Friends/friends with benefits to lovers
Pairing: Beau Maxwell x reader
Warnings: none, just obvious attraction, some jealousy and swearing
Authors note: First one-shot! Listening to Rihanna really inspires me lol. Also, my first language is not english so there might be a few mistakes
Tonight was supposed to be a nice night out where Iâd have a few drinks, dance, and enjoy the night with my friends.
But a certain football player had other plans.
As soon as we arrived at the hockey house I was greeted by the sight of Beau surrounded by the gorgeous model-faced girls that name themselves as puck bunnies.
I didnât hold a grudge against them, of course not. The brunette boy had always been kind, even when girls made it painfully obvious they were flirting. So they were not to blame.
Itâs just that if this exact scenario happened a few weeks ago, I wouldnât have cared. I wouldâve brushed it off and went to get a drink. Not giving the situation any second thought.
At the end of the day, Beau and I have been friends longer than I could remember. With my mom being his momâs best friend it was only natural for us to become friends too. After all, we were together in diapers, in scratched knees, heartbreaks and now during the both stressful and bohemian college life. Always by each otherâs side.
But things were a lot different now.
The lingering touches and soft smiles from across the room started getting to me in a way that was not the casual one I was used to.
Stupid Beau and his stupid fucking smile.
Thanks to this, things started getting more charged between usâor maybe thatâs just me reading too much into itâ. The casual brushes of his hand, the way his shoulder bumped mine whenever he walked past, the hugs that lasted just a second longer than they used to⌠started igniting a tiny spark in my insides.
This dynamic went on for what felt like years.
Until the tension cracked in one party at the hockey house, where we somehow âsomehow as in, thanks to alcohol, reckless choices and bold flirting passed off as jokesâ ended up making out in Deanâs room. Things couldâve escalated into something more, but we were interrupted by the roomâs owner with the company of two girls âbold, if you ask me.
Next thing, our friendship turned into this complex relationship where we kept it casual. On paper, we technically could be with other people, but in reality, we always went back to each other, no matter what or who approached usâor who we let in for a few minutes.
It was kind of a torture, though. Beau was the golden boy, girls gravitated toward him without him having to do much more than smile, because he just had that energy that pulled you in.
So I was forced to watch puck bunnies flirt with him, smile too hard at his stupid jokes and touch his arm at any chance they got. And of course he seemed to enjoy it, hell he enjoyed the fucking attention.
âgirl, you will bore holes into his head if you keep staring like thatâ I heard my friendâs âSashaâ voice, she was sitting next to me, and even if I wasnât looking at her I knew she had that amused expression she always had whenever I got too intense about this Beau situation.
âIâm not staring, Iâm justâŚâ my gaze averted just when he looked up in a brief moment, of course he noticed, I saw the smug smile that crept into his lips when our eyes met. He kept looking at me and subtly pulled the girlâs hand away from him, still gentle but dismissive.
He enjoyed seeing me like thisâgetting under my skin by handing girls drinks, drawing them into conversations about football that they faked interest in, let them touch him and lean in too close while laughing until I was done and went anywhere else, just for him to follow me immediately and tease me about it.
But at this point I didnât fucking care. Because even if he let other girls hit on him with shameless comments âeven if he never played alongâ, I knew that by the end of the night heâd be by my side trying to ease the tension in my body with his hands on my waist and lips on my neck.
Sashaâs voice took me out of my trance, âwait, I donât understand anymore, are you guys casual or-â
âcasualâ I confirmed too fast to sound as nonchalant as I wanted to, it was obvious I cared.
âright, casualâ she repeated while nodding as if she agreed, but she didnât sound convinced. âand casual means⌠staring at each other like theyâve personally hung the whole moon and stars?â
I was going to deny it, but any retort that came to my mind sounded too weak to defend myself, because deep inside I knew she was kind of right.
So instead, I just stood up, taking her hand to pull her to her feet, âletâs go dance, youâre getting delusionalâ
Sasha noticed I just said that to deflect her comment, I knew it thanks to her knowing smile, but fortunately, she didnât say anything else and just followed me to the dance floor.
We got there just when the song changed, Donât Stop the Music by Rihanna started blasting in the room. Sasha and I immediately lit up because, honestly? this song is amazing, just perfect to dance without looking like youâre overdoing it.
Sasha threw her arms over her head and swayed her hips in perfect beat, her hand held mine forcing me to follow her moves. Within seconds we were laughing, singing along the chorus without a second thought, surrounded by people doing exactly the same.
The bass vibrated beneath my feet, making it impossible to stay still.
Right before the chorus, Sasha held my hand up and made me swing around in my place, before flashing me a mischievous smile and stepping back. I tilted my head to the side, confused, until I felt that familiar scent behind me.
One hand slipped around my waist, as I felt him move slowly against me, his breath against my ear and his warmth enveloping my body.
I didnât stop dancing, but his presence made me self-aware of my own moves.
âyouâve been glaring at me all night and now youâre dancing like that wouldnât make me want to take you somewhere private.â his voice was low, just enough for me to hear over the music and still send chills through my whole body.
âas if I would let you take me somewhere elseâ I said, trying to keep my tone calm even if my stomach did that weird flip just from having him this close.
He hummed amused, like he knew that even behind my fake confidence, deep inside of me I was folding. âmaybe⌠but you know I wonât let you be here all by yourself looking as stunning as you do right now and let any asshole approach you like they stood a chanceâ
His tone was calm, sure of himself as always. But it still held that tiny bit of something else, something deeper I couldnât really put my finger on. But still, I tested my luck.
âJealous much?â I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, even if I played it off as a teasing question, I was really curious if Beau Maxwell, the guy who was always easygoing and never showed any deep emotion, would feel a tingle of jealousy at the thought of me with another guy.
And fuck me if that thought didnât make my chest tighten in excitement.
âI think that the jealous one is someone elseâ he pointed out while swirling me around and stopping me with both hands on my waist when I was facing him. We were chest to chest now, I could feel his usually steady heart skip a beat when I met his eyes.
His gaze was intense, the usual spark on his eyes was now blurred by something darker. Like he was feeling a lot more than he usually gave away.
âI am not jealousâ it was a weak defense. But I didnât care anymore, his touch was making me more drunk than alcohol did, and his eyes made me want to do every reckless move that my impulsive brain was suggesting right now. âI just find it ironic how you point out the idea of me with another guy, while you let any girl that approaches you treat you like their life-long friendâ
A soft chuckle came out of his mouth and it both irritated me and made me want to kiss him senseless. âIâm not into them and they know it⌠and you should know it tooâ
Our conversation was starting to get longer than it should be, and it was hard to keep it intimate in a dance floor, so he gently slid his hand in mine and took me to the kitchen, it wasnât empty but not crowded either, just enough people for us to talk without worrying about anyone interrupting or the music blasting over our ears.
When we stopped, I crossed my arms, leaning into the kitchen counter and continued; âoh, should I? Iâm sorry, how stupid of me to think that youâre into any of them even if you let them flirt with you, touch you, make them laugh and- fuck, even get them drinksâ I hated how even if my voice was thick with amused sarcasm, the soft crack in my tone gave away how much I actually cared.
And he noticed, of course. But he just smirked.
Damn fucking charming smirk of his.
âyouâre jealousâ he pointed out again, making me roll my eyes in annoyance. âitâs okay, sweetheart. I mean, if a dude tried to get into your pants? Iâd react even worse, thank god that every guy around here knows better than to mess with youâ
That shouldâve annoyed me even more, and I really wish it did. But how sure he was of himself, and how he was just straightforward about anything was one of his many traits that made him attractive.
âso youâre the reason why any time Iâm near a guy he just vanishes like I was a ghostâ all those times that I tried to approach any guy âeven if it wasnât with any flirting purposesâ and they just left with stupid excuses made sense now, but before, I did wonder if I was the problem. âwhy did you-â
He cut me off right away, he still had that smirk on his lips, but his demeanor was more serious now as he slowly took a few steps closer, enough to rest his hands on the counter at either side of my hips. He backed down enough to be at eye level with me âI didnât do anything, but theyâre not stupid enough to try and flirt with you.â
Even if he looked calm on the surface, there were tiny details that just someone that has been watching for a while âas in, meâ would notice, like how his jaw was clenched, like the mere thought of it made his blood boil. And hell, I loved it. I loved seeing his control slip away even if just for a second.
âoh, really now?â I leaned in slightly, suddenly feeling smug. âand why is it that they canât get near me, Beau? I mean, Iâm not takenâ I didnât directly say weâre casual, but the hint was clear.
And it got to him, I knew it by the way he held tighter onto the edge, his knuckles turning white, as if trying to ground himself.
âyou know whyâ he grumbled, his tone thick with emotion.
Our eyes met again, and all the smugness from earlier melted away in that intense rush in my veins that pushed me to kiss him, or maybe slap him. Or both.
I was about to deflect his accusation with a dismissive comment but he cut me off before I could even open my mouth.
âWill you keep downplaying my feelings or are you finally admitting that Iâm a goner for you?â he finally asked, his voice tinged with tiredness and a hint of fondness. âall those girls⌠are meaningless next to you.â I was stunned to say the least, Sasha would say âwhy does it surprise you? it was obviousâ and maybe it was, but hearing it straight from Beauâs mouth? it just hit different.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Words failed me.
He mustâve noticed that I was out of words because then he added; âYouâre it for me.â
And something about the way he said it, how he expressed his feelings with such vulnerability and yearning made me shift into my own feet. Trying to ease the feeling that was burning inside me.
âand Iâd be damned if you didnât have me for the rest of your life⌠or even for one night, I donât even care anymore I just⌠I lo-â
I didnât let him finish, crashing my lips onto his in a desperate kiss. Trying to pour everything in it. Months of longing, and jealousy, and uncertainty, all for it to melt into this.
A kiss that was both sweet and heated, like we couldnât decide which one to stick to.
His hands squeezed my waist gently, anchoring himself, almost as if he couldnât believe this was happening.
My hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer âif that was possibleâ wanting to feel him in every inch of my body. Wanting to drown in him, his warmth, his scent, his everything.
Finally we broke apart just enough to catch our breath, because apparently, we needed it to live; but even so, he rested his forehead against mine, like he didnât want to pull away fully. And honestly? I didnât want him to. Now that he had confessed so openly, andâeven if I didnât say anything with wordsâ I reciprocated, I felt this fierce need of him. Like I needed him as much as I needed oxygen.
Not like Iâd willingly admit it, though. He already knew it, and he didnât need an ego boost, so instead I let out a breathless chuckle. âgosh⌠youâve always liked to get into my nervesâ
He chuckled too, not annoyed or hurt, just⌠fond. Because he knew me enough to recognize the fondness behind my comment.
âI know you love me, sweetheart, you can drop the actâ he said with that smug tone I was already used to.
I smiled with an eye-roll. In full contrast with my hands that were intertwined in the back of his neck, pulling him closer again: âyeah, unfortunately, I doâ I whispered before kissing him again.
And just like that, the last few weeks of dumb excuses Iâd made to convince myself I was okay with keeping things casual vanished, replaced by something real. Because I finally knew he wasnât playing about me.
And because, for the first time, it didnât feel right to keep pretending I didnât love him with every fiber of my being.
Is this a safe place to say that I absolutely loved Beau without anyone telling me to not get attached?
Thank you for passing by, hope you liked it!
