Benjamins Valentine's Day

A boy runs through endless halls and past infinite lockers. He sprints around corners, dodges students, and weaves around groups. He runs and runs, till he reaches a locker. In a flash he slips a piece of paper into the locker and runs away. Running. Running. Crying. Will he ever stop running? Did she even care about him? Why would she, he was weak and small. Running. He couldn’t tell her the truth. Running. He couldn’t admit his feelings to her. Crying.


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Benjamin woke up in a hurry. He could not believe that he had another nightmare. About high school. In college. He tried to calm down, breathing in and out to calm down his racing heart. After a few moments he sighed and looked through his old phone for updates on his classes. It was only 7am, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to finish his day.

He got up, and walked over to the small closet in his dorm room. The sunlight only just waking up within his room as he changed into his usual solid color T-shirt and jeans. He tried to fix up his ruffled blonde hair as he examined his glasses sitting on the door shelf. He shifted himself through the same motions of every college day he had; he sluggishly walked towards his completed school work and loaded up his book bag. He glanced back at his desk to see the day. February 14th. He sighed. “It’ll be over soon Ben. Don’t worry about it.” With that, he loaded up his things, made sure that his glasses were in the perfect spot, and then left his dorm.

As Ben left the dorm hall he lived in, he began to miss the sunny days he had when he first got to the university a few weeks ago; back before it had a foot of snow covering everything. Back before the rain had started. It would be a long, squishy, and wet walk through the snow-covered walkways in the pouring rain. He huffed to himself as the rain began to mess a little with his glasses and ruin is once straightened hair. He could hear footsteps coming up behind him; quickly. He turned around just in time to see his ‘friend’ Mark.

Ben had met Mark back during his first week of college life, after Mark was goofing off and then struggling in class. Ben had offered his help, and since then Mark had relied on Ben for everything. It wasn’t like Ben could tell the guy to stop though; if there ever was a stark contrast between two people. It was him and Mark. Ben, the introvert who was a dreamer. Mark, the high school football star; now the local fraternity hot-shot. As they walked together; there was no way one could confuse the two. Mark was six-foot five, compared to Ben’s five-foot seven stature. And while Ben was by no means unfit or weak, he was a twig compared to how athletic Mark was. Ben knew that to try to tell Mark to stop copying him would be like trying to tell a bear off as a honey bee. So Ben accepted him as his new ‘friend’, and the duo have been together ever since.

“Yo dude! How’s it been?” Mark smiled, in his usual pleading way. “Ugh. Here. I finished it last night for you.” Ben reached into his book bag and pulled out a second copy of the assignment they had for class, complete with answers and a forged Mark’s name. Mark smiled, and ruffled up Ben’s hair. “Thanks little guy! Knew I could count on you.” Ben only looked down to the ground as they walked on. Mark however, had an idea. “Hey dude. You have a girl yet?” Ben didn’t even bother to look up, let alone respond. Mark continued on. “Figured. Well, how about we get you a girl?” Now Ben looked up, and eyed Mark with a sarcastic face. “Really? On Valentine’s Day?” Mark smiled wide. “Sure! Why not? Besides I’m sure you’ll get a girl man! How about we walk to the library and chill there for an hour before our classes start?” Ben gave a shy but sarcastic smile. “Huh. Funny. I thought classes start at eight. You know, like they always have been for every day?” Mark laughed, a little too much for Ben's taste. “You funny dude. Come on let’s go!” Ben didn’t want to annoy Mark, so with a reluctant nod, Mark lead the way towards the library.

The duo arrived at the library right at eight in the morning. They walked through the clean glass doors, and past the receptionist and the circular information kiosk in the center of the entrance. They headed for the ‘louder’ part of the library, where people could study but talk if they wanted to. This was a place Ben knew well. He would often come here to read the fiction that the university library had to offer in his off time. Tolkien, Rowling, he even read some of C. S. Lewis’s works. Often times he wished he could just disappear into one of those books and just be in that world for a chance. Today, with Mark, he couldn’t have wished to be in those worlds any more than he did now.

The duo walked over to one of the round tables in the center of the social studying room. Students were walking left and right in-between the large shelves and endless books around them. Some were talking idle chat, and a few were self-absorbed in their books. Ben got up, grabbed a random fiction (this time a book called “Treasure Island” by Robert Lewis Stephenson.) and then sat back down to just immerse himself into a book. Mark however was out on the hunt. He eyed every single girl who walked past a shelf or a hallway; usually looking at their chests before their eyes, to Ben’s annoyance.

A few minutes passed before Mark had found his ‘prey’. A pack of girls walked into the room, and settled down at a round table towards the back. While they talked about anything that came to mind, Mark could not stop staring at them. Ben looked up to see all six of the girls; and he couldn’t blame Mark for staring. He covered his blushing face with his book as he tried to memorize how beautiful each one of them looked. A trick that he had learned from his years as an outcast from high school; only look for as long as you need to. He got himself back into his book, and chuckled a little to himself. “You know Mark. It’s rude to drool.” Mark shot him an annoyed look. “Shut up. Least I can get a girl.” Ben got ticked off instantly. “Oh yea? Prove it meathead.” Mark gave a cocky smile and laughed a little. “Watch and learn.” He got up and walked over to the other girls table. Ben however just got back to reading his book, finding the adventures of a boy who lived with his mother at an old British tavern more enjoyable than watching Mark fail.

A few moments later, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up and his jaw dropped. Mark was there with a smug grin, and wrapped around one of his huge arms was one of the six girls he had seen. She was huge to Ben; she looked like she was six-feet tall at least, and had the curves to back it up. She giggled a little at the sight of Ben’s blushing face as Mark laughed out loud. “Told you dude. Oh and tell the professor I’m gonna come in tomorrow.” Ben was taken aback as the girl giggled some more. “Why?” Mark looked into the eyes of his prize. “I’m gonna be at my dorm for a while; I’m a little busy at the moment. Later Shrimp.” With that, Mark and the beautiful girl left him in his total shock. Ben could hear the other four or five girls now giggling at what happened as he couldn’t believe it. Ben face planted himself into the book he was reading, trying to drown out the sound of the girls laughing. A tear dripped down his face.


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It had been a long day for Ben. Four more class assignments, times two because of Mark. He was all but completely exhausted as he trudged through the snow and rain towards the student mess hall. He walked past the groups having a good time, the couples who were enjoying a drink by the glass wall, and the groups of people walking in and out of the dinner hall. He only gave a quick glance at the menu that night; “SHOW YOUR LOVE WITH VALINTINE’S HOT CHOCOLATE! TONIGHT ONLY!” He sighed dejectedly to himself, as he once again went through the motions. Got in line. Got his slop that was of university food. Grabbed the “drink of the day”, and picked the most secluded corner of the cafeteria to sit at. He ate by himself, trying his hardest to forget what had happened at the library earlier today. Trying to forget what it felt like being in high school. When out of nowhere he could hear someone sitting down in front of him. He looked up slowly, and his eyes widened. He began to blush at who he saw.

It was one of the girls from that table in the library. She looked so beautiful to Ben; long black hair that shined in the light of the cafeteria, her crystal blue eyes made him feel like nothing else in the world had any color compared to her eyes. She wore a simple T-shirt, just like him, covering up what Ben could only imagine was a jackpot to any boy, judging by how much they pressed against her T-shirt. Finally, her perfect light-tan, and her warm and friendly smile was too much for Ben. He could feel all of his malice and hatred of the day melting away because of that warm smile she had.

Ben blushed hard as he found himself getting lost in her eyes, while the girl began to talk to him. “Hi. Sorry about what happened earlier. It wasn’t right for my friend to make fun of you like that… Hey are you ok?” Ben shook his head, and his mind went racing back to the days when he was in high school. His heart pounded, his throat felt like he was choking on air. A random thought came over himself, from the days of old. “Do you like to make art?” He shyly asked, trying his best to cover up his blush. The girl was taken a-back a little. “Actually, yes. I like to paint a lot in my free time.” Ben had another random thought from his days of high school, and something magical happened while the girl was talking. Ben started to talk with her. She continued. “A lot of people loved my…” At the same time, Ben said. “Everyone loved this girl who made…”

And then they both said, at the same time. “…artwork in my high school.”

They both looked up at each other, and Ben was widely blushing now while the girl smiled wide. “Wow, really?” She asked. “What was her artwork like?” Ben’s passion began to fly for once in his life. He forgot himself as he began to artfully describe every paint stroke and line mark he had seen. Every small color change, and every dot of paint. And all the while, the girl was smiling more and more; to her this sounded all too familiar. Very… familiar. Her smile faded as now she was going through her thoughts, while Ben was still on his passionate speech about how beautiful this girl’s artwork was. He should know after all. She was his crush. His high school passion. The one who never got those letters…

The girl stopped Ben in his tracks with a simple question. Her eyes popped wide at her random thought. “What is your name?” Ben blushed hard and meekly answered. “Benjamin. Or j-just Ben.” She smiled, wider than when she first sat down. “I’m Olivia. It’s nice to me---“. She got cut off by someone calling her name. It was the other five girls from the library, and it looked like they were about to leave. “S-sorry I have to go now.” Olivia said in a hurry. Ben stammered quickly. “W-Wait!? What high school did you go to?” Olivia was already out of her seat, about to run to catch up with the other girls. “What’s your dorm hall and number?” She quickly asked. Ben was completely caught off guard. “Uh... Lincoln Dorm Hall, room 52.” Olivia began to run towards the group. “Okthankssomuch!” And just like that, the group left the cafeteria. The thought occurred to Ben that he should run after her… but he didn’t want a repeat of high school. He sighed, and stared at the exit of the cafeteria for what felt like hours on end. He thought he had it then. But it ended up just being like all the other times… a washout. He sulked back to his food and drink. A tear landed on his plate.


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It was late at night now. The sky had cleared up thankfully, exposing a beautiful moonlight to the white snowy pathways and yards of the university. The expansive moonlight also shone into Ben’s room, as he stared upwards from his bed. He had to think about everything that had happened, and he kept on repeating that girl’s name. Olivia. Olivia. Olivia. He shook his head. It can’t have been real. I bet she was just apologizing for the group so that they wouldn’t feel bad for making a grown college kid cry. Bet she only did it just to feel better about herself.

He sighed, and walked over to his desk and fired up his laptop. He wasn’t in the mood to think about this stuff, and he just wanted to finish his homework for the night… and then Marks to… His laptop only had just turned on when there was a bunch of noise from outside of his dorm door. The other guys on the guy-only floor were whistling and speaking stuff that Ben couldn’t understand, mainly because they were all talking at once. He thought he heard a random voice ask “Where is room 52?” but he quickly pushed it to the side. He was about to log into his computer when the commotion and the noise had now shifted to being right outside his door. And then. Silence.

He got up from his chair at his desk, and stared at the door like he was staring down a gunman from a western. A few subtle knocks could be heard in that vast expanse of empty room. Ben slowly walked over to the door and opened it. He began to blush as he slowly turned his head to meet the gaze of none other than Olivia. She stood there before him, all five foot nine inches of her. She was in her pajamas; a white tank top that stretched around her large chest, the ends tucked into the waistline of the fleece pants she was wearing. Her long black hair, visible behind her upper back, swayed a little as she blushed a little. She had something crumpled up inside of her hand as she spoke. “Can I come in Ben?” Ben blinked twice, wide-eyed, and without a single hesitation let her walk inside and shut the door.

She walked over to the bed and sat down, the crumpled up thing still in her hands. “Can I ask you something?” Ben nodded, and sat beside her. She stared at the thing in her hand, unknown to Ben. “Back in my high school, I guess it’s a no brainer that I had a lot of guys who fell in love with me. And I kept telling everyone that I always had a boyfriend.” She looked to Ben, dead in his eyes. “But that’s a lie. I’ve never once had a boyfriend. I just told everyone that.” Ben spoke up. “Can I ask why you lied?” She nodded. “It’s because everyone there, all the guys anyway, only liked me for… well…” She cupped her large breasts to make the point. Ben nodded along to what she was saying. She continued on. “So I had to lie and say that I was taken. The fact that puberty made me even more into a guy’s dream girl didn’t exactly help either ha-ha…” She gave a small and dry laugh, and looked back to the thing in her hand. “There was one person I’ve always wanted to see though.” Ben stared at her intensively, then to the thing in her hand, and then back at her. She held out her hand. “Whoever wrote this? Do you know who wrote it?” She gently held out the crumpled up piece of paper.

Ben picked it up and flattened it out gently, and then he froze in place. It was a letter. He began to read it, and to Olivia’s surprise he began to tear up. Halfway through the letter, Ben had his eyes closed, holding back as many tears as he could. Olivia frowned. “Whats wrong Ben?” Ben couldn’t talk, he was still crying. He then opened his eyes, and through watery eyes he began. “I don’t need to read this. I know this. Line by line.” He got up slowly, and went to his computer. He logged in. “Here, come see this.” As Ben typed away on his computer, Olivia walked over and leaned on the chair, admittedly giving a very good distraction for Ben for a bit. Finally he pulled it up. It was a saved document of what he had written for a girl back in high school. One of a grand total of 57 letters.

“Here.” Ben said, through watery eyes. “Read the rest of it.” Olivia leaned in even more. Ben got up and slowly walked away from the laptop as Olivia stared more intensively into the screen. As Ben was clearing out his eyes, Olivia began to piece everything together as she read every single word on the screen. And then she remembered. The letter that was left in her locker. The many letters that she thought were from block heads and meat bags. It was all from the same loving guy… Ben.

She turned around slowly to face Ben, who was looking down and away from her. His silhouette completely facing the wrong away in the bright moonlight. She spoke first. “Ben?” He turned around slowly to see the silhouette of Olivia in that moonlight. “You were my admirer?” Ben nodded, a tear falling down his face. “Yes. At first I fell in love with your artwork. I fell in love with what you trying to tell people, I loved every stroke, every point of color. It was authentic. It was real. It was the real you.” He walked a bit closer to Olivia, his silhouette now standing right beside the window. “I had never learned your name though. I was too shy to ask.”

Olivia began to tear up a little. A smile grew on her face as she looked at Ben. “All these years. And I finally get to meet you.” She walked a bit closer to Ben. “I was afraid of looking for you. I didn’t want anyone to know the truth. I had nightmares about never having a true love.” For once, she began to tear up more than Ben had done. “I never thought I would get to meet you.”

Ben smiled a little, still tearing up. “And I thought I would never get to see you again.” He shifted awkwardly in the moonlight by the window. “So do you like the le---“

Olivia lunged for Ben, catching him completely off guard as she embraced him and gave him a long kiss on the lips. Ben didn’t know what to say, but then he gave in, and the duo held that kiss under the clear stars in the moonlight of that window what for what felt like hours. The warmth of their embrace melting away not only one bad day, but every bad day that they had ever had. She finally let the kiss go, gently moving her head back a little. Tears were streaming down her face, her checks red-hot with love. “Yes. Yes I loved them. I loved them. I love you.” And she kissed again. Another long kiss that to Ben felt like a lifetime, and he loved every second of it.

The duo then let go after the second long kiss, both of their faces red-hot with love. Two tears fell together to the ground. They held each other closely in the moonlight. “Ben?” Olivia softly asked. Ben have a soft sound of acknowledgement to her, still in the best hug of his life. “Can I… stay here with you… for the night?” Ben’s face lit up, blushing madly. “Any night.” He kissed her check. “And every night.”

The duo then spent the rest of that beautiful night cuddled up together in Ben’s bed, embracing each other and feeling warmth like no other between them. It wasn’t just a warmth that could be bought in a store… it was real. It was love. Ben looked over Olivia’s shoulder, to his sleeping laptop and the time. It was only midnight, and the laptop still gave a small sound now and then. Ben smiled, and snuggled up to Olivia; pushing away every bad thought and every worry he ever had. He felt bigger than Mark, and stronger than a bodybuilder around Olivia. Mark could wait. He was nothing to Ben now. Ben let out a sigh and spoke softly to himself. “It’ll be over soon Ben. Don’t worry about it.” With that, he snuggled up just a bit more to Olivia, and slept soundly that night. He never had another high school nightmare again.