"I had no idea he could act like this. I hardly recognize my best friend anymore," Eric said, attempting to grasp Liam's hand, only to have it swatted away. 

Since morning, Liam had been fixated on the door, eagerly anticipating Ben's arrival for breakfast. The previous night had been a dream for Liam—kissing Ben, receiving his gift, and officially becoming boyfriends filled him with immense joy. He longed to see Ben. 

"I can't believe he's just sitting there waiting for him so they can eat together. Whatever happened to the cool Liam we know?" Casper exclaimed dramatically. 

Liam merely rolled his eyes, a broad smile breaking across his face as he spotted Ben entering and grabbing his food. Their eyes locked, and Liam waved for Ben to come over. 

It felt like déjà vu, but this time, it was his boyfriend calling him over, sending a flutter of joy through Ben. 

Ben knew that kiss would be etched in his memory forever; it was the best he'd ever experienced. A warm flush crept up his cheeks as he made his way to their table. 

"Hey, I was waiting for you," Liam said, playfully tousling Ben's hair. 

"Sorry, I overslept yesterday," Ben replied, his face still flushed. 

Casper cleared his throat. "We're still here, you know. Are you finally going to introduce your boyfriend?" 

"Everyone, this is Ben, my boyfriend. Ben, these are my friends," Liam said, taking another bite of his food. 

"You're actually dating?" Darla exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise. Liam simply nodded. 

"Wow, it's really happening!" Chloe squealed with excitement. 

"Right, not that it matters to me, but what’s going on with Jess? I hardly see him anymore," Bia inquired. 

Casper stared at his meal with a frown as Darla mumbled away, "I seriously doubt he’ll dare show his face here after what happened." 

"Huh?" Bia chimed in, but Darla only continued to frown in response. 

Meanwhile, Ben quietly dug into his food, letting the others carry on the conversation. He felt relieved that things hadn’t spiraled out of control like they had the last time he found himself at this table. 'That’s right, Natty,' he mused. It had been a while since he’d seen her with the group, and Mel was also absent. He decided he would ask Liam about it later. 

Once breakfast wrapped up, they all went their separate ways. With the weekend ahead, they didn’t have much planned. Ben and Liam strolled over to the school area and settled down on the pavement. 

"I haven't seen Natty around, where is she?" Ben inquired. It wasn't that he was particularly concerned about her; he was just curious about when the next wave of drama would hit. 

"Heard she had a falling out with the others during our walk the other day. She’s found a new friend group," Liam explained, leaning in to throw his arms around Ben’s shoulders. 

"Oh? What was the fight about?" 

"She was being her typical self, trash-talking Chloe and you, so they stepped in to defend both of you." 

"They defended me?" Ben thought about how few interactions he’d had with the group, aside from Eric and Chloe. He couldn’t believe they would feel compelled to defend him. 

"Yeah, they did," Liam replied, puzzled by Ben's astonishment. 

"Oh." 

“Are you serious? You thought they didn’t like you?” Liam questioned, noticing Ben’s slow nod. “They totally do; they just have a quirky way of showing it. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough,” Liam reassured him. 

“Speaking of which, you’re going to introduce me to Rex, right?” Liam couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy, not wanting Ben to think less of him for feeling that way about his cousin. 

“Of course! I promised Rex I’d introduce him to Chloe and my crush,” Ben replied. 

“Your crush?” Liam’s face lit up with a grin. 

It dawned on Ben, “Oh, um, yeah, I mentioned to him that I had a crush on you.” 

“You’ve had a crush on me all this time?” Liam was taken aback, recalling his doubts about Ben’s feelings when he was ready to confess. 

“Yeah, but I figured you were straight, so I kept it to myself.” 

“Turns out I’m bent as fuck,” Liam chuckled. 

“You actually curse?” Ben exclaimed, his eyes wide. This was the first time he’d ever heard Liam use a swear word, but he didn’t mind it at all. 

“Yeah, I just don’t make a habit of it,” Liam replied with a grin. 

Ben pondered for a moment. “So, when did you start liking me?” 

Liam reminisced about the day Ben first approached him with a request to swap lunches. "I found you both cute and intriguing when you asked me to trade. And when I discovered that Chloe wanted to be friends with you, I was thrilled at the thought of seeing more of you." 

Ben beamed, relieved that Liam hadn’t found him bothersome from the start. 

"Looking back, when that rumor circulated and I mentioned I wasn’t interested in a relationship like that, I was specifically referring to friends with benefits. I think I didn’t want that kind of relationship with you." 

Liam gazed at Ben and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I’m so happy you’re my boyfriend." 

Ben’s cheeks flushed with a rosy hue as he leaned in to kiss Liam on the lips. "Me too." 

Liam wrapped his arms around Ben’s waist, deepening the kiss. It was slow yet passionate, and Liam wanted Ben to truly feel how much he cared for him. 

Ben found himself nearly in Liam's lap, but he didn’t mind at all. He craved more of this kissing, indifferent to the possibility of others witnessing their affection; he simply wanted to savor this moment. 

Eventually, they parted. Ben glanced down at Liam, now comfortably settled on his lap. "You’re a good kisser," he murmured. 

If you looked closely at Liam's cheeks, you would notice a subtle blush. "That’s because your lips are delightful." 

Feeling a bit bashful, Ben asked, "Will you read with me tonight?" It was evident that when he got shy, he tended to ramble and switch topics.

Liam chuckled. "Of course, I will." 

After exchanging a few conversations, kisses, and warm hugs, Liam and Ben strolled hand in hand back to their school. By this point, their budding romance was the talk of the entire campus, even though they had only officially started dating the day before. Liam's exuberant nature had made sure everyone was aware of their relationship. 

Later that evening, following some reading time, Liam walked Ben to his room and decided it was the perfect moment to ask him on a date. 

"I’d love to take you on a date, but since we can’t go beyond the school gates, how about a picnic instead?" Liam proposed, having already mapped out the details in his mind and simply waiting for Ben’s yes. 

Ben beamed and nodded enthusiastically. 

"But don’t worry. Once exams are over, we’ll go out during the holidays. There’s a special spot I want to show you," Liam added, hoping to reassure Ben about their current limitations. 

"I’d really enjoy that. Anywhere is fine as long as it’s with you," Ben replied, stepping closer to plant a soft kiss on Liam’s lips. 

Liam gazed at Ben with intensity. "I really want to kiss you right now, and not just a sweet peck." 

Ben’s cheeks flushed as he looked down, then scanned the area for a dim corner. Grasping Liam’s hand, he led him there. 

With a gentle yet passionate motion, Liam captured Ben’s lips with his own, his hand resting on Ben’s waist while the other caressed his cheek. Ben let out a soft moan as he felt the warmth of Liam’s embrace. 

Liam kissed Ben with such intensity that it felt as if their mouths had merged into one. He wasn’t joking when he remarked on the sweet taste of Ben’s lips. As he playfully nibbled and gently bit them, he drew soft moans from Ben. Liam then shifted his attention to Ben’s neck, kissing it passionately. 

“I think…” Suck. “We should…” Suck. “Stop now…” Kiss. “I’m getting…” He glanced down, prompting Ben to do the same. 

“O-okay,” Ben replied, knowing he was equally affected. 

Hand in hand, they left that place, both thinking about only one thing: a refreshing cold shower.