He was, without a doubt, a brave man.
15
Ace
The next few days passed in a happy haze of classes, work, and hanging with Benji, which inevitably led to sex with Benji, and fuck, it was crazy to think I’d once felt unsure about that. It felt more right than anything I’d ever done before. I loved his body, his soft skin, the way his stomach trembled when he was close to orgasm, the heat of his cock in my hand or mouth.
I was so content that even running into a glaring Jonas didn’t faze me.
“Can we talk?” he said, but it wasn’t really a question. His jaw was tight, a muscle ticking in it.
I owed him that much. We’d been avoiding each other since the night of the party when I’d practically ripped Benji from his arms and accused him of planning date rape. So, I nodded and headed toward the kitchen, away from Keith and Cooper in the living area.
“I probably owe you an apology,” I said.
He scoffed. “Probably?”
“Okay, look, I won’t apologize for looking out for Benji. I would have stepped in, no matter who he was with. He doesn’t drink like that often, and he was completely wasted—”
“I heard you two are together.”
Jonas’s voice was flat.
“Yeah.”
His hands curled into fists at his side as he stepped in close to me. “Did it start that night? Because if it did, I should kick your ass.”
“No.” He searched my face for signs of a lie, tension thrumming through him. “Nothing happened that night.”
“He stormed out of here the next morning, looking upset. He won’t take my calls, and in text he gives me the brush off, saying we didn’t click. I want to know what happened.”
“Nothing happened,” I repeated. “I just, uh, laid some truth bombs on him that morning. He was upset with me.”
“And yet he’s fucking you,” Jonas said skeptically.
“We worked it out.”
“Since when are you bi?”
“Since I figured out my shit so I could be with my boyfriend.”
Jonas’s eyes widened, then he laughed and stepped back, the tension leaking from his body. “So this thing is serious with you two?”
“Very.”
“Fine,” he relented, leaning back against the counter. “Benji and I weren’t a perfect match, but I didn’t appreciate you barging in and acting like some white knight. I’m not a villain. I don’t fuck guys too drunk to stand up.”
“Maybe not,” I allowed, “but it was about Benji, not you.” I hesitated. “And it was about me too.”
Jonas nodded. “All right, I get it. You went caveman because you were jealous.”
“I didn’t say—”
He smirked. “Good for you, figuring out your shit. I’m glad you’re not being all weird about trying to hide it. Benji deserves a guy who will do it right with him. I wasn’t that guy. I knew that before you sabotaged me. He’s a little too sweet for me. So be careful with him, yeah?”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said wryly. “You should be telling him to be careful with me.”
Jonas laughed. “It’s like that, is it?” Then raising his voice, he called out, “Hey guys, Ace says he’s in love! Who’s gonna plan the wedding?”
And just like that, our conflict was resolved. If only all my conflicts were so easy to take care of. The pile of letters from my mother wasn’t so easily dismissed. If I wanted a future with Benji, I had to find a way to make peace with my past. I’d stayed away from home for over three years now, using college and my need to work as an escape from a toxic family situation.
But I couldn’t stay away forever. Benji’s family was there. His life, after college, might very well be there.
I had to face my demons, once and for all.
Benji
“So, give me some details,” Tracy said as we walked out of art history class where I had been subjected to tiny, marble penises — or was it penii? — on Renaissance-era sculptures. Ordinarily, I loved to look at art, but my mind was very much on another, much more substantial dick these days. “You have been glowing these past few days.”
I rolled his eyes. “I got laid, not pregnant.”
She knocked our shoulders together. “So? Was it good?”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” I said airily. But I couldn’t resist adding, “Things are going great. Ace is … well, he’s sort of the same great guy he’s always been except we kiss and things.”
“And things,” she teased.
I felt myself blush. “Shut up.”
Tracy laughed, delighted to get a rise. “I’m just happy for you. After all that drama…”
“Don’t remind me.” My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out, grimacing at the name flashing on my screen. “Shit. Here’s one bit of drama I’m not ready to deal with.”
“What?”
I declined the call, tucking the phone away and doing my best to ignore the niggle of guilt in the pit of my stomach.
“My brother. He and Ace are best friends, so … awkward.”
“Does he have a problem with it?” Tracy asked. “I mean, it seems like you’re both happy. You’d think he’d be happy about that.”
“He doesn’t know yet,” I admitted.
“Oh. Well, I’m sure it’ll all work out,” she said.
I hoped she was right. I wanted to believe my brother would accept that Ace made me happy and vice versa. But if he didn’t and forced Ace to choose? I was a little afraid of where that left me. Ace and Jeremy had been best friends a long time. I wasn’t sure I could compete with that bond, no matter how much Ace liked kissing me and things.
Tracy and I parted ways so I could head toward the library, where Ace was waiting to help me study for my next algebra exam. We’d been meeting up every day, between classes, or in the evenings when Ace wasn’t working.
And each day, I failed to call Jeremy. Worse, I avoided his calls. I knew I had to tell him, but … I wasn’t ready. Our relationship was so new, so fragile. I just wanted to enjoy our bubble of happiness before testing its durability.
Because what if it popped like a soap bubble never meant to linger? Where would I be then?
Ace
I was finishing up my shift at Every Occasion when a text came in. Seeing it was from Benji, I opened it up and nearly dropped the phone. The little flirt had sexted me.
Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, I gave his pic my full attention. It wasn’t a dick pic. No, that wasn’t Benji’s style. Instead, it was a selfie taken from above and at an angle, showing one bare shoulder, a nipple, and the curve of his hip. He was naked in a bed … my bed, I realized.
My body liked that, liked it a lot.
Checking the clock, I thought I might be able to slip out early.
Hold that thought, I texted. I’ll be home soon.
Home soon. As if we lived together, as if Benji was my house husband instead of my new boyfriend. But the frat was my home, and when I left it after graduation, I hoped I wouldn’t be leaving Benji too. I wanted him to be my new home, the way Jeremy and the McKenzie family had always been my family.