naive | ben tyler cook

✦ sixteen ✦

btc

btc heyyyyyy rjwww
i didn't see you at starbucks, so i'm just guessing you didn't want to eat breakfast with gianna and i? anyways, if ya need to talk about anything, text me back.

rjw oh hey ben.
sorry my phones been acting up all morning. i just got all your texts. i went to starbucks with taylor. what a coincidence! nothings wrong. just my phone 😂. see ya later.

btc HEYYY
oh okay that makes sense

rjw :)

btc after the first show, we should go get lunch! i know after this weekend, we're not going to be able to spend a lot of time together because we're recording the cast album, and obviously the tonys, and all that fun stuff.

rjw okay.
actually i just remembered that i made plans with grey to go and get lunch. sorry.

btc you're sure everything's okay?

rjw just my phone, ben.

btc no nickname today?
rylee?

•

rylee set her phone down on the dressing room table and sighed. taylor, who was adjusting her wig beside her, glanced rylee's way.

"everything okay?" she inquired.

rylee shrugged, picking at her nails anxiously. "fine. just tired."

"okay." taylor stood from her chair and went to leave. rylee brushed her hair behind her ear, biting harshly on her bottom lip as she continued to itch. taylor stopped and turned back around, placing a hand on rylee's shoulder. "rylee?"

"hm?" she met taylor's eyes in the mirror.

"if you need anything, i'm here, okay?" taylor rubbed a small circle into the girl's arm and left her to her thoughts.

taylor could tell that rylee was starting to confront her obvious feelings towards ben. not willingly, she knew. but it was happening. she wanted to tell the others, but she knew it was not her place to expose rylee while she was struggling with her feelings. so she offered to be a rock towards rylee and let it go.

rylee had a spare fifteen minutes until she needed to be in her place for the show to start. she used this interval to think.

ben. ben cook. imagine his face; pretty cute. i've always thought that. he's attractive, easy on the eyes, blah blah. i'm avoiding the problem, again. god, rylee, can't you just think straight for one second. okay. breathe. take a breath and think. ben. ben tyler cook, btc, whatever you want to call him. when you think of him, does your stomach erupt? is it supposed to? i'm not sure. how do i know? everyone says that if you get butterflies and feel all warm, you're in love. but i don't have to be in love to like ben as more than friends. logical. i just need to know if i like him. not love. okay. back on track. ben cook is attractive and cute. he's got a great personality. he's so caring and sweet and really hot, wow. he treats you amazingly, you treat him equally. he's got a warm touch, metaphorically and literally. metaphorically, again, he has a warm kiss to him. kiss, lips, lips he has nice lips. i dreamed of kissing those lips. they seem really nice, but that's not what matters. what matters is you like ben, so what're you going to do about it?

oh shit. you like ben. what are you going to do about it?