“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah.” No. I don’t want to leave him, but that’s my selfish desire. I search his eyes. I’m not sure what I’m looking for, maybe some sign that he feels as drawn to me as I do to him, that he enjoyed our moment last night too. The room is charged and my hair stands on end and I ache for him to kiss me again. But he looks down and releases a barely audible sigh.
He hands me my coat next and I put it on, feeling an overwhelming sadness. I really like him and I’m not ready to leave him yet. But Reed’s probably had a stroke by now, and I can’t bear to keep him waiting any longer.
“I can just take a taxi to my car, Ben,” I say, unable to look into his face. “I’ve inconvenienced you enough already.” I cringe. “My keys are in my purse. Do you happen to know where that might be?”
He groans, rubbing his face with his hand. “I left your purse at the bar. And it’s closed and I don’t have a key. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, you saved me from a group of barbarians. I don’t expect you to be responsible for all my personal items too.”
“I was glad to help you,” he says. His hands are by his sides and he clenches them into fists and then shoves them into his jacket pockets.
“You didn’t have to help me at all, but now your responsibility is done. So I’ll just go home and come back later to get my purse.”
A flicker of hope passes through his eyes. “I’m off on Mondays and Wednesdays. But I’ll be there tonight and tomorrow night.”
I can’t stop the smile that warms my face. “Good to know. I’ll make sure I stop by on a night when you’re working.” Although I suspect what little social life I’ve had is now history after this all-night stunt.
“Good,” he says quietly, studying my face. “I’d like to see you again.”
Heat fills my abdomen and spreads into my chest and lower. He wants to see me again. What I feel between us isn’t in my head. Just my luck considering that Reed will probably lock me in my room for the next two years. Disappointment floods me again and I head for the door. “I really can call a cab, Ben. I don’t want you to have to do anything else for me.”
He’s shoving his feet into the shoes by his recliner. “I’ve taken care of you for this long. Do you really think I’d drop my responsibility now? I offer door-to-door service.” He tries to sound light-hearted, but I can tell how freaked out he was last night. And who could blame him? Some random girl gets drugged, begs him not to call the police, then he gets stuck with taking care of her. My cheeks blush with embarrassment. How is he not shoving me out the door already?
“Alexa.” His voice is soft and he’s standing next to me.
I look up at him, suddenly fully aware that I have to have the nastiest breath on the face of the planet.
“Please, don’t be embarrassed. I wanted to help you. You have to trust me on that.”
Why? Because Reed’s his boss at his other job? But he’s calling me Alexa, the name I gave him on closing night of the play. Surely he’d call me Lexi if he knew who I really was. In some twisted way, it makes me feel better that he’s helping me for me and not because of Reed.
“Okay,” I finally say softly.
“Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat before you go?”
I’m standing here wearing my coat, which means he’s stalling. He really does want to be with me. Part of me really, really wants to stay here with him, but I can’t do that to my brother. “No, I need to get home.”
“Okay.” He grabs a jacket and shoves his arms in the sleeves, then leads me to the front door. His apartment is older and it kind of smells. A stack of dirty dishes and plates fill the sink and counter in the kitchen. He follows my gaze and cringes. “I have two roommates. They’re both slobs. I’m the neat freak…or at least I used to be before I started working three jobs in December along with my fifteen-hour course load.”
My mouth falls open. “You work three jobs?”
His eyes widen like he’s said something he didn’t mean to say.
“I don’t mean anything bad by that. Honestly, I’m in awe. I only have school.”
“That’s not true,” he says, opening the front door. “You work with the charity. You’re expanding their summer program and raising money for all the changes. That has to be worth two of my part-time jobs.”
I step outside under a covered walkway and turn to stare at him. “You remember all of that?”
“Of course I do. How could I forget?” He takes the lead again, holding my forearm. “Be careful on the steps.”
I haven’t had any trouble walking since I left his room, but I like his hand on my arm, so I don’t complain or try to pull out of his reach.
We walk toward an older sedan and Ben opens the passenger door for me. He waits until I’m all the way in before shutting the door and circling to the driver’s side. After he starts the car, he scrunches his eyes shut. “I should have warmed the car up for you. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t mind.”
He shifts the car into drive and stops at the exit to the parking lot. “Where to?”
I give him the simple directions to our apartment and then we drive in a silence that makes me both edgy and sad. “What’s your major?” I ask.
“Mechanical engineering. This is my last semester, thank God.”