Still a Slut for Bennett - Part 8

Everyone in this story is 18+

Breakfast was… awkward that morning.

I sat at the small kitchen table. Cooper, Jose, and Bennett were all dressed and getting ready for their shared morning class, their conversation minimal as they hurried to get their belongings.

I barely touched my food, my eyes flicking between them, my thoughts heavy with everything that had happened. Bennett, of course, seemed completely at ease, leaning back in his chair with a lazy grin. “By the way,” he announced “I’ve got a hot date tonight. This chick is smoking.”

“Good for you, man,” Jose said, smirking. “Don’t be late to class tomorrow because you’re, you know, recovering.”

“Recovering from what?” Jose teased, nudging Bennett’s arm. “How wild is she, bro?”

Bennett laughed, shaking his head as he grabbed his bag. “Wild, but don’t worry about me. I’ve got stamina for days.”

I tried to force a smile, but the words stung more than I wanted to admit. As the three of them gathered their things, the usual chaos of their rushed departure filled the room.

“We’re already late,” Jose grumbled, shoving his laptop into his bag.

“Your fault for watching one more episode,” Cooper shot back, slinging his backpack over one shoulder.

Bennett, as usual, took his time, stretching and yawning like he had all the time in the world. He glanced at me on his way out. “See you later, Eli.”

“Yeah, see you,” I muttered, my voice quieter than I intended.

The door closed behind them, leaving me alone in the sudden stillness of the apartment. I stared at the table, a mix of emotions swirling inside me. Part of me felt a pang of sadness thinking about Bennett’s date—how he could so easily move on to someone else, like last night hadn’t meant anything. But I was also relieved that Cooper was gone, too. His casual composure at breakfast had been unnerving, like a silent reminder of what he’d seen. At least now, with them gone, I could finally breathe.

I thought back to yesterday, to how Cooper had quickly regained his composure after… catching me. He hadn’t said a word about it, acting completely normal, which almost made it worse. The silence left too much room for my own thoughts, too many questions about what he was thinking.

Just as I started clearing the table, the front door burst open again. My heart leapt into my throat, but it was only Cooper, jogging in with a slightly sheepish look. “Forgot my computer,” he called out, darting toward his room.

I stood frozen, watching as he grabbed his laptop. On his way out, he paused, turning back with a sly grin. “Oh, and don’t worry about yesterday. I won’t tell anyone,” he said casually, his voice low enough that only I could hear. Before I could respond, he was gone again, the door clicking shut behind him.

I stood there for a moment, my face burning. His words lingered in the air, both a reassurance and a reminder of the secret we now shared. I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or even more on edge.

As the door clicked shut behind Cooper, I leaned back against the counter, staring at nothing in particular. His words lingered in my head, twisting themselves into knots with everything else that had been swirling there since yesterday.

Don’t worry about yesterday. I won’t tell anyone.

It should have been reassuring, but it just felt like another layer of complication to an already messy situation. Between Bennett and what had happened last night, and now Cooper knowing—it all felt too much.

I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair as my thoughts shifted back to Bennett. He’d been so casual this morning, so unaffected, so… Bennett. Announcing his date with some hot chick like last night meant nothing. And maybe it didn’t. Maybe that’s all it was for him—just another notch on his belt, another way to scratch an itch.

For me? It wasn’t that simple. It never had been. I’d been hung up on him for what felt like forever, pouring every bit of my hope into the idea that maybe, just maybe, he could feel the same way. But I wasn’t an idiot. Bennett wasn’t going to stop dating girls. He wasn’t going to wake up one day and suddenly see me as more than his “bro” or, at best, a convenient distraction when he was horny. The best I could hope for was more of the same: stolen moments, buried under blankets, where I got to pretend I meant more to him than I did.

It was exhausting—this constant yearning, this hoping for something I knew I’d never have. Maybe it was time to try something different, to let go of this ridiculous fantasy and just… have a little fun myself.

My gaze drifted to my phone on the counter, and my thumb itched to reach for it. I’d downloaded Grindr before, a couple of times actually, but I’d always ended up deleting it. Every time I opened it, every time I saw someone else’s face pop up, all I could think about was Bennett. No one else ever stood a chance when I was so consumed by him.

But now? Maybe it was time to see what else was out there. To stop holding myself back for someone who would never be mine. Who could never be mine.

Maybe it’ll help, I thought. Maybe seeing someone else—feeling something for someone else—will finally help take the edge off this… this obsession.

I picked up my phone, the screen lighting up as I opened the app. The familiar grid of profiles loaded instantly, a sea of faces and possibilities staring back at me. It felt strange, but also… freeing. Like maybe, just maybe, this could be the first step toward untangling myself from Bennett. Toward finding something—someone—that wasn’t so damn complicated.

I swiped through a few profiles, my thumb hovering over the screen. None of them compared to Bennett—not his smile, not his laugh, not the way he made me feel like the center of the universe when he wanted to. But maybe, for now, they didn’t need to. Maybe this wasn’t about finding someone like him, but about finding someone who wasn’t him.

Maybe a little fun was exactly what I needed to quiet the yearning that had taken up so much space in my heart. To remind myself that there was more to the world than Bennett—and maybe even more to me.