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“We probably should,” Henry said.
“Definitely,” Claudia said. “Thank you, Ben. Thanks for finding him.”
“Anytime. But if he does it again, he might be getting fucked up the butt whether he likes it or not.” Ben glared at Henry. Henry blanched.
“We’re going. Thank you both.” Claudia grabbed Henry by the front of his shirt and dragged him from the room.
“So…” Beatriz said once they were alone again in her room, “just use lube?”
“I was bi for like a week in college,” he said.
Beatriz sat on the bed and looked up at him.
“Thank you for getting Henry and straightening this mess out,” she said, feeling uncharacteristically nervous around Ben. They’d been having sex only five hours ago, but that was before Henry decided to turn the world upside-down.
Ben shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I knew he had to be hallucinating or something to think Claudia was cheating on him.”
“Guess this is my fault. Well, John’s fault. That’s fine. It gives me another reason to yell at him.”
“As long as you aren’t yelling at me anymore.”
“About that…” Beatriz began, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in nervousness. “I’m sorry. I overreacted and—”
Ben held up his hand and Beatriz fell silent.
“You never asked me how I know Spanish,” he said. “Ever been curious?”
“Not really,” she admitted. “I assumed you learned it in high school.”
“I didn’t. How old were you in your senior year of college?” Ben asked.
“Twenty-one.”
“Right. I was twenty-three. Ever wonder why I was two years older than Henry our senior year?”
“I just assumed you’d been held back in high school,” she teased.
Ben laughed. “Not quite. I graduated salutatorian. Brooks was my dream school but scholarships and student loans didn’t cover the tuition. I got a job after high school. Construction work. And then I got a second job—waiting tables at a Mexican restaurant. I did both for two years before I could afford Brooks.”
“I didn’t know that,” Beatriz said. “You fit in so well with Henry and Claudia that I thought you were one of them.”
“Rich kids?”
“Right.”
“I’m not. Never was. I worked my ass off to afford Brooks. My parents worked their asses off for me to afford Brooks. I didn’t think they’d be thrilled to hear that I’d turned down the six-figure job waiting for me after college because I’d fallen for a freshman and needed to hang around a few years until she graduated.”
“I wouldn’t want to make that phone call either,” Beatriz admitted.
Ben shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Mom and Dad never acted like they minded what they had to sacrifice. But I minded. So I decided I’d have no commitments. If things got too serious with a girl, I broke up with her. I had one close friend—Henry. Casual dating. Bea, I didn’t even join a frat. Nothing serious for me except the job at the end of the tunnel.”
“You and I didn’t get serious. We went on one date. Not even a date. Half a date,” she reminded him. One walk around campus, talking, and the kiss to end all kisses.
“No, but we would have,” Ben said. “That was love at first sight, and I’m not even kidding. I couldn’t believe how crazy I was about you. It scared the hell out of me.”
“Why? I’m not that scary, I promise.”
“You were then,” Ben said. “You were a freshman. I was going to graduate. I had a great job already waiting for me on the other side of the country…. I was scared to death you were going to give me a reason to fuck all that up.”
