Frostbite

Walking into Syren High School on Thursday morning, a wave of nerves hits me like a brick wall. I don't know why. I was fine this morning. Mostly. 

For some reason, I can't seem to shake the feeling that my date with Benjamin wasn't real. Or maybe it was a joke. Maybe all the hockey players will be gathered around my locker to laugh at my expense. 

I round the corner and exhale a sigh of relief when I see that my locker is clear. But the nerves are still there. What if nothing changes? What if he's still the sex crazed asshole I've seen since I met him? I mean, so far he's been nothing short of amazing but how will he act around other people? Lovey dovey? I hardly peg him as the type. But isn't that the type I want? I mean, if I'm going to go though the trouble of having a boyfriend then he'd better not treat me like I'm just some guy he hangs out with. 

Wait. Did I just think boyfriend? When the fuck was that even established. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Shaking the thought from my head, I open my locker and start to get things organized as the hallways fill up around me. Jennie finds me and we ease into a simple conversation about our competition on Sunday. 

Suddenly a pair of hands rest on my hips and a hard chest presses against my back. I spin around and find Benjamin smiling down at me sweetly. My heart hammers ten times faster than it was a few seconds ago. "Good morning sunshine. Sorry I didn't call you this morning. I was running kinda late. And by late I mean my shoes might be on the wrong feet."

Jennie winks at me before completely abandoning me. I give Benjamin a curious look and his smile quickly turns into a questioning quirk of an eyebrow. 

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" He asks.

"No, not at all. I'm just . . . happy you're here." I smile.

Relief shows clearly in his eyes but he smirks. "Of course you are. Who wouldn't be happy to have me as a boyfriend?" I think the word comes out before he has a chance to really think about it and his eyes widen in shock as he backpedals. "I mean- like- I didn't-"

I stop him before he has an aneurism, placing my hands on his shoulders and using them as leverage to reach his lips. They're soft and taste like the coffee I don't doubt he had this morning. All around pleasurable. "You're right. Who wouldn't be happy to have you as a boyfriend? It's a good thing I got to you first."

Benjamin sighs in content and takes my bag from me, slinging it over his shoulder as he threads his fingers through mine. "C'mon, I'll walk you to class."

To say we get weird looks would be an absolute understatement. I doubt if Benjamin's ever even had an actual boyfriend so seeing him holding hands with anyone has got to be a shock. Plus, it wasn't a secret that we used to pick on each other all the time about our sports and whatnot. To his credit, Benjamin only glares at a handful of them and focuses most of his attention on me. I give his hand a quick squeeze and smile up at him happily.

I'll be the first to admit that I didn't see this coming. But I'm happy that it did. 



Benjamin and Juliet join us for lunch and it seems to complete us for some reason. Nico and Bennett are flirting, Jennie and Juliet are talking about some sort of family reunion that they're being forced to go to, which means I have Benjamin all to myself. We get more of those odd looks but I don't think either one of us could give a fuck if we tried to.

After lunch is when I start hearing the whispers and getting the questions. 

"Are you really dating Ben?"
"He's the biggest asshole, how do you stand him?"
"Is he really as good in bed as everyone says?"

For the most part, I ignore them. The sex question comes up a lot though, and it's almost pointless to try to convince them that we haven't slept together. I mean really, is was he seriously that much of a slut? 

I shake the thought from my head as the final bell rings. Benjamin is waiting for me at my locker, leaning against the cool metal as if he really doesn't give a fuck about anything. Which, in reality, is probably the case. 

When he sees me though, a smile makes its way across his lips. He leans down to press those lips to mine quickly. "Thank god today's over."

"Not quite." I shrug. "It's Thursday. I know for a fact that you have hockey practice until six which is when my practice starts."

"Oh, don't remind me." He moans. "I bailed out early yesterday to get ready for our date and I'll probably have to pay for it today."

"I'm sorry." I say quietly, genuinely unhappy that he's unhappy. 

"Don't be." He laughs. "I'd do it again if I could. But hey, my practice doesn't start until four. All my stuff is in my car so I can go straight there. Do you wanna do something until then?"

I raise an eyebrow and place a hand on my hip. "What are we gonna do in an hour and a half?"

"I can think of a few things." He winks, grabbing me around the waist.

"Yeah, keep dreaming." I scoff. "But I guess you could come over. Uncle Isaac shouldn't be there" 

"Good. That bitch just-" 
 
"Calm down." I warn. He shuts up but he doesn't look very happy about it. I reward him with a peck on the cheek and he lightens up.

I drive home in my car with Benjamin following in his truck. We dump our bags on the floor by the door and grab a few snacks before setting up camp in the living room. Benji doesn't complain when I turn on Project Runway and he pulls my legs onto his lap. 

"You know, I don't think I said it or anything, but I'm really happy that you you said yes." He says quietly, eyes never leaving the screen.

I study his profile quietly until he turns his head to look at me. I smile and rest my head on his shoulder, tucking my legs under me. "Me too."