I Know What Sin Is

Chapter 1

Ben

His bed was nice.

So nice, in fact, that I fell asleep with my phone on my chest and half my face buried in that strange guy's pillows.

I probably would have slept there all night, if I hadn't been awoken a few hours later to the sound of someone clearing their throat impatiently.

I blinked my eyes open sleepily, yawning and nuzzling the tip of my nose back into the pillow.

Yuck, what am I doing? I thought suddenly. What if it has that guy's drool all over it? Or... or mouth fungus?

"Hey, freshie."

I looked up. Shit, there he is. Towering over me while I lay snuggled up in his covers. What the fuck was I thinking? This place was really messing with my head.

"Time to go," he said. He looked so menacing, standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. His large pectoral muscles showed through the thin shirt he wore.

Beside me, my phone screen lit up. Probably a text from Sarah. She usually panicked if I didn't get back to her at least every twenty minutes. Even when I was sleeping.

"We had a deal," I protested. "I get this bed, you get-"

"Yeah, that was I when I had a splitting migraine." His brow crinkled. "Look, you got a nice nap, I got a nice nap. But all my shit's over here and your shit's over there. C'mon." He snapped his fingers as if talking to a dog. "Let's go."

I stayed put. "Fuck off. You wanted that bed so now you get it."

My roommate - my still nameless roommate - rolled his eyes and let his arms slip apart. "Listen, freshie. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Which would you prefer?"

"I said, fuck off."

He looked to the ceiling for a moment, perhaps to collect his thoughts, perhaps to share a private word with God. Then he shrugged. "Alright. Hard way it is."

I sat frozen, shocked, as he pulled the covers down my legs and wrapped an arm around my waist. I wasn't a very experienced fighter, but I did attempt to kick at him a little before he got his other arm underneath me and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Shit," I hissed as my world turned upside-down. Suddenly, I was facing the floor, my little ass up in the air, with his calloused palm cupping my upper thigh to keep me in place. "What the fuck, man?" I yelled. "You don't even look that strong!"

That was a lie. He did look strong. But I figured his ego could use a hit or two.

He frowned and started carrying me across the room. "Thanks a lot. I train every day, I'll have you know. And if I had your wimpy little pool noodle arms, I wouldn't be judging, buddy."

"Hey," I said defensively. "They're not pool noodles." There was, in fact, a soft curve to my biceps. "And put me down, you sicko!"

"I will drop you on the ground," he said lightly, with a faux cheery smile. "Like you did to my poor, innocent, very expensive computer."

"Like you did to my graduation photo," I retorted.

"Out of self-defense! You fuckin' beat me with that thing!" He stopped in the center of the room and stared down at the cracked frame. "Cute girl. Not sure if I dig the blue hair. Oh, shit, is that the chick you came here with? I'd say she's your girlfriend but she's got about two inches on you so I'm guessing... sister?"

"She's not my sister," I mumbled. "Or my girlfriend."

"Cousin?" He dropped me roughly on my bed. Something inside the mattress definitely snapped.