Chapter 3

3

Grace

After the hot chocolate, Benji suggests I watch the rest of the movie he was watching when I arrived— some cop shoot-out with a bank robbery.

I join Benji on the couch and I can barely focus on the screen in front of us. I inhale and the scent of Benji's soap makes me swoon. My skin tingles as my arm brushes his.

If my brother were here, he'd be giving me one of his lectures about being more careful and he'd have a fit if he knew I ended up at some drug lord's house.

I turn to Benji. "I'm glad you're here instead of my brother."

Benji turns to me and offers a two-fingered salute. "At your service." His eyes dance in the low light of the room. "I'm sure your brother just cares about you and only wants what's best."

I give him an eyeroll. "Sometimes I'm not so sure."

Benji puts his feet on the coffee table. "I'm sure he doesn't want you to get mixed up with some tool."

Benji seems so understanding.

"Would you believe I've never even had a boyfriend? I had a few chances in high school, but Miles scared everyone away." My chest tightens and my ears burn at the admission.

Benji lets out a chuckle. "Yeah? What'd he do?"

"A guy named Pete asked me out to a movie. I accepted and when he came to pick me up, Miles gave him an interrogation. I was so embarrassed. We ended up missing the movie altogether and the three of us watched television the whole evening."

Benji gasps. "Oh, that's rough."

"Then when I was a senior, Dave Burlington asked me out. Miles said Dave was a total player and he wasn't going to allow me to go."

"So, you didn't go?" Benji raises his brows.

"I ended up telling Dave I couldn't go." I cover my face with my hands. "It was so humiliating. I'm sure Dave knew the reason."

Benji chuckles. "Poor Dave." He shakes his head. "Probably some tool anyway."

I give him a friendly punch in the bicep. "Poor Dave? What about poor Grace?"

He shrugs. "That too, I suppose." He pulls the blanket up around us.

I can hardly believe I'm snuggling under a blanket with Oliver Benjamin. I've seen him on the field a ton of times when I've gone to my brother's games over the past few years.

I yawn and rest my head on Benji's shoulder. He's handsome and smells nice.

"So, you've never had a boyfriend, huh?"

It's an embarrassing question. I just turned nineteen a few weeks before college started. I've gone out with groups of friends— both male and female, but I've never had a boyfriend.

I bite my lip and my face burns. I grimace. "No."

"You've gone out on a few dates though, right?" Benji rubs a hand down the back of his neck. "Surely your brother let you out of your jail cell, didn't he?"

I shake my head. "Not really."

He smirks. "Never been kissed?" He waggles his eyebrows.

"I've actually been kissed."

Benji tickles me in the ribs, and I giggle. "Third grade doesn't count, you know."

I turn toward the television, but I can feel Benji's eyes on me. "No, I was seventeen." I fiddle with the hem of my tank top. "We went to my cousin's wedding. My mom was busy helping with the reception and since Miles was a groomsman, he wasn't paying much attention. One of the groomsmen asked me to dance and I did. Then we went outside to cool off."

"Oh boy. Classic move."

"He snuck into the reception, scored us a partial bottle of champagne and a paper cup." I shrug. "We had a few sips of champagne, talked a lot and he kissed me."

"Did you ever see him again?"

"No, his family was from Florida." I turn toward Benji. "We did text a few times, but nothing ever came of it."

We're silent for a few moments as we watch the movie.

Benji turns to me. "How was the kiss?" Benji's voice is barely above a whisper, and I can feel his hot breath on my face. "I'd really like to kiss you."

We lean into each other, and I close my eyes.

The booming ring tone of his cell phone interrupts us, and we jump away from each other.

He rubs his chin and fumbles for his cell phone. "I have to take this." He rises from the couch and disappears into the dining room.

I can't believe we almost kissed. What if his cell phone hadn't interrupted us? Then what? Why would he want to kiss me anyway? He's known around campus as a player and a heartbreaker. I'm sure he's entertained by the fact that I'm obviously inexperienced when it comes to guys.

"You should have it by early next week," he says to his caller as he comes back into the living room. "Not a problem and tell her I said goodnight."

He ends the call.

"Sorry about that," he says and sits down next to me.

My body tingles as my heart pounds out of my chest. I bite my bottom lip.

If he wants someone to tell her goodnight… maybe he has a girlfriend. Maybe he's not only a player who breaks hearts, maybe he's a cheater too.

Benji furrows his brows. "You ok?" He pushes the hair off my face.

I look down and fidget with the hem of my shorts. "I'm just tired." I'm not particularly tired, instead I can't get it out of my head of what could've just happened between us. I've obviously never done anything like this. This isn't Grace's usual M.O.

Benji rises from the couch, grabs my overnight bag, and motions to the stairway. "I'll take you up to your brother's room."

I follow him up the stairs and he stops at the first door. "Here you go." He opens the door to my brother's room and switches on a lamp on the nightstand.

I take in my brother's room with a double bed, a desk with all his books, his backpack, and a comfortable side chair. "This is a lot bigger than my dorm. That's for sure."

"Plus, your brother isn't a pig like some of our housemates."

"Oh yeah?" I chuckle. "Like what?"

Benji sets my bag on the side chair and takes a seat on the bed. "Rush never cleans up after himself… especially in the kitchen. One time, he left a skillet on the stove for days."

I wrinkle my nose. "Eww."

"He has a girlfriend now, so he isn't around much. When she comes over, she cooks though. Best part? She cleans up."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah, last year we had a house mother, Pat. She normally stayed with us Thursday through Sunday and she loved cooking."

"I remember Miles mentioning her a few times."

"She kept this place— and kept us inline." Benji shakes his head. "We're bummed because Pat couldn't come back this school year. She moved to Austin to be with her daughter and son-in-law."

I yawn and plop down on the bed next to Benji. "I loved cooking when I lived at home, but I can't do that in the dorm." I lay back. "They have a commons kitchen on first floor, but it's usually busy. Besides, when I cook, I make enough for a lot of people."

Benji reclines to match my position as we both gaze up to the ceiling. "What do you like to cook?"

"Breakfast is my favorite." I yawn again and stretch my arms over my head. "I like to make pancakes."

Benji turns on this side and faces me. "My mom used to make pancakes when I was growing up." He chuckles as he recalls the memory. "And she'd put those little chocolate chips on ‘em."

We lay on the bed in comfortable silence.

"Hey, did Miles really block you from dating?"

I turn to look at Benji. His soft blue eyes focus on me. "Yeah."

"And you only ever kissed that wedding guy?"

"Yeah."

Benji sits up and rises from the bed. A coldness hits me, and I immediately miss his warmth.

"I better let you get some sleep. It's getting late." He points toward the door. "I'm just down the hall if you need anything."

"Thanks."

"Good night."

Benji closes the door softly behind him and I'm alone.

I strip out of my jean shorts and top and slip on an oversized jersey. I slide into the fresh-smelling sheets and let out a sigh. Thankfully, I'm here and not spending the night in the commons area of my dorm.

My mind plays the events of the evening over and over. I can't believe the cops dumped my purse and questioned me like a criminal. Miles knows about my roommate situation, but he'd kill me if he knew I was at some sketchy place instead of the fraternity house where I was supposed to go. Scratch that. He probably wouldn't like the fraternity house much better.

I toss and turn as I try to get comfortable— knowing that Benji is just right down the hall from me. He was about to kiss me before that phone call interrupted us.

I wonder if he sleeps in his underwear. Maybe completely naked.

I like the idea of Benji, but he's one of my brother's friends and teammates. I hate the idea thinking what my brother would do if anything ever happened with me and Benji.

I reach for my purse and take out my garden gnome and lucky rubber duck. I set them on the nightstand and let out a sigh. I yawn and tuck myself deeper into the bedding.

I finally manage to get to sleep as thoughts of Benji float in my head.