golden girl (b.t.c.)

chapter ten

the train pulled into the station in downtown chicago, and eliana reluctantly pulled her hand out of ben's. it felt colder, as if something was missing. ben felt the same way. as they walked towards the navy pier, eliana turned to him. "you gave me quite the scare, ben tyler cook."

"what? i could've handled myself." he said defiantly.

eliana laughed. "the south side isn't made for people like you."

"people like me?" he said, obviously offended.

"yes, people like you. the human form of a golden retriever."

he furrowed his eyebrows. "it's the hair, isn't it?"

she reached up and ruffled his curls. "you do have the cutest hair."

he smiled at her words.

"and the pretty blue eyes help." she added.

"so i'm pretty, too?" he grinned.

"i said your eyes were pretty." she corrected. "i'd have to use a different word to describe you." she leaned against the railing at the dock and looked up at him.

"dashing? handsome? captivatingly good-looking?" he supplied.

"while all of those do apply to you,i was thinking...charming."

"like prince charming?" he asked. she nodded, smiling. ben thought about it, then nodded in agreement. "i like it."

"how would you describe me?" she raised an eyebrow.

ben looked into her eyes for a minute. "i would say you're-"

"fabulous? gorgeous? ravishingly beautiful?" she laughed, mimicking him.

ben smiled and looked down at his shoes for a second. "i was gonna say angelic."

eliana was almost speechless. "angelic?"

"you're like my angel."

"how so?" she asked. ben licked his lips. "for starters, you can totally fly."

she laughed. he smiled even wider. "your eyes are almost golden. like, they're green, but there's these cool specks of gold that sparkle in the light." he stared into her eyes. "last, but certainly not least, your smile. it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." ben ran a hand through his hair. "i mean, i don't know about you, but that sounds pretty magical to me."

eliana looked stunned. she fumbles over her words for a minute.

"ben-i-no one's ever said something..."

he stepped a little closer to her. "it's all true."

her hand went to the back of his neck and pulled him down to her. at the same time, he tugged her waist closer, and they met in the middle. as they kissed, ben's brain felt like it was melting, and eliana's entire body seemed to be set on fire. his lips curved into a slight smile and she pulled away, breathless. their eyes locked together.

"i've been wanting to do that for a while now." ben said.

"yeah."

they both giggled nervously.

as the sun set on the chicago skyline, ben and eliana walked out of the aquarium.

"i guess i should get you home." ben said.

eliana immediately snickered. "you are not walking me home. it's gonna be the other way around."

ben frowned at her. "i won't get lost."

"you ended up in the south side this morning, and i still have no idea how you did it." she laughed.

"yeah, i don't really know how i got there either." ben laughed.

"here, we'll take a shortcut." she pointed down the street to the right.

"already trying to get rid of me?"

"duh. you're gross." eliana bumped into him as they walk, and ben grabbed her hand. her stomach filled with butterflies.

"for safety." ben smirked.

a few blocks later, the hotel came into view. at the entrance, ben turned to her. "text me, yeah?"

"of course."

"alright." a small smile formed. "i'll see you soon, ellie."

eliana pressed a kiss to his cheek and dropped his hand. "soon."

by the time ben got back to his room, his face hurt because of how much he was smiling.

eliana flopped down on her bed, mind going a mile a minute.