Chapter 40 – Wins and losses

Benjamin thought it was funny how they pushed their logic, without waiting for his answer. There was a break in the conversation when Grace came back and everyone had a turn to score some points. When it was Grace's turn again, Benjamin answered.

"I think you are both lively and charming girls, so I am the one who would be surprised if you didn't have any boyfriends."

Their eyes widened a bit at the unexpected compliment before Kamryn conveyed.

"We all have had multiple boyfriends in the past, your sister too. But it seems we can't hold on to them for long and we find ourselves alone again very soon."

They both sighed, looking dejected at remembering their past experiences. Benjamin had known that Grace has had boyfriends before but he wasn't aware of any detail on how those relationships went. They took their turn again and Benjamin continued the discussion, stopping from time to time whenever Grace came back.

"Tell me if it is too much of a personal question, but, can I ask why?"

They looked at each other, before turning their heads away from Benjamin, ashamed. Kamryn said.

"It's a bit embarrassing..."

That made Benjamin even more interested in knowing. He was also well aware of what worked best to persuade girls in this world. He bent his upper body forward, his T-shirt opening a bit with the gravity, revealing his collarbone, and asked innocently.

"I am super curious now. You can't leave me hanging like that, you have to tell me."

As expected. his move was extremely effective. Both girls' line of sight instantly dropped to look at the small amount of skin he was revealing, breathing noisily in surprise. Considering this to be the perfect timing, Benjamin pushed forward with his question.

"So?"

Both girls started a little, looking up to him again, red-faced from their actions. Jolene answered quickly as if to move his attention away from their shamelessness.

"That's because we insisted too much to have sex with our boyfriends. After a while, they got annoyed and left us."

However, her revelation was quite high in the embarrassment level too. They now looked completely red in the face and in a desperate effort to change the subject, Kamryn said.

"W-what about you, Ben? You would have sex with your girlfriend when you get one, right? Because you're so nice."

She realized a bit late that she asked something inappropriate but now that the dice had been cast, the two girls started to look forward to his answer. Benjamin took a moment to organize his thoughts. As far as he knew, it was not that men in this world didn't want to have sex; it was a pleasant experience for everyone, after all. It was more that a lot of them wanted to advance their relationships slowly, confirming their and their partner's feelings before committing to anything, including sex. Knowing this, he could deduce that these horny girls couldn't even wait that long, which was both sad and amusing at the same time.

"Well, I am the only boy in a house full of girls, so I know very well how... hard it is for women to hold back. So yes, I wouldn't want my girlfriend to suffer like that and I would have sex with her if that is what she wanted."

His answer surprised them, which soon turned into interest with a touch of lust. Jolene rapidly announced.

"You're so mature and open-minded, Ben. You said I was charming before, right? I can be your girlfriend if you want."

"Hey! Don't listen to her, Ben. Be my boyfriend instead. I will buy you whatever you want."

"Thank you, but I don't have any plan to have a girlfriend for the moment."

They both looked shocked at his swift rejection, dejection soon appearing on their face.

"Of course. The best ones are always the hardest to get. Hey Kamryn, let's order some alcohol, I feel like drinking, now."

"Agreed."

And just like that, they went to the bar. Grace, who had just finished scoring a strike, came back to the table, surprised to see her two friends gone.

"What happened, Ben? Where did they go?"

"They went to order some alcohol."

"What? Why?"

"I think it's better if you ask them yourself."

"Hm, fine."

After a while, the two girls came back, their arms full of alcohol, including strong ones. They started drinking when it was not their turn to play and their already low score only got lower as time went on. Unhappy with that development, they forced Grace to drink too, to level the playing field. Their nice bowling game deteriorated into a drinking party and the people around them began to look at them weirdly. Eventually, the three girls stopped bowling altogether and focused on the bottles in front of them, Jolene and Kamryn sometimes expressing their sorrow pitifully. When their allocated time ended, the girls were all pretty drunk. Benjamin had to step forward to make everyone leave the bowling alley and take them to the train station.

Jolene and Kamryn first boarded a different train from the one the siblings had to take and left with drunken goodbyes. When their train reached the station, Benjamin had to half-carry his sister into the car. It was late in the evening and the car was empty of people so he sat her on a random seat, while he plopped himself in the seat next to her. She looked at him with an unfocused gaze, opening her mouth.

"Sorry, Ben. It wasn't very fun, right?"

"Don't worry, I was happy just to do something together with you."

"Ben..."

She suddenly took his head in her hands and put it on her lap. She then started caressing his hair. Benjamin tried to protest against the treatment.

"Grace, I am not a kid anymore, you know."

"Shh, you're my baby brother."

She paused for a second, before adding.

"I saw them flirting with you, you know. Even though you're my brother. My brother. Mine. My precious Ben..."

She watched his face on her lap, her eyes blurry from the alcohol, and then, in a drunken impulse, she dropped her head and kissed him on the lips.