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Devi loves Princeton. The campus was beautiful and the people were smart, nice, and ambitious. All things Devi values in those she interacts with. In one case though she dreads these qualities and is incredibly frustrated by someone.
His name was Xander and he was extremely nice to Devi. Devi had had only one conversation with him and suddenly she saw him everywhere. Turns out they lived on the same floor of the dorms and were taking the same class but not at the same time.
Devi is immensely flattered by Xander’s interest in being her friend and definitely appreciates his academic prowess. He told Devi he had taught himself to code at 13 and was studying computer science in only their second conversation.
Devi had many friends at Princeton none as close as Elenor or Fabiola or Ben. After their Malibu kiss, the two acknowledged their interest in one another and continued a relationship of bickering with occasional kisses.
They never labeled their relationship, but both understood that whatever they were was exclusive. Neither wanted to date anyone else until they saw their relationship through. Ben was studying business and marketing at Yale and he and Devi talked every night.
They did consider themselves in a long-distance relationship of sorts. Although Ben liked to point out that they were only 2.5 hours apart. They saw each other when they had a rare free weekend and spent most school breaks together.
Devi had not told Ben about Xander and how uncomfortable she was with the situation. Although neither called each other boyfriend or girlfriend (because labels created expectations) Ben was protective of Devi. Devi did not think Xander was dangerous necessarily but she did feel uncomfortable and apprehensive of him.
He gave her a weird feeling in her stomach. That feeling was easy to ignore at first but after Devi started seeing him everywhere, she wondered if she was being stalked. She had told herself many times that she was just paranoid and overreacting but no matter what she told herself she could
not shake the eerie feeling Xander gave her.
Devi was also extremely independent and had tried to deal with the problem herself. Yesterday she confronted Xander and told him she was not interested in him romantically and even mentioned that she was seeing someone. Xander appeared to take it well at first stuttering about how sorry he was.
Then this morning Xander approaches Devi outside the campus coffee shop as nothing had happened. Now whenever Devi felt eyes watching her goosebumps appeared on her arms and her neck began to prick.
For once Devi was glad she lived in a dorm with cameras and a roommate. The biggest reason Devi did not want to tell Ben is that he would worry about her and he had enough on his plate without her irrational fears of her nerdy classmates.
Ben was in the middle of an extremely taxing but rewarding internship with an excellent marketing firm. He had worked so hard to get the internship and Devi was so proud of him. Just the thought of Ben brought a smile to her face.
Devi unlocked her dorm door, acknowledged her roommate with a nod, and sat at her tiny desk, and began to study her physiology exam. The test was on Tuesday of next week and it was already Thursday. Just as she began reviewing her class notes and looking at some diagrams her phone rang with a FaceTime request.
Ben’s face filled her screen and she quickly connected her air pods and answered his call. When the call connected a bright smile split Ben’s face at the sight of Devi and her traitor lips also turned up in a soft smirk.
“Hey, David. What have you been studying?”
“How do you know I have been studying, Gross? I could have been getting ready for a night out with my friends.” She asked with a raised eyebrow.
“You could’ve but you have that crease above your forehead that indicated you were concentrating on something when I called. Besides, we both know you wouldn’t dare party without your favorite Jewish bestie.” He winked at her as he finished speaking.
Devi let out a giggle, “ You’re right I would never dream of doing that.” The sarcasm in her voice was thick.
The two chatted for a while about everything going on with them. Devi made sure to mention that she had all As and Ben was sure to come back that he had received an invitation to work on a very big case at the firm. He was to present some very important information in a presentation to his bosses on Monday. Devi could tell by Ben’s tone and words that he was stressed about the project. He told Devi this could make or break his relationship with the firm.
As Devi listened to Ben her fears and worries became white noise in her mind. Present but not overwhelming. Ben’s voice was familiar and smooth.
“Devi?” Ben spoke softly. “You okay? Usually, I can barely get a word in. You seem quiet tonight.”
Immediately Devi should have seen red flags and quickly changed the subject or told Ben there was nothing wrong. Ben was better than anyone else at reading her and in person she stood no chance of deflecting him but over the phone, she could sometimes trick him.
The problem was Devi’s sleepy mind. Her walls were dangerously low and more than anything she wants to spill to Ben just to get her fears off her chest.
“Devi…” His voice held more worry than before and Devi realized that she had never answered his question. She knew at this point there was no use in trying to lie to him. He was already reading her like a book.
“It’s stupid. I shouldn’t be scared. But I am. Well, not scared but…uncomfortable, apprehensive?” Devi’s voice trailed off in question.
Ben’s eyebrows immediately drew together and his lips turned down.
“Tell me everything, Babe.”
So Devi told him the entire story about Xander and how she was afraid he was following her. Her eyes welled with traitorous tears as she explained that she didn’t want to be rude and had tried to let him down easy but he refused to give up even after her confrontation. Ben said very little as she told her story. Near the end when Devi said she wasn’t sure what to do now and how despite how irrational it might seem she was frightened of Xander. This surprised Devi as he was usually very vocal and most of the time wanted to comment on everything she said. She explained that she didn’t think Xander was malicious but she did not appreciate his harassment.
After telling Ben about her fears she felt much lighter. After she had wiped the few tears that fell he spoke. “Your fears are totally justified. You never had to hide how you are feeling, not to me at least. Get some rest and when you wake up we will work out a solution, okay? Even if I have to hire personal security to follow you around.”
Devi giggled at the outlandish idea of her own secret service. “Okay, Ben. Thank you for listening I already feel much better.”
“That’s what I am here for. Sweet dreams, David.”
“Night Gross”
The next morning Devi woke to her phone ringing. She blinked her eyes open and groped for her phone. Once she retrieved it from underneath her pillow she was surprised to see Ben’s caller id. It was very unusual for Ben to call in the morning. Immediately she became worried. Had something horrible happened?
With that thought, Devi answered the still ringing phone.
“Ben? Are you okay?” Her voice was heavy with sleep.
“Yes, I’m fine Devi. I was just wondering if you could come downstairs.” Devi could hear the smile in his tone.
“You’re here! Oh my gosh! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“I wanted to surprise you…surprise! Now hurry up I thought of a lot of good insults on the way here I want to try out.” With that, he hung up.
As quietly as she could Devi crawled from her bed and found a cute but comfortable outfit as fast as she could. The wait for the elevator seemed to take years although it was only minutes. As she entered the lobby of her dorm she saw him. He was leaned against the wall next to the RA office watching her with soft blue eyes, teeth just poking through his lips in a smile.
“David!” At his greeting, Devi rushed forward and launched herself into his arms. She was usually not one for grand gestures of PDA but she had not seen Ben in person for over two months. He smelled the same as she remembered, like expensive cologne, sandalwood, and that distinctly manly musk. Devi took a deep breath as she tucked her face into his neck.
His arms wound around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. Since high school, Ben had gotten quite a bit taller and now stood a respectable 5’11”. She pulled back to study his face with a soft look.
“What are you doing here!? Don’t you have that big case for the firm? Did you come to get my academically superior expert opinion of something?” Devi’s i exclaimed with a smirk.
Ben chuckled, “As if. No, I came to hang out with you all day. I missed you.”
“What about the firm?”
“Don’t worry about it, David. I’ve got it under control. My future will be fine if I take one day with my favorite ex-nemesis.”
Devi saw in his eyes that this was true and smiled. “Okay, what do you want to do? We can see a movie, go out for lunch, or drive to the beach. Whatever you want. And you better take advantage of this now because I won’t give you another chance like this.”
“Actually, I was thinking we could hang out around your campus today. Maybe you could show me some of the cool spots?”
“You came all this way to see my campus?” Devi asked.
“Of course not. I came all this way to see you, what we are doing doesn’t matter.” Ben had never said a more true statement. He was sure he and Devi could spend eternity together and never get bored.
“Geeze Gross, when did you get so sappy?” Devi’s lips were pulled into a teasing and mischievous smile but her eyes had grown lighter with appreciation and love.
“I am not sappy. Anyways, let’s go, David.” Ben grabbed Davi’s hand and she began to tug him out of the dorm lobby and onto the sidewalk as she began to ramble.
“ Ok, we can start with the library, grab some coffee and breakfast. Then we can walk down the main quad and I can show you where all my classes are! Then we can go to this splendid little restaurant right off campus for lunch. Then we will see what to do after that!”
Ben was amused by her unusually exuberant attitude. “That sounds perfect. Lead the way.”
As the two walked hand in hand towards the library they chatted enthusiastically. Devi’s face was bright with contentment and happiness. Ben felt immense relief from the stress of his internship. When they reached the coffee shop in the library there was only a short line due to the fact that is was early on a Saturday.
It was on the walk back when things became interesting. With hands still clasped they bantered. “If I was studying medicine I could definitely show you up! Just like I did in high school.” Ben teased with a smirk.
Devi gasps, “You never showed me up in high school! And if you think you are so special switch your major and come at me, bro!” The fire in Devi’s eyes was familiar to Ben and filled him with warmth.
“No one has said ‘come at me bro’ since 2011,” Ben deadpanned. “Besides the world needs me more in marketing.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Devi laughed and turned away from Ben and her eyes immediately caught the figure up ahead.
Instinctively she squeezed Ben’s hand harder. His eyes left her face a drifted towards where her gaze was locked. He made out a tall, pale man walking towards them. He had blonde hair and a skinny build. Ben’s eyes moved to his face and found his eyes focused on their locked hands and a firm frown on his lips.
Ben’s blue orbs found Devi’s face again. He could only see one side of her features but he still found the traces of fear. He instantly knew that this was Xander. The guy who was following his Devi. He had not told his girlfriend not girlfriend but the real reason Ben had come to Yale was to make sure Devi was safe.
When they had talked last night he could tell the situation with Xander was weighing heavily on her mind.
By this time Devi’s pace has slowed but she did not stop. She hoped that Xander would not say anything to her because Ben was there. Her hopes were dashed as the three came closer.
“Hey, Devi!” Xander raises his hand in an over-enthusiastic wave.
Devi visibility cringed and clutched Ben’s hand tighter once more. “Hi, Xander.” Devi attempted to keep walking but just as she thought the two could continue on their peaceful day Ben’s hand tugged on hers as he stopped.
“Xander was it? I’m Ben.”
Xander was clearly not expecting Ben to speak to him. “Oh…hello Ben.”
“Hey, I’m glad we ran into you actually. Devi has told me a bunch about you.” Xander clearly became elated. Devi’s eyebrows rose significantly up her forehead and her eyes grew bigger.
“Really!? Are you also a friend of Devi’s?” Xander glances between Devi and Ben.
“Yeah, Devi told me you were following her around. She doesn’t appreciate that so please stop. If you continue to accost her I will not be so friendly next time. She told you she wasn’t interested and since you apparently can’t take it from her you’re hearing it from me. She’s not interested. Move on.” Ben turned away from Xander, not waiting for a response. “Oh and also I’m not just Devi’s friend, I’m her boyfriend.”
Xander remained still, he was shocked and a bit frightened. Ben’s eyes burned with fury and protectiveness that could only be invoked by threatening the person he loved most.
Ben dragged a shocked Devi by the hand away from her stalker. They walked a few minutes in silence. Until Devi stopped and turned to face Ben.
“What was that? Did you come all this way in the middle of your big case with the internship to do that?”
Ben looked down worried that Devi would be angry. “I wanted to spend the day with you. I have missed you so much in the last few months. Everywhere I go I feel like I am walking around with a limb missing or something. I needed to see you. Telling off that creep was simply the final straw I needed to drive up here.”
Devi’s deep brown irises filled with tears. “Why would you do this if you knew how much it could cost you? I’m not worth risking your future over.”
Ben grasped Devi’s face delicately and wiped his thumbs under her eyes. “Because no matter the cost, it’s worth it to keep you safe and happy. And just like you, I value my future but without you, I have no future. I work hard at this internship for us, for our future. I have never had a very reliable family Devi, you know that. Except for you. You are my real family.”
For the second time that day, Devi launched herself into his arms. She was not audibly crying but a steady stream of tears touched Ben’s neck.
Ben cradled her head and hugged her waist. Devi knew she was strong but Ben made her stronger. With him, she could do anything. “Did you call yourself my boyfriend?”
Ben pulled back and locked eyes with her. “Ummm…maybe?”
Devi let out an uncharacteristic giggle at his nervousness. “Okay, boyfriend.”