Raunchy Roommate

by Bethany Morgan

  "Benjamin!" I squealed, although I was finding it funny the way he was being incredibly playful. I laughed and raised my hand to wipe it off, but Benjamin grabbed my wrist and placed my hand back down.

  He laughed, lifting up a napkin to dab the residue off of my face. "I don't know why I did that," He told me, chuckling to himself as he blotted the cloth against my skin. "It's too bad I didn't get any on your lips. I would know exactly how to clean that off."

  I rolled my eyes at him, although internally my heart was pounding against my chest. Having a crush was so thrilling in every way imaginable. I have missed this feeling of being nervous and clammy along with elated and smug.

  We threw away our trash and Benjamin had dived into telling me a funny story about him as a child and how he would always make a mess while eating, and how his brother, Jack, and him would get into food fights on a daily basis.

  Our nonsense conversations continued as we walked further down the beach and I could hardly even grasp what we were even speaking of because I was feeling too blissful to even process what was going on. Suddenly, a drop of water had landed onto my shoulder, and soon enough a stampede of rain had come tumbling down from the dark clouds hovering above our heads.

  I screamed as the pouring rain that came out of nowhere soaked my body, and Benjamin hurriedly ran underneath an awning, urging me to follow him. The random covered pavilion stopped the rain from hitting us, but we could still hear the roaring pitter-patter of the droplets against the roof. I shivered, suddenly regretting wearing a skirt and tank-top since I was now freezing and wet.

  Benjamin noticed how cold I seemed and instantly shrugged his jacket off, draping it across my shoulders. It was the classic gentleman move, and it made my heart swell, but I couldn't accept it. "No, Benjamin, now you're going to be cold."

  "Fine, how about we just share the jacket?" Benjamin suggested, quirking an eyebrow as he took the jacket off of my shoulders and slithered his body into it again. I was obviously confused, and Benjamin giggled at me before grasping onto my elbows and pulling my arms so they were wrapped around his waist, being covered up by the sides of the black jacket.

  I smiled, feeling the body heat from his tall body transfer to mine as I snuggled closer into his chest. Benjamin smelled good even when we had rain lingering on his clothes, and he also had his hands rubbing circles on my back to warm me up as he squeezed us even closer together. Cue the butterflies.

  As if this moment couldn't get any more swoon-worthy, Benjamin crept his fingers underneath my chin and tilted it upwards before leaning his head down to press a kiss onto my lips. It was deeper than last time and my hands traveled from his waist all the way up his body to the back of his neck, pulling him even closer to me as my fingers ran through his silky blonde hair.

  Benjamin's lips moved against mine with equal amount of pressure as the rain continued to pour all around the pavilion we were huddled under. I felt myself smile against the kiss as I realized how perfect this would be for a movie, and Benjamin smiled because I was smiling.

  His eyes finally opened when we broke apart, revealing that perfect shade of blue as the two of us shared a blissful. He is so beautiful that I want to cry.

  Benjamin's lips kissed my forehead delicately, making my grin reach from ear to ear. "Now you are lukewarm."

  I burst out laughing at his dorky pun, shaking my head at him. "You're such an idiot."

  He simply smiled, not being offended by my remark at all. "We probably should go inside before it starts to thunder."

  "Probably," I murmured, pecking his lips again since I couldn't get enough of it.

  He glanced down at his phone, checking his phone and letting a heavy sigh escape his lips. We had been out here for a few hours just mindlessly chatting and we had made it pretty far away from the beach. "Actually, I think I might have to go home. I promised Clay I would hang with him tonight. But I'm going to see you tomorrow, right?"

  "Yes, you better show up at the party," I encouraged, placing my hands on his hips.

  "I will definitely be there, Ann," Benjamin told me, his eyes never leaving mine. He was so good at direct eye contact whereas I was eager to dart my attention to the ground so I wouldn't have to be blinded by his beauty. "Ready to make a run for it?"

  "Here's to teenage memories," I cheered, grabbing his hand and sprinting back into the pouring rain in the direction of my home.

  Chapter 14

  Stuart

  My spoon clinked against the bowl as I lifted another spoonful of cereal to my mouth, chewing it momentarily before gulping it down. I was sitting alone at the counter in our kitchen, waiting for Annabel to get of the shower so I could find out what we were doing for this party tonight.

  As if on cue, Annabel exited from the bathroom, her blonde hair was being smothered by a twisted towel lying on the top of her head, and she had another towel wrapped tightly around her body. She was clutching onto it so it wouldn't fall, but the action just made her boobs squish even closer together, making me have a hard time keeping my eyes on her face. Stupid boy brain.

  She sauntered over to the kitchen, using one hand to hold up her towel while the other hand rummaged through the fridge for something to eat. "Do we have any apples?"

  "I don't think so. We need to go grocery shopping soon," I stated, although I had a feeling Annabel would be the one going since I had absolutely no idea what to buy at supermarkets.

  "Yes we do," She agreed, smiling as she found some grapes as a replacement for her fruit craving. Annabel popped a grape into her mouth and ate it quickly. "So tonight, do you want to go to the party with Grace and I? Or would you rather show up with the boys? I told Jordan you guys were coming so it doesn't matter, it's just up to you who you would rather make an entrance with."

  "I'll go with the boys," I said almost too quickly, thinking that if I showed up with Grace and Ann, I would look like an awkward third wheel. "Can you just give me the address?"

  "No, I'll just let you knock on everyone's door in Beverly Hills until you find the place," She teased in a sarcastic manner, not being able to hide her playful grin. Annabel picked up her phone and typed away a message with one hand, and soon enough my phone that had been resting in the palm of my hand vibrated. "There you go. Alright, I need to go get ready. Make sure you come find me when you get there, okay Stu?"

  "Okay, Ann," I replied with a nod, standing up to put my dish in the sink, and somehow had bumped into her as we both attempted to travel in opposite directions. She just laughed it off and continued towards the bedroom, and it made me happy that she was laughing. We were off to a good start with this whole friendship thing and it was so nice to be able to have a normal conversation with her again.

  I rinsed off my dish, and actually placed it inside the stainless steel dishwasher this time, before picking up my car keys and swinging them around on my finger. I needed to go pick up my friends.

  Jordan Hartford's house was easy to find since tons of cars lined the street of his gated community. It didn't surprise me in the slightest, he was ridiculously famous for his numerous acting roles, and I actually felt a little out of place to be attending this party. But it was still a party, so I wasn't going to turn it down.

  "I'm pretty sure this is it," I declared, squinting at my phone to read the address Annabel sent me to make sure. "Ready to go?"

  "Let's do it!" Bradley cheered loudly, obviously excited to be back in the party scene. We had only been in Los Angeles for maybe two weeks, so this was probably the first official party we've been to all summer.

  I followed behind Bradley as he raced towards the front door, and the volume of the music got even louder as we approached Jordan's home. Bradley opened the door without even knocking, and the four of us piled inside, scoping out the place. I saw a ton of familiar Hollywood faces and some other people that I've never seen before, but everyone seemed to be laughing and dancing and having a good time.

  I located Annabel quite rapidly, without even havi
ng to search his bachelor pad. She was actually with Jordan, the two of them chatting and giggling, and he had one arm slung around his shoulder and the other hand was gripping onto a red cup. I believe Jordan was 21, just like what Clayton had recently turned, so he probably purchased all of the alcohol.

  Annabel turned her head to the side mid-conversation and her eyes met mine, noticing me instantly. She looked amazing tonight. I know she always looked pretty, even when she was lounging around the home in just her sweatpants and t-shirts, but when she was all dolled up like this she looked great as well. She had on a black dress that hugged her body perfectly, and I swear Bradley was drooling over her from his spot next to me.

  "I'll be right back," I saw her mouth to Jordan as she swayed over towards us, a giant grin on her face. "Hey, looked who showed up! Hi, roomie."

  "Hi," I greeted breathlessly as I saw her up close, with her make-up making her seem prettier than she already was.

  Annabel awkwardly pulled me in for a quick hug, and did the same thing to Clayton and Bradley, greeting them simultaneously. When she reached Benjamin at the end of the line she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he chuckled as he held her tightly to him, pressing a short kiss onto her lips as she untangled their bodies.

  "You look beautiful, Ann," Benjamin told her with a giant smile, making the three of us stand there uncomfortably and just view their exchange.

  She grinned before turning towards us, her fingers intertwining with his. "Alright, I hope you don't mind but I'm stealing him away from you guys for a bit," Annabel explained, and we just laughed, as she tugged him out towards the dance floor.

  "So, they are actually like a thing now?" Clayton asked over the music as we all slowly emerged into the crowd of people. I shrugged. Clayton noticed Grace who was talking to some girl over by the food, and he dashed away before I even could respond.

  I turned to my left to ask Bradley what he wanted to do, but I then realized that he had already made his way over to the drinks, leaving me alone. I groaned, shuffling through the people dancing in hopes of finding someone I knew.

  "Hey, Stuart, right?" A voice called, making me stop my strolling and spin around. I recognized Jordan immediately and stuck my hand out for him to shake, which he gladly did. "Nice to finally meet you, man! Ann has been telling me loads about you. How is the whole roommate thing working out?"

  I smiled. "It's getting better. Thanks for letting us come here tonight. Hopefully it doesn't get too wild."

  My grin faltered as soon as the words came out of my mouth. That was probably the stupidest thing I have ever said.

  Surprisingly, Jordan chuckled, placing a hand on my shoulder. "That was an awful joke. But either way, you guys are welcome anytime. Any friend of Ann is a friend of mine. I love that girl. She's the sweetest thing, isn't she?"

  "Yeah," I mumbled, not sure if I was becoming jealous by how close they were or if I was realizing that I had corrupted a sweet girl into someone so sassy.

  "Alright, well I have to go talk to some people. Feel free to grab a drink, 'kay?" Jordan said before dashing off towards one of his friends, barely giving myself enough time to nod.

  I really wanted to have fun and dance tonight, so that's exactly what I did. I didn't even know the people I was dancing with, but they seemed to enjoy my dorky dance moves to the fast paced music blaring through the speakers. I even threw in some butt shakes, since that was always a crowd favorite.

  I took a break before I started to sweat to get something to drink, and as I filled up my plastic cup I noticed that Benjamin and Annabel were practically right next to me. So I listened in on their conversation.

  "You're funny," Benjamin complimented while he was bursting into a fit of laughter. "Hey, I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in like two seconds."

  She must have nodded as he disappeared towards the bathroom. I was about to go over to her and ask her if she was having as good of a time as I was, but another guy had already approached her before I had the chance. I didn't know who he was, and he was drenched in sweat, with a bottle of beer pressed against his palm. "Hey Annabel McKenzie! You look great tonight, want to go dance?"

  I tried my best to focus on the way the drink in my cup fizzed as I swirled it around, but I couldn't stop my ears from perking up. Maybe she knew this loud and obnoxious guy. "Thank you, but that's okay. I've actually been dancing all night so I'm pretty tired. I'm sorry."

  From the corner of my eye I watched this guy place his hand on her hip and she immediately stiffened. "Hey, that's alright, beautiful. Why don't we just go upstairs and lay down for a bit then? It doesn't require that much energy to make out."

  My eyes widened and I turned my head completely to view this scene, not even caring if I was eavesdropping anymore. Who was this guy? Did they used to date or something?"

  Her lips trembled as she shook her head rapidly. "Um, no thanks. I'm waiting for someone so I can't really just leave."

  His hand on her hip slowly moved down and reached her butt, squeezing it through the black dress she was wearing. Annabel gasped, trying to push him away, but he didn't budge. "Stop!"

  "I know you want me, Annabel. Don't fight it," The man tried, placing a kiss on her neck.

  I slammed my cup down onto the table. I didn't care if she knew him or not. "Hey! I'm pretty sure she told you to stop!" I screamed, shoving him off of her before he could violate her anymore.

  He stumbled backwards, glaring at me with utter annoyance circling in his narrowed irises. The man huffed before stomping away, not even putting up a battle or saying another word.

  I wrapped my arm around Annabel and pulled her into my body as I shuffled her away from the scene. "You okay? I'm sorry I didn't step in sooner. I thought you two might have known each other or something."

  She shook her head that was placed against my chest, and her body was still shaking. I felt awful now. I could have stopped him from even touching her. "No, I don't know who that was. But thank you. Can I just go sit down for a bit?"

  "Of course," I insisted, rubbing her shoulder to try and soothe her as she clutched onto my torso tightly. She was physically fine, but I think she was just terrified of the situation and how that could have gone much further if I wasn't there.

  Ann seemed to be breathing heavily so I did something completely out of instinct. I kissed the side of her forehead.

  She didn't seem to jump or be surprised by my action, but I was so scared that Annabel was going to squirm away or yell at me. I was just trying to console her. I finally found a bedroom that was away from the thumping music and opened the door with my hand that wasn't draped over her body.

  However, the room was not empty as I had suspected. In fact, there was a couple making out against the wall. I immediately recognized that dark brunette hair to belong to Grace, but with further inspection I realized that the boy who her lips were connected to was not Clayton, but Bradley.

  Chapter 15

  Annabel

  "Grace!" I gasped, dropping my hands from Stuart's body and completely forgetting about the recent events, only focusing on the unlikely pair making out against the wall.

  "Bradley!" Stuart yelled at the same time, causing the two of them to jump apart. The stunned couple both had matching bright red cheeks and swollen lips, and Grace had an enormous hickey covering her neck. "Jesus, you two! What about Clay?"

  Grace licked her lips nervously, her gaze flickering between Bradley and the floor. She shrugged. "Um, I don't know. I just wasn't feeling it, I guess? I don't know. I feel bad. He's so sweet. Damn, I feel really bad now."

  "I'm drunk," Bradley declared proudly, chuckling to himself and Stuart smacked him in the arm.

  I didn't even care about them anymore, I just wanted to clear my head. I flopped down onto the bed, still shaken up by that random guy pursuing me. I couldn't believe he had the audacity to do such a thing and I was scared that if I stayed around this party any longer that he would do much, much worse.
<
br />   "Can we go home, please?" I asked, glimpsing at Stuart who still had a sympathetic, yet angry, expression plastered over his face.

  "Of course, Ann," Stuart agreed instantly, fulfilling that protective best friend role that I needed.

  Bradley jutted his lip out into a pout, and Grace whined. They didn't know what had happened and I suddenly felt a little selfish, because now if we went home then Benjamin would go home too, forcing Grace, Bradley and Clayton to end their night as well. I didn't want to be a party pooper for them.

  "You guys can all come to our house, though," I blurted out, not even mentioning the idea to Stuart before I invited them over. "We can have a party of our own there. I just really want to go home."

  Stuart nodded, his eyes watching me intently. "Okay, yeah, you guys should come over. Let's go round up Benjamin and Clayton."

  I crossed one leg over the other as I nibbled away on the chips that Stuart had put out in the bowl on the table in front of us. An awkward silence had fallen over the six of us as our conversations had simmered down, and maybe it was awkward because I was sitting between the guy I liked and the guy who had taken my virginity on one couch, and Grace was sitting between the boy who liked her and the boy she was just kissing on the other couch.

  A part of me kind of expected Grace to ditch Clayton. They hadn't even been on an official date; it was just clear that they both had taken a liking to each other. But although Clayton sports that curly hair that Grace usually swoons over, he lacked that bit of danger she always craved. Clayton was so incredibly sweet, which I would want to surround my best friend, but she always went after the reckless ones with a dirty sense of humor that could possibly screw up her entire live.

  I knew the least about Bradley as opposed to the other boys, but I would assume that he fell somewhere into that category. It wasn't like she was committed to Clayton, but I still didn't want to be there when she broke the news that she was attracted to his best friend. And seeing the three of them all sit next to each other was borderline painful.