Hey guys, this is a short chapter. Enjoyyyy. I go back to work tomorrow so I'm not sure when the next update will be. I'll definitely have one next week but I'm not sure what day. Stay tuned.

I feel shame as I enter the local drugstore during the brief period between my first and second class. "Good morning," the cashier greets me and I give her a fleeting glance. I came here with a goal. I have no time for small talk. I circle around the store, fearful of running into one of the few people I know around this campus. There are a couple of girls in the makeup aisle and I want to sigh. I wish this place was empty. This is the only time I have to do my quick shopping trip before I have to see Dominic. We're hanging out later and we're supposed to have our adult conversation.

I swallow nervously as I enter the aisle. I figure it'll be quick- just grab and go. But as soon as my eyes start reading the labels, I feel like I'm in a maze. What the hell is a fire and ice condom and who would use that? My eyes widen as I continue to read the labels. There are flavors? How does one navigate this aisle? I find the brand that Dominic typically uses and skim the descriptions. My eyes find a familiar box that I'm almost positive I've seen in Dominic's underwear drawer at one point. After reading the label and determining that neither of us will get burned trying to use them, I quickly collect the box and cover it with both of my hands.  I practically sprint to the register to speed up the entire process.

I stop myself when I realize I should probably buy something else. I don't want to make it look like I'm going to get laid at 10 in the morning. I think of something that wouldn't look weird if paired with condoms. I quickly snatch a KitKat and get in line. There's a girl in front of me and I look at the items she's buying- just a lipstick. I want to sigh. I know I shouldn't be embarrassed; it's natural and healthy to buy them. But purchasing them knowing that I'm doing so for my own personal use is doing a large job on my nerves.

"Nova?" I hear a voice behind me and I turn around to see Eli standing with a bag of chips and a soda in his hands.

"Hi," I blurt as I make an attempt to swiftly tuck the condoms away. I have nowhere inconspicuous to put them. If I put them in my hoodie pocket, they'll think I'm stealing. If they go behind my back, it's a dead giveaway that I'm hiding something; plus I can't reach around my bulky bookbag. Instead, I hope he doesn't glance at my overextended fingers and read between them.

"You're the last person I thought I'd run into on this side of campus," he comments.

"I just had class in Atticus Hall," I explain.

"Me too!" he agrees. "I wish they had a dining hall over here or something."

"Yeah," I respond, unsure of what else to say. His eyes fall to my hands just as the cashier announces she can take the next person. "Bye!" I spin around and rush to the counter, dropping my two items and positioning myself in front of them.

"Did you find everything okay?" the cashier asks. She robotically scans my candy before attempting to scan the box of condoms. It doesn't go through so she tries again.

"One second, it's missing the price scanner. I'll have to go grab another one," she apologizes as she exits the area behind the counter. I nervously wipe at my forehead, awaiting her return. She comes back quickly and I make eye contact with her as she's approaching. "Are these the right ones?"

My face burns red as I hear Eli let out a stifled laugh from behind me. I quickly nod and she scans them and places them into my bag. I pay and rush to leave but Eli calls me. "Nova, wait," he says. I slow to a stop as I exhale and turn to see him quickly get cashed out.

"What's up?" I ask him as I nervously swing my bag around.

"So, uh, who's the lucky guy?" he jokes out as we exit the store together. I glare at him and he tilts his head. "Am I right in assuming it's Dominic?"

"No, what are you talking about? Psh, you're crazy," I say in one gust of air.

"Okay," he laughs at me. "Do you want a ride back to your dorm?"

"Thanks but I have another class in Atticus Hall in twenty minutes," I mumble as I brush a curl out of my face.

"I'll see you sometime then," he says with a grin. "I'd tell you to be safe but you're already taking those precautions."

"Shut up!" I hiss as he snickers noisily.

So much for going unnoticed.

+++

Dominic tells me to meet him at his dorm room so we can talk. I sigh as I walk the familiar path to his building. The door is propped open with a backpack and I glance at the guys playing basketball on the courts outside. I enter and make my way to Dominic's room, where I find him taking notes on his laptop from a textbook.

"Hey," I greet and he closes both items and smiles at me.

"I'm surprised you actually showed up," he laughs as he stretches out on the chair. A yawn follows his smart remark and I roll my eyes and lean against his desk.

"Shut up," I grumble as he moves his belongings to make room for me. I pull myself onto the desk and stare at him, feeling my anxiety rising as I clutch the bag in my hand.

"So...do you want to start or should I?" he prompts as he stares up at me. I wordlessly toss the bag into his lap and he opens it. "Oooh, a KitKat, thanks."

"That's mine," I snap quickly. He takes it out of the bag and grumpily hands it to me. He reaches for the other item and an entertained but also jokingly confused expression forms on his face.

"What does this mean?" he asks. "I have an idea but you're going to have to do some communicating."

"I figured we'd try," I rub my hands against my pants, "you know, a friends with benefits situation." It's the only thing that makes sense. The only other option is to get into a relationship. I'd look like a complete idiot if I were to propose we become a couple. I can't even imagine his reaction. He'd probably laugh. "If that's what you want."

"Sure," he says with a nod. "Now to clarify...what does a friends with benefits entail for you?"

"A friend...who also provides benefits..." I trail, unsure of the answer I'm supposed to give. He stares at me for a second with a smirk before shifting forward.

"For example, and these are just examples so don't panic, some people only think sex is a benefit; kissing and cuddling and all of that is off limits. Some people prefer that their friend with benefits only be having sex with them and vice versa. Some people don't mind if their friends with benefits sleeps around," he explains. Before I can ask him why we can't play it by ear to avoid this topic, he adds something else. "I just want to make sure you're comfortable. I don't want to do anything that could make you feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable."

My face is bright red as I sit and list what is okay and isn't okay. "I don't think any forms of intimacy are off limits," I say with a weak shrug. "Do you?"

"No I don't mind it," he replies. "Where does the line get drawn?"

"What do you mean?" I ask with furrowed brows. I want to pull my hood up and tug the strings so hard that I disappear.

"Am I only allowed to kiss you when you booty call me? Or can I kiss you at the end of a platonic hang out?" he asks and my stomach feels like mush. I know this is a bad idea. I'm already falling into a pattern of thinking that whenever he does anything cute and small that he likes me; this is only going to intensify that.

"I don't care," I reply with a shrug. He quirks a brow and I sigh. "It's fine with me."

"Okay," he nods and by the way he plays with his hands, I can tell he's nervous about the next question. "Are you going to mess around with other people?"

"Like sleep with them?" I ask in slight shock.

"Or kiss or anything," he clarifies.

"No..." I trail before preparing for his answer. "Are you?"

"Nope," he answers. I feel relief fill my chest like a balloon and he nods. "And if anything changes, just talk to me about it. I'll do the same for you."

"Okay," I mumble as I stare at my hands.

"And for the sake of clarification, I don't see you any differently, you know?" he replies. "Either way, you're still my best friend."

"I know," I mumble quietly before a thought occurs to me. "Are you going to tell the guys?"

He stares at me for a second before quirking a brow. "Do you want me to tell the guys?" he asks. I purse my lips in hesitation and he doesn't wait for an answer. "Then I won't tell them."

"Sorry," I mumble. He seems to understand my fear.

"Don't apologize," he chuckles. "I get it. They'd tease the hell out of you. I'd probably join in, if we're being honest."

I shoot a glare at him and he holds up the box of condoms. "What?" I ask with a smirk on my lips.

"I imagine you nearly pissed yourself buying these," he ponders and I nod.

"Eli caught me," I confess and his eyebrows rise on his face.

"Really? Did he see them?" Dominic asks with a quiet laugh.

"Yes," I mumble in embarrassment.

"Did he say anything?" he continues to question.

"He asked who the lucky guy was. I didn't answer for obvious reasons..." I trail, contemplating whether or not I should tell Dominic about Eli's guess. I decide to, figuring it'd make him worry less about my friend. "Then he guessed you and I stuttered like an idiot and he laughed. So yeah, he knows."

Dominic breaks out into laughter. "I probably shouldn't feel as complacent as I do but I can't help it," he confesses when his laughter dies down.

"You're a bad person," I chuckle.

"So..." he trails as he traces his lips with his tongue. "Do you want to test these out?"

I practically jump at the opportunity. "Yes," I reply once I've gathered myself. He grabs my legs and quickly tugs me so that I land on his lap in the chair. It frightens me a little but I go with it and press my lips against his in an urgent manner. My shirt is about to come off when the doorknob jiggles. I quickly jump up and Dominic joins me, standing barely half a foot away from me. Both of our gazes are locked on the ground.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Jack asks when he walks in and sees us huddled together looking fearful and nervous.

"Studying," I say as Dominic says, "hanging out."

"Don't mind if I join you," Jack retorts dismissively as he sits down at his desk and takes out his laptop. I move away from Dominic and give him an awkward smile.

"I'm going to go," I mutter when I realize I don't even have my bag to pretend I'm studying.

"I'll see you for dinner?" Dominic proposes hopefully and I nod in response.

Once I'm in the hallway and the door to their room is halfway closed, I hear Jack ask: "Was it something I said?"

+++

I find myself googling what exactly a friends with benefits consists of and how to have a successful one. I hope to find a link explaining how to do it all successfully while simultaneously being in love with the person but I'll take what I can get. I click the first link and blink in surprise as I go through the list of things to avoid doing.

1. Don't get into a friends with benefits situation with someone you're really close to.

Well, shit. This is a fault on both of our ends so I decide not to think too much about it.

2. Be honest about why you want to be friends with benefits with this person.

Because I like him and figure it's the closest thing I can get to a relationship. I'm assuming that's not an ideal answer so I shove #2 on this list to the back of my mind.

3.  Break things off if you develop feelings.

I stare at the screen, not even urging to scroll further. Instead, I close my laptop and shove it away from me. Well this situation was doomed from the start, huh? I decide not to think about it too much and instead, text the news to my sister. Dominic didn't say anything about that so I figure she's in the clear for knowledge. I wait for her response but am greeted with an incoming call.

"Did I read that correctly?" she asks in a slightly annoyed voice.

"If you read that Dominic and I are now friends with benefits then yes," I answer.

"If you two don't stop playing around and just date already-!" she starts to yell but I quickly quiet her down.

"Hey, hey, hey, shut up! Can mom and dad hear you?" I ask.

"No they went out on a date because they do that now. It's gross," my sister complains before turning her attention back to me. "Like I was saying, you guys have been doing this stupid ass back and forth game for months. Just date already. It's not that hard."

"I can't just force him to be my boyfriend, Mari," I tell my sister.

"Knowing him, he'd let you do it and he'd enjoy it," she retorts. "Let me guess. You guys are friends with benefits. You're not going to talk to or mess around with anyone else. You're going to do all the beneficial things that come with a relationship except bear the title of a couple."

I stay silent when I realize her words are true. "Basically..." I mumble.

"And how long are you going to do this whole friends with benefits thing before you tell him that you're in love with him?" she asks.

"I don't know," I mumble.

"Nova," she says quietly. "How are you so smart but so damn stupid?" I don't take offense to her words and instead I just grumble incoherently in response. "I really don't mean to be a downer but you have got to tell him. You can't just sit and play along like you don't have feelings for him. You're just going to get hurt."

"I know," I tell her quietly.

"Then you need to tell him," she pleads.

"I will...in time," I mumble.

"Nova you need to stop being scared," she insists. "This is Dominic we're talking about. Before anything else, he's your best friend. Say you didn't have feelings for him and he told you that he liked you, what would you do?"

"Kindly reject him," I inform her.

"And you'd still stay friends with him, right?" she presses.

"Yes," I answer.

"And you wouldn't make it awkward, right?" she continues.

"No," I mumble.

"Exactly! And that's the worst case scenario," Mari rants. "You need to just tell him."

I sigh. "I know. I will," I say as I exhale.

"Good," she replies. "And don't message me again until you've told him."

"Okay," I sigh at her pep-talk.

"And I'll be expecting that message within the next two weeks," she demands. Before I can tell her that I have to worry about midterms and not Dominic, she hangs up and leaves it at that.

I stare at the ceiling in pure confusion now. In all of fifteen minutes I learned that I made the wrong decision getting into a friends with benefits situation with Dominic and that I need to confess my love for him or else my sister will probably hit me with my dad's truck when I get back.

I need someone else's opinion.