Part 1| Chapter 9: First Date

Y/n was never the type to take things too quickly. Unfortunately, she soon realised that her new boyfriend was the complete opposite.

"There you are! I have been looking for you everywhere!" y/n exclaimed as she approached Evie, who was with Doug at a picnic table.

"Literally everywhere," Mal added.

"What's wrong?" Evie asked.

"Ben just asked me out on...a date," y/n stated nervously.

"Nice," Doug told her.

"Nice?! I'm freaking out!" y/n exclaimed.

"Geez. You're acting like you've never been on a date before," he said.

"She hasn't," Mal whispered to him.

"We can handle this," Evie told her reassuringly. "Bye," she told Doug before pulling y/n and Mal along with her.

"Bye," Doug said, but Evie had already gone.

***

30 minutes later, y/n was seated on Evie's bed with Evie next to her, doing her makeup, and Mal leaning against the pole of the four-poster bed.

"Okay. Easy on the blush. I don't want to scare him away. Not that I could," y/n said.

"Please. My mom taught me how to apply blush before I could talk. Always use upward strokes," Evie replied.

"My mom was never really big on makeup tips." Y/n sighed. "And neither was Mal."

"Because makeup is for losers," Mal stated. "Why look pretty when you can look scary?"

However, Evie smiled at y/n—she always knew that behind the cold, 'I'm not meant to be a pretty face' exterior, y/n did want to look nice every now and then. To look human.

"Well, now you do," Evie told her. "We're going to need all the family we can get If we don't pull this off. My mother's not a barrel of laughs when she doesn't get her way. Just ask Snow White," Evie said.

Y/n chuckled, trying to hide the feeling of ecstasy she felt when Evie said she was like her sister. Did Evie really think they were so close? Did Carlos and Jay feel the same way, too?

"Are you afraid of her?" Mal asked Evie.

"Sometimes. Are you both afraid of your mom?"

Mal sighed. "I just really want her to be proud of me. She gets so angry with me when I disappoint her. And sh... yeah, she's my mom, so I know she loves me... in her own way."

"Y/n?" Evie asked.

"Yeah," y/n breathed out. "What Mal said."

Both the twins shared a soft expression—behind their facade, they had to wake up every once in a while and realise that they were all they had.

"Moving on. Come see." Evie led y/n to the mirror, where she examined her new look.

A leather jacket with soft green stripes, a sleeveless mid-length dress with dark purple shoulder straps, a purple base, and a few blue and green sparkles spread out evenly. She wore black leather boots to complement her jacket, a purple stripe along the zipper of each.

"Are we done?" y/n asked.

"Yeah," Evie said.

"Oh," y/n whispered.

"I know," Evie smiled.

"I look..."

"Say it," Evie encouraged.

"Not hideous," y/n finished.

Next to her, Mal smiled. "Not even close."

Just then, a knock at the door sounded. After quickly fixing her hair, y/n opened the door only to find Prince Ben standing on the other side, adorning a blue and yellow jacket and holding two helmets in either hand.

"For the first time, I understand the difference between pretty and beautiful," he told her.

Y/n chuckled softly and looked at her feet to hide her blushing face.

"I hope you like bikes," he continued, holding up the helmets.

Y/n looked back at Mal and Evie, who encouraged to her go. Turning back to Ben, she stepped out of the door and left the dorm with him, a smile on her face.

***

After the bike ride, they walked on a wooden bridge through the forest, laughing and talking.

"Tell me something about yourself that you've never told anyone," Ben asked.

"Um... My middle name is Nyx," she admitted.

"Nyx?"

"Yeah. Nyx. From my dad's side. Mal got Bertha, so I guess mine's not that bad."

"It's not," he told her. "It's beautiful. It suits you."

Y/n smiled. "And yours?"

Ben chuckled before saying, "Florian."

"Florian?" she repeated.

"Yeah."

"How princely," she teased.

"Hey, we can't all inherit super cool middle names from our father. Who is your father, by the way?" he asked.

Before y/n could answer, she tripped on a rock in the path. Luckily, Ben caught her before she could fall.

"Watch your foot. Are you good?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm," she confirmed, a little stunned by the feeling of his hand on her waist.

"Anyways, we're almost here. Close your eyes."

Y/n didn't understand why he told her to do that if he was anyways going to cover them with his hand. But regardless, she walked as he guided her with his other hand on the small of her back.

"Now, step up. There you go. You ready?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm," she replied.

"Open."

He removed his hand from her eyes just as she opened them and caught sight by an old, beautiful gazebo bordering a huge lake. In the gazebo, she could spot a picnic basket and blanket.

Y/n looked back at him with a surprised smile, and in response, he said, "Go on."

She excitedly went to the picnic area, and he followed with an amused smile.

They both sat down together, and y/n picked up the first thing she saw—a baked item with powder on top.

"Mmmm," she hummed as she bit into it and tasted sweet jelly inside the donut.

"Is this your first time?" Ben asked.

"Mm... We don't really date much on the island. It's more like... gang activity. Flings are common, too," she replied.

Ben chuckled. "Um, I meant, is this your first time eating a jelly donut?"

Suddenly, y/n became a bit self-aware. "Is it bad?" she asked him.

"You got a... Just a..." He brushed off some powder off her face with his finger. "I mean, yeah, do this." He then smacked his lips together, and she copied.

"Gone?" she asked. When he nodded in confirmation, she joked, "You can't take me anywhere, I guess."

Ben looked at her curiously before saying, "You know, I've done all the talking. Your turn. I really don't know that much about you. Tell me something."

"Well, I'm 16," she said. "I'm part of a twin set. I love reading books, especially fiction. And I've only ever lived in one place."

"Me, too. That... we have so much in common already," he said.

"No," she chuckled. "Trust me, we do not. And now you're gonna be King."

"Yeah."

Upon noticing his contemplative expression, she asked, "What is it?"

"A crown doesn't make you a king," he said.

Y/n thought about this for a moment. "You're right. It doesn't."

He smiled. "Look, we already agree on something. I mean, your mother is mistress of evil and I've got the poster parents for goodness. But we're not automatically like them. We get to choose who we're gonna be. And right now, I can look into your eyes, and I can tell you're not evil. I can see it," he told her.

If anyone else told y/n that, she would do something—anything—to prove otherwise. Smack their face, step on their feet, steal their food. But that was because she didn't want to be seen. In this moment, with the Prince of Auradon, soon to be King, who she put under a love spell, she had never felt more seen. More understood. She wondered, can love potions do that?

"Let's go for a swim," Ben suggested, lightening the mood.

"Hm? What? Uh... Right now?" y/n asked, caught off guard.

"Yeah, right now," he replied.

"I think I'm just gonna stay here," she told him.

"No, no, no. Come on." He offered his hand, but she blatantly refused. She was not going to tell him that she couldn't swim and humiliate herself.

"I think I'm gonna stay behind and try a strawberry. I've literally never tried a strawberry before. Mm! Mm..." she said, staring at it with awe.

"Don't eat all of them," he told her.

"Okay," she said. She was definitely lying.

She ate a few more while he climbed onto a cliff, ready to dive into the lake. When she saw him, she stood up and waved to him, and he waved back shyly.

"Are those little crowns on your shorts?" she asked, her voice echoing.

"Maybe," he replied, a little flustered. "Whoo! Ha-ha!" he exclaimed before jumping into the water.

As he swam through the lake, y/n took a moment to think about how her life had changed so drastically. In just a few days, she went from living on the Isle with no friends to going to school in Auradon with people who actually liked her. And she had a boyfriend who seemed like he loved her. But she knew she couldn't be delusional. She knew that when the spell subsided and she stole the wand and went back to the Isle, this beautiful life would disappear. Of course, that's what she wanted, but at the same time, her mind felt something else. If only, she wondered, if only I could figure out what I want. If only things could stay beautiful. If only I could be happy.

Y/n:

A million thoughts in my head

Should I let my heart keep listenin'?

'Cause up 'til now I've walked the line

Nothin' lost but somethin' missin'

I can't decide what's wrong, what's right

Which way should I go?

If only I knew what my heart was telling me

Don't know what I'm feelin', is this just a dream?

Oh-oh, yeah

If only I could read the signs in front of me

I could find the way to who I'm meant to be

Oh-oh, if only

If only, if only

Every step, every word

With every hour I am falling in

To somethin' new, somethin' brave

To someone I, I have never been

I can't decide what's wrong, what's right

Which way should I go?

If only I knew what my heart was telling me

Don't know what I'm feelin', is this just a dream?

Oh-oh, yeah

If only I could read the signs in front of me

I could find the way to who I'm meant to be

Oh-oh, if only

Yeah

Am I crazy?

Maybe we could happen, yeah

Will you still be with me

When the magic's all run out?

If only I knew what my heart was telling me

Don't know what I'm feelin', is this just a dream?

Oh-oh

If only I could read the signs in front of me

I could find the way to who I'm meant to be

Oh-oh, if only, yeah

If only, yeah

If only, yeah

If only

If only, if only

Suddenly, when y/n realised that she couldn't hear Ben anywhere, she snapped out of her daydream and called for him anxiously.

"Ben? Ben? Ben!"

When there was no response, she hesitantly paddled through the water, her worry getting the best of her. Of course, she knew that she couldn't swim, and that she had no idea what she was doing, but at that moment, Ben was the only important thing to her.

But her plan went downhill very fast. Soon, she found herself drowning, and thought she'd be submerged in the water when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her to the gazebo.

"You scared me!" she exclaimed once she got her breath back.

"You... you can't swim?" Ben asked.

"No," she admitted sheepishly.

"You live on an island," he said.

"Yeah, with a barrier around it, remember?" she reminded him.

"And you still tried to save me," he said.

"Yeah. And do you thank me? No! All I get is soaking wet!" she exclaimed, suddenly feeling a bit irritated for jumping in so recklessly and trying to save him.

"And, uh, this fancy rock. It's yours. Make a wish and throw it back in the lake." He offered her a gleaming white rock, which she took and stared at for a while.

However, her anger overtook her emotions, and she heatedly threw it back in the lake without making a wish.

"What..." he trailed off.

Y/n sighed, feeling a bit guilty. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Me? Yeah, I'm completely fine. What about you?" Y/n could hear the concern in his voice.

"Yeah, ummm, I'm fine," she mumbled.

"Uh, y/n... I told you that I loved you. What about you? Do you love me?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Unable to meet his gaze, y/n turned her head away. "I don't know what love feels like," she admitted, her voice raw with emotion.

Gently, Ben grabbed her chin and turned her head to face him. "Maybe I can teach you."

*** 

Hours later, after the date ended, the sun had set, and y/n and Ben were back in their dorms, y/n laid awake, thinking about the strangely wonderful day she had. Though she shouldn't have, she really did enjoy it, and she wished she could go on more dates with Ben.

She wished they could somehow work and be together.

She wished she didn't have to lose the greatest things in her life.

She wished.

She wished.

She wished.

***

20 minutes later, y/n was at the Enchanted Lake, searching through the waters until she found the glistening white rock she had angrily thrown in earlier that day.

After she found it, she held it close to her chest and whispered the words, "I wish for this dream to never end." Then, she tossed it back into the lake, watching until it hit the water with a plop.

And with it, the special gift carried all her hopes and dreams which seemed so impossible, yet something her heart could not quite give up on.