Another lil Benley collection

Not For The Faint of Heart

(Wrapping up my greek shenanigans with this one)

Miranda wasn't so sure if dating a fraternity man was actually for her. Everywhere they went on campus, it was like Ben was a magnet for attention. A different woman seemed to smile at him with every step, and Miranda couldn't help but notice the way they greeted him with a familiarity that made her stomach twist. How does he know all these people? she wondered more than once.

If Ben wasn't attending events for the fraternity, he was at meetings. If he wasn't at meetings, he was organizing something. It never seemed to stop. Miranda had gotten used to seeing him in a suit—his crisp blazer and tailored pants signaled one thing to her: her man was unavailable for the entire day. Despite his best efforts to fit her into his busy schedule, it often felt like he was leading two separate lives—one as the dedicated fraternity member and the other as her boyfriend.

She thought Ben was joking the first time he told her, "You know, Kappa Ben and regular Ben are two different people." Miranda had laughed it off at the time. But the more time she spent with him, the more she realized he hadn't been joking at all.

One night, after another long day where Kappa Ben had taken over, Miranda sat in her dorm room, replaying the day in her mind. She could vividly recall how he'd been with her earlier, relaxed and laughing over lunch, and then—just a few hours later—how he'd transformed into this other version of himself, shaking hands with people on campus, flashing that charming grin, looking every bit the fraternity leader.

She had seen it with her own two eyes. He could turn it on and off at will, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, she sighed and stared at her phone. Should she say something? Could she even bring it up without sounding needy or insecure? She didn't want to be that girlfriend who couldn't handle her boyfriend's commitments, but it was hard not to feel sidelined sometimes.

Does he even notice how different he is? she wondered, thinking about how seamlessly he switched between the two versions of himself. Maybe, to Ben, it was just second nature—part of the balance he had to strike between the fraternity and the rest of his life. But for Miranda, it was getting harder to tell which Ben she was really dating: the sweet, down-to-earth guy or the man who seemed to belong to everyone else on campus.

The student center was abuzz with activity and in the center of it all were the Kappas. Ben was engaged in handing out roses with an enthusiasm that made it clear he was enjoying every moment of it. But as soon as his eyes landed on Miranda his demeanor shifted. He scanned the area, bypassing several girls who were eagerly reaching out for a flower, and made a beeline straight for Miranda.

A smile broke across her face as Ben approached. "For you," he said, handing her a rose with a flourish.

"Is Kappa Ben even allowed to do that?"

Ben raised an eyebrow at her, still smiling, though her comment clearly piqued his curiosity. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, his tone light but playful, as if daring her to explain.

She laughed, feeling the tension of the past few days lift just a little. "You know, don't you have a line of girls waiting for their rose?"

He shook his head, his grin widening as he leaned in slightly. "There's no way I'm giving another girl a flower when my woman is in the room," he said confidently, twirling her around gently before pulling her close, his arms wrapping around her waist.

Miranda couldn't help but giggle as she landed against his chest. "You've got a way with words, you know that?" she said, glancing up at him, trying to hide the warmth in her cheeks.