“I have no idea,” I whisper back, shaking my head.
“Do you think they’re making out?” he whispers to me, leaning closer. “Please tell me they’re making out.”
I burst into a grin and elbow him in the ribs. “Your fantasy, Ben, is not mine.”
“What, you never thought about it?” he asks, grinning at me a little wickedly. “They’re both your mates, you never thought about -”
“Benny!” I gasp, giving him a harder shove that makes him roar with laughter. “That’s gross! That’s -”
But he laughs too hard for me to get anything else out and I lose it soon after, laughing along with him.
“Are you scandalizing my sister, Ben?” Rafe asks, peering at us as we continue to giggle, slumped against each other on the couch. “It’s just so easy,” Ben says, slipping a casual arm around my shoulders. “She’s a lil innocent vanilla baby with absolutely no kinks.” “Precisely as she shall stay,” Rafe murmurs, giving a satisfied nod and glancing again towards the nook, which remains enclosed.
“Nah, I think baby trouble has some spice to her,” Jesse says, winking at me from his spot draped across his chair, one leg over the arm. “She just needs some time to access it.”
“Well, it’s not like that’s going to happen anytime soon with the new sex ban,” I say, pouting and leaning against the arm of the couch.
“Wait, what’s this?” Ben asks, delighted and scandalized at once, sitting up straight to look at me. “A new development?”
I groan, tucking my face into my hands, wondering how the hell he doesn’t know about this already – he was there that day, after all – did no one tell him? Jesse quickly fills Ben in as I blush scarlet, but the boys generously give me my space until I again collect my equanimity. This lasts quite well until the curtain to the nook finally opens and Luca and Jackson come out, each looking a little tired but certainly unscathed.
Ben leans close to me, about to make a crack, but I whip a finger up and point it right into his face. “Be careful about your jokes, Benny,” I whisper, “because someone has a new development as well, and if you push me too far I might spill it to Jesse, which will result in life-long torture.”
Ben freezes and then it’s his turn to blush as he laughs. “Peace, then,” he says, lifting his hands into the air. “Peace – stalemate – whatever you want to call it.”
“Accepted,” I say, offering my hand, which he shakes as Luca sits down on Ben’s other side and Jackson takes a spot on the floor next to me. “But don’t think we’re done talking about it.”
Ben gives me a little nod and a smirk and I can tell that he’s desperate to talk about his newfound mated-to-the-Atalaxian situation too – and probably glad to have someone to talk to about it. My heart twists as I realize how much this must have been weighing on him.
“Talking about what?” Jackson asks, looking up at me.
“Nothing, Jackson,” I say, giving him a warm smile.
Jackson flicks his eyes to Ben and then narrows them at me, clearly wanting to know. But when I laugh and just shake my head, he shrugs and gives in.
“So, we’re all good here?” Rafe says, looking between Luca and Jackson, his voice surprised. “No…shifting into our wolves? No brawls?” “Nah, we’re good,” Luca says, turning his head to beam at me. I smile back, genuinely pleased.
“Boooo,” Jesse says with a groan, tilting his head back dramatically. “You three were the only entertaining thing we had going on. What the hell are we going to do for drama anymore?”
“Hi!” a voice calls from the door, and we all turn and let out a collective shout of greeting when we see that it’s Daphne standing there, a basket full of baked goods in her hands.
I get up and dash to my friend, wrapping her in a warm hug that she returns, both of us effusively expressing how much we missed each other in the past two days. We both laugh as I wrap my arm around her waist and escort her into the room, where both Rafe and Jesse stand side-by-side, waiting to greet her.
And as she moves forward, hugging each in turn…noveldrama
I grin, suddenly having my answer about where we’re getting our drama this semester.
“It’s going to be so good,” Ben whispers when I sit back down next to him, giving me a cheeky grin, clearly coming to the same conclusion as me.
“I know,” I whisper back with a little squeak.
“What’s going to be good?” Jackson asks, frowning up at us again.
“Nothing!” I say again, giving him a happy grin.
“You two and your secrets,” he sighs, throwing his hands up. “I’m done with it.”
“He’s lying,” Ben mouths to me and I burst into laughter – because he’s totally right.
