Page 13 of Beauty and the Nerd

“Yeah, and I ran into Ben there and got to know the real him. We became friends and I asked him to help me out after school started because I didn’t want to skate by any longer.

I wanted someone to challenge me to see what I can actually accomplish, have someone intelligently argue back with me over the lit homework, and that was Ben.

We’ve been friends since then and if you don’t like it, I really don’t care.

We’re going to head out so feel free to say whatever you want.

It won’t bother me one little bit.” Emma slid her hand into his to walk them through the crowd and Ben had the hardest time not kissing her right then, right there for the way she stood up for him.

Didn’t let what they thought about them being friends deter her any.

Emma smiled the whole way to her house and didn’t argue when he got an ice pack for her wrist before he snuggled in with her on the couch. He just wanted to spend time with her and enjoy what they were.

“So, what’s the idea for school on Monday?

” he asked, loving the fact that she didn’t just out them to everyone at the mall even more now.

Yeah, he’d certainly thought about kissing her, but it hadn’t felt entirely right, just like they were showing off, trying to prove something or get a reaction out of them and that wasn’t what he wanted people to think about them.

She met his gaze with a grin. “Upset I didn’t tell Carter we’re dating?”

“No, I actually really enjoyed getting the better of him without revealing that bit. I don’t want you just to show him up Em, you know that, right?

” He lifted a brow at her wanting to make sure she knew that wasn’t even close to what today was about, he’d go after anyone that tried to hurt her, regardless of whether he’d come out the better or worse in the situation.

He couldn’t sit back and do nothing when someone was attacking her, physically or verbally.

“I know this is far more than just about Carter. After all, we were doing this before I agreed to go to Homecoming with him.”

Emma sighed happily as she lifted her chin to kiss him. His lips teased hers until she thought she’d die from wanting a full kiss from him and she let out a soft sigh of joy when he finally did kiss her properly.

“What’s that baby?” he asked lifting his lips from it, chuckling as she pulled him back down to her.

“Now I know exactly why Crystal doesn’t want to let you go.” She let her hand play with his hair as he smiled dropping little kisses along her jaw and neck.

“It was never like this with her Em, it was just sex. A quick get in and get done sort of thing.” He laughed as his words put color into her cheeks. “You’re so damn cute when you blush, do you know that?”

“No, you’re the only one that can make me really blush though. The others could say the dirtiest and crudest things, and it didn’t bother me in the least, but you say one thing like that, and I can’t help it.”

“Well, no matter what happens with us this weekend, next week, next month, next year…” He stopped when he caught her gaze fully as she lifted her knee to rest against his thigh, bringing their bodies closer together, pulling a light groan from his lips as she smiled.

“What was that?”

“No matter what happens, anytime with us, I never want you to lose that blush, I think I’d miss it entirely.”

Ben kissed her again, his hand slipping up her side under the sweatshirt to feel her skin with his. He left it on her lower ribcage, just holding her as he kissed her fully, showing her that he wasn’t going to rush anything despite his body’s reaction.

“Would you like to tell me exactly when you started kissing my daughter like that Ben?” They heard her dad question a while later, and bolted up from the spot on the couch, color flaming into Emma’s cheeks finding her parents in the doorway.

“Dad, I didn’t think you all were coming back until tomorrow afternoon.” She tried to get her breathing under control as Ben sat back against the couch letting her up from it.

“I told you we were coming back on the seventh Emma, today’s the seventh,” Jack stated, turning his attention over to Ben. “Would you like to tell me what you think you’re doing with my daughter before I toss you out of here?” he added when she covered her face with the long sleeve of her top.

“I’m with Emma because I love her with everything I am, Mr. Watkins,” Ben said, and Emma turned her face to see him, her heart fluttering wildly at his confession of it to her parents.

“I fell in love with her this summer at NYU when I got to know the real Emma and have continued to fall further every day since then. We both knew the others at school wouldn’t exactly approve of us together even as friends, so we kept things to ourselves, but when Emma was hurt in the car accident, I couldn’t pretend not to care any longer. ”

“I see, and you feel the same?” her dad asked as her mom slid her hand onto his arm trying to ease his worries over Ben’s statement.

“Yes Dad, all I wanted the moment I woke up after the accident was Ben to be there with me,” she stated, and her mom’s brow rose in surprise.

“How is that? You barely recognized me after the accident,” her mom said as her dad’s gaze slid down to the ice pack on the floor.

He bent down to pick it up and caught her hand, seeing the slight swelling of her wrist. “What happened to your wrist?”

“We went to the mall earlier and Carter was there being a jerk. He grabbed it and I think he sprained it or something. Ben brought me home and made me ice it,” she admitted as he checked it over further.

“What did you mean about wanting Ben with you after the accident Emma?” her mom asked, seeing the shake of her husband’s head as he looked at her wrist.

Emma sighed as Ben rubbed her shoulder giving her a look that said to tell them. “I just didn’t want it all to come out.”

“What ‘all’ are you talking about? Your depth of friendship with Ben, the feelings you had for him?” her mom questioned.

“That and what Carter did in the car on our way home that night,” she said before telling them the truth, knowing she couldn’t hide it any longer.

Nicole physically restrained her husband from running out the door to find Carter and she settled him down next to Emma going to call their family doctor to check on her wrist.

“You should have told me, angel,” Jack said giving her a hug, cupping the back of her head. “We’re telling the police what happened that night and that Carter hurt you again today. I won’t let him get by hurting you. No one hurts you and gets away with it. Got that Ben?”

“I swear I’ll never hurt her Mr. Watkins,” he said holding her free hand. “She means everything to me and I’m not about to be stupid and ruin that.”

“Good,” he said as Nicole came back over to them.

“Dr. Shaw said to come by the emergency room, and he’ll x-ray your wrist to make sure everything’s alright,” she stated, and Emma nodded letting Ben help her up from the couch.

“So much for spending the whole day together,” Emma said giving him a grin wanting him with her especially if her dad wasn’t going to go nuts after discovering their relationship.

“Who says we can’t?” he questioned meeting her gaze.

“You’re not going to waste your afternoon at the hospital waiting to see about my wrist.”

Ben reached down to grab the pack of jellybeans from her bag and held them up for her to see. “We’ve still got plenty of entertainment right here and you have your throwing arm.”

His offer made her laugh, and she looked up at him in hope as her parents went out to start the car. “You really want to come?”

“Yeah Em, I do. I want to know you’re safe and I can back you up about today at the mall and what Carter did.

” He slid his arm around her waist, and she was glad he was there as the next two hours slipped by them.

She left the hospital with a brace on her wrist and the cops’ assurance they would speak with Carter about staying away from her after getting the security tapes from the mall that showed Carter purposely grabbing her and twisting her arm.

Her mom stopped her dad from forbidding them from going up to her room when they got back, and she slipped onto the bed with Ben, letting out a deep sigh. Ben’s arms slipped around her, and she snuggled deeper into his hold as he ran a gentle hand up and down her wrist.

“I’m fine, it’s just sprained. Thankfully, that’s it and I should still be able to get my dress for the dance on Friday night on over it. I’d really hate it if Carter ruined that night for me too.” She looked up at him for a kiss, and he didn’t disappoint.

“Me too baby.” He brushed the hair from her face after she took it down lightly massaging her scalp before lying back down with him. “Speaking of the dance though, you are going with me, aren’t you? Or at least meeting me there, dancing with me at it?”

“There’s no one else I’d rather spend the night with than you Ben. I’ll be going into the dance with the rest of the court and last year’s king but once I’m finished with that, I intend to spend the rest of the night with you.” She sighed contently as he held her to him further.

“And that tease about the bikini, Megan’s parents’ place, and the hot tub?” he asked, and she felt the smile on his lips as she rested her head against his.

“All real if you want them to be, I don’t care what anyone else coming to the place might think about us.

I want to be there with you, just you,” she promised kissing him softly before snuggling into his hold again, letting his hands soothe her into a nap that led to dinner with her parents and a mini movie marathon until two a.m. when his parents asked him where he was.

She gave him a smile as he headed out the door, kissing him softly, amazed at how much better she felt about them now. Despite everything that happened, she knew they had something incredibly special, and she wasn’t going to lose it. Especially not by letting her worries get the best of her.