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25
Dani
My last class of the afternoon dragged on and on… and on. It seemed as if the professor had nothing better to do except tell us personal stories of the stuff he’d been through as a child. At this point, his stories didn’t even have anything to do with the lecture material. He was just talking to hear himself talk.
I couldn’t wait for this class to be over.
I already had my swimsuit on. I had a towel and my goggles stuffed down into my backpack. I wanted to race to the pool and swim laps until my head was clear again. All night, I’d dreamt of Max. Of his touch. His kiss. The way he pinned his body against mine. The way the smoke of his cigarettes played against my tongue. It was a smell and a taste I never thought I’d enjoy. And yet, I adored it on him. It suited him, with the leather and the motor oil and the cologne.
I knew it was cologne now.
I’d been close enough to him for long enough to pinpoint it.
The more my professor droned on, the more I thought of Max. I had questions. So many questions I wanted to ask him. But one question kept popping up into the forefront of my mind, haunting me all throughout my morning while I tried to study. To focus. To get prepared for my afternoon classes.
What is our relationship to him?
His comment about not kissing other guys really threw me off. Were we a thing? Had we gone on a date last night? Was this the beginning of a thing? Is that how this kind of thing worked?
I cursed myself for not having any experience in the area. Because not having the answers to these questions was maddening.
I mean, sure, I could talk to Hannah about it. If I wanted to endure relentless teasing and jokes about my virginity before she gave me any advice. I swear, she and Benji would be perfect for one another. They enjoyed teasing people more than anything else. I leaned back in my front-row chair and sighed, tuning back in to the professor long enough to hear him wrapping up some story about how he met his wife.
What that had to do with talent sourcing and acquisition, I’d never know.
“All right, class. Make sure to read the fifth chapter in your textbooks and come prepared for a round-table discussion!”
I couldn't gather my things up quickly enough.
I raced out of the room and barreled down the hallway. I could almost smell the chlorine of that pool, ready to wash me clean of my sins. With all eyes on me, I barged through the glass double doors and hopped down the concrete steps. The pool was clear on the other side of campus, but I knew a shortcut. And hopefully, the safety of the pool locker rooms would shake away the feeling of being analyzed by everyone around me.
I ran past the parking deck and cut through the grove of transplanted trees. I rushed up the brick pathway and ran between a couple of the dorm buildings on campus. Through the main campus square, past the cafeteria, until I saw the onyx black steps of the indoor pool on campus.
A figure came out of nowhere and I ran straight into them.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I? I wasn’t looking where I was--”
“Where ya goin’ in such a hurry, Bambi?”
Benji’s voice prickled the nape of my neck as I paused. With my stuff sprawled out at my feet, I traced my eyes up his skinny legs, past his baggy shirt, all the way up to his menacing eyes. I looked around me, wondering if Max was with him, if they were walking campus for some reason. Maybe looking for me?
“Aww, don’t look so disappointed. Max has better things to do some days.”
I reached for my things. “I have to go. I’m sorry for running into you.”
Benji knocked my backpack to the ground again. “Stay for a while. Let’s chat.”
“I’m late.”
“For what? Isn’t this your last class of the day?”
I paused. “How do you know that?”
A wild smile spread across his face. “I know a lot about you, Bambi.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Bambi.”
