#it was a midterm consisting of four short essays too so that makes me feel nice about my writing ability

[astriiformes]

I've been feeling myself getting a little burnt out as the semester gets closer to finishing up -- though still not nearly as much as like, every other semester, which is kind of incredible -- but today we got our midterms back for my art & science history class and I'm pretty sure I got the highest score in the course, despite my professor saying a lot of people struggled more than he expected?

In any case, it's making me feel a little like I am maybe not so terrible at this whole school thing. It's nice to be reminded I have some real strengths, even when other classes are giving me a harder time.

[bensbuttercup]

After Hours (B.H.)

Summary: A noisy neighbor and a knock on a door may have Cameron biting off more than she can chew

Word Count: 7,816

Authors note: This may be a little piggy back off of Claire’s Office Hours and you should all go read it because it’s absolutely beautiful.

Cameron sighed as she set her mug of coffee down on the nightstand next to her bed, the now empty mug taunting her. She thought about walking to the kitchen to brew yet another cup but she deemed the time and effort it would take not worth the caffeine boost she would get. She pulled her caramel brown hair into a messy ponytail on top of her head before wrapping the rubber band that was once around her wrist around the messy mass of hair she had grasped in her right hand.

Midterms were quickly approaching and Cameron knew she should take her free Friday night to work on the essays she needed to complete before her tests. Her playlist for the night consisted of a mix of her favorite artists from when she was younger that she still held on to, a mix of Shawn Mendes and the boys’ One Direction solo hits had been on a continuous loop for hours now. 

It was nearing midnight and Cameron was putting the finishing touches on the research paper she was writing for her current events class, six hours had added up to fifteen pages of writing and three pages of sources. The almost completed paper was something Cameron was glad she had finished in just a number of hours, a testament to how hard she was working this semester.

After saving her word document a final time Cameron opened Spotify at the bottom of her computer, she saw her History of Rock Playlist under the current one she was listening to, she had a paper for that class also, and she knew she should probably work on it but that class was of little interest to her past the first essay she had written.

Minimizing Spotify Cameron turned back to the countless tabs she had open on the internet, quickly she closed all of them, the feeling giving her an odd sense of satisfaction and pride. Cameron yawned as she slowly slid out of her bed, finally deciding that the cup of coffee to tie her over wasn’t that bad of an idea. She padded into the kitchen of her apartment, two fuzzy socks on her feet, one blue with reindeers and the other pink with wolves on it. The slippery material of her socks easily glided on her tile floors allowing her to not have to lift her feet to move smoothly.

As Cameron waited for her coffee to brew she heard a crackling noise through her wall before loud music began to vibrate the counter she was leaning on. Watching the coffee that was already in the mug ripple to the beat of the rock music that was playing next door Cameron closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn’t know who her neighbor was but she knew they often enjoyed playing seventies and eighties rock at odd hours of the night. Often she could sleep through it but tonight Cameron was shocked when she heard the beat of a bass drum join in. The sound clearly wasn’t coming from the song but from a drum set.

As her keurig spit out the last of her mug of coffee Cameron picked the milk up out of her refrigerator, willing herself to keep calm while she made her coffee. She picked her backpack up from next to the kitchen table and retreated back to her room, her sky blue and black under armor backpack slung over one shoulder, her new mug of coffee in the other hand. Cameron began pulling her textbooks for her international trade laws class out of her bag when the sound of a cymbal from next door made her jump. The small startle caused Cameron to bump into her nightstand, she watched in shock as the full mug of coffee wobbled on the edge before settling flat again, only a few drops of the warm liquid running down the sides of the mug.

Cameron closed her eyes and took a deep breath silently thanking god the mug didn’t fall as she pushed it further back onto the small wooden table. She put her textbooks on the bed before carefully crawling back on to her soft mattress. She settled her brown throw blanket over her lap before pulling her laptop desk back to its place in front of her. She looked over the stickers on her laptop, various cute drawing of animals with funny sayings and stickers from her Hogwarts house covered the metal. She slowly opened the computer up and the sound of Shawn Mendes’ song “Particular Taste” filled her room.

The steady drumming of the bass next door picked up again and the music got even louder, Cameron sighed turning her own speakers up even louder. It seemed like a constant back and forth for half an hour, who’s speakers could be louder, who could cause the most problems for their neighbor.

Cameron knew the battle was pointless, that someone with a drum set in their apartment would be able to cause more havoc and disturbance than someone with a decent stereo set. Around one in the morning Cameron’s trade law essay still sat untouched, the google doc she was using open, the cursor blinking steadily. She noticed it was in time with the bass of the drum next door, and that annoyed her even more.

At one-forty-two Cameron pulled on her ponytail and groaned before pulling a hoodie on over her tank top, if she was going to confront her obnoxious neighbor she could at least be comfortable and covered.

With her feet clad in two mismatched fuzzy socks, her legs barely covered in a pair of blue Hawaiian print sleep shorts and a baseball hoodie from her ex-high school boyfriend covering her torso, Cameron set out on a mission. She quickly walked to the apartment next door and knocked firmly four times, the sound of her fist on the wooden door echoing through the empty hallway. She crossed her arms over he chest, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth as she heard the speakers noise cut off, the Queen song that was on left hanging in the middle of a line.

“Fucking finally,” Cameron let out a relieved sigh and turned to walk back to her own apartment, assuming her neighbor finally got the idea. Cameron was about to step back on to the tacky red carpet that ran down the middle of the hall when a deep voice from behind her caused her to jump slightly.

“Can I help you?” Cameron paused in the middle of the step she was taking and turned on the ball of her right foot. She went to throw a quick and sharp remark back at the individual who had the audacity to ask if she had a problem when he was the one blasting music at nearly two in the morning.

“Actually-” when Cameron locked eyes with who she thought was an obnoxious stranger who lived next door her breath got caught in her throat. “Hi Ben.” Cameron caught herself saying. Stood in front of Cameron was perhaps one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen.

Ben Hardy, or just Ben, as Cameron knew him, was her TA for her History of Rock Music class and he also led her discussion group. Cameron had never cared much for rock music but it was one of her older brothers favorite styles and with a space left in her schedule for one more elective she decided to take the class as a way to hopefully bond more with her brother.

She never knew though how attractive her TA could actually be until she had walked into class the first day. She was wearing a pair of ripped dark blue jeans and a hoodie from the school softball team she played on and she walked in feeling underdressed as she caught the TA’s eyes. He was wearing a pair of clearly ironed back dress pants with brown shoes and a maroon sweater. Ben was always dressed nice in classes and discussions, his hair tastefully messy on top of his head, and Cameron always felt underdressed in his presence.

However, tonight was different. Now Ben stood in front of her in nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants, the white band of Calvin Klein boxers poking out of the top of them, his happy trail dipping under the fabric along with his v-line. He wasn’t wearing any socks and his hair still looked damp, his bare chest on display in front of her.  Cameron looks down his arms, the veins popping out from between his muscles under his skin, a pair of drumsticks in his right hand, his left leaning on the doorframe.

“Miss Price!” Cameron watched a smile grow on Ben’s face when he realized it was her. Ben knew that Cameron was ogling him, and he wasn’t complaining about it. Cameron watched as Ben looked her up and down slowly, causing her to shift slightly uncomfortably on the balls of her feet. With a yawn he languidly pushed himself off of the doorframe and spoke. “Cat finally got your tongue, Miss Price?” Ben asked.

Cameron went to open her mouth to speak but nothing came out. “It’s- it’s Cameron,” she stumbled over her words, “you can call me Cameron.” She felt her cheeks heating up while Ben’s eyes continued to map her figure out, as if she wasn’t swimming in a hoodie too big for her.

“Well Cameron,” Ben twirled one of his drumsticks between his fingers as Cameron watched mesmerized, “If you want to come in for a drink to make up for me keeping you up so late I wouldn't mind.” Cameron stood in the hallway still, stunned. Ben, her TA, was asking her if she wanted to come into his apartment for a drink, and she was considering it.

Cameron wanted to say no but instead she found herself saying, “I’m not- I’m not old enough? And you didn’t keep me up I was doing work.” She squeezed her eyes shut after she admitted to the fact that she was still only nineteen. Ben would definitely make fun of her now, she should just leave while she still had some of her pride left. Ben laughed deep in his throat and ran a hand through his still damp curls, Cameron watching the way his fingers curled around the ends of his hair.

“As far as I’m concerned you’re legal where I’m from,” Ben shrugged, “and it’s not like I’m going to call the cops on myself for giving alcohol to a minor.” Cameron felt her already prominent blush spread further down  her neck and she was thankful her hoodie covered it.

She watched the way Ben’s biceps flexed as he turned around to walk back into his apartment, the muscles from his shoulders down into his hands rippling as he continued to twirl his drumstick between his nimble fingers.

Cameron shifted from foot to foot as she thought about just how nimble his fingers were, what they could possibly do to her. Besides her high school boyfriend she still kept in touch with and had the occasional hook up while they were both home Cameron was lacking in the experience department. However, she couldn’t help but find her TA attractive.

“If someone doesn’t think he’s attractive then they’re stupid,” Cameron mumbled to herself as she shuffled closer to the entryway of Ben’s apartment.

Ben set his drumsticks down on the counter in the middle of his kitchen and moved to a tall, thin, liquor cabinet he had next to a case of glasses and pulled out a bottle of wine as well as a shorter bottle of another liquor. Ben’s back muscles flexed and pulled under his skin while he had to reach up to pick a wine glass off the top shelf of the cabinet, his muscles relaxing again as he reached for a shorter glass that was directly in front of him.

Wearily Cameron slid her feet slightly closer to the molding that separated her from the threshold of Ben’s apartment and watched as he pulled the cork out of the wine bottle and tilted the glass slightly while the red alcohol flowed into the clear glass. After re-corking the wine bottle and setting it aside Ben opened the other bottle which already had some of the liquid missing and added a small amount into the shorter glass. He lifted the shorter glass to his lips and took a small sip before setting it down again.

After setting the glass down Ben looked over to where Cameron was tapping her foot against the ledge of the slightly raised molding before raising his eyebrows at her. That was the first time Camerin noticed the slit in his right eyebrow, he definitely had a scar there where the hair couldn’t grow anymore, and she wanted to know why. Suddenly Cameron found herself wondering everything about her TA. Hell, she didn’t even know how old he was, all she knew was that he was attractive and was inviting her into his apartment for a drink.

“I’m not gonna kill you y’know?” Ben laughed as he picked his drumsticks up again. “Sorry I’ve already had a drink tonight,” he admitted. “I am nowhere near intoxicated, juse loose.” Cameron nodded slowly, her bottom teeth between her lip as she slowly slid her left foot over the molding and on to the hardwood floor of his apartment. She noticed how his floors were a shade lighter than hers and his carpet was an off white instead of the coffee brown her carpet was. Other than that their apartments seened nearly identical. Soon after realizing she could be just as comfortable in his space as she was in hers Cameron slid her right foot into the apartment also and found herself shuffling in a few feet further.

“You want to close the door?” Ben asked from his seat at his drums, “don’t want anyone to walk in and steal you.” Cameron rolled her eyes at the teasing and reached her right foot back to close the white wooden door, the click of the lock securing itself stirring up a feeling on uncertainty inside of her. “Thanks, love!” Ben added once he knew the door had closed, “oh and the wine’s from a fresh bottle if you want to try it. Something my mum sent me after I got the TA gig.”

“Your mom sent you it?” Cameron felt her smile grow as she walked towards the kitchen, slowly reaching for the glass of wine on the counter. Somehow it was endearing to her that Ben held on to a bottle of wine his mom had sent him in celebration of his new job.

Ben adjusted himself on the stool in front of his drum kit before speaking, “yes she did,” he stepped on the bass pedal twice. “You should feel special that I opened it for you,” he nodded to a beat he had in his head as he airdrummed over the actual ones. Cameron smiled as she lifted the glass to her lips, tilting it and let a small amount of the wine slide into her mouth. She quickly swallowed it while nodding.

“I do feel special,” she moved closer to where Ben sat at his drum kit. She was becoming increasingly comfortable in his space and was thankful she didn’t let her nerves get the best of her this time. “Maybe you can show me something?” She asked quietly looking over to where Ben still sat at his drums, observing her.

“Yeah” he nodded, this time pulling his own bottom lip between his teeth for a moment. “Yes, definitely,” he paused for a moment looking around his apartment, “maybe go set your drink down and come back?” Cameron easily complied and quickly made her way back over to the kitchen, setting her wine down on the counter a few feet from where she had picked it up. Just when she was about to turn around to walk back over to Ben a stack of sheet music caught her eye, the words ‘My Blood’ were poking out from under a few other papers.

Carefully, Cameron moved the papers above the sheet music aside to see the full title, ‘In     My Blood’. She smirked with her newfound information before happily walking back to Ben in the middle of the living room. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. “So,” she said quietly watching as Ben dropped his arms to rest on his thighs when she walked back in, “what do you want to -- teach me?” The last two words came out slightly more suggestive than Cameron intended them to and she bit her tongue hoping he wouldn’t comment on it.

Ben sat up straighter and nodded looking up at the girl who was standing in front of him, “oh teach you,” he cleared his throat, “right.” Ben looked around the room for a moment, obviously thinking about something but Cameron wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for. Suddenly he held up a finger as he stood up and walked over to a closet in the corner of the living room. He opened the door and wheeled another drum stool out and guided it with his foot over behind the other.

“I use that closet for all my extra blankets and seasonal clothes,” Cameron mumbled as she wondered what else Ben had in there. It was also odd to her that their apartments were nearly identical yet they both led such different lives in the two spaces.

“I have towels and blankets in there also,” he commented after hearing her, “it just happens to be the easiest  place to keep my extra stools.” He reached forward and patted the leather of the stool he was originally sitting on, “you gonna come over or-” he trailed off at the end.  

“Oh right!” Cameron laughed as she walked over towards Ben. He was so close to the stool in front of him that she had to pick one leg up and move it over the stool before almost straddling the seat trying to get comfortable. “What’s next?” She hummed in question.

Cameron felt Ben lean in closer to her and her breath hitched when he spoke lowly next to her ear, “want a pair of drumsticks? Or do you want me to show you how it’s done first?”

“Maybe - maybe you could play something simple?” She asked trying to focus on the drums in front of her and not the beautiful being who was sitting behind her.

“Simple,” Ben spoke lowly behind Cameron as he shifted so his legs were spread slightly open, his knees on either side of her waist, “I can do simple.” He shifted slightly so his foot could comfortably reach the pedal to the bass drum on the floor, his knee brushing along her thigh in the process. Cameron couldn’t help the involuntary shivers that climbed up her spine at the slight touch.

“You okay?” He asked her quietly before he started pressing his foot down steadily on the pdeal, beginning to keep time.

“Mhum,” Cameron mumbled as she drew her bottom lip between her teeth again, a nervous habit. Ben nodded, satisfied with the response before he snaked his hands around either side of her, a stick in each hand as he began to tap out a simple rhythm on his drum kit. She intently watched each flick of his wrist as his foot still kept a steady beat on the bass, truly mesmerized by the amount of focus and control it must take to do that many things at once.   

She was shocked when she felt his chin come to rest on her shoulder a few seconds later, but she kept her eyes focused on his hands, trying to distract herself from just how close he was to her. She could feel the heat of his body radiating through her hoodie and she wanted to sink back into him and be completely enveloped in his warmth. “You see how I’m just keeping the time with each of my hands?” Ben asked knowing she was still watching his movements. Cameron just nodded, not feeling the need to speak in the moment.

“That’s all you have to do, nothing too crazy, just simple,” he spoke slowly his voice getting lower and lower with each word, “one, two, three, four.” Ben kept repeating the numbers as he kept his hands steady while he played, not wanting to show Cameron how nervous she was making him. “You want to try?” Ben pulled his arms back and rested one on each of her thighs, the first true skin on skin contact they had.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing her heart rate to slow slightly. His skin was so warm against hers and it was a feeling she didn’t want to give up. “I don’t think I’d even be half as good as you,” she mumbled looking down to the drumsticks in his hands. Ben laughed lightly from behind her, the breath he let out ticking her neck slightly.

“It’s not about being good, it’s your first time playing,” he pointed out, bouncing his right hand steadily on her thigh while he spoke, “it’s about learning.” He tapped her left hand with the drum stick, silently telling her to take hold of it. “Good,” he smiled as her hand wrapped around the slim wooden stick, “just hold it firm,” he carefully moved the stick so it was positioned correctly in her hand. “Just let your wrist be flexible, it really is all in the wrists.”

“Gotcha’, all in the wrists,” Cameron noticed how the drumstick was still warm in her hand from where he was holding it just seconds earlier. “Can I have the other?” She asked quietly.

“Nope,” Ben shook his head behind her as his right hand began tapping out the same rhythm he was earlier, “just follow me.” Cameron easily kept up with Ben whose foot was still keeping time with the bass drum. “You’re getting it already!”

“Yeah,” she nodded watching their hands hit the drums in sync, “I am!” It was a small victory for Cameron as she often found learning new things exciting and fulfilling. It was all apart of learning and growing while she was away at college. “Can I try the other?” She spoke with more confidence. In the short time she had been in Ben’s apartment he had done nearly everything to make her comfortable and besides the obvious flirting between the two of them, she couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the morning hours of a Saturday.

“Well,” Ben hummed craning his neck to look up at her face, “I think first something has to go.” Cameron went to ask what when she felt Ben’s free left hand trail up her thigh and under her hoodie. She accidently let out a surprised squeak when his fingers brushed against the strip of exposed skin between the waistband of her sleep shorts and her tank top, Ben raising an eyebrow and laughing at the noise.

“What was that?” He asked as he pressed his lips against her neck. Any other time Cameron would have assumed the act was meant to be sexual but the obvious smile he had on his lips led her to believe it was meant in a more playful and affectionate manner. “If I wanted to hear a squeak toy I’d ask my mum to send me a video of our dog back home.”

“Your hands are cold!” She argued as he moved her hand over the fabric of her tank top, his fingers pressing gently into her side trying to see if he could get the same reaction out of her again.

“I’m warming them up,” Ben dropped the drumstick in his right hand and it bounced on the floor a few times before settling flat. Cameron was distracted from watching the drumstick when his right hand slipped under her hoodie also, his lips moving steadily against the skin of her neck, “not my fault you’re ticklish.”

Cameron let out a content hum and moved her head to the right allowing Ben more access to her neck. Ben’s hands brushed down her sides to rest firmly on her hips as he let his teeth scrape over the skin of her neck before closing his mouth over where he had just nipped, his tongue soothing the area while he sucked gently.

Cameron couldn’t help but let out a quiet moan at the feeling of his quick and nimble lips on her neck, skillfully dancing around her skin sucking what she assumed would be hickeys into her skin. Surprised by her own moan Cameron’s eyes snapped open and she went to pull away from Ben. However, when she tried to move his hands kept her firmly anchored to the drum stool.

“What’s wrong?” He asked against her skin. Despite her embarrassment Cameron still kept her neck moved slightly to the side, hoping the feeling of Ben’s skin on hers wouldn’t disappear completely. She shook her head sighing out a quiet “nothin’’ as her eyes fluttered shut, the light of the apartment suddenly too harsh for her.

Suddenly Cameron’s eyes snapped open and she straightened her neck out, “actually I want to play more,” she mumbled.

“Yeah?” Ben mumbled as his hands started pulling her hoodie up slowly. “This okay?” His hands stilled, the fabric of her hoodie still bunched in his hands as he waited for Cameron’s approval to remove it.

“If it helps,” Cameron swallowed thickly when Ben removed his lips from her neck to pull her hoodie over her head. Her arms lifted and the fabric was easily removed from her body and discarded on the floor next to them. One more soft kiss was left on the back of Cameron's neck before she felt him back away from her completely.

Cameron knew her outfit was quite skimpy and tried not to blush as she felt Ben’s eyes trail from her neck that was now covered in blooming hickeys and down her torso. She had just expected to ask her neighbor to turn their music down so had opted not to put a bra on and her spaghetti strap tank top left little to his imagination. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to get used to the new chill of the apartment as Ben backed away to pick up the drum stick that he had dropped earlier.

He handed her the second stick and she gripped it in her hand, her eyes following his foot as it went back to rest on the pedal of the bass drum. Ben began to keep the same time he had earlier and rested his chin on her now bare shoulder, the warmth of his skin contrasting how cold hers now was. “You wanna just experiment a little bit,” Ben spoke matter of factly, “do what feels natural.”

“What feels natural,” she nodded as her shaking hands started messily tapping along to the rhythm of the bass drum that Ben was tapping out with his foot. After she had played along to the beat for a few seconds Cameron felt his hands come around her front to rest on either one of her knees, she could feel his breath ghosting over the shell of her ear.

“Keep playing,” Ben spoke lowly as his hands began to run up the inside of her thighs. Cameron’s hands stuttered as his fingers keep dragging further and further up her legs, a low chuckle sliding past his lips. Cameron tried her hardest to stay focused, to ignore how gently his fingers were tapping the same rhythm she was supposed to be playing into the soft skin on the inside of her thighs. Despite Ben’s efforts to encourage her to keep playing Cameron found herself dropping one of the drum sticks out of frustration, out of frustration in herself for being so easily affected by him.   

She tried to close her legs around his hands but Ben had other ideas, “you gotta be good,” he mumbled pulling lightly on her earlobe with his teeth. “It’s okay of you can’t keep playing but you have to tell me what you want then,” he added. Cameron let out a shaky sigh as her head fell back and rested on his shoulder, her eyes shutting as his lips started working over her neck again.

“What is it that you want dove?” Ben hummed as he nipped along the side of her throat.

“I- I don’t know,” Cameron replied trying not to get totally lost in the pair of arm lips that were on her neck.

“Oh no,” he laughed against her skin, finally pulling away, “you have to know.” Ben pulled away from Cameron’s nack completely and he reached up to gently pull the rubber band that was holding her ponytail up out. With her hair now free Ben’s fingers began to gently run through the smooth strands, trying to avoid any knots he found.

“I really don’t,” her hazel eyes opened to meet his blue ones, “I’ve only been with one boy,” she made sure to use that word, “and he doesn’t care much about more than just getting off.”

“How old was he?” Ben was genuinely curious how old her ex-lover had to be to not know how to properly please a woman.

“He’s my age, nineteen now,” she easily replied, “we still umm- see each other when we’re both home.” Ben felt his breath catch in his throat realizing with the only other person she had been with was nearly ten years younger than he was. Maybe it was the lack of experience in college that had her ex hitting a roadblock in the pleasure department. He hadn’t properly learned himself until he was with a girl three years older than himself in college.

“I’m twenty-eight,” Ben felt the need to share the information incase Cameron was uncomfortable with being with him due to the age difference they had.

“Don’t look it,” was the response he earned form the girl who was sitting on the stool in front of him. Her head still rested on his shoulder, her eyes again closed as her fingers gently tapped the beat from earlier into his knees.

Ben let out a small laugh, “I’ll hope that was a compliment, but if you are comfortable I wouldn’t mind taking this a little bit further. I could show you how a man is really supposed to treat you.” He watched as her eyes opened again, rolling the same way they did in discussions when he tried to make a joke that wasn’t at all funny. It was her small attitude that had Ben attracted to her in the first place, she was always ready to bite back with a sharp remark and she often said how she felt regardless of how it came across.

“A man?” She asked looking up into his eyes again, “you’re still in school yourself, don’t get too far ahead buddy. Wait,” she paused, “what are you in school for anyway, I wasn’t paying attention the first day.”

“I’m going for my masters in Ethnomusicology,” Cameron’s eyes grew slightly larger upon learning the name of a degree she never knew existed. “Why are you in my class anyway?”

“First off rude,” she leaned up to start kissing down the front of his throat to occupy herself as his hands came back down to run up and down her thighs. “I’m double majoring, Accounting and International Business, and I’m in your class,” Ben let out a low moan when she found a particularly sensitive spot on his neck, “because there’s this bullshit in the curriculum about having to take non-business electives.”

“So you’re saying you were forced to take my class?” He asked while she added a new hickey to his growing collection. “To fulfill your Visual and Performing Arts credit? Like so many other students who don’t care about my class.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” she nodded sitting up and turning in the stool to face him. As she turned around Ben stood up and adjusted the band of his sweats. “Where are you going?” She wondered if she had said something wrong.

“Just to get another sip of my drink,” he replied as he wandered into the kitchen, “relax!” Cameron weighed her options before standing up, following him across the room and to the kitchen. She easily slid on to the tiled kitchen floors and over next to Ben who was finishing his glass off, she picked her glass of wine up and took a small sip before setting it down again.

Just as she set her glass down Ben walked over to her and trapped her between his body and the counter with his arms. Cameron let both of her hands come up to rest on his triceps and squeezed gently while tipping her chin up to brush her nose along Ben’s cheekbone. She saw him take a deep breath in and smiled, kissing his cheek. “You nervous or something, Mr. Hardy?” she teased with the name some of the students would often use.

“Y’know I hate that,” he replied before turning his head slightly to the side. She felt his breath brush over her lips and closed her eyes, waiting, hoping. Cameron was grateful he had taken the hint when she felt his soft lips cover hers. She didn’t immediately kiss him back but instead took a moment to learn which way he tilted his head and if he wanted to take the lead or not. Once he urged her to join in with a small pull on her bottom lip Cameron found herself moving a hand from his tricep up to cup his jaw.

“Wow,” Cameron let out a small laugh when she pulled away from him, a blush now coating his face and neck, slowly spreading into his chest also. Ben’s hands found her hips and he started to push her up his counter. Cameron took it as a hint and reached behind her to brace both arms on the countertop helping Ben push her up.

“Thank you, Dove,” he hummed in response placing a gentle kiss on her lips before stepping back. It was then that Cameron looked down and realized that Ben was half hard in his sweats, the outline was very visible. “You gonna let me show you how a lady should be treated now?” He wondered.

Cameron looked down again before looking up to meet his eyes, “but--”

“But nothing,” he cut her off, “it’s a simple yes or no. If you’re uncomfortable we can stop here and I’ll make like an oven pizza or something.” She couldn’t help but laugh at his offer but shook her head at the same time.

“I want to,” she assured him, “I just don’t want it to be bad?” It came across to Ben as more of a question than an answer. He moved forward again, his hands gently spreading her legs so he could stand between them, flush against the counter.

“It couldn’t be bad,” he reached up to rest his hands under her tank top, his thumbs sliding under the waistband of her pajama shorts. “You don’t have a lot of experience so you’re still learning. I wouldn’t consider that bad though. Here,” he started working her shorts down slowly, giving her time to stop him if she needed. Cameron pushed herself up with her hands so he could finish pulling her shorts down and watched as the blue fabric fell to the floor in front of her. “Ever had someone make you come with just their fingers?”

Cameron took a sharp inhale through her nose at his words, they sounded too natural flowing past his lips but in her mind they should have sounded dirty and vulgar. “Umm-” she hesitated, “my ex once,” she pulled her lip between her teeth, “other than that I’ve never really been able to so--” she didn’t need to finish her answer.

Ben stayed silent as he trailed his fingers up the inside of her thigh closer and close to the edge of her panties. He watched his own hand as it toyed with the elastic of her purple panties with teal flowers, the colors no where near matching her pink tank top or blue pajama shorts. “Ben,” her whispering his name snapped his out of his daze and he leaned in to connect their lips again.

The kiss wasn’t rushed or rough, it was slow and passionate as Ben’s fingers slipped into her panties. His right hand cupping her heat before he slid two fingers between her slick folds. “Fuck,” he mumbled pulling away from her, “you’re soaked already.”

“No shit,” Cameron’s eyes were squeezed shut as she dropped her head to Ben’s shoulder. His index and middle finger gently stroked up and down her heat from her opening to her clit over and over until she was practically shaking under his touch. A few seconds later he slid his index finger inside of her, he had been with enough girls to know how to have Cameron a pile of putty in his arms. He carefully let his finger prod inside of her for a few moments while he trailed his lips down her jawline and to the front of her throat.

He turned his hand to get a better angle and pulled his finger our slightly before bending it a ‘come hither’ motion to find the soft ridged spot inside of her. When he felt a sharp intake of breath enter Cameron’s body followed by a low and long moan he knew he had found what he was looking for. “Can you take another?” he asked against her skin.

“Can I-” Ben brushed his finger along the spot again knowing she was about to give another sarcastic response, “fuck please,” she gasped. Smirking against her skin Ben let his middle finger join his index finger, his thumb coming to rub slow circles on her clit.

“Ben--” Cameron gasped, mouthing along his shoulder, her eyes still shut tight as he felt her clenching around his fingers.

“That’s it,” he coaxed, “you gonna come for me? All over my fingers,” he moved to kiss her forehead. “You can, I got you Dove.” Ben smiled to himself when he felt one of her hands grip on to his free one and he squeezed back gently as his name started to leave her mouth mixed with a string of curses. Ben looked down to watch his fingers slide in and out of her and had to stop for a second, telling himself it was about Cameron right now and that his pleasure could come later.

“Ben, I’m almost there-” she mumbled pulling on the ends of his hair with her free hand. She bit down lightly on his shoulder and Ben smiled to himself knowing it would most likely be bruised in the morning, it would still probably be bruised Monday for class. His thumb on her clit started moving faster at the thought of watching Cameron fidget throughout class Monday, her neck still covered in the hickeys he had left. She would probably wonder if anyone else in the room knew who left them there, if anyone noticed the marks on their TA’s neck and hers and was able to put the two together.

Mixed up in his own thoughts Ben didn’t realize that Cameron was on the edge of her orgasm until she clenched unusually tight around his fingers, “that’s it,” he mumbled kissing her cheek as he heard her let out a series of quiet moans and gasps. “I got you,” he reminded her, he had picked up on the fact that she loved being praised and told she was right in class. Whenever she got an answer right or he or Professor Lee agreed with one of her opinions her face would light up.

“Ben,” she cleared her voice her voice a little hoarse, “stop I’m sensitive,” she added. Ben’s fingers stilled completely inside of her before he carefully pulled them out. He brought them up to his lips and slowly sucked them inside his mouth, his eyes closing at the taste of her. He moaned around his fingers for the effect and pulled them out, wiping them dry on his sweats leaving a wet spot on the gray fabric.

His eyes opened when he felt three fingers gently drag down his stomach and grip on the waistband of his sweatpants, the hand shaking slightly. Ben looked down and saw Cameron’s hand, which was much smaller than his, gripping his sweats right above the string that held them up. “Y’know,” Ben started, “you seem so much more confident in class and discussions, and based on your writing I would say that you were gifted with all the confidence in the universe--” he trailed off.

“But?” Cameron wondered as she looked up into his eyes.

“But,” Ben reached up to cup her jaw, his thumb running over the peak of her cheekbone, “you need to learn how to me more confident in yourself. Where’s that girl I saw the second day of class?”

Cameron raised an eyebrow trying to think back to January, the third day of classes? “The one who had her backpack over one shoulder after class and walked straight down to me and Professor Lee to tell us that she would be doing her album review on Shawn Mendes’ self titled album because he was basically a modern day Frank Sinatra. You held yourself with such confidence.”

“She’s different,” Cameron shrugged as she was now playing with the tie on his sweats. Her fingers were perfectly manicured in a silver sparkle color, pulling at each end of the bow.

“She shouldn’t be,” Ben replied tilting her chin up to connect his lips with hers. He rested his hands on her hips and rubbed gentle circles into the skin there. He wanted her to take the lead on this kiss and hoped she realized that.

She was slow, unsure but started adding more pressure to the kiss once she realized that Ben wasn’t. Soon he felt her hands pull at either end of his sweatpants’ string with a purpose the knot coming undone, the two ends falling from her hands. “I--” she looked up to him.

“You?” Ben asked pulling away from her enough to see her face.

“I want this,” she nervously tugged the band on his sweats lower, “I just want it to feel good for you too, it doesn’t have to be all about me.”

“But what if I want it to?” Ben asked playfully raising an eyebrow as he poked her sides to make her smile. “I like to know that they girl I’m with is enjoying it,” Ben leaned closer to Cameron’s ear, “it kinda turns me on even more.”

“Ew!” She laughed pushing him away from her, but his hands still kept a tight grip on her hips. “Don’t talk like that!” She said referring to the purposely over seductive voice he had just used. Ben smiled as he buried his face in the crook of her neck leaving gentle kisses there as he allowed her to relax in his hold. “Can we,” she trailed off trying to find the words she wanted to use, “can we go to your room maybe? If it’s not too much, I’d just be more comfortable.”

Ben smiled and took Cameron’s hand allowing her to slide off the counter, her still sock clad feet hitting the floor as he led her towards his bedroom.

Once inside Cameron realized it was the same size as hers, with the same furniture and the same bed frame. His walls were covered in family pictures that weren’t organized in any specific way and a brown comforter was on his unmade bed that definitely had too many pillows.

“It’s really soft!” Ben let go of Cameron’s hand and flopped down on the mattress. A loud and over exaggerated ‘oof’ slipping past his lips as his back hit the bed causing her to smile and quickly pad over to the side of the bed he didn’t just flop down on. She sat on the edge and wasn’t sure what to do until Ben reached over and pulled her down into him, her head hitting his chest.

“It is really soft,” she mumbled rubbing her feet together nervously, unsure of what to do now. Hoping he wouldn’t mind if she got comfortable she skillfully pulled her socks off just using her feet and kicked them off the edge of the bed. While she was making sure they had landed on the floor Cameron caught sight of the clock, it was nearly three-thirty in the morning, she hadn’t realized she had already been over that long.

She went to sit up and Ben looked at her confused, “where ‘ya going?” He asked with a long yawn.

“Home,” she replied, a hint of sadness evident in her tone, “it’s late.”

“Exactly!” Ben sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder again, just like it had when he was showing her how to play earlier. “It’s late and I can’t let you walk home at this hour,” he turned his face into her neck and smiled into the soft skin there.

“Really?” She sighed reaching a hand back to run it through his now dry hair. Ben nodded into her neck and she allowed her muscles to relax into his hold, she felt him squeeze her gently before  pulling her to lay down with him again.

Without words he allowed her to get comfortable, her leg swinging across his hip as his hand came to curl around her bare thigh. His thumb brushed across the stretch marks on the curve of her ass before she trailed gentle kisses down his jaw. “I never--”

“Another time,” Ben let his eyes close, “I’m too tired and I know you are also. Just stay the night and let me make you breakfast when we get up and then we can talk about going all the way another time.

“Okay,” was the simple response Cameron gave before her hand came to rest on his bare chest, fingers drawing shapes into his skin. Once her fingers stilled and her breathing came slow and even against the skin of his neck Ben pulled the blanket over the two of them and placing a kiss on the top of Cameron’s head, before closing his own eyes. The two falling asleep, limbs tangled around another person for the first time in months.