like stamping "special kid" on his forehead.

"Why not?" Liam pressed.

"Now it's your turn to answer," Ben deflected.

"Well, your body language gave it away. Plus, I overheard part of the conversation before I came in," Liam explained.

Ben let out a frustrated sigh. "I just don't get Mr. Sam. He gives off a creepy vibe."

"Have you considered reporting him?" Liam asked.

"Not really. What would I say? That he grins in a way that unsettles me? They'd probably just think I'm trying to misuse my 'special privileges' to get a teacher in trouble," Ben replied, feeling disheartened.

As they strolled towards their parting point, a hush settled around them. "Thanks again for everything."

"Anytime. We're square now, right?"

Initially puzzled, Ben quickly realized what Liam meant. "Oh, about the burger? Honestly, I've let that go. So no worries." Liam nodded and walked away without looking back.

'Just like that?' Ben mused, scoffing at his own thoughts. "What did you expect? A 'see you later'? You're not exactly friends, Ben," he murmured to himself as he made his way to his room.

When dinner rolled around, Chloe joined him at the table, accompanied this time by Eric and Liam. Their presence did not escape notice; Ben could feel the whispers surrounding him. He glanced over at the popular group and noticed that half of them were indifferent, continuing to eat, chat, and laugh. The other half, however, was not as casual.

Eric settled next to Chloe, while Liam took a seat beside Ben. He attempted to concentrate on the meal and engage in the conversation, but found it difficult.

The scent of Liam was overwhelming his senses. He considered asking Liam about his cologne but hesitated, unsure if that would be appropriate.

'Given what had transpired earlier, they were friends right, weren't they? Forget it. He was overthinking again; he—'

"Ben?" He snapped back to reality, glancing up to see the three of them staring at him. "Hmn?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to order something, considering you haven't had a chance to before," Chloe said.

"Oh, not really," he replied, shifting slightly away from Liam. He needed to regain his composure; he didn't want to jeopardize his friendship by zoning out.

"What about you, Liam? Wait, never mind—you're wealthy. I shouldn't waste my money on you," Chloe remarked, taking a spoonful of her meal.

"Wow, I was counting on that," Liam shot back, eliciting a roll of the eyes from Chloe at his playful sarcasm.

"Why not go for those sausage biscuit bites you had last year? Ben could give them a try," Liam suggested.

"Good idea! I'm sure he'd love them," Chloe exclaimed with excitement. "I'll order them right now!" She hurriedly shoveled the rest of her food into her mouth before dashing off.

"Wow, I totally forgot about those. How did you remember?" Eric inquired.

Just recalled Ben enjoys sausages," Liam replied casually.

Eric turned to Ben, then back to Liam, grinning. "Alright then..."

Initially, Ben thought Liam was joking about the hotdog reference, but it appeared he was being sincere. This revelation made his palms slightly sweaty and sent a tingle through his skin.

The conversation between Liam and Eric continued throughout the rest of dinner, while Ben sat quietly, hoping they wouldn't notice the strange sensations he was experiencing.

«»«»«»«»«»«»

More than a week had gone by since that encounter. Chloe's order was indeed delicious, and Ben made sure to jot down the details of where to get it.

Liam and he hardly exchanged words, just the occasional greetings whenever the four of them crossed paths. Those moments weren't frequent, as it was usually just him and Chloe hanging out. He tried not to let it bother him, but deep down, he couldn't help it. He secretly hoped they could be friends, but that seemed like a distant dream.

"Did they leave already?" Ben inquired of Chloe, noticing that Liam and Eric were absent when she emerged from the classroom.

"Yeah, they headed out. Eric has basketball practice, and Liam's off to his drawing class," Chloe replied.

"Liam draws?" Ben asked, taken aback.

"Yep, he has drawing lessons every Wednesday and Friday. He's actually quite talented," Chloe explained.

Ben had no idea Liam was into drawing. He was curious about what other skills Liam might possess.

Chloe must have noticed the intrigue on his face because she suggested, "You could go check him out if you'd like. His class wraps up around 5 PM."

"No, that's okay. I can't just show up out of the blue," he replied, confident that Liam wouldn't appreciate the surprise visit.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Chloe said, unaware that she was contradicting Ben's thoughts.

"I doubt it…" Ben thought it best not to make Liam feel like he was being stalked, especially since they were just starting to get along. Were they even friends yet?

"Well, if you change your mind, they have their drawing lessons in the building next to the library," Chloe added. Ben simply nodded in response.

Now it was 5:10 PM, and Ben found himself seriously contemplating heading to the class to see Liam. Ever since his chat with Chloe, he had been weighing the pros and cons of visiting him.

"I'll just take a quick look inside to see how he's doing with his drawing and then I'll be on my way," Ben thought to himself as he stepped outside.

He made his way to the art classroom and peeked through the door, noticing only three students were left, Liam among them. Ben took a seat, captivated by what Liam had created.

Originally, Ben's intention was merely to glance inside, but he found himself unable to look away from Liam. He had always known Liam was charming, but now that he was truly observing him, Ben realized Liam was undeniably the most handsome guy in the entire school.

Was he being unfairly biased?

Ben continued to gaze at Liam until their eyes locked, breaking him free from his daydream. "Are you stalking me?" Liam teased, a slight smile playing at the edges of his lips.

"No… I just came to check out the new art building," Ben replied.

"The new art building? You really aren't good at lying," Liam stated bluntly. Yet, he had to admit, Ben looked pretty adorable peeking in like that.

"I thought I was better at it," Ben murmured as he stepped into the classroom. Only one girl remained now.

Liam flashed a smirk. "Come sit," he said, moving his bag from the seat next to him.

Ben settled down, his gaze fixed on the drafting board before him. It was a sketch of hair. "What are you trying to create?" he inquired.

"I honestly have no idea. I've been staring at it for a few minutes now. I usually draw objects, but I can't think of anything that resembles this," Liam replied.

Ben was taken aback by the fact that Liam was actually engaging in conversation with him. He had expected him to brush him off and remain quiet. How did he earn that nickname?

"I find it amusing that you have that nickname when you actually manage to say more than four words, like just now," Ben remarked, unable to hold back.

"Nah, I understand why they call me that, to an extent. I only tend to open up more with people I consider friends," Liam explained, packing his art supplies into his bag.

"Are you leaving?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, it's already 5:30. Classes ended half an hour ago," Liam replied as he stood up. "Let's head out," he added, making his way outside.

As Ben glanced around, he noticed that the girl he had met earlier was gone. He hurried to catch up with Liam.

"You never told me why you wanted to see me," Liam remarked.

"Chloe mentioned you could draw, and I was curious to see it for myself," Ben said, rubbing his ears in a nervous gesture.

Liam grinned. "You're adorable."

Ben paused, certain he must have misheard. Did Liam really just call him adorable?

Liam turned back, also stopping. "What?" he asked, blissfully unaware that he had voiced his thoughts.

"N-nothing," Ben stammered, moving closer to him. They walked back in silence.

As Ben lay in bed that night, his thoughts drifted to Liam. He never imagined that befriending Chloe would lead to meaningful exchanges with Liam.

Ben shot up in bed. "Hold on, what did Liam mean by that?" He remembered Liam's comment about being friends during art class, and a broad grin spread across his face.

"Could it be that he thinks of me as his friend?" Ben's stomach fluttered with excitement. He flopped back onto his bed, pulling the covers over his head.

In just one day, Liam had called him cute and declared they were friends. Beneath the sheets, Ben couldn't help but smile at the thought—Liam thought he was cute!