Benevolence

Chapter 23: The new Wave

Drew|
I had fun this weekend. We should make it a custom.

I smile down at my phone, glancing up at Bryan and Simon who are too emersed in their side conversation to notice my beaming.

I spent the entire weekend with Drew. By day we were up working on assignments, but by night we were out eating, strolling the streets of downtown Ithaca, hand in hand. For the first time, we acted like a normal couple. Reeling on a natural high brought on by growth and profound honesty, the original face of our relationship reared its head.

Even Sunday came with a whirlwind of emotions. One second he was waking me up to kisses and the next he was standing with me outside my door, holding my duffel bag. He tried getting me to stay with him during the week, and I almost succumbed to the idea of it, but I turned him down. I've already come to terms with my dependency on him, but making the effort to find time for myself is like taking some of my power back. He can love me up close, but in forcing him to love me from a distance as well; it reinforces personal boundaries and, in turn, builds anticipation.

Are u out of class yet?
Delivered| 1:30 pm

We haven't done anything sexual since the falling out. He said the next time he touches me, it'll be special. And I can't complain; it brings me to the edge of my seat every time I'm around him. The phone buzzes in my lap, but Simon's sudden rise in voice gets my attention.

"That girl is long, bruv," he rambles on. "I can't be fucked with her."

"Who are we talking about?" I ask.

"I warned you, bruh," says Bryan. "I've seen her at plenty of frats and she can never hold her liquor."

"Bruv, she was fine on the way there. She told me her roommate wasn't comin' anytime soon."

"And you believed her?" Bryan chuckles.

"Well, ten minutes into us fuckin' the roommate barged in and she panicked, puked all over me. I was butt-ass naked, bruv, and my clothes were halfway 'cross the room."

Byran chuckles deeply, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Wait," he says in between laughter. "The girl you were fucking vomited, or her roommate?"

"Guys..." I trail off. I want to laugh too.

"The girl I was fuckin', bruv. And Alaina, you wouldn't know her...Man, I was pissed." He drags a hand through his curls. "The roommate just stood there. She stood there for a good minute, starin' right at my junk, and didn't even have the courtesy to close the damn door."

"She watched you get dressed?" I ask, incredulously.

He nods his head yes. "No type of class," he says.

"That's tough," says Bryan. "I don't understand why you'd want to fuck on a twin in the first place, though. Did that shit once and never went back." He pelts back a handful of M&Ms. "You're the one with no class," he finishes.

The way these two talk, you'll swear they're going through a mid-life crisis but it always surrounds girls, or fucking, or parties, or expeditions. I shake my head. Just listening to them makes me regret being the only girl in this group. But, it's not like I have a choice in the matter.

"Wassup, Angel." I'm shocked out of my mind when a familiar someone sits in the chair between me and Simon, muttering a monotone "wassup," before leaning in close and whispering, "You got room for one more, right?"

All I can do is stare, saucer-eyed, and foolish. "...Drew?" He plants a chaste kiss to my lips. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I'm havin' lunch with my girl," he states obviously, scooting closer to me.