‘Never Have I Ever’: Devi’s Best Moments With Paxton and Ben
Here’s what we know about Mindy Kaling‘s popular teen dramedy Never Have I Ever — Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) has always been obsessed with being popular, being passionately in love…and being with Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet). But as the tale of the California high schooler went through Season 2, Devi’s world turned upside-down as she found herself dating both Paxton and Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison). Which one will she now choose?
The question has created two camps among the fandom. There are people who want Devi to end up with Paxton — the boy she’s had a crush on forever. The perfect teen heartthrob. Someone she was more than thrilled about once he started liking her.
And then there’s the team that wants Devi to end up with Ben — he’s her longtime academic nemesis, but through the course of events, each developed strong feelings for the other. They are the ideal enemies-to-lovers model.
For now, it seems Devi and Paxton are set as a couple for season 3 but that could all change by the end of episode 1. Which team are you on? To help you pick, here are some of the cutest moments between Devi and Paxton… and Devi and Ben.
Model UN
“Good morning enemy,” Ben says as he greets Devi at the model UN meeting. Yes, they weren’t on the best terms at this point in the first season, but it was already evident that the tension between them could spark something romantic. They each have a little too much fun trying to be better than the other. Both are truly competitive academic overachievers, yet their so-called “hatred” toward each other is never quite believable.
Ben is Devi’s equal. They are different sides of the same coin, and this interaction proves it. If any earlier exchanges between them in Season 1 hadn’t shown a clear romantic future, this one definitely sealed it. Ben’s jealousy especially shines through once he starts talking to Devi about Paxton.
Devi and Paxton's first kiss
While they’re parked by Devi’s front door, Paxton kisses Devi right as she’s about to leave. Not only is this Devi’s first kiss, but it’s also with the boy she has long been fantasizing about. This came after Paxton witnessed a fight between Devi and her two best friends, Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), as well as Devi ending up in Ben’s pool after a horrible twist of events.
The kiss, coming after all that tumult, is incredibly cute. It gets even better once you remember that the kiss came while Devi was wearing his clothes.
Devi and Ben's first kiss
The last episode of the first season jet-started the entire love triangle between Devi, Paxton and Ben. And in that first round, Ben was the clear winner. Not only did he allow Devi to stay with him indefinitely while Devi and her mom, Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar (Poorna Jagannathan), were fighting, but he also tried to change her mind so that she would be there in Malibu while her mom and cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani) were spreading her dad’s ashes. Ben clearly has Devi’s best interests at heart.
Ben — a super cautious driver who only had his permit —took Devi to Malibu so she could join her mom and cousin in time. And he didn’t just return home after dropping her off; he stayed there to make sure she was fine. Once Devi realizes that Ben had fallen asleep waiting on her, she’s touched, and their first — and extremely epic — kiss follows. While they’re making out, Paxton is waiting at her front door, calling her in the hopes that she’ll be there soon. Alas, Devi is busy!
Paxton waiting outside Devi's house
After a much-needed eye-opening chat with his sister, Paxton finally realizes Devi is the girl for him. So, when he is still waiting outside Devi’s house at the start of Season 2, we’re all sure he’s crazy about her. Sure, the wait between Seasons 1 and 2 is a tad longer than the series’ real-time, but he still stuck around. Even series narrator John McEnroe is shocked by this turn of events, as he explains that he was once a high school jock himself, and therefore knows the customs of one.
Can we even blame Devi for falling in love with both Paxton and Ben at that time? Nope! Both just performed extremely romantic gestures, so, how could she say no to one of them? Paxton’s waiting game feels even richer once you realize he hasn’t done that for anyone else.
Devi being jealous of Ben and Aneesa
After Devi finally gets Ben to act normal around her again, she notices that he and Aneesa Qureshi (Megan Suri) are a little too comfortable around each other. So, in true Devi fashion, she lets her teenage hormones do the talking by getting angry and trying to find a way to break them up, especially during the 24-hour school relay.
True, Ben doesn’t seem to notice Devi’s longing glances or all of her ploys, but it’s a very telling event. Devi likes Ben way more than she ever could’ve imagined, and now that she sees him with someone else, she becomes furious (and furiously jealous). Ben is supposed to be her boyfriend. She even accidentally reveals a secret about Aneesa that she never wanted anyone at Sherman Oaks High School to find out about. It definitely isn’t one of Devi’s best moments. But it all stems from the connection Ben and Devi share.
Devi coming to Paxton's rescue
Talk about adding insult to injury: Paxton figures out that Devi was cheating on him with Ben, and he loses his shot at getting into a top college for swimming after breaking his arm. His only option now? Getting tutored by a top student…and who better than Devi? Pretty convenient — and perfect.
Paxton is rightfully stand-offish in the beginning, as he wants nothing to do with Devi besides her help in figuring out his homework. But after a talk with his sister and realizing his parents’ low expectations of him, he gets a change of heart and actually wants Devi to tutor him. They wind up patching up their relationship, and they are once again friends.
They even become so close that when Paxton gets a panic attack in the middle of a quiz, Devi is there to help. Not only does she reassure him that everything will be okay, she adds that it’s good to feel this way because it means he cares. Devi also stands up for him so that he can retake the quiz — and ace it.
Ben consoling Devi
Whatever has happened between them, Ben is always there for Devi when she really needs him. After Paxton blatantly rejects Devi’s invitation to the Winter Dance, it’s Ben who comes into the women’s bathroom to make sure she’s okay. She isn’t…but once she realizes Ben is there to cheer her up, Devi manages a small smile. Their bond is so strong that even though Devi was two-timing him at the beginning of Season 2, he can still put everything aside to make Devi feel better.
Still, Ben is in a relationship with Aneesa at this point in the series, and when he finds out Devi intended to pick him instead of Paxton, he seems taken aback. It hits even harder later on as he angrily says, “It has always been [Paxton],” before Eleanor tells him that, no, if it weren’t for her and Fabiola, it would’ve been him. After that quick interaction, Ben can only stare sadly at Devi and Paxton as they share a kiss.
Paxton surprising Devi at the Winter Dance
After a string of secret nighttime encounters, Devi holds her ground and tells Paxton she needs to be with someone who wants to publicly date her and not keep things secret. She admits she understands Paxton’s hesitation — she essentially cheated on him and accidentally ended his swimming career. But, since that all happened, Devi has apologized profusely and has helped Paxton turn his grades around so that he can get into college, even without a varsity sport on the table.
Paxton gets it — he’s no longer angry at Devi — but his decision to go public with their relationship still takes a lot out of him, which makes it that much cuter once he shows up at the Winter Dance, just to please Devi. Okay, yes, he did accidentally hit her with his car, but all of that is forgotten once he proudly exclaims that he is there as her boyfriend. During the last minutes of the Season 2 finale, Devi says, “So, I guess I am Paxton Hall-Yoshida’s girlfriend now. I wonder what that’s going to be like,” and we’ll be able to find out soon as we’ll surely see some romantic moments between the two of them in the upcoming third season.
