Keeping Her Close: A Slow Burn Standalone

by Casey Diam

  Before she could get a closer look, a voice echoed from the other side of the door.

  “I’ll get it.”

  Music and chatter spilled out the doorway as a slender teenage boy swung the door open. His brown eyes widened. “Wow. You must be Jordan.”

  “I am.” Jordan stuck her hand out. “Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

  “Ni-Nick,” he stammered.

  “Cool!” After a moment, her smile broadened. “So, uh, can I come in?”

  Nick released a breath. “Yes, of course. Sorry.”

  The vibrant smell of turkey and spices teased her senses as she stepped indoors. Nick directed her to the kitchen, his own nervousness alleviating hers. But at the sight of Brandon, a deep-seated need stopped her dead in her tracks. He was licking a finger and laughing as his mom raised her hands, blocking him from what she was preparing.

  “Jordan’s here,” Nick announced, and Brandon’s eyes met hers.

  It’d been weeks since she’d last seen him. She’d missed him.

  “Jordan!” his mother called. “Come here and give me a hug. I’m so glad you made it.”

  Averting her eyes from Brandon, Jordan was thrilled at the change since the last time she’d seen his mother. “Thank you for inviting me. You look wonderful. I brought a bottle of wine. I didn’t know what else to bring.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart. We drink or eat anything, so next time you don’t have to wonder.” Kim wrapped her arms around Jordan.

  Next time? she wondered.

  “Goodness, your hair is lovely, so long and wavy,” she continued. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you with it down. You are just gorgeous—isn’t she, Brandon?”

  Her cheeks burned at the palpable tension as Brandon’s mother put him on the spot.

  “Mom, we had an agreement,” he scoffed.

  Kim rolled her eyes. “You remember Natasha, my sister? Nick is her son.”

  Natasha looked up from a large bowl of mashed potatoes. “Hey, girly. Glad you could make it.”

  “Brandon, why don’t you show Jordan around and introduce her to everyone? Oh, and put this in the wine cooler.” Keeping her eyes on Jordan, she asked, “Are you allergic to anything besides peanuts?”

  “No, um . . . thanks.” She blinked. “I can’t believe I forgot to mention—”

  Understanding the surprise on her face, Kim explained, “Brandon reminded me a gazillion times.”

  His thoughtfulness transported more butterflies into her tummy.

  “My mother seems to be in an exaggerating mood today.” Brandon closed the door to the wine cooler. “Please follow me.”

  As they entered the living room, he said, “Thanks for coming. I didn’t expect you so soon.” Then he elevated his voice. “Hey, everyone . . . Hello? I swear it’s like I’m invisible sometimes.”

  Everyone was zoned into the game on TV or having side conversations.

  Then Nick spotted them. “Hey, bro, you know no one recognizes your existence around here. It must be hard for you, not being the center of attention and all.”

  Jordan laughed, then folded her lips when Brandon frowned at her. “What? That was funny.”

  Brandon glowered at his cousin, who opened his mouth to speak again, only to lower his head to the phone in his lap.

  There had been a rigidness about Brandon since she’d arrived. What had him so wound up? Was it her? Had she been reading him wrong? Did he not want her here?

  A tiny yapping caught her attention. “You guys have a dog?”

  “Yes, my mom’s. She locked her in the room to keep her hair from flying around. She’s an energetic little thing. Here, I’ll introduce you.” He opened the door to the master bedroom, and a fluffy white Pomeranian rushed out to meet her. Standing on its two back feet, the dog placed its front paws on her leg while sniffing her. When she bent over to pet the little ball of puff, it licked her finger.

  “She’s so adorable,” Jordan gushed. “What’s her name?”

  Brandon picked up the pup. “Lola.” The dog looked up at Brandon’s face as he said her name, her tiny tongue out in a pant.

  “Oh my gosh. How cute!” Jordan scratched behind Lola’s ears. “Can I hold her?”

  His arms touched hers as he passed the dog over, and a tingle radiated from her arm straight down to her sex. Darkened eyes pierced through her, and her muscles clenched, the desire she fought against multiplying by the second.

  Fidgeting, he said, “I should introduce you to the others. We can take her out for a walk later, if you like. Plus, my mom will probably be back here to lie down in a little bit.”

  Jordan pouted. “Okay, I’ll see you later, Lola.”

  They returned to the main room.

  “Grandma and Grandpa, this is my friend, Jordan. Jordan, these are my dad’s parents.”

  His grandmother lifted the eyeglasses hanging from her neck and positioned them on her face. “Oh! What a beautiful girl!”

  His grandfather then smiled. “Brandon, you have a girlfriend?”

  Before Brandon could correct his grandfather, a deep voice jumped in, “You brought a girl. What? I never thought I would see the day. I always told your father you were gay.”

  Jordan turned to see a bald man entering the room, a beer in hand and a pretty, petite Korean woman by his side. Brandon’s shoulders hunched, and Jordan fought the need to touch him, maybe tell him she didn’t mind playing along.

  The petite woman nudged the brash man, who bore a slight resemblance to the Kuvats. “Tim! What did I say about bothering your nephew? I’m sorry, Brandon. It’s always good to see you. He doesn’t mean that.”

  “What? Even Dad’s shocked. Plus, I’ve seen the questionable people he says are his friends,” Tim air-quoted.

  “My personal life is none of your business.”

  “Either way. Everyone knows you can’t keep a woman for the life of you. Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Anyway, I can’t picture you two together. How much is he paying you, Jordan? Come on, you can tell us.” Tim winked.

  Jordan opened her mouth to chastise the asshole, but Brandon’s grandfather beat her to it.

  “Tim, that’s enough.”

  After Brandon stomped off and Nick pulled his headphones on, Jordan excused herself from the group, only to run into Brandon’s dad.

  “Oh, Mr. Kuvat.”

  “Jordan, I didn’t know you were coming. It’s nice to see you again. Please, call me Dan.”

  “Thank you. By any chance did you see which way Brandon went?” she asked, ignoring the vibration coming from her phone.

  “The kitchen, I believe,” Dan said, glancing out the window and mumbling as he moved toward the stairs. “Those damn kids misbehaving. I don’t know what in heaven’s name they think they’re doing. Brandon never did such senseless things at their age.”

  Her heart warmed at the thought of a little Brandon running around. Had this been Brandon’s childhood home? She returned to the kitchen.

  Kim appeared weary as she took a few bottles of wine from the cooler and set them on the counter. “Jordan, do you know what has gotten into Brandon? He stormed outside as I was trying to get his attention. It’s such a beautiful day. I think we should set up a table in the yard.”

  “Tim upset him,” Jordan said, not afraid of being a tattletale. How dare he mess with Brandon’s head like that? “Is there anything I could help with?” She set her phone on the counter.

  “Absolutely not! You’re a guest. You shouldn’t have to lift a finger.” Kim reached into a cupboard and pulled out an orange table linen.

  “I don’t mind at all. I’ll go get Brandon. Please, take a breather. I’m sure we can handle it.” Jordan’s stomach rumbled. She’d only had a shake this morning and was ready to get to the eating, then hanging out with Lola . . . and Brandon.

  “You heard the girl. We got it,” Natasha said before shouting for Nick. “Some wooden folding chairs are in the garage. Nick can grab those.” />
  Jordan opened the glass sliding doors to the backyard and walked around until she found Brandon at the front of the house, sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck.

  “We need your help,” she told him. “Your mother is exhausted. I offered to help, but I don’t know my way around. She wants to set up the dining table outside. So we have to move all the utensils, plates, linens, and centerpiece.” With the sun shining in her eyes, she squinted at him, wondering why he wasn’t even making an attempt to move.

  He looked up from his phone. “I’m dating Kelly.”

  A sudden chill streamed through her body. “The same Kelly you told me about?”

  It was selfish that she didn’t want to share him, since she was also dating someone. But Kelly was his ex; they had history, meaning she’d probably meant more to him than he’d let on if they were back together.

  He nodded. “Yes. I wanted to be upfront with you like you were with me.”

  Play cool. You can do this. “Okay, um, the table thing?”

  He scratched the back of his head and hopped off the truck. “That table outside hasn’t been used in ages. The last time there was a wasp’s nest beneath it.”

  The garage door squeaked as it rolled open, and Nick walked out with a few folding chairs in each hand. She followed Brandon to look under the table, where there was indeed a wasp’s nest. “What are we going to do?”

  He chuckled. “You’re not going to do anything. Nick and I can handle it. Hey, dude, can you get the rake from the garage?”

  “Are there wasps again?” Nick asked, setting the chairs down on the paved patio in front of the sliding glass doors.

  “Yup. Jordan, go inside. I don’t want you to get stung.” Brandon examined the rest of the table.

  “No, I want to watch.”

  “Jordan, if you get stung—”

  “I’ll be fine, Brandon. Do you really think I would miss the opportunity to see you running away from a wasp?”

  Brandon sent her and Nick to stand at a distance when it was time for action. Folding her arms across her chest, she watched him, rake in hand, staring beneath the table.

  “So, I take it he’s done this before?” Jordan said.

  “Yeah, a long time ago.” Nick looked at her. “Are you his girlfriend?”

  “No,” Jordan answered. “Good friends.”

  “Makes sense. The girlfriend word is offensive to my cousin. I don’t think he’s ever had one, or ever will.”

  A sinking feeling stirred a tender spot in her chest as she remembered Brandon’s words. “I want you to be my girlfriend.” Her eyes refocused on him as Nick held up his phone to record the event.

  Jabbing at the wasp nest in one quick movement, Brandon then took off running toward them, but his foot jammed, and his flip-flop flew out behind him as he stumbled forward.

  “Save yourselves,” Brandon yelled from the ground before they saw more than one wasp advancing. Jordan screamed and ran around the backyard with Nick. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Are they gone?”

  “I don’t know,” Nick yelled.

  “Okay, you’re good,” Brandon said, walking toward them. “I still have to carry the nest down to the fence though, before they come back looking for it.”

  “Did you—are you okay?” Jordan asked, then started to laugh. “I can’t believe you fell. Oh my God.”

  The glass door slid open and Tim yelled, “What’s all the commotion?”

  Brandon spun around. “Close the door.”

  They watched as Tim spun around in a three-sixty, slapping at his hand.

  “Ouch!” he yelled.

  Nick, Brandon, and Jordan burst into uncontrollable laughter.

  “Dude, I’m crying.” Nick chortled.

  “You’re not the only one,” Jordan said, catching her breath and wiping the corners of her eyes. “This Thanksgiving is definitely one for the books.”

  “I guess I wasn’t the one karma was looking for today,” Brandon observed.

  “Oh, don’t you think I’m ever going to forget that tripping-over-your-own-feet thing.” Jordan grinned and mimicked him. “‘Save yourselves.’”

  With a wide smile, Brandon inched closer to her. For each step he took forward, she took one back. He probably thought she was scared of his touch, but that wasn’t it. She was scared of how it made her feel.

  A little over an hour later, dinner was served, and the family sat outside in peace—except for Tim, whose hand was red and swollen from the sting. Tim had two daughters, ten and twelve, she learned, who looked more like their mother with straight black hair. Everyone else played nice at dinner by not questioning the relationship between her and Brandon. And when it was Brandon’s turn to say what he was thankful for, he didn’t give up the opportunity to announce he was “thankful for not getting stung today.” Jordan and Nick couldn’t keep straight faces despite the frowns around them.

  After dinner, as the sun dipped low in the sky, the family retreated to the television to watch the football game, and Brandon and Jordan took Lola out for a walk like he’d promised. When she checked the messages on her phone, it was a picture from Sarah with a ring on her finger.

  Jordan congratulated her with a few emojis before scolding Brandon. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

  “I didn’t ask what you two talked about when you went to get your nails done with her,” he retorted.

  “Oh, you’re right.”

  They waited as Lola stopped to pee in the grass.

  “Did you talk about me?” Brandon asked.

  “There’s a lot more to talk about than you, Brandon Kuvat. But if you must know, your name came up briefly, and she had nothing but good things to say about you.”

  Unable to comprehend Brandon’s apparent girlfriend phobia, she had asked Sarah about his dating habits. Sarah had explained that Brandon didn’t do relationships. Although according to Andrew, he’d been die hard in love once, but the relationship ended badly, and even Sarah didn’t know what had happened. Apart from that, Sarah said he was a good person. Though she advised against getting involved with him due to his commitment issues—something Jordan wished she could consider more every time her heart fluttered at the sight of him.

  “That’s it?” Brandon asked.

  “Why do you want to know? Did you and Andrew talk about me or something?”

  Their shoulders bumped together as they walked the narrow sidewalk.

  “Yeah, he just wanted to know why we aren’t dating.”

  Her interest rose at his honesty, and she considered whether he’d been serious when he’d asked about a second chance. Tucking away the loose hairs flying across her face, she asked, “What did you tell him?”

  “The truth.”

  “Oh,” she said, disappointed by his simple answer. After it became clear he wasn’t going to say anything else, she asked, “How’s it going with Kelly?”

  “Good.”

  More, dammit! her thoughts demanded.

  “Why didn’t you invite her today?” Jordan asked, wondering what the hell was wrong with her as she added, “I want to meet her.”

  Brandon snorted. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Forget it.” Jordan frowned. Was he in love with Kelly? Was that why he’d decided to date her again? A lump formed in her throat. Clearing it, she said, “We should head back. I have to be at the store early for Black Friday.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Come on, Lola.” Brandon gently tugged on Lola’s leash.

  Jordan stooped down and scratched behind Lola’s ears as she ran up to their feet. “I’m going to miss you. You are too adorable.”

  “You could still come visit her. I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind. She really likes you. Everyone does.” Brandon chuckled. “This is the best Thanksgiving I’ve had in a while. Thanks for coming.”

  She stood up, falling into step with him again. “No problem. It was nice. I haven’t been this adventurous at trying new things and meeting new people . . .
until you. And so far, it’s all been refreshing, so thank you.” After another block, they turned back toward the house. “Is this where you grew up?”

  Looking nostalgic, he said, “Yeah. Just imagine me twenty-five years ago, riding my bike on this very sidewalk with hair that reached my shoulders.”

  Jordan smiled. “I can totally see it.”

  He grinned. “I can show you my old room, if you want. I might even show you my most treasured trophy from way back when.”

  “Seriously? You were perfect in high school too?” Jordan complained.

  Brandon tossed his head back and laughed. “No, I played sports, but I had terrible grades—barely good enough to graduate.”

  “So what kind of trophy did you win? Sports?”

  “Yeah, but the one I’m talking about is non-sports-related. As I said, it’s my most appreciated trophy.” He bit his bottom lip, and his eyes took on an impish spark. Shoving his hand in his pocket, he whispered, “Many women are fascinated by it.”

  Jordan’s mouth hung open as she caught on. “Oh my God, you’re despicable! Why would you say that?”

  “Because you made it so easy,” he said, sounding satisfied with himself.

  “Keep that information for you and your hussies,” she said. “I don’t want to know what you do or don’t have.”

  “I get everything waxed—just in case you didn’t have a clear picture before,” Brandon teased.

  An urgent need moved low in her belly. “Oh my God, stop! What is wrong with you?” She shoved him to the side. “Poor Lola will be traumatized for life. Ugh, I can’t even remember what I was thinking before you brought that up.”

  Brandon inhaled. “I know. It’s distracting—a stunning image to behold, if I do say so myself.”

  “You’re so full of yourself,” she said breathlessly, her sex clenching as the image continued to navigate her mind. She’d caught a glimpse of the bulge in his pants on more than one occasion and felt it pressing into her when they’d kissed so long ago. She gathered her hair in her hands, lifting it up to allow her neck some much-needed air.

  “You okay there?” Brandon asked.

  “I’m not used to wearing my hair down. It makes me warmer than usual.” Which was the truth—she was hot. Twisting her hair in a bun, she wished she had something to pin it with. But since she didn’t, she let it fall freely down her back.