Between life and love

Bench battles

Episode 8

Mariel’s POV

“Hello, partner.”

That voice. That annoying, teasing, smirk-wrapped voice.

I froze mid-step, praying I was hallucinating. Maybe my ears were betraying me. Maybe the stress of school had finally cooked my brain. But no—when I turned, there he was. Caleb. Standing right at the gate of that newly opened house.

And he looked… ugh. He looked annoyingly good in a pair of deep purple shorts and a casual grey T-shirt. His hair was messy in that I-didn’t-try-but-still-look-fine kind of way, and I hated myself for noticing. Nope. Not today, Satan.

I forced myself to keep walking. Maybe if I ignored him, he’d vanish back into the ground like the pest he is.

But of course, I could hear his footsteps trailing behind me.

“What the heck do you want?” I snapped, whirling around and glaring at him.

He lifted both hands like some innocent angel. “Relax. I’m just walking my way.”

“Your way better not be my way,” I muttered, spinning back around.

Of course, it was my way. By the time I reached my favorite relaxation spot—a quiet open field with a long wooden bench—guess who also sat down? Yep. The human mosquito. He plopped himself on the far end of the bench, and I swear my blood pressure doubled.

Fine. Ignore him. That’s what normal people do. I pulled out my phone, but before I could even check my notifications, loud music blared from his speaker.

Geez. Of all songs, too—some bass-heavy, headache-inducing track that had no business echoing through my peaceful field. And then, as if the t*****e wasn’t enough, he started singing. Off key. Loudly.

I snapped my head around, and he grinned at me mid-chorus, waving his phone like a trophy.

Nope. Not today. I got up, walked across the grass, and sat on another bench further away. Problem solved.

At least, until I saw him walking over… and sitting right beside me again.

I wanted to scream into the universe. “Seriously?”

He just shrugged, scrolling through his phone like he owned the whole field. And then he stopped the music. Finally. Thank goodness. Maybe he’d gotten the hint.

But no. Oh no. This boy was here to test my patience. The next sound that erupted from his phone? Gunshots. Explosions. Video game violence at max volume.

PEW! PEW! BOOM!

That was it. My patience snapped. I shot up from the bench, marched straight to him, and shouted, “What is wrong with you? Can’t you be reasonable for once!?”

Caleb’s POV

Mission accomplished.

Making Mariel mad was way too easy—and way too entertaining. I swear, the way her eyes flashed like she was about to murder me was the highlight of my day.

Truth is, I hadn’t even planned on coming here. I was just wandering around since everything in this new neighborhood felt strange. Then I saw her walking and thought, why not? Better to trail behind her than get lost. And honestly, it was worth it.

She sat down on a bench, all serious, like she was about to meditate or something. I couldn’t resist. I pulled out my phone, cranked up the music, and belted along like I was auditioning for worst singer of the year.

She didn’t explode—at first. She just got up and walked away. Which, of course, made me follow.

So I upgraded my strategy. Goodbye music, hello video games. I didn’t even know what I was playing, to be honest—I just knew the gunshots were loud enough to make the birds flee.

Finally, the dragon inside her awoke. She marched at me, eyes blazing, and yelled, “What is wrong with you? Can’t you be reasonable for once!?”

Before I could even reply, she yanked my ear.

“OWWW! Mariel!” I groaned, clutching my head.

Dang, this girl was stronger than she looked. I wasn’t even mad though. Watching her lose that perfect calm mask was ridiculously satisfying.

Mariel’s POV

His ear was red. Good. Serves him right.

But of course, he had to make it dramatic. “You’re trying to kill me!” he whined, holding his ear like a baby.

“Please. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn’t still be talking.”

“Savage,” he muttered, half-smiling.

Ugh. That smile again. Why does it look so good on him? I turned away quickly, pretending to check the sky for clouds. My cheeks felt warmer than they should. Nope, I was just mad. That’s all. Definitely not because he was cute. Definitely.

He leaned back on the bench, still rubbing his ear. “You know, for someone so strict, you’re fun to annoy.”

“And for someone so lazy, you sure have a lot of energy to waste,” I shot back.

“Energy well spent,” he said, smirking again.

I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they’d fall out. “Stay away from me, Caleb. I came here to relax, not babysit a loudspeaker with legs.”

“Ouch. But don’t worry—I’m not here to babysit either. I just like the view.”

I froze. Did he mean… me?

I whipped my head around, but he was already laughing at the shocked look on my face. “Relax, I meant the field,” he said innocently, though that devilish grin betrayed him.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, standing up.

As I walked away, I couldn’t help glancing back just once. And of course, he caught me. He winked.

I stormed off, mentally vowing never to come back here if he was around. But deep down, a part of me knew this wasn’t the last time. Not with him living next door. Not with that smirk that refused to quit.

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TBC