8. Chapter 8
Carter
“ I ’m telling you, dude. Britt was an animal .” Every time Benny described one of his conquests with another more-unbelievable-than-the-last story, I grew more annoyed. Since his supposed one-night stand with Beth, his stories had gotten more exaggerated.
“I’m sure she was.”
Benny looked proud of himself, patting himself on the chest before grabbing onto the backpack strap hanging off his shoulder.
“I’m just saying. I might even see this one again.
” He reached over and smacked my chest with the back of his hand as if to drive the point home.
“Just to take her for a spin a second time. You know what I’m sayin’? ”
“Yeah, you’re assuming she will want to see you again.
” I chuckled at my own assumption that she wouldn’t.
No matter how many stories Benny had to share, he almost never went on a second date.
I couldn’t recall having ever seen him with a girlfriend, and I had grown desensitized to the rotation of women sitting on my couch.
“Oh, she will.” He pursed his lips, nodding at a couple of girls that walked by. They ignored him, but it didn’t stop his confidence from expanding more than it had any right to.
I shook my head, shoving him lightly with my shoulder while we crossed the quad.
“You’re overly cocky,” I said, watching the crowd of students around us interacting.
Some threw a frisbee while others danced to music playing not quite loud enough on their boombox.
Homecoming week meant more activities, which meant weaving through more crowds between classes.
“It’s not cockiness.” Benny shrugged, slipping between a group of girls and winking at one while he did. “It’s confidence. Honeys love me.”
“Do they now?” Judging by the looks that followed him from the crowd of girls, his confidence was mostly one-sided. I already knew that.
Then I saw her. Beth’s curls bounced as she half-stomped across the courtyard with her lips pursed. I lifted a brow; when Benny paused and saw where I was looking, he did the same. “See man? I told you,” he said while a smirk stretched across his face. “They love me.”
I watched her glide between people until she was within shouting distance.
Then she slowed down, and the tightness in her features relaxed.
The frustration that had been flowing off her when I first saw her was replaced with an intentional calm —one that promised a storm to follow.
When she was just a few steps away, Benny cleared his throat and took a step forward.
“Well, look who it is!” He put his arms out like he was welcoming her into a party. “Hey, Beth!” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“Hey, Benny.” Her voice was sweet—a strong contrast to the masked annoyance on her face that seemed more evident when she looked at me and back. “I thought you were going to call me,” she said without missing a beat.
Benny clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Oh yeah, sorry about that, doll face. Some things came up.” When he elbowed me twice and half-chuckled as if to imply those other things were named Britt and Ashley, I clenched my jaw.
“I see. Well, from what I heard, we had a really great time.” She winked, and my jaw almost dropped open.
Where had the too-shy, choked-on-a-shot, couldn’t-look-me-in-the-eye librarian that I had seen earlier go?
I crossed my arms and looked at Benny, anticipating the excuse he likely already had cued up.
“We did, baby girl. We did.” He took a step toward her, cupping her cheek with the palm of his hand while she narrowed her eyes at him. The gentle, usually-got-him-what-he-wanted move wasn’t working on her. “I’ve just been really busy.”
“Right. Busy.” Beth nodded curtly, grabbing his wrist and pulling his hand away from her face.
“Exactly.” Benny smiled like he’d just won something.
“Look, I gotta get going, but hit my pager sometime and maybe we can finish that movie.” When he nudged her with his elbow, she looked unphased, and a small rush of relief came over me.
I didn’t know the girl very well, but she seemed innocent.
I didn’t want her to get hurt by my idiot, thinks-he-can-have-his-way-with-any-girl roommate.
“I think I’m busy.” Beth’s smile didn’t match the bitterness in her tone, but she held her head high when she stepped between us.
Her shoes clicked against the sidewalk as she walked away, and when a breeze whistled between the tall buildings that surrounded the open courtyard, I smelled a mix of vanilla and something more dangerous: temptation.
I turned around, and my stare met two big, green eyes looking back at me. Beth narrowed them slightly before she whipped her hair over her shoulder and kept moving. I can take care of myself. Then she smirked.
“What did I tell you, huh?” Benny puffed his chest out. “These girls want me.”
I laughed. “Yeah, dude. If you say so.”