One of the Guys
Page 18
“Oh, right.” Ryan slides my phone across the table to me and shares a grin with Spencer that raises all the hairs on my arms.
Something super strange is going on here.
I go to check and make sure they didn’t put it in another language or sext everyone in my contacts, but Mom clucks her tongue putting an end to that idea. No phone at the table. One of the most hated rules in our house.
Spencer hands me 7-Up. “Here, I know you love this when you’re sick.”
Ryan snickers and snags a piece of bread from the wicker basket in the middle of the table. “Don’t you love garlic bread too?”
This gains a laugh from both of them and I can tell Will is trying hard to hold on to his frown.
What the hell is going on?
Seriously, the only person at the table not acting like a total weirdo is my mom.
“Yeah…they’re okay I guess.” I take a sip of water and send up a silent thank you to the man above when it stays down. I turn my attention to the boy next to me. “Shouldn’t you be in Washington?”
“Yeah, but he loved it here too much to leave,” Ryan says and then howls with laughter causing Spencer to cover his mouth to hold composure.
Across the table, Will cracks and shakes his head.
What in the freaking hell is going on with these three?
“Boys,” Mom admonishes and starts dishing out pieces of fried chicken. “How was the move, Spencer?”
“Good, Mrs. Everett. Just unpacking now.”
“How are you here?” I ask, then gag when chicken is passed in front of my face.
“Called a car, dumb a—”
“Ryan!” Mom’s face turns a bright shade of red. A color I swear only Ryan can bring her to.
Ryan takes a bite out of the crispy thigh Mom passed him and oil dribbles down his chin.
So I guess he’s over being the sweet version of himself. If I were feeling better, his lap would be covered in mashed potatoes and I would be forced to clean the whole house as punishment. Which, all things considered, is a small price to pay.
“Can we please just have a nice dinner?” Mom asks.
In response there is a chorus of, “Yes, ma’am.” Followed by, “Yes, Mrs. Everett.” Then the table falls quiet as silverware on plates rings out.
I, on the other hand, can’t stomach anything so I sit back and watch as Ryan shoots Spencer odd looks I can’t interpret. Will even jumps in a few times. By the time everyone is done and Will is cleaning off the table, I’m seconds away from screaming.
How on Earth—or more accurately—what on Earth, happened from the time Spencer moved and the party last night?
Maybe it’s because I’m a little shaken from seeing him at my table when he should be several states away that I’m not angrier. Relief is the primary emotion running through my bones. Relief and fear because we still haven’t talked about the kiss. A kiss I haven’t been able to purge from my mind. Not even with copious amounts of alcohol swimming through my system.
Is that why I hallucinated Spencer being with Ryan?
“Hey.” His thigh bumps mine as he stands. “Want to go outside and talk?”
“She’d love to,” Ryan chimes in as he rocks back in his chair.
I take Spencer’s outstretched hand then drop it and step away the second Ryan burst out laughing.
“Come on.” He motions toward the front door and I follow, shooting one more glare over my shoulder at my two brothers who can’t hide their grins.
Spencer plops down on the porch swing and pats the spot next to him. When I hesitate, he sighs and latches on to my wrist tugging until I land in the spot right next to him. So close, in fact, I can smell his deodorant and feel the heat from his legs on mine.
“So…” My hands twist in my lap but I refuse to focus on him, instead I stare at the house across the street sitting empty and sad without his car in the driveway.
“I didn’t move to Washington.”
“I kinda gathered that.”
“But I did move.”
“Figured that out too.”
Spencer reaches out and grips my chin, tugging toward him until my gaze meets his. “My parents sold the house and my mom got an apartment down the street so I could finish my senior year here.”
When I don’t say anything Spencer’s eyes soften the way they do when he’s trying to be gentle with my feelings. My muscles tense, waiting for him to tell me what a mistake that kiss was. Instead, he slips a hand into my hair and cups the back of my head tugging me toward him.
“What you did last night was stupid. No one knew where you were. You didn’t bring your phone. Anything could have happened.”
I wince and focus on my lap.
“Do you have anything you want to tell me?” he asks, his stupid full lips tipping up at the corners. “Pretend we’re underwater. Tell me a secret.”
“I’m never going to drink again.”
Laughter tips his head back. “Kinda figured that after you puked all over my shoes.”
I cringe, trying to pull away but he doesn’t let me. “The state fair all over again.”
“Except it wasn’t pink.” When his gaze locks on mine, my lungs stop working. “And I’m pretty sure you said you hated me while you were puking your guts out at the state fair. You had a different sentiment last night.”
I gasp as flashes of the night trickle in. None of them are in order and most don’t make any sense, but one moment sitting in Ryan’s car sticks. Now their annoying banter at the table makes sense.
Please God, tell me I didn’t blurt out my feelings last night.
The way Spencer is smiling tells me I might have.
“So you lied to me about moving. Why?” I change the subject. It’s the only thing I can think of to get myself out of having to explain how I was stupid enough to go and fall for him.
“Because I saw you kissing Jax, and it pissed me off. When you said you love me did you mean it as more than your best friend?”
Dang it.
My mouth drops open and nothing comes out. What the hell do I say to that? Oh, hey. Yeah after almost ten years I’ve discovered I’m madly in love with you and would kill for a chance to have your lips on mine again. If that’s not creepy I don’t know what is.
“Rylee?”
I shake my head and try to pull away. I can’t do this. I can’t say it knowing I’ll never be able to take it back now that I’m sober.
Spencer’s hand tightens and he tugs me forward until our foreheads touch. “Did you mean what you said or was it the whole white knight moment?”
“I…”
“Because I love you. And I don’t mean as my best friend either although that’s mixed in there. I mean it as the girl of my dreams who I can’t get over no matter how hard I try. That kiss only screwed me further and believe me when I say I almost murdered Jax when I saw his lips on yours because the only person who should be kissing you is me. Only me.”
His lips brush against mine and I gasp at the sensation shooting through every limb.
“I have a hunch you feel the same way but I need to hear it.” His thumb tugs down on my bottom lip freeing it from the tight grip of my teeth. “I need you to say the words out loud so I can stop thinking I’m crazy.”
“I…”
This is it. Sink or swim. Run or stay.
When I look into his eyes all apprehension melts away and all I can see is him. Us. Our future. And I hate myself for all the time I wasted before I realized.
I’m in love with my best friend.
“I love you so much I’m not going to kill you for lying about moving to another state.”
His smile is so wide it crinkles the corners of his eyes, making them sparkle the way they always do when he’s truly happy.
“Scratch that. I love you so much I would let you pick any movie you wanted every single Saturday for the rest of our lives.”
His breath hits my mouth as he laughs. “And I love you enough to kiss
you even though I know you probably haven’t brushed your teeth since last night.” The next second his lips are on mine.
This is the only place I ever want to be.
Music pumps out of the sound system Will moved outside on to the deck. Mr. Everett stands at the grill flipping burgers as kids hang out around him laughing and enjoying the feeling of being released from high school. Pretty much every newly graduated senior except one.
Will threatened to end Jax’s life when he saw him the Monday after the party. He still blames him for Rylee putting herself into that situation. Who he should blame is me, but I sure as hell won’t be telling him. On the plus side, Jax hasn’t so much as glanced her way the past month.
Now he’ll be out of my life for good.
I glance over to the far end of the backyard where Zoe stands with Micky Donaldson. She sends me a wink and turns her attention to him, laughing at whatever he said.
According to the few passing conversations we’ve had, they plan on moving in together in an off-campus apartment in the fall. A tad bit quick if you ask me, but who am I to judge? Took me way too long to admit how I felt about Rylee. And if I didn’t think her brothers would murder me and hide my body where no one would find it, I would jump at the opportunity to live with her when we head off to college next summer.
Because the truth is, I’m exactly where I want to be. Nothing could change it. Not even being forced to complete the stupid challenge I’ve been putting off for months.
Earlier today Rylee and I completed our dare and jumped into the school swimming pool wearing our nicest clothes. Then we joined her family at Will’s graduation ceremony. I’ll never forget the initial look of shock on her mom’s face that morphed into a smile when we sat down next to her sopping wet and holding hands. Happy would be an understatement when she found out we were dating. My hunch is she’s already planning our wedding. Which she might have an easier time doing since my girl has embraced her girly side.
Not all the time and definitely not at the skate park. But she knows how to turn it on when she wants to.
Arms wrap around me from behind and I twist to see Rylee smiling up at me. “Think anyone would notice if we snuck out of here and headed back to your apartment?”
I spin her around until her chest is pressed against mine. “Probably. ‘Rents on high alert now that they know we’re together. No more sleepovers in the same bed.”
“I told you we should have hidden it from them.”
“Kind of hard what with your evil twin having a giant mouth.”
He caught us kissing on the porch the afternoon when we grew a pair and admitted our feelings. Took him all of five seconds to alert the entire house. Even called Noah whose response was a quick told you so before having up.
“Hey.”
We twist to see Will marching toward us with Ryan bouncing around at his side from the three energy drinks he’s inhaled.
“Will,” Rylee growls, a warning clear in her voice.
Will holds up his hands. “Just want to talk to him for a quick second. Why don’t you go help Mom in the kitchen?”
Her eyes narrow as she steps away. “That was bordering on sexist and you’re lucky your friends are here and Mom told me to be on my best behavior.”
She rolls her eyes and stretches up to plant a kiss on my cheek. It’s a compromise because her brothers made it clear if they catch us making out she will be down a best friend and boyfriend.
Once she’s inside the house, Will crosses his arms and turns to me. “You will not hurt my sister. No parties. No drinking. Hands stay off everything from the shoulders down.” He steps forward, a hand squeezing my shoulder for emphasis. In the next second, his fist hits my stomach hard enough to hunch me over as I gasp for air. “Just a warning.”
Ryan laughs as Will walks away toward a group of friends. “Sorry, bro. She’s still our sister.” He pats my head and follows his brother, throwing a grin my way before he scoops up Christy, the girl he’s currently seeing and spins her around.
“Will give you the big brother speech?” Rylee asks.
“Yup.” I grip my stomach as I stand. “I’m not allowed to touch anything south of your shoulders.”
“Then don’t tell him about last night.” Her grin is wicked as she steps into me, not caring that her brothers are standing watch. “And definitely don’t tell him about how you’re going to sneak out of Noah’s old room after everyone goes to bed.”
“You trying to get me killed?” I wrap her in my arms and tug until she’s pressed against me right where I like her.
“Why would I do that when I haven’t had nearly enough time with you as my boyfriend?”
My eyebrows jump and I lean back. “Boyfriend, huh? Thought you didn’t want to put labels on this yet.”
“Come on, Hendricks. I was being a chickenshit. Besides, there’s no way in hell I want these chicks getting ideas about you being on the market.”
“No longer single and ready to mingle?”
“Not as long as I have a say in it. You dropped the L word so you’re stuck with me now.”
“I can live with that.” I kiss the tip of her nose and she smiles. “By the way, I like the dressy grunge thing you got going on. How did your mom react to the fishnet?”
She shrugs. “It was her idea. I’ll never get used to this new ground we’ve settled on. I swear, it’s rubbing off on her.” She motions to her mom who is busy setting paper plates and plastic silverware on the table.
No lie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a pair of ripped jeans let alone a flannel shirt. “Did we fall into some crazy episode of The Twilight Zone?”
“If we did, I never want to leave.” She links her hands behind my neck. “So. We have the whole summer ahead of us.”
“We do. You still up for a trip to Oregon State?”
She pulls a funny face and winces. “Now that you’ve told the world how much you love me, I bet my parents won’t be too keen on letting me take a weekend trip alone with you.”
“We could always—”
“Don’t say the evil twin.”
“Well, you turn eighteen in a month.”
She gasps, her eyes going wide in mock horror. “You’re right. Then I’ll be the adult in this relationship. Might as well get all the kissing in now before I’m a cradle robber.”
I grab her sides and she laughs. “For three weeks. Then we’re both eighteen and free to do whatever we want.”
“Yeah, ‘cause my parents will go for that argument.”
“Guess you have no choice but to include Ryan.”
She sighs and tips her head back. “I was afraid of that.”
“So, tell me, girlfriend. What do you want to do with the rest of the night?”
She grins and peeks over my shoulder where everyone is lining up to grab food. “I hear there’s a crazy boring movie that just came out.” When my eyebrows crumple in confusion hers jump. “I can think of a few things we could do. Alone. In a dark theater.”
I grab her hand and yank her toward the gate while she laughs and shouts that we’re going to the movies.
“This is going to be a great summer,” I whisper into her hair before planting a kiss under her ear, making her shiver. “Maybe I’ll even show you a few things on that cute little board of yours.”
Rylee breaks from my grasp and spins around. “You’re so on, Hendricks.”
I can’t help but smile at the fire in her eyes. What started out as a crappy year is turning out better than I ever could have imagined.
After all, I managed to snag the girl of my dreams. It just so happens she’s also my best friend.
And who could ask for more than that?
About the Author
A.R. Perry is an American-born author who has lived all over the US due to her wanderlust husband. She has a degree in photography and massage therapy yet somehow works in human resources.
When she's not working, reading, or writing she can be found slee
ping because the day is practically done. Thank goodness for coffee, chocolate, and Panic! At The Disco or nothing would ever get done.
Also by A.R. Perry
The Dating Dare
Heartbreak Café