Secret Admirer - D.J. Jamison Page 0,22

all about bad boys their parents didn’t approve of.”

“Well, I guess they are until it interferes with their perfect prom night experience.”

I pulled a face. “Her loss.”

His smile snapped back to life. “Yeah. And your asshat’s loss too. We’re awesome.”

“Yes, we’re smart, beautiful—”

“And out of the trailer park,” he added.

I reached out, taking his hand. “That girl was an idiot. I’d have gone to prom with you. I’d have swooned over that fucking clunker of yours.”

Ace laughed. “Wow, should I be jealous of the clunker? You wouldn’t swoon over the sight of me in a tux?”

“I’d have swooned over the sight of you in jeans and a T-shirt,” I admitted.

Our eyes met a beat, and something magnetic made me want to move closer.

Which was when I suddenly remembered this wasn’t a real date, and I wasn’t supposed to be revealing my real feelings. Ducking my head, I pulled Ace toward the ticket booth. “We better hurry if we want popcorn.”

“Oh, I definitely want popcorn,” he said. “But you’re going to have to buy. I’m out of the trailer park, but my ass is still broke.”

Ace

The Rocky Horror Picture Show was always a good time. We threw popcorn, we shot off tiny water pistols Benji had carried in his hoodie pockets, and we stood up and danced like idiots, laughing and singing with the audience, who somehow were transported from strangers to friends through the magic of fandom.

Benji had dropped some of his walls on the walk to the theater, and we just … clicked.

It was a nice feeling, and I was still buzzing with it when we walked out after the movie. “That was awesome.”

“I know, right?”

Benji was grinning, looking happier than I’d seen him in a long time. He was so freaking adorable with his dimples and his gorgeous red hair sparking under the street lamps.

I wanted to kiss him.

Turning, I bumped shoulders with him instead. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks for coming out with me tonight.”

He smiled at me shyly. “Thanks for helping me practice dating.”

“Doesn’t seem like you need any practice,” I admitted. “But it was fun.”

“Well, watching a movie isn’t exactly the part of the date that has me worried.”

My heart seized as our eyes met. Shit. Now I really wanted to kiss him. Could I? Could I possibly cross that line? It would push the limits of belief too far to offer kissing lessons, even for an inexperienced guy like Benji.

If I went there … there would be no going back.

What would Jeremy think if we got together? I’d never really let myself consider it. It felt wrong, like it wasn’t my place to change our long-established roles. Jeremy was my friend, and Benji was the little brother, but … Jeremy was gone, and I felt closer to Benji than I did anyone else right now.

I’d never told anyone besides Jeremy about Jessica Walters standing me up, and I’d never even told him the real reason why I thought she’d done it. Only Benji.

We fell quiet as we walked. The theater was off campus, but downtown was within walking distance. Halfway there, I noticed Benji was shivering.

We both wore hoodies, but on the border between fall and winter, the nights were growing chillier.

I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to my body. He huddled against me, and we walked at a slightly slower pace to accommodate our joined state. We stayed like that, pressed side to side until we reached the dorm.

I followed him inside, and he gave me a nervous side-eye.

“Date’s not complete until I walk you to your door.”

“You’re the expert,” he said.

“Damn right.”

He clomped up the stairs to the second floor and stopped outside his room. “So, that was fun…”

There was a pause, like he wasn’t sure how to say goodnight. Neither was I.

But maybe the night didn’t have to end yet.

“Can I see your artwork now?”

He looked a little nervous. “Right, the sketchpad. Let me just run in and grab it.”

Benji started to reach for the door, but I grasped his shoulder. The words burst from me before I could rethink them. “Wait, let’s officially end the date first.”

Benji looked up at me uncertainly. Was his heart racing the way mine was? Did he secretly long for a kiss?

“Um, okay,” he said awkwardly. “Thanks for a nice evening.”

“My pleasure,” I murmured.

He licked his lips nervously, and my eyes locked on his mouth. I was going to do this, wasn’t I? I couldn’t resist. All the