Bryce
All throughout dinner, Fae and I kept talking about cajun cuisine. Turns out she's a huge fan of spicy food. She said her all time favorite food is Thai food. May however was playing matchmaker by suggesting to Fae that Fae and I exchange numbers to keep in touch.
After the girls left, Techno and Champ kept asking if I liked her.
"Of course," I said, "She's pretty cute and loves cajun food. I think she likes me."
"So," Cham proceeded to ask, "Does Fae have a chance with you?"
"I should be asking that question to you," I answered, "Does she have a boyfriend?"
"Nope," Champ replied, "She's totally single."
"You should go for it man." Techno chimed in.
Just got back to my dorm. I texted Fae as I sat down on my bed.
Ben was coming in with a laundry basket fresh out of the dryer.
"Hey," he said, "You're back. Where have you been?"
"I had dinner with Techno and Champ," I answered. I didn't mention Fae or May being with us. Somehow, I felt something inside me telling me not to tell Ben about her.
"I just came back from doing laundry," he said, "I'll put your clothes on the bed once I finish folding and sorting. If you're not comfortable with that, you can rewash them."
"Idiot," I told him while laughing, "If I wasn't comfortable with you doing my laundry, we wouldn't be sleeping together."
Ben grinned and said, "Want to do more than just sleeping tonight?"
"Perv," I told him with a chuckle, "One minute you're sweet and the next you're horny. Not that I'm complaining."
"Well," he answered back, "Instead of criticizing my flirtation, you should be thanking me." He flashed that cute smile and I caved.
I pulled him in for a kiss and said, "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower."
I grabbed my clothes for bed and went to the bathroom. As soon as I closed and locked the door, my phone dinged.
I checked my phone and it was a text from Fae. I had a great time tonight. Hope we can do it again soon. Just us.
Sure, I texted back, Love to see you again.
What are you doing? She included a hug emoji with it.
A heavy pang of guilt suddenly hit me. I was asking myself how I could be entertaining this girl while I'm with Ben. You're not gay and Ben is not your boyfriend. That thought in my head allowed me to continue.
I'm about to sleep but can't. I texted back.
Why? Fae texted back. Are you sick?
Yeah, lovesick. Been thinking of you all night.
Her only response to that was a kissing emoji.
Over the next few days, we've been chatting non stop. Fae and I talked about everything, from movies and shows to sports and video games. Overall she was like Ben but in female form. Their taste in food was similar except Ben was allergic to shellfish and nuts. And their favorite drink was Dr Pepper. I swear these two are so alike, I imagined they'd be real good friends since they're both into me. But I was still feeling guilty talking to her while Ben and I still sleep together.
My texting her was so excessive, I became glued to my phone. And believe me, everyone noticed. Champ, Techno, even Ben noticed it. Champ and Techno knew who I texted, but for the life of me, I couldn't be honest with Ben. Everytime he asked me who I was texting, I would say it was someone else like my dad, my aunt, or even a classmate who is working with me on a project.
Somehow I knew it was wrong to chase after Fae, but as I kept reminding myself, Ben is not my boyfriend and if he came across a guy that he liked more than me, I would be ok with it.
Are you sure about that? Asked the voice in my head. I didn't like it when I heard girls would flirt with him. But he's not mine, and I'm not his. No matter how I try to justify it, the guilt kept weighing me down.
I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell him about her, but one day I came home to the dorm. The lights were off and when I turned them on, Ben was sitting in his bed. A depressed look was on his face and deep down, I knew that somehow he found out.
Ben
I had finished my classes for the day and was going to work on my new song in one of the music department's practice rooms. I had the lyrics, I just needed the rest. As I entered the Music building I heard a familiar voice calling my name.
"Ben!!"
It was Techno. He had a manila envelope in his hand and a box under his arm. He was certainly happy to see me.
"Techno," I asked him, "What are you doing here?"
"Coach asked me to drop these things off since they were delivered to the wrong department. Seems that the deliveries were switched. But I'm not familiar with this place so I'm sorta lost."
Techno smiled, clearly embarrassed by his predicament. "And you want me to help you, huh?"
"If it's not too much trouble."
I led him to the administration office where he dropped off his items and followed me to the practice rooms.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I'm here to finish my song for my band."
"You're in a band?"
I nodded and he asked if I could sing a song for him. I sang one of my former band's songs, which was written by my ex-boyfriend's twin brother. Techno was amazed at my talent.
"Wow," he exclaimed, "You are awesome. Bryce never mentioned you sang. Invite me to your next show."
"Sure," I replied, "I'll send you the details once we're set. Both you and Bryce can come see me."
"Nah, screw him," Techno said as I took a drink of water, "He'll probably be busy with that girl he's seeing anyway."
The moment Techno mentioned Bryce dating a girl, I nearly choked on my water.
"Ben," Techno came to my aid, "You ok?"
"Yeah," I coughed., "Sorry, I was surprised you said that."
"Bryce never told you?"
I shook my head and tried not to appear too bothered by it. Techno, however, noticed that it did bother me.
"I wouldn't worry about it," he said, "They're probably just friends."
I looked at Techno with a puzzled expression, wondering if he suspects our relationship.
"They just met a few days ago," Techno said, "I mean, how fast can someone fall in love and start dating, right?"
As much as I appreciated Techno trying to cover up for Bryce, I couldn't help but feel betrayed.
I went back to the dorm and waited for Bryce. I was so hurt and angry at him that I didn't realize that it got dark. That is until Bryce came home and turned on the light.
"Damn Ben," he said when he saw me on my bed, "You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing sitting in the dark?"
"Where were you?" I asked him.
Bryce hesitated for a moment, but it was long enough for me to know who he was with.
"I went out with a friend."
"Which friend?" I asked.
"Why does it matter?" he asked, getting defensive.
"You went out with a girl, didn't you?"
Bryce
This line of questioning he was giving me was really pissing me off but I still felt that he had every right to be angry.
"So what if I did?" I asked Ben.
"And why hide it from me?" he yelled.
"Watch your tone, Ben," I warned, "You're not my dad! I don't have to tell you my business. I can go see whoever I want. You don't own me."
"But you're mine!"
He grabbed my arms so tight that it felt like I had vice grips where his hands were. I pushed him off me so hard he fell to the floor.
"I'm not yours!" I shouted.
The look he gave as he sat there, shocked either by my reaction or my words, killed me. I couldn't believe I did that. Serves him right. The voice in my head was saying that but my heart was saying something else.
However, my anger took over and I told him, "Don't look at me like that. We're just fuck buddies. That means I can flirt, date, or even fall in love with whoever I want. And you have no right to tell me how to live my life."
"So what you're telling me," he said, trembling and fighting back tears, "You can fuck whoever you want and I should be ok with it, right? So that means, I can do the same?"
The question hit me like a wrecking ball. As much as I wanted to tell him no, my mouth already said the words, and I immediately regretted, "Yeah. Your life, your choice."