Relieved to see a door instead of a keg, I exhaled. “Thank Christ.”
“For what?” Benji said in a nasally voice. He was pinching his nose, his head tilted back. He followed when I dragged him inside.
“Hey!” a girl whined. “You can’t cut!”
“Deal with it,” I said before closing the door in her face.
I pulled several paper towels from the box on the wall and handed them to Benji. He wiped his hands while I pinched his nose with several tissues.
“Thanks, Rory,” he said, his nasal voice muffled.
I sighed. “Don’t thank me. I hit you.”
“It’s not your fault. I was excited. I was coming here and saw you and—”
“Benji”—I closed my eyes and shook my head—“don’t.”
He nodded, looking embarrassed.
I dampened another paper towel and cleaned the blood off his hands while he continued to pinch his nose and point his chin to the ceiling. He was a head taller than I was, so I had to stand on the tip of my toes to hold the tissue to his nose when his head was tilted back like that.
Someone pounded on the door.
“Just a minute, ass**les!” I yelled.
Benji’s sheepish smile was annoyingly charming. His short sandy-brown hair was parted and feathered back just so, and his almond-shaped brown eyes disappeared behind a curtain of long eyelashes that any woman would pay good money for. Teeth an orthodontist would be proud of along with a strong jawline would score him any number of nice young ladies. But I was neither nice nor a lady, and I couldn’t imagine why he pursued me so ardently.
I hated to admit it, but I was maybe just a tiny bit attracted to Benji. But he was nice. Too nice. And I didn’t want nice. I didn’t want anyone.
“C’mon,” I said when his nose stopped bleeding. His shirt and cheek still had blots and smears of crimson. “I’ll walk you home.”
“I should be the one walking you home.”
“I’m not the one bleeding.”
Someone pounded on the door, and I opened it. The girls crowding the restroom took a step back as I glared at them and pulled Benji along.
“It’s a nice night,” Benji said as we walked into the street that led back to campus.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“You should go running with me in the morning.”
“You shouldn’t be running in the morning. Your nose could be broken. Sleep in for once.”
He chuckled, dismissing my advice. “Sorry you missed the party.”
“I was on my way out, remember?”
“I thought it was weird that you were going there.”
“Why?”
Benji laughed. “Because you never go to parties.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I peeked over at Benji. He looked ridiculous, smeared with blood and smiling. The corners of my mouth turned up.
“Wow, did you just smile?”
I forced my face to relax.
Benji shoved his hands in his pockets. “I can mark that off my bucket list.”
“You do that.”
We arrived at the Sherman L. Charleston Men’s Dormitory, otherwise known as Charlie’s. It was once where all the cool, nerdy engineering students lived, but that was before we were born. Now, it was full of run-of-the-mill engineering nerds, like Benji.
Benji checked the paper towel a few times before wiping his nose once more and tossing the blood-saturated napkin into a garbage can ten feet away. It went straight in. He looked at me with a proud smile.
“Night, Benji. Put some ice on that nose.”
“Will do. You…you sure you don’t want me to walk you—”
“I’m sure. See you around.”
I turned around but stopped when Benji’s hand gripped my wrist. Out of pure instinct, I grabbed his wrist with my free hand and pulled him over my shoulder, slamming him to the ground. He grunted as the air got knocked out of him when he hit the cement.
“For f**k’s sake! I’m sorry!” I said, half-embarrassed and half-pissed that I was being forced to be nice to him again.
Benji groaned.
“Are you…are you hurt?” I felt so awkward. Part of me wanted to walk away, to not care. It would have been easier than standing there, my hands hovering over Benji, unsure where to grab to help him up.
“Even though I know you’re unpredictable, you never cease to surprise me. Where did you learn to do that?”
“None of your business. Can you stand?”
“Will you attack me again if I try?”
I rolled my eyes and helped him to his feet. “I didn’t attack you. I was defending myself.”
Benji laughed once and pointed at his chest. “From me?”
I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. It was nice and amused and flirty, every way he shouldn’t be.
“You’re an ass**le. I almost felt bad for a moment, and you’re laughing at me.”
I started to walk away, but Benji grabbed my wrist again.
I looked back at him and then at my wrist. “Are you suicidal?”
“Obviously,” he said and then let go. “C’mon. Sit down for a minute.”
“It’s cold. I’m going home.”
“Then, I’ll walk you.”
“Benji,” I sighed, frustrated. “No. I can take care of myself.”
“Clearly.”
“You make me crazy! And before you ask, no, not in a good way.”
He sat down on the second step and patted the space next to him. “You broke my nose. You can’t give me five minutes of sympathy conversation?”
“Is that an attempt at a guilt trip?”
“Yes.”
I sat down next to him, crossing my arms.
He smiled. “Are you really cold?”
“No.”
“Are you hungry? We could make a McD’s run.”
I made a face, leaning away from him. “You are suicidal. Every time you eat there, you’re one step closer to a heart attack.”
“Who cares? It’s so good.”
“I’m not hungry.”
We sat there for several minutes in awkward silence. At least, it was awkward for me. Benji seemed content.
“Well…I guess I’d better get going,” I said, standing up.
Benji stood with me. “You never said why you went to that party.”
“I just needed to get out,” I said. “That happens sometimes to me.”
“You should try The Gym. It’s a good way to burn off steam. Helps me sleep.”