The real issue came in the form of Bennet’s lips, the accented Cupid’s bow, the gentle upward curl of the corners, the sheer redness and fullness that had me gazing at him until it was rude.
“Your eyelashes are so freaking long,” I said, then stopped myself when he shot me a confused look. “I didn’t realize I was saying that aloud.”
“Is that what you’re thinking about?” Bennet asked, clearly conflicted between being flattered and annoyed. “That won’t be on the test, Jason.”
Feisty. It didn’t help my case one bit.
I didn’t have a type. I really didn’t. I liked guys wholiked guys, and that was about it. But if I had to pick, if someone pressed me hard and made me choose, I’d have to say that willowy twinks with an attitude took the crown.
“Sorry,” I said, but I wasn’t. We both knew it.
Bennet smoothed his expression and lifted one eyebrow, then tapped the textbook. “It’s very important to me that you pass this test.”
I chuckled. “Why?”
He blinked, then relaxed his shoulders a little bit. “For one thing, it’ll reflect badly on me if you fail,” he said. Just as I feigned a wounded expression, he shared a tiny smile. “Plus, believe it or not, I actually care if you get to keep playing on the team.”
“Really? Ever seen me play?” I asked.
“God, no. But I understand that different people have different interests,” he said. “Football’s about as far from mine as something can be.”
“Lots of hot guys in tight pants grappling?” I asked.
“Is that why you do it?” Bennet asked.
He got me there. I shook my head. “No. But it’s a bonus for the crowd.” I hesitated, then let the words tumble out. “You are gay, right?” He’d mentioned having had a crush on Matt Smith after I’d said it first, but I hadn’t wanted to push him on it.
Bennet shot me a deadpan look. “You’re really not into these projections, huh?”
“Just asking,” I said with a laugh. “Unless you don’t want to talk about it. Which is also cool.”
Bennet flipped the page in total silencethat went on, then nodded, not looking at me. “Yeah, I’m gay. I thought you knew.”
“Thought so, too,” I said.
“Now that that’s out of the way, we can multiply the average by whatever number is on this axis, but that will only give us a straight line,” he continued.
“Oh no, we don’t want straight.”
He yawned uncontrollably, and I couldn’t help it. I laughed and shut the textbook in front of him. “Let’s call it a day, Bennet.”
He checked the time and agreed. “I’ve been in lectures since the morning,” he said.
“Do you ever skip any?” I asked.
He looked at me like I’d just slapped him. “Of course not.”
“When do you get to sleep off a hangover? Or do the walk of shame after a crappy one-night stand?”
“I…don’t do any of that,” he said.
As I got up, my back whimpered with stiffness. I raised my arms high above my head and stretched, not missing the way his gaze swept over the inch of flesh that appeared when my sweater dragged up. “Because you don’t like booze and sex?”
He stammered and frowned. “Not…exactly. It’s not that I don’t like it. I just…” He cocked his head. “You’re very good at distracting me. Because we didn’t get to finish this graph, you’ll have to try it on your own. Don’t worry if you get it wrong. Mistakes can be revealing.”
“Righty-right,” I said. “I’ll mess it up, and you’ll tell me why it’s all wrong.”
He fixed his glasses and sighed. “Yes. Hopefully, it will help you better understand your mistakes and do better next time.”