“Is Ace here?” I blurted.
Jonas, Benji. You’re here to see Jonas!
“Think he’s at work,” the baked guy said.
He started to close the door, and I thrust out a hand to stop him. “Jonas?”
“I’m Cooper,” he replied.
“No, I know.” I laughed, not sure if I was laughing at him or myself. I must be out of my mind. “Is Jonas here, I mean?”
He pulled the door open, turning to call over his shoulder. “Jonas! You got a visitor.”
Cooper walked off without another word, so I let myself in. I was a few steps inside the door — no going back now — when Jonas emerged from the large living area.
“Hey!” He grinned, his eyes lighting up. “What’s up, Benji?”
He remembered my name. That was a good sign. Of course, my brother had been in the frat for three years. Cooper probably hadn’t remembered because he was high all the time.
“Oh, uh, I came by to talk to Ace, but I wanted to say hi. I know I kind of disappeared when I decided not to pledge.”
“You broke my heart!” he teased. “I thought for sure I’d convinced you.”
That was flirting, right? It sounded kind of like flirting.
“You were very convincing,” I said with a smile. “The other guys, though…”
Jonas laughed. “You want to come in and wait for Ace?”
“Um, sure.”
“Cool. He’ll probably be back soon, and if he’s not, then it’s his loss and my gain.” He winked before turning to saunter back into the living area.
Okay, that was definitely flirting.
Maybe I was finally getting somewhere.
Ace
I walked into the frat house, surprised to recognize Benji’s voice coming from the living area. What was he doing here? Frowning, I checked the time on my cell, even though I knew it was past nine.
Jonas sat close to Benji on the old, sagging couch we kept mainly because it didn’t matter if it got splashed with beer every other week. A sketchpad was open on Benji’s knee, and Jonas was hunched over, studying his artwork, sending a flash of jealousy through me.
They weren’t touching. They weren’t even making eye contact at the moment, though I didn’t doubt Jonas was working up to it. But there was something intimate about Benji sharing that part of himself, and I hated that he was sharing it with Jonas and not me.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
They both looked up — Jonas with a sly grin, Benji with pink cheeks and a small smile. That was my smile. The one my little gifts and notes had put there. Shit, did he like Jonas, then?
“Everything’s great,” Jonas said. “Benji and I were just getting to know one another better.”
I resisted the urge to warn him off. That wouldn’t earn me any points with Benji.
Am I trying to earn points? Not like I’m his boyfriend.
Forcing a smile to my lips, I said, “Cool. So, Benji, did you come over to visit Jonas, or…”
Benji snapped shut his sketchpad and stood up, cheeks still cherry red. “Oh. No. I, uh, came to ask you something.”
“Okay,” I said. “What’s the question?”
“What’s the question…” he mumbled. “Um, well.” He glanced at Jonas, and I thought maybe it was personal.
I nodded toward the door. “Why don’t you ask me on the way back to your dorm? I can walk you back.”
I wanted to get Benji away from Jonas. He was a flirt and a player. An actual, real player. Not just overly picky like me. In fact, Jonas was kind of the opposite of picky.
“I could take him,” Jonas offered. “I’m about to make a food run.”
Benji flashed him a smile, and my stomach sank. “Thanks, but I can walk myself back. The dorm wouldn’t be on your way off campus.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Yeah, I’m not a damsel in distress or anything.”
Jonas laughed off the subtle scolding. “Fair enough. Lemme give you my digits?” Benji looked blank until Jonas made a grabby motion with his hand and said, “Phone? I’ll put in my number so we can text.”
“Oh, yeah! Good idea.”
Benji fished out his phone, and I hovered uncomfortably, feeling like some kind of awkward chaperone.
Jonas tapped in his number, sent a text to his own phone from Benji’s cell, then grabbed his jacket to leave. “Don’t be a stranger,” he told Benji, reaching out to touch his arm before leaving.
Benji sighed happily just as the door closed, and I clenched my jaw.
I will not say petty things about Jonas. I will not say petty things…
“I better get going,” Benji said.
“Wait. Didn’t you have a question for me?”
I stopped him with a hand to his arm. It might have been in the exact same place Jonas touched him. And maybe that was Neanderthal-type behavior, but I needed to overwrite what I’d just seen. Anyone’s hands on Benji didn’t sit right with me. Maybe I could call Jeremy and warn him about this Jonas situation…
No. Benji would never forgive me if I brought his brother into his love life.
Which was just one more reason I could never be his love life. As Jeremy’s best friend, it would be impossible to be with him and not bring Jeremy into the mix. I owed my best friend a shit ton, basically owed him my whole future, so I couldn’t mess around his baby bro. No matter how the yearning grew to do something, anything to relieve the tension I felt every time I was around him.
Time for another gift, maybe. It was insanity, but it was also the only outlet I had for my feelings.
“Oh, yeah.” He coughed, and I got the feeling he was stalling for time. Then he brightened. “I’ve been struggling with algebra, and you’re an engineering major. You must be decent at math, right?”
“I do okay,” I said. “You need some help?”
He wrinkled up his nose adorably. “If you wouldn’t mind? I’m pretty terrible at it.”
I chuckled. “Well, no one’s perfect, I guess.”
“Far from it.”
“Not that far,” I teased. “But yeah, I’d be happy to help. If you wanna study here tonight, you could always crash at the house.”
His eyes darted to the staircase behind me. “N-no, that’s fine. Maybe we could meet at the library this week?”
“Sure, I’ll text you to arrange something.”
Benji pulled open the door. “Okay, that works.”
“You sure you don’t want me to walk you back? I know you don’t need me to, but if you want the company…”
“I’m sure,” he said firmly. “Thank you, though. For everything you do for me … or, uh, maybe it’s for Jeremy.” He shrugged, glancing away. “You know what I mean.”
Impulsively, I leaned in and kissed his cheek. A hint of stubble grazed my lips, and I heard him suck in a breath.
“I really don’t do anything for Jeremy,” I murmured.
He met my eyes uncertainly, and that luminous green gaze of his snagged me. “Okay.”
“And you don’t owe me any thanks. We’re friends, right?”