Secret Admirer - D.J. Jamison Page 0,32

I remembered of the night.

10

Ace

I made another circuit of the room, burning with a desire to return to Benji, to finish a conversation that felt as if it had been a semester in the making.

Of course, after weeks of opportunity to tell him anything I wanted, now I was interrupted each time I attempted to get away. Guys and girls stopped me to talk; people broke things; people got into arguments. As the sole DSS, it was my responsibility to keep the party in hand.

I spotted Benji by the game of beer pong, on the couch, on the dance floor. That was particularly unpleasant. Jonas put his hands on him, and I could do nothing about it. I wanted to cut in, pull Benji away. He belonged in my arms.

Except.

Except I didn’t even know if he wanted to be in my arms, did I? It hadn’t seemed that way the other night. But between our brief interaction outside, when Benji was flirtier than I’d ever seen him, and his friend Tracy’s hints, I had to hope I had a shot.

And even if I didn’t?

He needed to know that Jonas wasn’t his secret admirer. If he wanted to date Jonas, he should have all the facts.

I finally got free and returned to the living room, scanning for where I’d seen Benji last, but there was no sign of him or Jonas. I’d just come from the backyard and crossed the kitchen, so I knew they weren’t there either.

A quick look out the front door confirmed no Benji on the porch among the clusters of smokers and vapers.

That left only one place to look. I made my way to the staircase, heart thumping. Let it be the bathroom, I prayed.

There was a long-ass line, but no Benji — and that’s when I saw them, giggling together down the hallway, Benji leaning against the wall in the same exact spot Jonas had made out with the pretty blue-eyed guy who’d tripped my bi trigger the first time.

Anger raged to the surface.

“No fucking way, Jonas.”

Jonas turned toward me, but Benji barely blinked. He was wasted. Far too wasted to hook up with Jonas tonight. I couldn’t stop him from dating Jonas, but I wouldn’t let this happen.

“What?”

“He’s drunk,” I said.

“Yeah, I noticed,” he said sarcastically. “I’m gonna let him sleep it off.”

I shook my head, stepping forward. “I’m not letting him go in there with you.”

“Ace!” Benji finally noticed me, smiling wide, eyes glazed. I reached for him, and he swayed into my arms as if he belonged there. My chest tightened. “I’ll take care of him.”

Jonas stared at me. “We were just going to sleep.”

“He’ll stay with me,” I said firmly.

Jonas huffed. “Maybe we should ask Benji.”

“As Benji what?” Benji slurred. The boy was half-asleep in my arms. His face was pressed against my right pec, and an impressive drool spot had formed.

“It’s not a debate,” I said. “Benji, come lie down.”

“M’kay.”

“Fuck you, man,” Jonas said as I guided Benji toward my room. “I’m not a fucking rapist.”

I opened the door, walking Benji inside without answering.

“Whatever,” Jonas said. “At least admit you’re doing this for you, not him.”

“Kinda busy right now. Let’s do this later.”

I closed the door before he could say anything else.

Benji leaned on me, practically a dead weight, as I lowered him to the bed, disentangling myself so I could grab a cup of water from the bathroom across the hall. I should really be downstairs at the party, but I wouldn’t leave Benji unattended. I filled a glass, rummaged for some Tylenol, and fired off a text to Keith that I was out of commission. When I returned to my room, Benji was asleep on top of the blankets, one hand curled under his cheek, with his knees bent and spine curled.

I took a moment to drink him in, the sweetness of Benji in my bed, lips parted, eyelashes dark against his cheeks. His pretty auburn hair bright under my overhead light.

Something inside me crumbled to dust. The last, deteriorating bricks of resistance. I sat on the edge of the bed and curled an arm around him.

“Benji, wake up. I need you to drink this.”

He made a noise of complaint as I lifted him up enough to put the cup to his mouth. “Tired,” he mumbled.

“I know,” I murmured. “Just take these and drink. Then you can sleep as long as you like.”

Benji blinked a couple of times as I pressed the pills into his palm and raised it