The following week went by pretty quickly. I filled most of my time with schoolwork, workouts, and hanging out with Sara and Ben.

Friday afternoon the football team has a game on campus. All students have been busy partying and pre-drinking since morning. I had lectures in the morning, so I couldn't go see Ben to wish him good luck before he had to prepare for the game.

"Hurry!" I say to Sara, who is busy putting on orange lines on her cheeks to match our school's colors.

"Coming, just give me a sec." She yells from her room.

I huff and check myself in the mirror. I'm wearing an old practice jersey of Ben's with his name and number eight on the back and shorts underneath.

Sara comes out of her room still putting things in her small purse.

Floods of people are making their way to the stadium. Most of the guys are wearing hats and jerseys and the girls booty shorts and tank tops. We take our seats and thanks to Sara, we didn't have time to see the boys entering the locker room.

We sit in the front row directly behind the coach and the bench of the spare players. Being the sister of the captain is really great sometimes. These seats are basically mine now, and people don't bother trying to sit in them.

Our mascot and the cheerleaders are dancing and doing cheerleaders stuff. People are chugging beer like it's water. The game hasn't even started and they are already drunk. Today's game is against another skilled team, so the stadium is fuller than usual. Almost every seat is taken.

I turn to Sara and lean close to her ear so she can hear me speak over the loud voices coming from the students and speakerphones. "Isn't Alex going to come?"

"Yes, he just texted me. He'll be here in five minutes."

After five minutes Alex comes, and behind him is Luca. I have only seen Luca a handful of times since our kiss. During those times we were with other people and I got the feeling he was avoiding me. He made minimal eye contact with me and he always stayed at least a few feet away from me. And I didn't try to initiate any conversation because I don't want people overhearing me asking if he regrets his kiss with me.

Now though, he has to sit next to me as Alex takes the seat next to Sara and leaves him the other one empty. He settles in, his thigh touching my knee. I give him a smile just before the announcer's voice booms through the speakers, announcing the names of the players as they walk on the field.

Ben is the first to walk on the field holding his helmet in his arm. He looks back in my direction and I wave like a mad girl so he notices me. When he sees me, he salutes me.

"Go, Benny! Woo hoo!" I cup my hands around my mouth and shout.

The game is intense and the nerves are kicking in. There are only three minutes left, and the score is a tie. Every one standing up and the cheers are near deafening.

All the players are giving their all to win. I peek at the big clock above the field after a while and see there are only seventeen seconds to go.

Ben gets the ball, and he throws it to another player. He keeps running with the ball tucked under his arms while expertly dodging other players, ducking and faking his next move.

The players on the other side of the field look like they're holding their breath. Same as everyone else in the stadium.

He passes the end zone and throws the ball on the ground just before the buzzer announces the end of the game.

We won!

Holy shit. That was close.

People jump and hug each other, with them, beer and popcorn flying in the air. I turn to Sara and almost choke her with my embrace.

"Aaah, that was so exciting!" She shouts.

I motion with my head to the field, silently telling her I want to see Ben, and she nods. I jump from my seat and run to the railing. The player who scored the touchdown is being crushed under the bodies of the other players. The coach comes and gets them off him so he can breathe.

That makes me grin. Ben told me once that he almost died from lack of oxygen as players jumped on him after scoring.

I wave my hand to get Ben's attention. He jogs to me and I dip down at the waist to give him the best hug I can manage with the railing between us.

"That was great. You did good." I tell him. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you. Love you, sis." He kisses the side of my head. He releases me, and I see Sara is next to me. She gives Ben a high five and tells him he played well.

The players go to the locker room to shower while the rest go to their own dorms to freshen up and maybe change clothes before the celebratory party.

Sara has removed the orange makeup on her face and is now wearing a strapless red dress. Red looks great on her somewhat pale skin tone and blonde hair. Sara has that kind of natural beauty you only see in magazines. Her wavy hair, plump lips and blue eyes make her look like a supermodel.

I am wearing a white corset-like top with a jeans skirt.

Ben's house is so full with college students, mostly already drunk, that the party has extended to the front yard and street. They decorated the outside of the house with signs and lights.

We find Ben in the backyard, as always. Alex is already here, but when I look around, I don't spot Luca.

Ben stands up to hug me tightly. He gives me a kiss on the cheek. "You look great."

I grin at him. "So do you, big bro."

He gets pulled into a conversation with another group of people, and I take the opportunity to greet the other players and congratulate them on the win.

They all hug me and give me a quick peck on the cheek while Ben is still busy with talking to a group of what looks like freshmen.

To get inside to one of Ben's house parties, you have to get an invitation–not they really check them at the entrance–but It seems like today they invited more freshmen than usual.

When I reach Jace, he smirks and leans in to give me a lingering kiss close to the corner of my mouth. "You look sexy as hell." He whispers in my ear.

"I know.'' I wink, ''so do you by the way."

"Do you want me to get you a drink?" He asks while keeping his arms resting lightly on my waist.

I shake my head, "Not now." He nods and sits back in his chair. He pats his thighs discreetly, inviting me to sit in his lap. I peer around and see Sara talking to a football player and next to her is Luca. When I turn back to face Jace, he tilts his head sideways. I shake my head with a playful smile and tell him I'm going to Sara.

When I reach the trio, they look at me and who I now can tell is Adam, a teammate of Ben's. He greets me, then goes to his friends.

"Alex is waving for me to come, I'll be right back." Sara says and walks toward him with a smile.

"Hey." I say to Luca, smiling up at him.

"Hey. I'm gonna go get a drink." He turns to walk.

I catch up with him easily, "I'll go with you. I also need a drink."

"I could've gotten you one, It's busy as hell inside." Now I know for sure he is trying to avoid me and doesn't want to talk to me.

I smile, "It's okay." I walk in front of him because people usually make way for me to walk. When we reach the kitchen, I pour myself cranberry vodka, my usual drink at these kinds of parties.

He is standing behind me, waiting for me to finish making my drink because there is no free area at the table for him to get a drink. I turn around and we are almost standing flush to each other because of how many people are packed in the kitchen. "What do you want to drink?"

"I'll pour one myself, don't worry." He shakes his head, his eyes scanning the kitchen.

"There is literally no place to move, just tell me what you want." One of my eyebrow raises.

He seems to hesitate before he answers, "Beer is fine." I nod and pick a red plastic cup and fill it with beer from one of the half dozen kegs that are on the island.

I hand it to him and I see his lips move but can't hear him. I'm assuming he said 'thanks'.

He takes a tiny step back and looks around the room. I poke him on his shoulder. When he looks at me I smile mischievously, "You up for another round of beer pong later?" Even though it's packed as fuck and I can't fully rotate, I grab my chance to have an actual conversation with him.

He seems to think it over. "Maybe. But with no conditions this time." His face is serious, no lingering smirk or smile.

"And where is the fun in that?" I grin.

His expression turns impassive. "I don't think that is a good idea." I frown. Not a good idea?

What does that even mean? It's just a fun game with a little spice added to it. Does this have to do with what happened last time we played beer pong? Now I want to know what is going on with him and why he's been acting weird around me and avoiding me. Every time I even tried to approach him this past week, he fled the scene.

I drain my drink, put it somewhere on the island, grip his wrist and start walking to the stairs. He tries to free his hand from me, but I tighten my grip.

He's not escaping me this time. He needs to tell me why he's been ignoring me.

When I open the door to the laundry room, I'm greeted with a naked torso of a girl sitting on the washing machine and another one on her knees between her legs. I mumble an excuse and continue walking. Since I know no one has the guts to do something like that in Ben's room, I make my way up there.

I open the door to Ben's room and close it behind me. The sound is considerably lower here, as Ben has the same soundproof planks as in the playroom.

Leaning on the door, I look at Luca with a frown on my face. He is busy rubbing his wrist.

"Why did you yank me to... I'm assuming it's Ben's room?" He waves at the pictures of me and Ben on the wall next to me.

"First, yes, this is Ben's room and second, what is going on with you?" I push off the wall and walk closer to him.

He looks confused and maybe slightly offended. "Nothing is going on with me, in fact I can ask you the same thing. What if I was the one who did this?" He sits on the bed and puts his drink on the nightstand.

Maybe I should've explained to him where I'm taking him. But it's too late for that. "Sorry,'' I smile sheepishly. ''You've been acting weird and every time we're in the same room you make up a lame ass excuse to flee."

He looks down at the floor with his hands in his lap.

"Ever since we kissed, you've been avoiding me." He looks back up at me with a slight grimace. He opens his mouth to speak but I don't let him. "If you wanted to pretend that kiss didn't happen you should've talked to me and told me so, not pretend like we don't know each other every time we're in the same place."

His eyes widen a little, and he stands up from the bed. "No, that's not true. I don't want to pretend it didn't happen."

I didn't realize how much I was hoping he'd say something like that.

"Then what?" I cross my arms across my chest. We're finally getting somewhere.

He rakes a hand through his curly hair. Flashback of me doing the exact same thing flashes in my mind. Heat rushes to my face from the memory.

Even though I want that kiss to happen again, if he doesn't, I still would like to be friends.

"I–the kiss–it was–" He stutters. He groans and rakes his hand through his hair again, but angrily this time because he can't come up with an explanation.

"It was a stupid bet for a stupid game of beer pong. I don't want us to be awkward around each other because you'll be seeing a lot more of me as I spend a lot of time at Alex's and seeing as you are his roommate it would be unconventional if you have to make a run for it every time you see me–"

"No, that's not it," he interrupts. "Look, I don't regret kissing you, it's just I don't want you to think like I was using you or anything,"

"What? I was the one who initiated the kiss."

"I know, but we were both kind of drunk and–"

"I wasn't drunk. I was fully aware of what I was doing." I need to make sure he knows I was consciously aware that I was kissing him.

He takes a step towards me. "I wasn't drunk either, but I didn't know how good you can tolerate alcohol."

"Well, good thing we both were only tipsy then, right? And in case you haven't figured it out already, it takes a lot of alcohol to get me blackout drunk." I assure him, laughing softly.

He nods slowly and takes another step forward. His eyes roam my body slowly and he doesn't care that I notice him doing so.

"So you remember how it went?" He asks, his voice deliciously low.

Oh, yes!

I remember exactly how it went. I remember the tingling sensation I felt as his tongue entered my mouth and hands explored my body. How he lifted me off the floor and pushed me against the wall. I remember his hardness digging right where I needed.

"I remember most of the details." I shrug, playing it off.

"Most?" He repeats. A wicked smile grows on his face. I hum in response. "Do you need me to refresh your memory?"

Yes, please! I want you to more than refresh my memory.

I walk to Ben's desk and try to hide my smile, while trailing my index finger on the edge of the table. Turning around to face him again, I suck in a breath when I see him only inches away from me. I grip the edge of the desk to prevent my hands from landing on his chest.

His closeness reminds me of our kiss and my gaze drops to his lips, then back up to his dark eyes. He smirks and his hands reach out and rest on my hips, his thumbs touching my exposed skin above my skirt.

I wind my arms around his neck, and he seems to be surprised by my move. I scratch the nape of his neck with my slightly long nails. He groans softly and his lips suddenly smash against mine and the force of it has me arching my back.

A sexy sound comes from the back of his throat and in one motion, my feet leave the ground and I'm set on the desk. I wrap my legs around him to bring him closer to where I need. His hands greedily touch my thighs and waist.

The kiss doesn't start slow and soft like last time. He is kissing me with hunger and need. I part my lips for his tongue and I moan at the tingling feeling in my gut.

I tug at his hair and grind my hips against the mold at the front of his jeans. He groans and holds my hips to still me. He kisses my neck and I throw my head back and moan loudly when he sucks at that sweet spot under my ear.

"Fuck." He swears and smacks his lips to mine again, kissing me with urgency.

I need more of him. More than his lips against mine. I need something to fill my aching core.

I grind my hips again and his hands tug at the hem of my top, but it won't budge. His hands roam my back, looking for a zipper or buttons. When he can't find any, he removes his lips from mine. He looks for a zipper while his hands are touching every inch of my chest and back. He huffs impatiently and I start to laugh. I'm wearing a corset and it has those seamless pins at the back.

"Stop laughing and help me take this thing off." He says. I continue laughing at his irritated expression and I put my hand over my mouth to prevent the sound of my laughter from coming out.

He looks at me, astonished as to why I'm finding the situation funny. A burst of laughter slips through my lips and I put my hands on his chest and lean into his shoulder to muffle my laughs.

I feel him shake and then his laughter sounds through the room. He wraps his arms around my waist. "This isn't even funny."

I look at him still with a grin on my face. "It kinda is."

He shakes his head at me, then cups my face and kisses me softly. He smiles against my lips and it makes me smile as well.

It's a sweet and tender kiss. A slow kiss with no tongue.

"What do you think–" I tear my lips away from Luca's and face the annoyed then shocked expression of my dear big brother.

Wrong timing, bro.

"Bells, what are you doing in my room?" He asks as if it wasn't obvious.

Luca removes his hands from me and takes a couple of steps backwards to put some distance between us, but Ben already knows what we were doing.

"What are you doing here? People downstairs are practically celebrating you." I retort.

He gives me a blank look. "It's my room, and I spilled a drink on my shirt." He opens the door to his closet and picks a black t-shirt and quickly changes. He glares at Luca, trying to intimidate him. I see Luca swallowing hard and I have to contain my laughter again. "You have five minutes, if you're not down after the time's up, I'm coming back up, throwing you over my shoulder and dragging you back downstairs."

I jump down from the desk. "Okay, whatever." I mumble with an eye roll. He gives one last look to Luca, then to me. He holds his hand up, palm facing me to show that I only have five minutes.

His room is like his baby. And he doesn't get to play the big brother card very often when it comes to me and guys, so he's using this moment to his advantage.

When he closes the door, I hear Luca exhale a breath of relief.

"Calm down. He likes to play the role of the scary big brother." I pat his chest. Then I pat it once more to feel how hard it is. Nice.

"Yeah. Well, we better head back down there." He walks to the door and I follow him. When we reach the stairs, I tug at his arms and when he turns I connect my lips with his for one last long kiss. When he pushes his tongue against my lips, I break away.

His eyes have become hooded and his arms are tight around my waist. I smile and hold my hand up to remind him of the five minutes. He shakes his head at me with a smile and releases me.

"Ladies first." He motions for me to walk before him.