My Best Friend's Brother: A Standalone Friends to Lovers Romance (Soulmates Series Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter 18: Shane

"I'm
glad they broke up," I said, trying to decide how ignorant to play it.
"I never cared for the guy myself."

"I
know you didn't," Izzy said.

"Did
she say it's for good?" I asked. "Because I know she and Mike have
had their ups and downs before-"

"Sounded
to me like she was well and truly done with him."

I
nodded.

"But
time will tell."

"Right."
I ran a hand through my hair. "When exactly did you talk to her?"

"This
morning."

The
way Andi looked with her hair strewn across my pillow flashed through my mind.

"So
I'll call and check on her soon to see how she's holding up.
Ya
know, show her some support so she doesn't feel
compelled to let that jackass back into her life."

"Good
idea," I said, realizing there was still a possibility I could lose her
before I ever even had her.

"But
if you guys bump into each other-"

I
clenched my jaw. I had way more than that planned.

"It
might be nice to show her some extra special attention to keep her spirits
up."

I
smiled. "That sounds like something I could do."

"I
thought so," she said in that tone of voice that made it clear I'd
provided the correct answer.

"Is
that all you called to tell me?"

"Umm…"

I
imagined her eyes rolling up to the corner of the room.

"Who
are you bringing to your barn dance?"

"My
barn dance?"

"Yeah,
the one where you wear that checkered shirt and let the bandana hang out of
your back
pocke
-”

"Why
do you ask?"

"Curiosity,"
she said. "It's around this time of year, isn't it?"

"It
is."

"So
who are you bringing?"

"I
don't know yet," I said, only half baffled by why the lie slipped out.
"Why?"

"No
reason. But don't wait until the last minute to ask someone," she said.
"Girls hate that shit."

"Right."

"And
if you don't have anyone in mind, you could always take Andi."

I
swallowed.

"Just
to give her a nice distraction from all this shit she's been through with
Mike."

"Uh
huh."

"But
that's only if you think you can bear bringing someone who isn't dying to get
in your Levi’s."

I squeezed
my eyes shut. Was this just one of those twin coincidences or was she fucking
with me and already knew I'd asked her?

I
glanced at the clock on the wall.

Enough
time had passed that Andi could've called Izzy and told her everything. Yet I
had a feeling she didn't, a feeling she wouldn't.

Plus,
she was probably too busy catching up with Steph after I left and cleaning up
those flowers outside the-

"Please
don't have impure thoughts about our oldest friend, Shane."

"I
wasn't. I was just-"

"Forget
I said anything. I don't think she'd go anyway."

I
raised my eyebrows. "What? Why?"

"Well,
besides the fact that you won't ask her cause you'd rather get fucked-"

I
held my breath.

"She'd
probably rather fork her own eyes out than spend an evening surrounded by
orange sorority girls falling all over the place in their Daisy Dukes."

"Perhaps."

"Even
if that's your idea of Heaven."

"It's
not."

Izzy
scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"So
you don't think she'd have fun?"

"I
doubt it's her scene. I mean, I'd rather die myself, but it depends on what's
in the keg-"

"I
know you think the world would be a more interesting place if we all drank gin
and smoked 100's in rooms full of crushed velvet to piano music-"

"Preferably
in black and white," she said. "Everyone looks better in black and
white."

I
sighed. "I hate to break it to you,
Iz
, but
fifties film noir isn't a real place."

"Tell
that to Dr. Who."

"Dr.
Who?”

“You
know, the time traveling-”

“That
was a joke.”

“You’re
an idiot."

“Mom
doesn’t think so.”

She
groaned. "Just look after Andi, okay? Forget the barn dance idea. It's
stupid. But check in on her anyway."

"Will
do."

"And
check your schedule because I'd like to visit soon, and I know you and Andi
would rather I come to you than ask you guys to suffer through a night with my
artsy friends."

"They're
not so bad," I said. "It's just that we have nothing in common
besides you."

"I
know. That was more than clear when you guys came for the indie film festival
last year."

"I
blame you for that," I said. "Andi and I should've just met up with
you later-"

"Hindsight
is-"

"Instead
of letting you subject us to those depressing French films where no one smiles
or talks about anything and everything is left unresolved."

"I
thought you were both mature enough to appreciate realism."

"Sorry
to disappoint you," I said. “But for what it’s worth, I did like that
movie about the murderous sorority girls you gave me."

"I
thought that was more your speed."

"It
was hilariously bad," I said. "But worth it for the way their tits
were falling out of their tops during the grave digging scene."

"Spare
me your detailed review."

I
shrugged.

"But
do lend it to Andi if you think she'd like it," Izzy said. "She loved
that one about the vampire sorority girls I gave her last spring."

"I
never saw that one."

"Maybe
you guys could swap?"

"Good
idea," I said, glancing at the open DVD case on my desk.

"Or
have a movie marathon?"  

"I'll
ask her," I said, grateful for the lead.

"Okay,
well, I
gotta
go."

"Yep."

"Love
you, bro."

"You,
too," I said, ending the call.

I
took my jeans off and pulled on some sweatpants, glancing at the pile of folded
clothes that sat where Andi had slept.

I
walked around the bed to her side and grabbed the t-shirt in my hands. It
smelled sweet and citrusy- like a lemon- and it made me think of how her lips
puckered against mine when I pulled her to me.

There
was no question that she was surprised, but that hadn't stopped her from
kissing me back, from leaning into me, from opening her mouth so I could taste
her better.

I
tried to throw the t-shirt on my laundry pile in the corner, but even after
extending my arm, my hand stayed closed around it.

I
threw it back on the bed instead.

Then
I walked over to my side, stopping at my desk to grab the practice test for my
econ exam the next day.

I
spent the next half hour lying on my bed staring at it.

However,
despite the fact that my eyes were scanning along the lines of the paper in the
right order, nothing was getting through.

All
I could think about was Andi.

The
whole day kept flashing through my mind- the way she looked in that dress that
covered too much of her, the way she stood up to Mike, the way she looked at me
when I talked about my memories of her as a kid.

It
felt so good to make her smile, to have her laugh in my ears again.

And
I knew I was in trouble.

Not
only because of how hard it was to shake her from my thoughts, but because I
kept it all a secret from the person I was closest to in the world.

And
I knew why.

Because
Andi may have been our oldest friend, but I didn't want to share her anymore.

Chapter 19: Andi

I
felt my cheeks burn. "You saw that whole thing, huh?"

Steph
leaned against the back of the couch. "You mean did I see him kiss you until
your whole body hung limp in his arms and your feet practically floated off the
ground?"

I
scrunched my face.

"Yeah,
I did."

I
swallowed.

"And
I'm sorry. I am. I didn't realize you were about to have a moment like that,
but when I saw you, I just froze in the hallway and couldn't look away."

"
Perv
."

"Not
that I blame you."

I
turned an ear towards her.

"I
can't imagine how you managed to resist him this long."

I
raised my eyebrows.

"If
he
so
much as looks at me with those steely eyes, I
have to change my underwear."

"Steph!"

"It's
true." She shook her head. "He is one fine piece of ass."

"Jesus.
He's not a piece of ass."

"Maybe
not to you," she said. "But he and I aren't close enough for me to give
a rats about his other fine qualities."

I
covered my face with my hands.

"You
will tell me if he ever puts out a calendar, won't you?"

"Oh
my god. I will not." I moved my hands to my cheeks. "And he would
never."

"Maybe
if you ask him really nice in bed one of these days he'd agree to pose for a
few-"

"Let
the bed thing go."

"Look
who's talking. If you haven't been wondering how deep the feelings behind that
kiss go since the moment he left, then you need to see a doctor."

"No
I don't. And there's no depth, okay. He just got carried away." I took a
gulp of wine. "There's not going to be any sexy photoshoots or any romps
in the hay-" Oh god the barn dance…

"How
can you be so sure?"

"Because
we're just friends."

She
furrowed her brow. "Yeah. I'm not convinced that path is going to work out
for you guys anymore."

"What?
Why?"

"Because
when he left here, he looked like he wanted to fuck you yesterday."

I
felt my chest contract around my heart, which was beating in some pattern that
didn't feel familiar. Hell, ever since that kiss, my whole body felt weird.

"Excuse
my language, by the way."

I
cocked my head. "Are you sure you weren't simply imagining that look on his
face because you just came from a chaste environment that was probably thick
with sexual frustration?"

"You
do have a point there," she said. "All I know is that if any of the
retreat moderators saw Shane look at you like that, he’d get sent straight to
confession."

I
laughed- partly because I thought she was being funny and partly because the
thread of sincerity in her voice made me so nervous I thought I was going to
pee my pants.

"Does
Izzy really have no idea that this has been going on?"

"Nothing
has been going on."

She
raised her eyebrows, her clear blue eyes looking right through me.

"But
to answer your question, no. I mean, she knows I broke up with Mike, which I
thought was the main event this weekend." I sighed. "It was more than
enough excitement for me anyway."

"Every
cloud, eh?"

I
squinted at her. "You really think there was intent there? Like, you think
he'd do that again?"

"I
think he'd still be doing it if I hadn't come home."

"Shit,
Steph."

"Exciting,
isn't it?"

I
slouched on the couch and stared at the ceiling. "Is it exciting or is it
a complete disaster?"

"What
could possibly be disastrous about being the object of his attention? He's be far
the hottest, kindest, smartest guy who's ever expressed interest in you."

I
peered at her out of the corner of my eye.

"I
didn't mean for that to come out that way."

"It’s
fine. I know it’s true.”

"So
what's the problem?" She got up and walked to the kitchen.

I
leaned forward and drained my glass so I'd get a healthy top up on her next
pass before slouching on the sofa again.

She
came in with the frosted green bottle and poured some more white wine for each
of us. "Well?"

There
was barely a swig left in the bottle as far as I was concerned, but she
returned it to the fridge anyway.

"He's
my best friend," I said when she came back in the room. "He and
Izzy."

"I
agree it's not ideal."

"Not
ideal?! It could change everything."

She
sat down and crossed her legs towards me. "Perhaps, but it could change
everything for the better."

"Or
it could all go horribly wrong, and I could lose them both."

"Don't
you think that's a bit dramatic?” she asked. “I mean, you're all adults now."

"Still.
What if something happens-?"

"You
mean something more?"

"Yeah."
Fuck, was this thing already set in motion? Had everything already changed in
the space of one quick kiss? "What if something happens and then it doesn't
work out and then he meets who he's really supposed to be with and we can't
hang out anymore
cause
she knows he and I have
history?"

"First
of all, you should give yourself a little more credit. I think it would be harder
to replace you than you think."

A
smile broke through my worried face. "That's nice. Thanks."

"You're
welcome."

"But
what if Izzy can never forgive me for breaking what's always been an unspoken
circle of trust between us. I mean, she knows what a head case I am more than
anyone on the planet. There's no way she'd be happy if Shane and I
started-" I didn't dare let myself finish the thought.

"Izzy
loves you, Andi."

"Yeah,
but-"

"And
she loves Shane, too." Steph took a sip of her wine and leaned forward to
set it back on the table. "I'm sure as long as you guys were happy, she
would be, too, regardless of the arrangement."

"They
still know too much. Both of them. So what could he possibly want me for?
There's no mystery there? He was even reminding me earlier of totally
embarrassing stuff he remembers me doing as a kid."

Steph
shrugged. "Vulnerability is hot in its own way. Maybe you've been seducing
him all these years without knowing it, and it finally got to him."

"That's
absurd."

"As
absurd as the idea that you've always wanted him, too?"

"I
have not," I said, pulling my feet up and leaning against the armrest of
the couch.

"Fine,"
she said. "I know better than to argue with you about your own
feelings."

"Good."

"But
just so you know, I'm not buying it."

"Fine.
Cause it's not for sale."

We
were both quiet for a minute, and the only things that troubled the silence
were the sound of the ticking kitchen clock and some guys shouting to each
other in the street below.

"What
am I going to do?" I whispered finally.

"You're
going to take it one day at a time," she said. "And not dwell on all
the impossible what ifs."

"Easier
said than done."

"I
don't see what other options you have."

I
looked at Steph. Her second glass of wine was visible in her cheeks.

"He
asked me to his barn dance."

"That
will be fun."

"Among
other things." I pushed myself off the couch and picked up my half empty
glass. "I'm going to get ready for bed."

"Sounds
good," she said. "You should enjoy sleeping alone while you still
can."

I
smiled and drifted down the hall. Forty eight hours ago I would have bet my
life he'd never kiss me. And now Steph seemed so convinced he wanted more.

I
pushed my bedroom door open and caught my own eye in the mirror across the
room. Could a guy like Shane even go for a girl like me? Wouldn't I look silly
on the arm of someone so… so… totally fucking amazing?

Shit.

I
needed to rest. All this booze had gone to my head. Surely I was reading too
much into all this.

Surely
he'd only asked me to his barn dance as a friend.

Too
bad I was starting to think I didn't want to be his friend anymore.