Between You And Me
Chapter 6
By: Sarah
That night I slipped in the unfamiliar bed and pulled the covers up around me. I could faintly hear Joel and Maygen down the hallway. Maygen sounded upset and Joel sounded just as unhappy. I was glad I wasn�t the only one who was mad about them having to leave early. Benji hadn�t really said anything to me since we�d found out and I wasn�t sure why. Maybe he didn�t care, or maybe he was too upset to say something. All I knew was that I didn�t like the empty space next to me.
The room was cold, sending lonely shivers up my spine. I pulled my knees to my chest and tried hard to get warm. I closed my eyes tightly and listened to Joel and Maygen. They must have been standing in the hallway, because they sounded close by.
� Joel�I don�t know why you are doing this.� Maygen pleaded.
� Mayg, you know why we have to do this. We�ve been waiting for so long to find someone to fill this spot. After Dusty left�we were pretty worried about it. You know I�d rather stay here, with you�but��
� But.� Maygen sighed.
� I love you Mayg, come on. You know I�ll miss you.� He said. I sighed and wondered where Benji was.
� I love you too, Joely.� Maygen sighed, giving in. I groaned softly and buried my face in my pillow. I tired hard to clear my mind so I could sleep, but it was useless. A few seconds later, I heard our door open. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Benji walk in. I could only see his silhouette against the moonlight. His broad shoulders were slumped slightly, and his whole posture just looked depressed. I frowned and took a deep breath. He pulled his shirt off and then his shorts and then disappeared into the bathroom. I heard the water running and a few minutes later he walked back out. He crawled onto the bed and slumped down on his stomach, groaning. He knew I was awake, but he didn�t say anything. I couldn�t see him because I had my face turned the other way, but he was completely quiet. I could hear the faint sound of him breathing, but besides that the only other noise was the distant crash of the waves. After about twenty minutes, I slowly turned my head towards him. The moonlight was shining right on his face and I was surprised at first to see him staring right at me. It took me off guard because I hadn�t thought he was still awake.
I bit my lip and returned his gaze. His face gave away nothing. I looked at his arms in the pale white moonlight, the muscles standing out against the dark shadows in the dips of his arms. I sighed and looked back to his eyes.
� I�m sorry.� He mouthed the words, but no sound came out. I blinked in response and nodded. He slowly reached over and put his hand on my back. His hand was warm and heavy and just that single touch made me feel better. He scooted a little closer to me so our faces were only a few inches away. He leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose before slowly kneading the knots from my spine with his hands. I closed my eyes for a second and then reached forward and brushed his hands away. I intertwined his fingers in mine and I leaned forward and kissed him softly. He tasted faintly of mint toothpaste and it made me smile.
� I want you to move in with me.� He said. I stared at him in the darkness, not sure if I had heard correctly.
� What?� I asked, my voice sounded a lot more surprised than I had intended. He squeezed my hands and gently rolled ontop of me. His arms cradled my head and I loved the feeling of his body against mine.
� I want you to move in with me.� He said again. I hadn�t heard wrong.
� Are you serious?� I asked, looking up at him. He laughed softly and nodded.
� Yea, definitely. You can�t stand Farah. I can�t stand the thought of not waking up next to you anymore.� He said. I smiled, my heart melting.
� Benj�� I said cautiously. He shook his head and leaned down, kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me.
� So will you?� He asked. I nodded.
� Yes�yes, definitely.� I said. He smiled and buried his face in my neck, nipping at me gently.
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Benji woke up halfway through the night, shooting up in bed and waking me up. I sat up too, startled from my sleep. The room had gotten colder during the night and I yanked at the covers, pulling them up around both of us.
� Benj?� I said softly, worried. I reached over and rested my hands on his hot shoulders. He was shaking slightly and fighting to catch his breath. He turned and looked at me, as if trying to decide whether I was really me or not. He shook his head after a minute, violently, as if trying to shake something out of his memory.
� I had the most�fucked up dream.� He moaned, burying his face in his hands. �Nightmare, actually.� He added. I moved closer to him, pulling him close.
� What was it about?� I asked. He took a few deep breaths and then looked up. I laid back down, pulling him with me. He rested his head on my chest, one of his arms tucked under him, the other resting on my waist. His messy hair tickled my skin and I squirmed for a minute before I got comfortable.
� I was afraid of something�like something was going to happen, but I didn�t know what. All I knew was that I needed to find you, because I didn�t want you to get hurt. I kept calling your name and running around, but I couldn�t find you anywhere�� He faded off, snuggling closer to me. It felt good to have him need me so much. I reached up and started playing with his hair and rubbing the back of neck.
� It�s ok, I�m here.� I whispered. He nodded and kissed the space between my breasts, on my breastbone.
� I know.� He said, resting his chin on me. I smiled and he reached up and gently pushed his fingers through my slightly messy hair. � I can�t believe I ever almost lost you.� He said softly. I blushed, glad that it was night time. � You�re the most incredible girl I�ve ever met� I can�t believe I was so blind for so long.� He smiled. I laughed and slowly ran my fingers down his arms.
� Me either.� I joked. He laughed and kissed me, pulling the covers up around us, blocking out the chilly night.
� Will you miss me while I�m gone?� He asked in between kisses and touches. I shut my eyes, focusing on his voice and his body against mine.
� I don�t know.� I said softly, holding back a gasp and he left a trail of kisses down my stomach.
� I want you to have fun here�even though I know I�m the life of the party.� He chuckled. � I want you and Mayg and Jordan to go out and have fun.� He said. I nodded, grabbing at the sheets as he spoke. He was now kissing my thighs, his soft, moist lips leaving little imprints on my skin.
� I want you here though.� I said finally. He nodded and slowly started touching me. I bit my lip, my back arching against the soft sheets.
� I�ll be here.� He said, pressing his mouth against me. I gasped and let out a tiny moan. He moved slowly back up to me, kissing my neck and collarbone. I reached for him, running my hands down his chest slowly, getting lower and lower. He caught my hands and pulled them away, pressing them back up by my head.
� No�you can�t move.� He said, smiling. I frowned, confused. �I want to memorize you.� He said after a beat. I swallowed hard, surprised. � So, just lay there, ok? I want to memorize your body. Just lay there and let me�worship you.� He said. I couldn�t help but laugh. My giggles quickly turned to gasps as he climbed on top of me and started memorizing my skin with his fingertips, using slow, steady, feather light touches. My skin felt on fire, and extremely sensitive to his every movement. He kept eye contact with me for a few minutes, his deep chocolate brown eyes catching mine in the dark, a mix of amusement and passion burning in them.
� Please don�t leave me tomorrow.� I whispered. He took my hand in his and slowly kissed every fingertip.
� We�ll see each other in a week. And I�ll miss you every second� But I�m sure we�ll both be busy.� He said. I nodded, knowing and hoping that things wouldn�t be too depressing once the boys were gone. But I knew the girls would have fun.
� So were you serious about me moving in?� I asked softly. He looked up and then grabbed me around the waist, making me shriek with laughter. I tried squirming away from him, but he pulled me to him, our chest smashing together. I could feel his heart beating against me. He leaned closer and rubbed his nose against mine.
� I�ve never been more serious about anything.� He said. I nodded and kissed him.
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The next day was spent lounging around and eating every exotic food we could find. We hung out at the beach a lot, seeing that we hadn�t been outside since we�d gotten there. Benji thought it would be a waste to go to Hawaii and never see the beach. We were both pretty tired though, considering that we�d been up half the night. The day passed by way too quickly and before any of us knew it, it was six and time for the guys to get to the airport.
When we got there, Maygen immediately started bawling. It�s interesting since she�s usually the strong one, the one that pretends nothing bothers her. So, of course, seeing her cry made me cry. We were two crying girlfriends and we both felt pretty pathetic. We�d see them in a week, but somehow it seemed worse, especially since we were in Hawaii and they were supposed to be with us!
� I love ya, Nic.� Benji said, whispering it in my ear. I wiped my eyes, hoping my makeup wasn�t running too much.
� I love you more.� He kissed me quickly, but I pulled him back and kissed him harder. He laughed and squeezed me tight.
� Call me, ok?� I asked. He nodded.
� Definitely. I�ll see you in a week, k?�
� Yes�� I nodded. He smiled and took my hand, squeezing it tightly.
� You�re my Suga.� He said. I nodded, wiping another escaping tear. I hugged him once last time.
� See you. Don�t get into any trouble.� I smiled. He nodded and then turned, walking towards the plane entrance. I hugged Joel and asked him to watch out for Benji. He laughed and nodded and then made his way to the entrance. Maygen and I hugged each other, wiping our eyes.
� I love those boys.� She smiled. I nodded and laughed, glad to have them. Jordan was waiting for us back at the airport coffee shop. She had caramel machiattos waiting, and tissues. Farah had left early that morning, knowing very well that she wasn�t wanted. She had murmured something to me about how I�d �get what I deserved� and then she had left. I didn�t take her words into stride, knowing she was all talk.
� So you girls gonna be ok?� Jordan asked. I nodded, sipping the sweet coffee.
� Yes, just as long as we have lots of fun the rest of this week.� I sighed. Maygen agreed, smiling broadly.
� We can totally have fun without those silly boys.� She said, glancing at me. I nodded, trying hard to believe it. I missed him already.