BEN
I’m late to Nate’s party. But I’ll be lying if I say I care. The only reason I’m going is for Olivia’s sake. Not anyone else. But as my bike zooms down the street leading to Nate’s house, a familiar figure on the walkway catches my eyes.
Juliet shrinks into herself, her head bowed as if wanting to hide away from the world. But that only sparks my interest. I slow down beside her, my heart doing a weird clench. She doesn’t react to my presence, and annoyance spreads through me. I don’t like her.
“Why are you out here looking like a ghost?” I say.
Her body jerks like she’s fighting off the urge to do something she doesn’t want to. I follow her at a snail’s pace. If she’s stupid enough to be out here alone on an empty street, I’m not stupid enough to leave her here. Fighter or not. Her stance is off. She’s not usually loud or attention seeking, but there’s something off about tonight. I can’t tell what her costume is. Some parts of it are ripped.
“Juliet?” My voice is softer than I planned. But I can’t help it. “It’s me. Are you okay?”
Her head snaps to my face. Her lips move into a smile that doesn’t fully form. That disappoints me, and I don’t know why.
“Just go away, Benny.”
My stupid heart flutters at the mention of my nickname. I’m going nowhere. She quickens her pace, and I chuckle under my breath. I’m on a bike, she can’t outrun me.
Pausing, she fists her hands at her sides. Her entire body shakes. She’s not okay. A sliver of dread curls around my back. I have a sick feeling something happened at the party.
“Fuck off, Benny.”
“What happened?” She pulls her lips into a thin line to show she will not be saying a word to me, and I slide off my bike. “Juliet?”
The fading smell of fish makes my nose wrinkle, but her shivers push that worry out of my mind. Her hair is unusually damp. Except she was having so much fun and sweated to the point it made her hair wet, then something really bad must have happened at the party.
“Go away. My name is Tessa.” She steps back when I move forward. My jaw clenches. I won’t hurt her. I’m not that guy. “Go.”
Her tone hits a cord. “Can you just stop? I’m trying to help,” I say. When Juliet’s mouth opens, I expect a barrage of insults. She’s got a sharp mouth, this one. But nothing prepares me for the sob that escapes her. My arms enclose her in a hug before I can register it. It feels right. “Please, don’t cry.”
“I need help,” she says. “I need new clothes.”
Backing away from her, I pull off my shirt and stretch it to her. She laughs and swats my hand. I frown. Didn’t she talk about new clothes?
“I don’t mean your clothes, Ben.”
Ben? No more Benny? The disappointment that unfurls in my belly is strange. I shake it off. We are not friends. She shouldn’t have called me that in the first place. It’s Asher’s thing. I grab her hand and shove the shirt into it.
“Put this on. Now.”
She nods. “Okay.”
Thank God. I return to my bike and motion with my head for her to join me. “Climb on-board.”
Juliet just stares. I know she’s not deaf, but my phone’s ringtone cuts through the air before I have to make the request an order. Olivia’s name appears on my screen. I dart a look at Juliet, but she hasn’t noticed the caller. I’m not sure why it would be a problem if she does.
Once the phone presses to my ear, Olivia’s voice flows through. “Benjamin.”
“Yeah?” I say, trying to play it off.
“You’re late,” Olivia continues. But I don’t care. I never wanted to attend the party, and now I have a better reason to stay away. The heat of Juliet’s gaze lights up my face. I turn, but she looks away. A blush covers her cheek, and my lips tip in a tiny smile. She was staring. “Where are you? For God’s sake the party started a while ago.”
“Yes. Something came up.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah,” I say. Juliet shakes again. If we don’t get her somewhere warm, she will catch a cold or something worse. “An emergency.”
“Is Asher okay? Will you still be able to come?”
“No, I can’t make it.”
I end the call before Olivia talks about inviting herself to the house. Asher likes her, but I don’t want to see her tonight.
Staring straight ahead until I gather my thoughts, I tilt my head in Juliet’s direction. Her hand shoots up, and she waves. “Hi.”
I laugh. “Hi.”
“You have an emergency?” she asks. What is she talking about? The emergency is her. She points a finger behind her. The answer is no. Whatever she wants to request is a no. “Thanks. I’ll find my way from here. Um, thank you for the shirt. You’ll have it back by Monday.”
I don’t want her to give it back! Jesus, why’s the thought of her returning it so upsetting?
“Go attend to your emergency.”
“What? No, I just said that—” I pause and offer her a smile. She’s worried about my emergency? Alright then. “In fact, Juliet, I have a big emergency. Now, climb on-board. It’s getting cold out here.”
Her face blanks. Some of her boldness disappears. She stares glumly at my back, and her bottom lip catches between her teeth. God, she needs to stop doing that.
“I’ve never been on a bike before.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” I reply. She shakes a little and tries to pass it off with a smile. “Come on or we will freeze to death.” Her staring continues, but it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. “Juliet? Is this how you choose to repay me? By gawking?”
My lips break into a smile. She climbs behind and tightens her arms around me. I toss her a glance. She has to relax. She’s safe here with me.
“Easy, Juliet. I can’t breathe.”
Her hold around my waist slacks, but she doesn’t let go. The ride to my house is silent. Only heaven knows why my first instinct was to bring her here. We reach the house, and I usher her into the spare bathroom downstairs.
“Who’s that?” Asher asks as soon as I shut the bathroom door behind her. He narrows his eyes when I delay to answer him. “Benny?”
“Nobody.”
He beams. “It’s Tessa.”
“Go to your room,” I murmur, suddenly annoyed at him, myself, and the entire universe. Why does he like her so much?
Asher ignores me, and I stomp upstairs to grab some clothes for her. I stop in front of my closet, looking through each item and trying to find one that fits her frame. She’s skinny, but with enough curves that my body heats up just remembering the ride home. What’s wrong with me? I snatch a shirt from the hanger and pair it with my sweatpants. It will undoubtedly be big, but she will have to make do with both of them.
Knocking on the bathroom door, I wait a few seconds, then open and push my head in. “I’m coming in.” Steam fogs the shower door, but I can see her feet and parts of her long legs. My vision clouds with images of those legs curled around my waist, and surprise, surprise, nausea doesn’t follow the thought. “I got you something to wear.”
It’s eerily silent as I cross over to the toilet. My brain tells me to look her way, and my heart supports that thought, but I keep my head down and drop the items on the toilet cover. Getting out of there, I rest my back on the bathroom door and exhale. Maybe I need a smoke. I bang my fists on my head.
Asher is home. I can’t smoke. Thinking about it, I don’t want those cancer sticks in my mouth. Damn Juliet for calling them that.
I jog up the stairs and flop on the bed, staring at the ceiling for what feels like hours. I’ll have to take her home, but I’m in no rush. Olivia is the only girl that has come here. After a quick shower to rid myself of the faint smell of fish or something like that, I change the bedsheet and drag the sweatpants over my waist.
It’s when I reach downstairs that I realize I’m matching with Juliet. None of them hear me enter. The way Asher looks at her has me trying to remember if he always has this same expression with me. I take a quiet step forward.
“Tessa, are you leaving me?” Asher asks. Confusion and uncertain battle across her face. I slide my hands into my pockets, waiting to know her decision. “Don’t go just yet.”
Juliet sits beside my baby brother, and my lips tip upward. They talk about cake. I’m not sure what cake of hers my brother likes. Has he been accepting gifts from her without telling me? I knew there had to be a reason he liked her this much. She bribed him with cakes.
“Can you cook?” His voice cuts through my thoughts. I lean back on the railing, my back digging into the wood. I’m also interested in her answer. She nods, and my brother lifts the pillow between them so she can draw closer to him. “Can I call you a baker chef?”
“You can call me whatever you want, Champ.”
She called him Champ. I clear my throat, and she jumps to her feet. Asher stands by her side, his hand locked with hers.
What is this? They are a team now?
Juliet notices we are wearing the same sweatpants. I wait for a reaction, but she manages to keep her expression neutral. I lift the hem of my shirt to catch the water dripping from my hair, and I swear she gasped. She fans herself with her hand.
“Pick it up,” I whisper.
Her eyes meet mine. I raise a brow. “What?” she asks.
“Your jaw. It dropped when you were staring,” I reply. Her mouth snaps shut, and her cheeks redden. I chuckle. “Like what you saw, Miss Juliet?”
“Nope.” Liar. Her tone falls flat, but I catch the light tremble in it. “Nothing to see there, Benny.”
Benny. I lower my top to distract myself from the excitement building inside me. Just one word, and I’m crumbling. I notice now that Asher is gone.
“Thanks for helping me.” She bites her lips, and my eyes narrow. “I… I need to get home.”
I jump over the couch to stand beside her. She vibrates, and alarm bells diffuse in my head. Taking both of her hands, I warm them with my breath.
“You’re shaking,” I say. “Are you okay?”
Juliet stays quiet. I release one hand and grab the AC remote to switch it off. Tugging her toward the stairs, I scream, “Champ, we are leaving.”
“Wait for me.”
Nope. It’s way past his bedtime. I only let him be because his friend came over.
“We are not waiting. Go to bed, Champ.” I turn, pulling her toward the front door. I know what Asher can do. “Go, go, go. Hurry, Juliet. I don’t want him to get out of bed.”
We burst out the front door, and I lock it. Seconds later, Asher bangs on it from inside.
“Go to bed, Champ.”
“No. I want to see Tessa.” Each sentence is followed by a knock. “Tessa, tell Benny you want to see me.”
My hand claps over Juliet’s mouth before she says a word. “Champ, she’s gone. She’s not here.”
Her eyes grow big, and I shrug. She’s not the one who will struggle to put him to bed. We leave after hearing Asher’s fading footsteps. We are almost at the bike when she stares at our intertwined hands. I let go so she doesn’t think it awkward, but my hand feels empty.
“It’s past his bedtime,” I say so she doesn’t think the worse of me. I shouldn’t care what she thinks of me. But I still feel the need to explain myself. Something is wrong with me. “That’s why I didn’t want him to come out with us.”
“Your mom,” she murmurs. My guards roll up. “Where’s she?”
“Out.”
We stop at the curb where my bike is. Instead of climbing the bike, I stand beside it. She draws a circle on the floor and steps back.
“Ms. Eva asked us to submit a one-page summary on Scott Fitzgerald,” she says.
I laugh. “Done and submitted.”
“Without your partner?”
“She didn’t say we had to do it together,” I add. But she only continues gawking at me like I did something horrible. “It doesn’t matter who submits it. We both get full marks.”
“Oh.”
“Ah.”
“Um, thanks?”
“Um, you’re welcome?” I reply.
Irritation flashes across Juliet’s face, and she looks away. The silence grows more uncomfortable. I run my fingers over my hip. We are not friends. We don’t like each other. Starting a conversation is hard. So, I let the silence linger until I can’t anymore.
“You went to Nate’s party?” I ask. She nods. I fear to ask the next question. “What happened?”
“Your girlfriend. She doesn’t want me around you.”
This again? Why does everyone automatically think Olivia and I are partners? We are friends. F. R. I. E. N. D. S.
“Olivia is not my girlfriend,” I say. She scoffs. My fingers clench. “Liv is not my girlfriend.”
I sit on the curb, and she follows suit, leaving enough space between us.
“Yeah?” she says. Why does it bother her so much? I feel her eyes on me, but I don’t look. “So… you two broke up?”
I shrug, and she kicks me. Laughter escapes me, and I tip my head back to stare at the sky. We sit in silence for a longer minute.
“Maybe because you’re a terrible kisser.”
Olivia kissed me first. But what does it matter? What’s her business? Why am I growing annoyed?
Holding her gaze, I whisper, “Am I?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’m not the one you—”
I cut her off with my lips. She stills, and that’s my cue to back off. But I don’t. I nip on her lower lip and groan when a soft sound escapes her. She melts against me. Moving her lips with mine, she accepts what I give, and I give and give until it settles in the back of my head that I shouldn’t be kissing her. I pull away, my heart pounding faster than it even did when I had to face her in the ring.
She blinks, appearing dazed. Is she upset? I doubt that. “So?” I say. Is it weird that I want to kiss her again. My thumb races over her lip. It’s warm, and so, so, soft. What if I kiss her again? But what will be my excuse? She still has that doe-eyed look, and it drives me to ask her, “How did I do?”
I’m not one to pray so often, but I pray she says bad, so we can rectify it.
“What?” she breathes.
Something pulls me even closer to her. She said something. I’m supposed to provide an answer.
“You said I might be a terrible kisser. So, how did I do? On a scale of one to ten, rate our kiss.”
Her gaze lowers to my lips for the briefest second before she presses hers to mine. Something unusual knots in my belly. She pulls back without breaking eye contact and whispers, “Eleven.”
The urge to touch my lips nearly makes me dizzy. All I can do is stare. I think, I think I like it better when Juliet makes the first move.
