F•R•I•E•N•D•S

T•W•E•L•V•E

Kennedy

Have you ever done something you weren't supposed? For instance, when your mother tells you to take the meat out the freezer to defrost but you totally forget, and when she comes back home you're all frantic and scared?

Yeah, that was me in this moment.

Millions of people had seen the video and retweeted it as much as they could. There was no running from the truth, Ben was going to have my head.
Which is why I am currently hiding from him in the campus library.

It was huge enough for me to run through like a maze and tall enough to conceal me. I was in the clear for sure.

At least I thought I was.

All it took was for me to smell his cologne, that strong, addicting, woodsy scent I've come to familiarize him with. I hadn't seen him, but my nose told me he was here, and he was close.

I had recently stumbled from my history class, hightailing it here just to avoid all confrontations.
It was enough that I was still hearing the video when I walked through the halls, or most of the student body would whisper around me, but for people to outright call me out on it was beyond infuriating.

So much was on my mind that I didn't need Ben to add weight to my back.

Thought after thought bombarded my brain, making me lose focus of my surroundings. So much so that I almost couldn't tell which way his voice came from when he spoke.

"Kennedy," his furiously smooth voice called my name.

It came from behind me, distant yet loud enough to make chills down my spine and other surprising places.
The dark combat boots he wore seemed to have added to his height, along with the long sleeved clothes he wore.

Seeing him for the first time erupted tingling sensations down each bone in my spinal chord, settling in the pit of my stomach.
Before I knew what was happening, my feet carried me as fast as they could in the opposite direction.

I was running as if my life depended on it, and maybe it did; I knew Ben would chew me up and spit me out like paste when he gets hold of me.

Giggles oozed out of me as I turn corner after corner, putting as much distance as I could between me and the wonderful man behind me.
His breath was the first indication that he was right behind me, before his strong hands pull me backwards into his chest.

We tumble awkwardly to the ground, rolling to a complete stop with his weight on top of me.
Giggling like a mad woman, I wrap my arms around his neck, taking the situation down a dangerous road.

His eyes, although, never leave mine as he gazes intensely at me, anger evident upon his features. However, the slight twitch to his brow tells me he recognizes the position we're in.

"You were saying?" I tease him.

He grunts, shaking his head as if snapping out of a daze, separating himself from my embrace. He helps me up with one quick jerk, before roasting me like corn on the grill.

"What the hell were you thinking Kennedy!? I told you not to go to that stupid party, and what do you do? Disobey my commands completely. Is this all some joke to you?" He rages.

"Calm down gramps, I was just having fun," I roll my eyes, having had enough of the conversation already.

"Look, no one's stopping you from having whatever fun you want, but your safety is my first priority! And even if that excludes "fun" then so be it."

My back was to him now as I stomped off having enough of him, but I only made it so far before his strong hands grasp my forearm.

His eyes scream dominance, the dark brown so vivid that I could have sworn they danced with electricity. Or maybe that was the current between us that caused me to lean further into him, while listening to him speak.

"Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you," he says, his voice less harsh from when it was earlier. It was serene, soothing; almost as if he was telling me how beautiful I was, how much he loved being near me.

"Okay," I gush.

There was something about Benjamin that pulled me towards him. Something I couldn't put my finger on quite yet. It wasn't the fact that we grew up together, eating ice-cream sandwiches and playing video games all night. No, it wasn't the fact that this man was practically my best friend.

It was the way his palms lingered on the small of my back when he pulled me in close, demanding my full attention. It was the way he focused on me and only me like I was the last person on earth.
I knew it was his duty to guard me from any harm and I know he'd do it with his life.

And that's the part that scared me most.

What was his reason for laying down his life for mine? It went beyond work requirements, my heart told me as much.
Funny thing is, I didn't mind in the slightest; because I knew without a shadow of a doubt I would do the same for him.

As if suddenly realizing how close we were, Ben puts an uncomfortable distance in between us that leaves me frigid and wanting.
He clears his throat before speaking.

"I, uhhm- I need you to be more responsible Kennedy; for both our sakes. Can you do that?" He begs, eyes serious and foreboding.

I whine, rolling mine while crossing my arms before I answer him. "Fiinneee, I will be. Happy now?"

His sparkling white teeth stands out in beautiful contrast to his chocolate skin, awakening something that had been in a timely slumber.

"Ecstatic."