Page 1 of Beautifully Complicated

Prologue - Aiden

Ican still hear voices after hanging up the phone, but they’re muted compared to what passes for normal volume in this house. Whoever’s talking clearly doesn’t want to be overheard, and I’d like to respect that, but I’d also like to know who’s in the house with me when it’s supposed to be empty.

Treading softly, I make my way from the kitchen to the living room, where I have a clear view of the foyer. Damien, who I thought left a few minutes ago, is standing less than a foot away from Bennet, who must’ve come in while I was talking to my mother.

It looks like they’re in the middle of a heated conversation, which isn’t unusual for those two, but their proximity to one another is. I mean, they’re practically breathing each other’s air, and since Bennet can’t stand Damien, that’s pretty odd.

I side-step behind the wall so I’m out of view and listen.

“I’ve got four pages of math that’ll probably take me at least two hours.” Bennet slouches against the wall with a heavy sigh. “And that’s on top of economics. Is ten too late?” His voice drops as if he’s afraid of being overheard.

“You’ve got a key for a reason,” Damien says.

Bennet has a key? To Damien’s? Since when?

I poke my head around the corner just in time to see Bennet reach for Damien’s coat, yanking him close enough that their lips meet in a brief yet searing kiss.

My stomach drops to the floor.

“What’s this for?” Damien sighs into Bennet’s mouth, returning the kiss.

“You’re sexy as fuck in this hat.” The fingers of Bennet’s right hand toy with the strands of hair sticking out near Damien’s ear.

“You complain about this hat every time I wear it during workouts.”

“Because you look sexy as fuck in it and running with a boner is torture.” Bennet nips at his bottom lip before pulling it into his mouth.

“But you’re gonna force me to walk home with one?” Damien’s tongue licks against Bennet’s.

“I’ll take care of it later.” Bennet pushes his way into Damien’s mouth one last time before giving him a slow, sweet peck on the lips. Then he smacks Damien’s ass. “Get out of here so I can start my homework.”

“Later.” Damien gives Bennet a final kiss and jogs out the front door.

I forget I’m supposed to be hiding until Bennet turns around and spots me, the dopey smile on his face morphing into a deer-in-the-headlights expression.

“Oh, uh. Hey.” He rubs the back of his neck nervously, clearly wondering if there’s any chance I didn’t just see that.

I gape at him, my supposedly straight roommate, and blink repeatedly. “Are you…bi?”

Bennet’s face turns uncharacteristically pink. “Apparently.”

“Since when?”

“Since my dick decided to take an interest in that fucker.” He jerks his head to the door Damien just walked through.

“I thought you hated him?” Those two have been rivals for years, their competitive natures so ingrained Bennet damn near banned him from the house when Damien first transferred here. And on the rare occasions Damien’s come here to study with me, I thought for sure Bennet would stroke out.

“Trust me, I want to.” Bennet sighs. “My cock doesn’t though. Damn thing perks up every time he looks at me. It’s annoying as fuck.”

I think that’s supposed to be a joke, but my brain can’t process humor right now. It’s too stuck on shock.

“I’m still not following this. Isn’t Damien straight? You said he stole your high school girlfriend.”

“Yeah, about that.” Bennet chuckles. “Turns out he was trying to show me she wasn’t girlfriend material or something. His method was shit, but I get what he was trying to do. Probably one of those spectrum things where it made sense in his head even though it was fucked up. I’m pretty sure you’re right about that, by the way,” he rambles. “I haven’t said anything to him, but I’ve been paying attention, and I think you’re right about how he was never trying to bait me. He just said what came to mind.”

“You don’t think Damien is trying to bait you because of whatIsaid?” I point to my chest, wondering if that offhand comment about Bennet needing to be mindful of his reaction to Damien since I suspected he was on the spectrum was the first domino leading to the scene I just witnessed. “And now you’re dating?”

“Not dating.” Bennet shakes his head firmly. “I can’t… I’m not…”

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