“This is going to be wonderful,” Willow says as I follow her out the front door and toward her car. She’s wearing an expression that I can’t quite make out. I can’t help but steal a glance over toward Reid's house.
“Why are you more excited about my date than me?”
She gives me a smile. One that tells me that she’s up to something. As well as she can read me, I can read her too.
My best friend is definitely up to something. Whatever it is will either be wonderful or a complete disaster. I suppose I will find out soon enough.
6
Reid
I brace my hand against the shower wall. I finally finished washing the grease and grime from the shop off me. I went in with my pops this morning. I help him out most Saturdays. I am thankful for that shit. I needed something to keep my hands busy, and my mind. I’m on edge thinking about Zoey.
She was in my truck last night. The smell of her hadn’t lingered long after she left. I’d sat in my truck until I couldn't smell her anymore. Then I dragged my ass into the house so I could shower and ease the tension in my body by jacking off.
I am once again doing the same thing once I’ve gotten the shop smell and dirt off me. Even in my made-up fantasies about her, I make sure to be scrubbed clean, never wanting to dirty her up. Not in that way at least.
I close my eyes. I’ve had Zoey in every position possible and everywhere possible a thousand times in my mind. This time she’s on her bed. I haven't been in her bedroom in years, but I still remember every inch of it. I’m sure it’s changed over the years. I picture her naked in bed with her legs spread for me. I stroke myself harder. She asks me to join her. She needs me as much as I need her too.
Her cheeks would be pink and her mouth puffy from my kisses. She’d be so turned on I would be able to see her pussy and thighs covered in her need for me. I watch her as she slips her hand between her thighs. She plays with herself, giving me a show. I picture her moaning my name.
That’s all it takes and I’m coming. I grit my teeth. The jack-off session did not do much for me as far as relief. I curse, turning the now cold shower off and getting out. I’m going to need to work out or something. There is no way I can lie here all night and not end up going over to her house and knocking on her door.
Since I walked in the door from the shop, I kept going to the window to look over at her house. The garage door at her house is open at the moment, and I can see both cars are home. I dry off before getting dressed quickly. Again, I check to see that both cars are still there. Not that it really matters. Most of the time when she’s going somewhere that isn't school, Willow drives.
I try and think of a reason to go over there. The grass isn't long enough to be mowed, but I could also go over and just ask Quinn if she needs anything taken care of. I started mowing their yard after Dad had taught me. I mow ours and then theirs right after. Same with shoveling the driveways in the winter.
My phone dings. I grab it and check my texts. It’s from Jackson. I stare at the picture he took. It’s my Zoey. She’s laughing while sitting at an outdoor table at The Red Door. How in the fuck? The Red Door is pretty much in the center of the square where people often hang out. There are a few restaurants, a movie place, and a few other random things to do.
What I can’t wrap my mind around is why the person sitting with her making her laugh isn’t Willow. It’s Andrew fucking Jennings.
Me: I’m on my way.
I fire back a text. When I get to my truck I shoot off another.
Me: Keep an eye on them. DO NOT let him touch her.
Jackson: How the hell do you expect me to stop him from touching her?
Me: Break his fingers.
I toss my phone into the passenger seat and haul ass toward The Red Door. When I get there, I see Jackson. He jumps in front of me, blocking my path.
“You sure you want to do this?”
“Move,” I tell him, but he doesn't.
“Take a deep breath. Calm down a second. You can’t just walk over there and level the guy. That’s not going to help your situation with Zoey. If you want to be pissed at anyone it should be yourself.” He’s right. I take a deep breath, knowing if I walk in there and punch the guy it will only make her more mad. I will only push her further away from me than I already have.
“Okay,” I agree. I won’t punch the guy unless he asks for it. I don’t have to go into the restaurant to get to them. The patio is wide open. When I round the corner, I don’t have to look for Zoey. My eyes go right to her. You’d think she felt my stare because she lifts those bright blue eyes to meet mine.
They widen when she sees that I’m headed straight for her. I reach into my back pocket, pulling out a couple of twenties.
“Andrew. You must have missed the memo. Or maybe I wasn’t clear enough last night.” I lock my hands around his wrist. He was about to tuck a piece of Zoey’s silky hair that is moving with the wind behind her ear.
“What?” He jerks back, and I release my hold on him.
“Zoey is with me.” I drop a couple of twenties on the table. That should cover at least her food. It looks like she’s only taken a few bites of it anyway. Did he pick her up from her house? How long has she been on this date? I hold out my hand for Zoey to take. She stares at it.
“I didn't know you were with Reid,” Andrew says.
“I’m not with him.” She bats my hand away. But I keep it out. She rolls her eyes. “I’m sorry, Andrew,” she tells him. Then to my fucking surprise, she takes my hand. The small touch of her soft skin to mine is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let go of her hand again. I didn't know something could be this freaking soft.
“She’s mine.”
She starts to say something again, but I press my mouth against hers to get her to stop. Her eyes widen again. Fuck me, her lips are even softer than her hand. I release her mouth quickly, but it worked. She doesn't say anything else. With her hand still in mine, she follows me when I start to walk toward my car.
I see a few people that I know from school. It’s not shocking. It’s a Saturday night. Everyone comes to the square to hang out all the time. I’m sure this will be all over the school by Monday morning. I have no doubt about that.
There will probably be videos and pics posted on social media too. That makes me smile. Hopefully everyone will get the point. I had all the guys at my school on lockdown when it came to Zoey. They all knew better than to try to hit on her or ask her out. I’d made sure to make it clear to them that she was off limits. I hadn’t thought about guys from other schools, though. This little show should do the trick. When I look down at my Zoey, I notice she’s not smiling at all.
It might take my whole fucking life to make her smile again when she sees me coming, but I sure as fuck will do everything I can to make that happen.
7
Zoey
How the hell am I back in Reid’s truck? He ushered me in, and I went without a fight. A fight is the last thing I wanted. It’s why I left so easily with Reid. We might not have been close for the past five years, but I can still read some of his looks and moods. I knew he was itching for a fight with Andrew. The only thing I can’t understand is why.
I probably should have let him. Andrew turned out to be a dick. He quickly lost the point he gained earlier for not waiting around to call or text me. He wanted into my pants, and he wanted into them tonight. No matter what I said, he would loop it back to something sexual. He also wouldn’t stop staring at my chest.
He was really trying to see through the knitted sweater. I was about to pretend to use the bathroom and tell Willow to call me with a fake emergency when Reid showed up. There was no way I was making it through the whole meal and a movie. He was giving off a creepy vibe.
He would have probably tried to cop a feel in a dark movie theater. He wasn’t for me. I should have gone with my gut, but I wanted to have the experience of going on a date. He wasn’t the type of
guy that I could ever trust, and my mom always told me that I needed to trust the guy I was with.
“You look beautiful tonight, babe,” Reid says. I hear the words, but I don’t understand how this is happening. Why is he doing this? He starts the truck before taking my hand again into his. He holds it as he drives. I close my eyes and try to gather my thoughts. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the feel of his hand holding mine. No. I can’t allow myself to fall down that rabbit hole when it comes to Reid, I remind myself. “Are you still hungry? We can stop at the diner.”
“Okay,” I say. He gives my hand a small squeeze. I pull, but he doesn't let it go. “I have to text Willow and let her know where I am.” He reluctantly lets go of my hand so that I can use my phone.
Me: Omg! Reid showed up on my horrible date. He told Andrew I was his! Those words actually came out of his mouth.
Willow: Then what happened? I tracked your location. Are you in his truck?
I smile down at the phone. Of course she tracked me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Reid steal a glance over at me. I was agreeing to go eat at the diner because clearly Reid and I need to have a talk. Also, the diner has kick-ass fries.
Me: He called me babe and then asked if I was still hungry.
Me: Oh and he pressed his mouth against mine to get me to stop talking.
Willow: You mean he kissed you.
Me: No, he just pressed his mouth against mine.
As I send the text I realize she’s right. It was a kiss. Reid kissed me. I mull that over in my mind for a minute, coming to the realization that he was my first kiss.
Willow: Okay. We should talk about the birds and the bees later.
Me: Okay, you win, he kissed me.
When I think back on how his lips had felt against mine, butterflies come to life in my stomach.
Willow: I think it’s badass he checked if you’re hungry. Point for Reid.
Me: …..
Willow: What? That so gets a point! He’s down a 100 so it only makes him -99.
I snort a laugh. I start to text her back, but Reid steals the phone from my hand.
“Hey.” I try and grab it back.
“Putting my number in. I’ll give it back,” he says as he reads the last few texts in our conversation. Why do I feel like he was really trying to make sure it was Willow I was talking to?
“Sure you are.” A second later his phone rings then stops. Okay, he might have been trying to get my number, but he was also being nosy. The way he’s acting right now is making me think back to a time when we were best friends. He has always watched out for me. He also would get grumpy if I didn't give him the attention he needed.
He once told me I was going to replace him with a girl best friend. He made me promise I wouldn't. I think we were twelve at the time. He hadn't really given me much of a choice but to break the promise.
He hands the phone back over to me. “I deleted the texts from Andrew and blocked him.”
I roll my eyes, snatching my phone back. “Let’s eat.” He jumps out of the truck. I glance at my phone to see he’s programmed his name in my phone as All Yours. The passenger door opens a moment later.
I release my seat belt before I turn to hop down out of his truck. Before I can, he’s got his hands on my hips and is helping me down. My body grazes him as my feet find the ground. I lick my bottom lip. His eyes drop there.
Again he leans down, brushing his mouth against mine. “Damn you’re soft everywhere.” He tangles his fingers with mine as we walk into the diner. It's a first come first serve kind of place as far as seating is concerned. Reid leads us to a table in the back corner.
“You kissed me,” I say as he pulls a chair out for me. I sit down. “Twice,” I add in. I look around and see that Missy is here and giving me an angry stare.
“You might want to get used to it.” Reid is saved by the server.
“I’m Celia. I’ll be your server. What can I get you to drink?” Celia doesn't waste time.
“I’ll have water. Zoey wants a Dr. Pepper. Also, we’ll have two orders of fries to start. If you can get that in as soon as possible because my girl is hungry.” Did he just tell the waitress that I was his girl? I swear I feel as though I’m in some sort of dream. And if all of it is a dream, I’m not sure I ever want to wake up from it.
“Yep.” The waitress breaks me from my thoughts. She turns to go put in our order.
“They have the best fries.” He must feel the same. He was fast to order for us. He kind of took the words from my mouth. I stare over at Reid. His eyes are always on me lately.
“What’s happening here?” I want to get to the point. Reid is driving me crazy. “This is weird and is not going to work for me. Can you go back to ignoring me?” I suggest.
“I’ve never in my life ignored you.” He actually says it in a tone like I’m crazy to even suggest such a thing.
We stare at each other until the server is back dropping off our drinks and fries. Reid grabs the ketchup, making a pile before putting some salt on top. Something I always do.
I grab a fry and dip it in before I eat it. “I remember the day you dropped me. Like I was nothing to you. You were supposed to be my best friend.” I let out a humorous laugh. “Ironically, you were always the one worried I would stop being friends with you. Sounds like you had some projection going on even then.”
“That was the problem. I didn’t want to be your friend.”
“What the hell?” I start to stand, but he snags me by the wrist.
“I wanted more. Things that didn’t make us friends, and we were way too young for that then.” My face flushes. I have to turn and look away from him. I know what he’s talking about.
I remember wanting him to kiss me. I really did think we'd grow up and get married. At that age I never really thought of the ins and outs of marriage. I just knew we would always be together.
“I thought we would grow up and get married,” I tell him. I shake my head. “It was a naïve thing for me to think, but I was young.”
“I didn't think I’d grow up to marry you, Zoey.” His words are like a knife to my heart. I shouldn't feel any which way about Reid not wanting to marry me. My eyes start to burn. “I knew I was going to marry you.”
I sit there in shock. He picks up a fry, dipping it into the ketchup and bringing it to my mouth. I take the bite.
“It doesn't work that way, Reid.” I finally get words out. “I want to go home.” I stand up. He nods his head before dropping some money on the table, and we both head out of the diner together. He keeps his hand on the small of my back as we walk toward his truck.
When we get to his truck, he doesn't open the door. Instead he crowds me from behind. I turn around to look up at him. My hands land on this chest. “I fucked up. I know that. I have to gain your trust back. I understand that. But know this. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to make you fall in love with me.”
8
Reid
I wonder how long it will take Zoey to realize I shared locations with her. When it alerted her phone after I turned it on, I went in and deleted it. It was an asshole thing to do. I know it. But this way I can protect her from other assholes. At least I’m an asshole with good intentions.
I texted her a few times yesterday, but she didn't respond. She could have blocked me, but I saw that she read the messages. One was a good morning and the other was me telling her I’d take her to school tomorrow. I’m taking the nonresponse as a yes. It’s why I’ve parked my truck right in the center of her driveway. Her mom leaves about ten minutes before Zoey does. I watch the garage door open and then hop down out of my truck.
She opens her car door to toss her bag in but stops when she sees me. “When you don’t respond I take that as a yes.” She is in jeans and a hoodie today. She’s got her hair piled high on the top of her head. It is hit or miss around here with weather. One day it could be all sun and the next there could be a blizzard.
“I can drive my
self. Now move that truck.” She waves her hand toward my truck as she says it. She looks so determined that it’s adorable.
“I’m not moving. So you can either get in the truck or we can stand here all day.” She rolls her eyes at me as she shuts the door to her car. I walk over to the garage and hit the code to shut the door. She gawks at me.
“It’s been the same code since we were little. Your birthday.” Her face softens a little.
“Right.” She really doesn't need my help to get into the truck. She could do it on her own, but I wanted to touch her and this allowed me to. It isn't until I’m headed toward the school that she says anything again. “Everyone is going to be talking about us.”
“I don’t give a shit.” I shrug. She glares at me. The softness on her face is gone.
“That’s because you’re the freaking star of the school. Everyone loves you and follows your lead. Part of that lead for all these years has been pretending that I don’t exist. Middle school was hell because of that crap. You don’t know what it’s like to be treated like you have the plague.”
“The fuck?” is all I can get out. I have no clue as to what she’s talking about. “People have been mean to you?” My hands on the steering wheel tighten.
“What did you think everyone was going to do, Reid? They follow your lead. Some of your friends are disgusting, by the way. The way they talk about other girls and who they’ve slept with. Oh, and the small jabs they take at me for likely being a virgin.”
“Who said that fucking shit?” I am going to fuck them all up. I told them to stay the fuck away from her, not to be rude and disrespectful toward her. Taking small jabs at her isn't staying away.
“Your. Friends.” She punctuates each word. “You hang out with them. You know what they say about girls. Pigs.”
His Forever Girl Page 3
