Mr. Popular: A Falling For My Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Nicole London

  “A meeting about what?”

  “It’s not important. I’ll tell you about it at home later.”

  “No, tell me about it now.”

  “Excuse us,” he tells the guy and grabs my arm, pulling me to the side where the guy can’t hear us. “Look, it’s not what it looks like.”

  “Really? Because it looks like you’re having a meeting with a college recruiter on my behalf.”

  “We were just talking about their school. He wants to take us to an all exclusive lunch Saturday.” He smiles.

  “Dad,” I sigh, shaking my head. “You do know that it’s illegal for you to accept gifts from schools? You could ruin my chances of getting into college if you don’t stop doing this.”

  “Liam, nothing bad is going to happen. I know what I’m doing, son. I’m looking out for your best interests so you can get what you want.”

  “You know what will make me happy right now?”

  “What?”

  “You leaving and letting me handle school. I can decide where I’m going in the fall on my own. I don’t need your help.”

  “You do need my help. You haven’t even opened any of the offer letters that have been coming to the house.”

  “Just stop,” I say, walking away, leaving my dad standing there. I briefly hear my dad apologizing on my behalf before I get too far.

  I’m tempted to ditch the rest of school and go home, but I cut through the shelves of classics and head toward the private studying rooms where they hold Knowledge Bowl practice, stopping when I hear two familiar voices. Mariah and Kelsey.

  I look over to my left and see Kelsey holding up a flashcard.

  “George Orwell,” Mariah says. “1984.”

  “Correct, again.” Kelsey sets the card down. “Do you really need to go through dead literary authors for the fourth time this week? I mean, I feel like I know all these answers now because we’ve been through them so much.”

  “I’m just determined to win state this year, Kels. Like, it’s important.”

  Kelsey stares at her and crosses her arms. “Mariah Dawson, you are so full of shit.”

  “Shhh!” Mariah looks around. “What are you talking about?”

  “The only reason you dragged me in here today was because you got a free day from your coach and you didn’t want to run into Liam.”

  “That is —” Mariah’s cheeks turn bright red. “That is so not true, Kels.”

  “So, we could just pop into practice for a second and —”

  “No.” Mariah pulls her down to the floor before she can completely stand. “Okay, fine. It’s true. But it’s only because I still don’t want him looking at me after what happened with Austin. I just need a few more days to get over it, just in case he brings it up ...”

  “Oh.” Kelsey gives her a sympathetic look and picks up a flashcard. “Understandable, when you put it like that ... Author of Siddhartha?”

  Mariah answers softly and I step away, unsure of why she thinks I would think anything negative about her and that Austin situation.

  I head toward the practice room and feel my phone buzzing against my pocket. Zach.

  “Yeah?” I answer.

  “Dude, why are you whispering?

  “I’m in the library.”

  “Of course, you are.” He laughs. “I need a favor.”

  “No.”

  “You haven’t even heard it yet.”

  “I know,” I say. “But I’m sure it’s already a no.”

  “Help me and the guys set up for the senior party Friday.”

  “That’s a hell no.”

  He laughs. “Why not?”

  “Because it’s the only Friday night we have off this season and I want to enjoy it. Preferably alone and preferably away from basketball.”

  “Okay. Who are you right now? Whoever it is, kindly change back into the best friend I could’ve sworn I had.” He clears his throat. “Everyone is going to be there.”

  “You say that about every party.”

  “Okay, maybe I do, but I mean it this time. Hell, even Mariah asked me to get her and Kelsey a ticket and you know that never happens. Speaking of which, you should come and help me make sure no one else like Austin gets within ten feet of her while she’s there.”

  “Gladly,” I say, a little faster than I should.

  “This is the last party for this semester though, Zach.”

  “Thanks! And did you say ‘last party’? We’ll see about that.” He ends the call before I can say another word.

  And since I know that Mariah isn’t at practice today, I suddenly don’t feel like getting extra credit anymore, so I leave.

  9

  Mariah

  As soon as Zach parked his car outside of Avery Myer’s house half an hour ago, I considered calling a cab to pick me up. Parties just aren’t my thing, especially a party as infamous as the “senior cove party.” But I did promise Kelsey I would stay at least two hours and try to have a good time.

  I glance at my makeup in the bathroom mirror, not recognizing the girl staring back at me. Most of the guys here have been staring at me all night, and it kind of makes me feel uncomfortable. I’m not really used to so many people paying me this much attention.

  Tugging on my midriff -tugging shirt one last time, I take a deep breath and open the bathroom door, ready to face the music and get this night over with.

  “It’s about time,” Kelsey says as soon as I step into the hallway. “What were you doing in there?”

  “Checking my makeup.”

  “I did your makeup and it’s flawless. There’s no need to check,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the living room. “Can we dance now or do you need to check your clothes, too?”

  “We can dance, as long as you promise not to ditch me.”

  “Mariah,” Kelsey says, pretending to be offended. “You know I would never ditch you.”

  I just stare at her with a blank expression and she laughs, pulling me down the hall. “Okay fine, I have ditched you before, but that was only one time and it was because of a really cute guy.” She smiles and I shake my head at her.

  We make our way to the center of the dance floor and it’s really crowded, mostly with seniors. I feel like we’re the only underclassmen here tonight, and not that I’m noticing, but most of the guys here are actually really cute.

  “Stay close to me and don’t dance with any creeps,” Kelsey whispers into my ear. When she says that, it makes me feel slightly better, knowing she’ll try to make sure it’s just the two of us tonight.

  “I love this song,” she says, grabbing my hands and pulling me even further into the crowd. She starts to dance—moving in slow circles around me, singing all the words.

  The energy in the room becomes palpable as the next song comes on and the tempo of the music speeds up. I have to admit that I’m actually starting to have fun, so I close my eyes and move my body to the music—not having a care in the world for who’s watching me.

  Seconds later, I feel someone bump into me from behind and I have to grab on to the guy in front of me so I don’t fall.

  Luckily, he puts his hands on my hips and prevents me from falling.

  I mouth “Sorry,” to him, but he just smiles and keeps his hands planted on my hips, indicating that he wants to dance with me. I shake my head, letting him know I’m not interested.

  “Come on, I don’t bite.” He speaks into my ear.

  Now that I’m actually paying attention to him, I realize he’s really cute, and he seems nice, so I smile at him and nod that it’s okay. He wraps his arms around my waist and we start swaying to the music together.

  As soon as the next song starts playing, Kelsey says, “Be right back, that guy’s looking at me.” I watch her as she heads over to a cute guy in the corner and immediately starts dancing with him.

  I should have known she wouldn’t last long.

  I turn my attention back to the guy I’m dancing with as the the music ch
anges again, now to a slow song. I have my arms around his shoulders and I’m really enjoying myself, but suddenly, his hands move down to my butt.

  I grab his hands and move them away, but once again, he moves them back down.

  Annoyed, I decide I’m done dancing.

  Me: I’m going outside for some air. Don’t worry, I won’t talk to any “creeps.”

  I walk into the kitchen and take a side door that leads to an outside patio. As soon as the cold air hits my face, I feel relieved.

  Glancing around, I realize I’m not alone. There’s a quite a few people out here, including a couple making out up against the railing and a few people standing around smoking cigarettes.

  As I’m standing there, I notice a path that leads away from the house. I take a few steps down and follow the path to a railing that overlooks the lake.

  I’m admiring the view when a drink suddenly appears on the railing next to me. I turn to my right and find Liam standing next to me.

  “Drink this,” he says, nodding towards the cup.

  “How do I know where it’s been?”

  “It’s water.”

  I’m too thirsty to argue so I pick it up and take a sip.

  “Are you okay?” He asks after a few moments of silence between us.

  “Yeah, I just needed some fresh air.”

  “Bullshit. You hate parties, Mariah. They make you uncomfortable. Really, are you okay?” He turns and looks at me, sounding genuinely concerned.

  “Yeah, I’m fine now.”

  “Who was that guy you were talking to earlier?”

  “What?” I say, turning to face him now.

  “That guy, who was that?”

  “You’re starting to sound more like my brother than usual,” I roll my eyes.

  “Okay, and you’re still evading questions as usual. Who was that guy?”

  “Liam. Are you talking about the guy I paid to get in here tonight, or the guy that opened the door at the bathroom? Which guy?”

  “I’m talking about the guy that was all over you on the dance floor,” he says, looking upset.

  “It wasn’t like that and we were only dancing. Why are you worried about what I do anyway?”

  “I’m just making sure you’re not going to put yourself in a similar situation like before, Mariah. Speaking of which, who’s taking you home tonight?”

  I don’t answer him at first, I’m completely annoyed by his presence right now.

  “Mariah, who’s taking you home?” he repeats.

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “How can you not know yet?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of myself.”

  “I’d believe that, but since you did such a good job last time, I’m not going to leave it to chance.”

  “You know what, when I came to this party, I was expecting to have a good time, not to be lectured. So fuck you and your advice.” I storm off, walking back towards the house.

  Where the hell does he get off thinking he can talk to me like that?

  I’m so angry that I’m almost tempted to leave right now and walk all the way home, just to piss him off. I take a side door, different from the one I came out of earlier and step into an empty hallway. I can hear the music from where I’m standing, but there’s no one around.

  I open every door I pass in the hall, looking for some place I can be alone but most of them lead to closets or utility rooms. As soon as I grab the handle of another door, Liam grabs my hand from behind and spins me around.

  “What the hell is your problem?” he snarls, pushing me against the wall.

  “My problem?” I jerk my arm away. “My only problem right now is you.”

  “Is that so?”

  “It is. I don’t need your fucking advice,” I stand up straight, refusing to be intimidated by his height over me. “What part of that don’t you understand?”

  “I understand it perfectly, Mariah. I just want you to be careful. That’s the only thing I’ve always told you. All these years later and you still don’t listen to anyone but yourself.”

  “You don’t know me anymore, Liam.” I try to walk around him, but he pulls me back, pinning me against the wall with his body.

  “I know you better than you know yourself.”

  He’s so close right now that I can feel his breath against my lips. He’s staring into my eyes and I try my hardest to look away but I can’t.

  “You used to know me,” I whisper.

  “I still do.”

  Before I can say another word, Liam’s lips crash against mine and he kisses me harder than I’ve ever been kissed before.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and my body gives in to his. He cups my face with his hands and he slips his tongue against mine—taking his time to control my mouth with his.

  Although I can faintly hear the music from the living room, the only real sound that registers is the sound of my heart pounding in my ears and the sound of our moans every time our lips part and our tongues collide.

  Liam’s other hand moves down to my waist line, and he slowly slips his hand under my shirt, trailing it all the way up to my bra.

  The sudden sound of someone running towards us, forces us to tear apart. Our breathing is ragged and rough, and we’re staring at each other.

  “Hey,” Zach says, jogging up to us. “You guys set the alarm off! What the hell were you doing back here?”

  Neither of us says a word.

  “Never mind.” He looks back and forth between us. “What were you arguing about this time?”

  “Nothing,” Liam finally replies.

  “Well, good.” Zach tosses Liam the keys to his car. “You haven’t been drinking tonight, have you?”

  “No.”

  “In that case I need you to drive tonight and drop me off at Melody’s house. You didn’t hear that, Mariah.” He looks slightly embarrassed that I heard him. “I also need you to take Mariah and Kelsey home.”

  “Okay,” Liam says, his eyes still on me.

  Zach gives him a strange look, probably because Liam isn’t arguing with him, but he just says he’ll be ready to go in an hour and heads back into the party.

  “Um, I’ll see you later,” I say to Liam, quickly walking down the hall before he has a chance to say anything to me.

  ***

  I don’t enjoy the rest of the party at all, it’s really a haze after that. When it’s time to go, Kelsey catches up to me, and she’s acting as if she’s had the time of her life.

  “Oh, my god, Mariah. Senior parties are the best,” she squeals as we walk around outside, searching for Liam’s car. “Can you believe we get to go to two more of these?”

  I can’t really believe anything at this moment. “Let me guess,” I give her a knowing look. “You met someone didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” she smiles. “It was that guy I was dancing with earlier. His name’s Lucas and he’s taking me out next weekend.” She practically sings.

  “How do you always do that, find dates so easily?”

  “Because I actually try. If you weren’t secretly pining over Mr. Popular, you would, too.” She whispers.

  I start to tell Kelsey that I’m not pining over anyone, but Liam walks up and hits the button to unlock his car. He opens the rear door and motions for us to get in.

  “Thanks” I say, avoiding his eyes as I climb in next to Kelsey. The three of us are sitting idle, waiting for Zach to show up.

  Kelsey’s still talking about the guy she met, but I’m hardly paying attention, all I’m aware of is Liam’s eyes on me in the rearview mirror.

  Our gaze is quickly broken as soon as Zach slips into the passenger seat.

  “My bad, I was getting another number,” he explains as he buckles his seat belt.” He starts to tell Liam about all the action he seemed to miss, but I tune it all out, unable to stop the onset of chills that rake my body remembering that kiss with Liam.

  “Your brother is so hot, Mariah,” Kelsey whispers
to me.” As we head to drop him off at some girls house.

  “Ewh, Kelsey. Please keep your thoughts to yourself,” I try not to throw up in my mouth. Thankfully, I don’t have to listen to her swoon over Zach for too long, Liam drops him off first and then Kelsey.

  “Mariah, get in the front,” Liam says, as he pulls into Kelsey’s driveway. When Kelsey gets out, she looks back and forth between the two of us and gives me a knowing look. I roll my eyes and tell her goodnight.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mariah.” She smirks. I already know she’s going to text me and ask what’s going on between us as soon as she gets in the house.

  The drive back to our neighborhood is short; we only live about fifteen-minutes from Kelsey’s house. I can feel Liam’s eyes on me every few seconds, but he doesn’t say anything. After he pulls his car into the driveway, he turns the car off and neither of us move.

  After a few seconds of sitting idle, I finally unbuckle my seatbelt and start to get out. Liam does the same, but as I start to head toward the house, he calls my name, stopping me.

  “Mariah.”

  “Liam,” I say, turning back to look at him.

  “That kiss ...” he whispers.

  “Didn’t happen.” I finish the sentence before he can.

  10

  Liam

  One day and one day very soon, I'm going to stop agreeing to Zach's double date invitations. Today, unfortunately, isn't that day. Especially since I'm already stuck at a table at Pamela's—watching his date fawn all over him while barely paying attention to my own date.

  "Is something wrong?" My date, Taylor, rubs my shoulder. "You haven't said much tonight."

  "I have a lot on my mind."

  "Am I one of those things?"

  Hell no. "Maybe."

  "Oh." She blushes. "I like maybes. What college do you think you're going to play basketball at next year?"

  "That's not —" I stop my sentence. I look down and realize her hand is caressing the crotch of my pants. I gently grab her hand and move it away. "I haven't decided yet."

  A light giggle from across the table makes me look up at Zach's date. He's whispering into her ear and her face is bright red.