It's only a matter of a few minutes before a red and black convertible pulls up right in front of Azlin, with the passenger window rolled down, revealing Ben.

"Hop in," he calls out and Azlin cautiously does so, afraid that one wrong move could damage the car. It must be fairly expensive, and the least thing she wants to happen is break something and suddenly owe a few thousand dollars. As soon as she's inside, she immediately realizes that the car smells faintly of the exact same cologne Ben is wearing. It's a privilege to be able to smell Ben Hardy's cologne, but in a way, it makes her feel like she's invading his personal space in a whole new level.

"So, where to?"

"Uhh... Colombia Square please." Ben nods and inputs the address on the GPS. The device beeps and confirms the route that will take a 15-minute drive. Azlin does a double take as she notices the dot on the screen, indicating where they are.

"We're at Beverly Hills?!!" She frantically looks around, only now realizing that she's sitting right inside the most iconic residential place in California, home to some of the most famous celebrities in the world. Ben just laughs at her reaction as he starts to drive.

"So what could be so important tomorrow that Cinderella has to come home at midnight?" Ben asks, amused at his own joke. "I remember you mentioning 'business'?"

"Oh, yes." She clears her throat after finally getting over Beverly Hills. "Actually, I've been invited to participate in an art exhibition. I'll be meeting with some curators tomorrow to discuss with the preparations, so I need to be in my right mind to give a good first impression."

"So you're an artist?"

"Yes, I uhh... do relief art. It's basically another form of sculpting, but embossed or raised from a flat surface. It's like a 3D version of a painting." Azlin blushes and clears her throat, not really knowing how to explain her art exactly.

"Really? Don't think I've seen something like that before." Ben exclaims in awe. He had met different sorts of artists in the industry--VFX, SFX, CGI, prosthetics--but probably not yet one like Azlin.

"A few of my works got recognized on social media, and someone with strong connections saw it and asked if I could come and participate in one upcoming art exhibition in L.A. It's a big opportunity for a small-time artist like me, and everything still feels surreal like... like it's all a dream. I still couldn't believe that I hit such a stroke of luck."

"It's not just luck," he smiles. "You must be an amazing artist to be recognized like that. True talent and hard work does the job; luck is just a small bonus."

"Thank you." Azlin smiles in appreciation. She'd probably remember those lines for as long as she could, considering that it's the first time that someone here complimented her work. Plus, well, it came from Ben Hardy.

After a few minutes, Azlin starts to feel the weariness seep into her body. And strangely, the faint smell of Ben's cologne feels somewhat comforting and relaxing. A comfortable silence eventually wraps between the two, the noises of the city life outside serving as their background music.

That was until Azlin's growling stomach broke the silence.

After the shock sinks in for a few seconds, Ben falls into a fit of laughter. Never in her life had Azlin internally cursed and despised her own stomach so much.

"Sorry, I didn't have any chance to eat at the party..." She cringes as her stomach lets out small purrs as if in agreement.

"No, it's alright." he says in between laughs. "Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Would that be okay?" Azlin bites her lip. She's starting to feel more and more guilty at consuming this man's precious time. However, she doesn't really have the energy anymore to cook at home, and she doesn't really want to go to bed with an empty stomach.

Ben smiles and nods. "What would you like to eat, sweetheart?"

"McDonald's will do."

After a few turns, they're finally at the McDonald's Drive Thru, and Ben greets the voice machine before turning to Azlin, waiting for her order.

"I'll just have a cheeseburger and regular fries please," she timidly orders. He nods. "And a chocolate sundae."

She adds, and for some reason that made Ben smile.

"How about you? You could order anything you want. My treat in exchange for the ride." She offers, but immediately gets embarrassed as she remembers that he must be on a diet and would refuse anyway. Ben looks at her with those sparkling green eyes of his, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Then he turns to the machine and repeats her order, with an additional burger and sundae, and even upgrading the fries and drinks. Once at the cashier he refuses to make her pay despite of her protests.

Once they got the food, Ben can't help but laugh at her sulky face.

"I'm a gentleman, you know I can never let the woman pay."

"Yes, but it was my only chance of paying you back!"

"Okay how about this: the car ride is free, but the food isn't. You have to return the favor one way or another."

"How about I owe you two favors? One for the ride, one for the food."

Ben's eyebrows arch in delight. "Ooh. I like that."

"It's a deal then?"

He smiles cheekily and accepts the handshake. "Deal."

***

A few minutes later, Azlin finds herself by the parking lot of McDonald's, sitting on the hood of Ben Hardy's car while eating fries. Apparently, Ben had this brilliant idea to have her pay back her first favor by having them stop and eat for a moment. She had agreed because one) she didn't really want to eat inside his car in fear of soiling it, and two) it will give her more time with him. 

It doesn't matter anymore if she gets home soon or not; in fact, she actually thinks she'll get the best sleep in her life after this.

She takes a deep breath of the cool night air, a small smile immediately lifting her lips at how refreshing it felt. Her fingers wrap tighter around Ben's black blazer that is now around her shoulders, since a few moments ago he had noticed her shivering from the cool wind. She had tried to refuse, but instead he opted to put it on her himself so she had no way to refuse.

As she opens her eyes, she catches Ben looking at her. He blinks away and shoves a few fries into his mouth, and she does the same, trying her best to ignore the fact that he's now only wearing a black shirt, putting his defined muscles on show.

"Why were you out there at the veranda?" Azlin couldn't hold back any longer and finally asks what's been bugging her since earlier. "Someone must have been interested in you somehow. I mean, you were in Bohemian Rhapsody, basically the best movie of 2019. Why wouldn't they be interested in you?"

Ben almost spills his drink over himself upon hearing that. He blinks at her in shock. "Oh. I thought you didn't know who I was."

"I do," Azlin sheepishly smiles. "I do. Of course I do. I just didn't want to make the situation awkward for you."

"Well..." Ben sighs deeply and carefully thinks about what he would answer. "Yes, some people did recognize and talk to me. They were nice and gave compliments, but they're like that, you know? When they talk to you, they make you feel like you're someone important to them, like they've known you for a long time. But it just feels too... too..."

"Fake." Azlin finishes for him, and they both nod in agreement. She remembers how Pierre quickly hid his disapproving look with a perfectly practiced smile. It must take great talent to be able to stay two-faced like that towards every person they meet.

"They're just pretending that you matter. Those people have years and years of experience, and rows of awards displayed under their names. And the industry is like that. You'll only gain true respect once you've established a solid, stable ground through many years of work. Me? I'm just a new guy. I'm still someone whose name could be replaced or forgotten any minute. So between me and those people who has already built so many connections, they're much more worth it to suck up to."

He takes a spoonful of his sundae as if to ease his frustration. "Well, not that it matters. All that matters is I get to do what I like. I just want to build my own way up in my own pace."

"Man, I never thought being a celebrity is actually this hard." Azlin muses. Ben shakes his head and draws a very very deep sigh as if indicating that there's a lot more things he could complain about, but just decides not to.

"So therefore, it doesn't really matter if I'm up there at Beverly Hills, or down here at a parking lot, eating McDonald's with a girl I just met."

"Practically still a stranger." Azlin points out once again, and Ben jokingly rolls his eyes.

"Sweetheart, you're way way better company than those people there. Thank God you appeared, else I'm probably dying of frustration already. I'd choose your company over theirs any day."

Once again, Azlin blushes at his compliment, but unfortunately for her, they are now in a well lit area so Ben immediately noticed this. In only a matter of seconds his ears are all red as well.

"It's not everyday that I get to meet people like you." He admits. "Genuine people. It gets harder and harder to find people that will just be open and honest and act like your friend without wanting something in return. Which is why I'm thankful to have met Joe, to be honest. Such an amazing guy."

Azlin laughs delightfully at the mention of Joe Mazzello, whom he had obviously grown to share a special bond with since the beginning of their Bohemian Rhapsody journey.

"Well, you've just met me once. What makes you so sure I'm not just pretending all of this?"

Ben narrows his eyes and looks at her cheekily. "No you're not."

He laughs and finishes off the rest of his food as he hops off the hood.

"Come on! How can you tell?" Azlin does the same and hops after him, but he just laughs in response. Opening the door for her, he curtsies playfully.

"Into the car, sweetheart. I still have to get you home."

***

The rest of the ride is brief and short since Colombia Square is actually just 5 minutes away from the McDonald's that they just went to. They had been exchanging jokes and light conversations, but eventually falls into silence as the GPS interrupts them, informing that they have reached their destination.

"Well, thanks for the ride." Azlin says, but couldn't help the regretful tone from oozing through her words. He opens the door for her, not attempting to hide the regretful look on his face as well.

"And thanks for the company." She smiles and waves goodbye, and he waves back and motions for her to go in first.

"Oh Azlin!" Ben calls out just as she's about to enter the glass doors. "Actually... I remembered that you still owe me another, right?"

He smiles cheekily at the idea forming in his head. He comes closer to hand her his blazer that she had returned to him a while ago, together with a calling card.

"Call me once you're ready to return this." He winks before jogging back to his car, immediately driving off and not giving her the chance to protest.

So Azlin is left standing there at the sidewalk, stunned, blazer and number in hand, wondering if Ben freaking Hardy had just offered to meet her a second time.

***
[A/N]: Ben and Joe are just too cute together.

Just look at them looking so in love with each other 🥺