Scarlett was right.
Maybe we could be more than friends one day, make this work without our world exploding.
He wouldn’t have to choose between me and my brother.
I wouldn’t have to choose either.
13
At the next away basketball game, I watched Aaron and cheered him on as he dribbled the ball down the court.
It was another tough game, but they were up five points. If they could keep up their lead for three more minutes, they could win.
Meanwhile, the more I watched him play, the more I missed him.
Even though he was just a few feet away and we saw each other in class and on the way home daily, I missed him so much.
I missed the connection we had.
As much as I didn’t want to cause any kinds of problems or drama between him and David, I found it more and more impossible to keep my feelings for him at bay.
It had been over a week of us hardly talking except as needed. Polite hellos and goodbyes and thank yous and you’re welcomes.
No longer being friends with him was hard.
It felt like I was reaching the point where I just couldn’t take it anymore. As much as I wanted to avoid trouble, I missed him as a friend more.
The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that we would be okay once David left for college and made new friends. So there was no point in avoiding him now, was there?
The final buzzer went off loudly, bringing me back to reality. The opposing team made a basket just in time, but it was too late. Even though the ref counted it, it hadn’t been enough. Our team had still won by three points.
Cheers erupted throughout the gym, and we did one of our end of game victory cheers, overflowing onto the court floor with the boys.
I did a couple of backflips and landed in a split.
Once I rejoined the squad, my gaze landed on Aaron. He looked so happy, like he’d finally found where he belonged. They had won another game thanks to him.
Several minutes later, he walked off to the locker room with David and the rest of the varsity basketball team.
David hardly had a limp now, which meant he got around with one crutch. He still wasn’t up to play, but he might be soon. It was just a matter of time, which meant that my rides home with Aaron would be over soon.
As much as I knew that David deserved to get better, it made me sad that things would go back to the way they were, but worse.
No friendship with Aaron.
Unless I did something about it, and I was running out of time.
A few minutes later, I made my way towards the bus that would take us back home. Most of the cheer squad and basketball team were already on the bus, and coach was just trying to get a hold of the remaining stragglers.
I stood near the gym doors and pretended to look for something in my bag.
Scarlett paused, letting a couple of the other girls walk ahead of us. “You coming?” she asked. Her blonde ponytail sat high on her head.
I nodded but stood where I was. “Yeah… I just need to do something.”
A wave of understand flashed through her face. “Okay. I’ll save you a seat.”
With that, she was off, catching back up with the rest of the girls.
I went back to secretly waiting for David to come through the gym doors.
Hopefully, he’d be on his own and not with my brother.
Sure enough, a minute later, David and a couple of his friends headed to the bus. I stood in front of a vending machine like I was thinking of getting something. Then I waited some more.
More people made their way out of the gym, including the opposing team and some of their cheerleaders.
No Aaron in sight yet.
Had I missed him? Was he already on the bus?
But that didn’t make sense. Scarlett would’ve let me know if that was the case. I checked my phone. Nope. No message.
Just when I thought I should give up and leave, he came through the doors.
My body flooded with a feeling of relief.
I needed to get this over with. I was done feeling terrible over what was happening with us.
When I realized he wasn’t alone, I froze.
One of the cheerleaders from this school was with him. I recognized her. She was one of the co-captains of the opposing squad.
She stood a couple of inches taller than me with a smile that would rival that of Cameron Diaz. Her highlighted long chestnut brown hair swayed from side to side as she walked with Aaron and they talked.
I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she thought something was funny.
Worst of all, Aaron smiled back in that way that was so familiar to me. It was the smile that captivated me every time, but this time, it wasn’t him and me having a moment.
He was having a moment with this girl.
My cheeks turned hot, and my eyes watered.
Clearly, this had been a mistake.
I balled my hands into fists and blinked several times, refusing to admit the existence of tears.
I spun around and got out of there, practically running towards the bus.
After I pushed through the final set of double doors, I set my gaze on the bus and walked over to it.
How could I have been so stupid?
Of course he hadn’t been waiting around for me to come to my senses.
He was Aaron Garcia. Everywhere he and his brothers went, they got the kind of attention guys only dreamed about thanks to their height and exceptionally good looks.
I’d never known Aaron to be one to like that kind of attention. Definitely not Ben or Cade either. Maybe their younger brothers.
But never Aaron.
Over the years, he had always paid attention to me. Come over to talk to me. Laughed with me. Smiled like that at me.
For some reason, I’d been sure that would always be the case. It was humiliating to realize that wasn’t true at all.
As I reached the bus and walked up the steps, it occurred to me that maybe Aaron had moved on.
Maybe he had already let the idea of us go.
Given up like me.
Isn’t that what I had wanted?
Yes and no.
I found Scarlett and sat down next to her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked immediately. I threw my gym bag next to hers in the seat behind us.
I sat back down. “Nothing’s wrong,” I replied, my voice bitter.
Everything was perfect.
She didn’t say anything, just looked at me like she was trying to guess what had happened.
But it was obvious.
Especially when Aaron climbed onto the bus a minute later and I turned to look anywhere but at him.
Aaron clearly wasn’t interested in me as more than a friend anymore.
This was exactly what I had wanted.
This was for the best.
So why did it feel so terrible?
14
On Saturday morning, I woke up to a long list of chores.
By noon, I had finally finished all of them and I felt like Cinderella but without the fairy godmother and getting to go to the ball to meet Prince Charming.
At least staying busy kept my mind off of Aaron. It still hurt a little thinking about seeing him with that girl at the last game.
I crashed onto the couch. Mom kissed me on the forehead. “Gracias, mija. So nice of you to step up with your brother still recovering.”
David gave me a thumbs up from the opposite end of the couch. His ankle had gotten kind of swollen just from putting weight on it this morning. “Yeah, sis. Thanks for covering for me. I owe you one.”
I gave him an annoyed look and pretended to mimic him, but then I grinned.
Doing his yard work on top of everything else had sucked, but at least it was done.
Besides, maybe this way, Dad would see how responsible and hard-working I was and realize that I deserved a car just like David.
Mom walked past me w
ith a mop and bucket. “You gonna go take a shower?” she asked me. “Remember we’re going to that party at your cousin’s later.”
I gave a loud sigh. I’d forgotten about that party. “Mom,” I said, drawing the word out. “Can’t I just please stay?”
“No,” she said firmly in Spanish. “We’re all going.”
Then David turned around to face her, ignoring his show. “What? Can I stay?” He indicated his leg. “I really need to keep this thing elevated.”
Mom stood up and put her hands on her hips. The expression on her face was not caring in the least. “You sure didn’t seem to care about keeping it elevated this morning when you and Aaron were playing basketball. I told you not to play, but did you listen?”
David tried to say something, but just stuttered.
I began laughing. “Sucker. You’re stuck going to the party too.” Then I got up. If I had to be at that party later, then I needed to go for my walk now.
As I headed to my room, I heard him call out. “I need to practice my shots! The doctor said I needed to put weight on my ankle as I felt was comfortable.”
I headed to my room but chuckled when I heard my mom say, “Uh huh. Well, don’t worry. We’ll make sure you’re real comfortable at the party.”
A minute later, I had changed into sneakers and walked back towards the living room.
Now Mom didn’t look happy with me. “I thought you were going to shower and get ready?”
“I will,” I said, heading towards the front door. “Just gonna go for a quick walk.”
“Don’t take too long,” she called after me. “We can’t be late.”
I shut the door behind me, giving her a reassuring wave.
We were Puerto Rican. Everyone was always at least an hour late. Two or three was normal.
Besides, if I was going to be stuck at that party for the rest of the evening with blaring music and crazy relatives who would pepper me with a million questions, then I needed some quiet time first.
And I knew exactly where to get it.
I walked through the neighborhood towards the woods. It had been a while since I’d gone down to the creek, and it would be the perfect way to get some alone time.
Pretty soon, I came through the clearing and found it.
The sound of the water streaming past the rocks was one of my favorite sounds.
The sound of the ocean was another sound I craved. I usually played it on my phone at night to fall asleep faster, but I’d never actually seen the ocean.
This was as close as I got, and it would have to do.
There was just something about water that brought me peace, made me feel calm and relaxed.
I walked down towards a large tree that had fallen over the creek.
It had been there for a while. When we were kids, all of us would walk across it on a dare.
One time, I had come so close to freaking out and falling. That day, it had been David, Aaron, and me. Ben, Drake, and Cade had just left to go back home.
It had been too late for me to turn back. So I stood there, wobbling and yelling out. My brother had been laughing, but Aaron must have sensed how scared I actually was of falling.
The creek wasn’t deep, but I was afraid of landing on the rocks below and hurting myself.
He had talked to me and helped me focus on putting one foot in front of the other until he was able to grab my hand and help me off the tree.
I could still kind of remember the feel of his hand holding mine. Even back then, he’d been strong and kind.
Now, several years later, walking across the fallen tree didn’t faze me at all. I hopped on and walked halfway across easily.
I sat down on the exact spot I had stopped so long ago, frozen completely with fear.
I sat and watched the water run past me just a couple of feet below.
After a minute, I closed my eyes and just focused on the sound of the water.
It was like meditation.
Something about the water…
One day, I had to see the ocean, I decided.
Maybe even live near it.
Feel the sand below my feet every morning, wake up to the sound of waves crashing on the shore.
Fall asleep to the same sound.
I couldn’t imagine anything better.
The sound of a twig breaking in two had me opening my eyes.
Right away, my heart began racing, and I glanced around for the source of the sound.
Were Mom and David looking for me? Why hadn’t they just texted? Why weren’t they saying anything?
Unless it was someone else.
Then movement caught my eye. Aaron came into view. “Oh. Hey. Did I scare you?” he asked.
My heart was still racing. “Um, no. I’m fine.” I stayed sitting where I was. He came closer. “I didn’t know you came here.”
He shrugged. “I don’t. Usually.” He paused, looking down at the water, hands in his pockets. “But I just had to get out of my house. Drake is in a mood, and Eli is being…Eli. Kinda hard to be alone in a house full of people.”
“Oh,” I replied. “I know the feeling.”
Aaron glanced away.
Was it me or was something off about him?
I got up with ease and moved towards solid ground, extending my arms out for balance. I hopped off the tree and walked up to him. “You okay?”
He nodded but still didn’t look at me. “Yeah. I’m good.”
But I knew him better than that. I grabbed a hold of his chin and turned his face toward me. I studied his face. Yep, something was wrong. “No, you’re not.”
He shrugged it off and went back to staring at the water. “It’s fine.”
“What’s fine?” I asked.
When he didn’t say anything, I tried to think of what it could be.
I remembered how happy he’d looked talking to that cheerleader. Had something happened? “It wouldn’t have to do with a certain girl you were talking to, would it?” I prodded.
He turned to me, looking puzzled. “What certain girl?”
Uh oh. So that wasn’t it.
“Rachel?” he insisted. “What girl?”
I glanced around at the trees, the sky, whatever, trying to figure out a way to get out of this. Now it was my turn to shrug. “You know,” I said, as nonchalantly as possible. “That girl…”
He still looked as confused as ever.
“From the game?” I added.
Now he knew what I was talking about. “Oh. You saw that?” he asked.
“I did,” I said, making sure my tone of voice was even. “Did she not text you back or something? Is that what’s going on?”
He chuckled.
I turned to him, glanced him up and down. Why was he chuckling?
“Is that why you’ve been extra weird the past few days?” he asked. “Because you think I’m into that girl from the game?”
“I don’t think anything,” I replied, a little defensive. I struggled to sound neutral. “I was just wondering if that’s why you were upset. You seemed like you were into her.”
He stared at me.
“Nothing wrong with that,” I said, trying to fill the weird silence.
If he was into her, then ultimately, it was for the best. He could like other girls…
It stung, but that would feeling would go away.
“I’m not into her,” he finally said. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, maybe you should be,” I quipped back.
He turned to me, and I could tell he was trying to figure me out. “You know that there’s only one girl whose attention I want,” he began. “And it’s definitely not her. That’s not going to change.”
The way he said it… my mouth practically fell open. Had he really just said that?
He laughed. “Rach, I—“ He shook his head, looking genuinely confused. “You really thought I was into her?”
I crossed my arms. “She was definitely into you.”
Aar
on grinned. “Maybe. Yeah. But we talked a little bit and that was it.”
As I tried to process what he was saying and not melt into a puddle, I asked, “So then what’s going on? Why are you upset?”
Aaron took a step toward me. “Because I miss my best friend.”
Huh? Now I was confused. “David’s home. You were just playing with him this morning—”
He laughed again. “Not him.” He paused. “You.” He took my hands in his. “You were my best friend first, remember?”
In my mind, all kinds of alarm bells and warning signals were going off. “Aaron…” I said, already half mesmerized by his mouth. His eyes…
He chuckled a little. “I can’t believe you thought I liked her,” he said quietly. “When you know you’re the only one I’m crazy about.” His head dipped down towards mine until our foreheads touched. I held back a gasp. “Always have been.”
Was this really happening?
Was I ready?
Was it smart?
Did I care?
Too late.
My eyes closed on their own.
Aaron’s lips touched mine. At first, it felt like someone had pressed a feather to my lips.
Soft.
Then he kissed me deeper, and what felt like lightning coursed through my body all the way down to my toes. I brought my arms around his neck.
His hands moved to my waist, pulling me to him.
We kissed, and all I could focus on was the feel of him and the sound of the creek running past us.
A cool breeze created goosebumps all along my arms and neck, but I wasn’t sure if it was also the moment and how close we were.
I had never been kissed before, and I couldn’t believe it was happening.
And with Aaron.
Part of me had always hoped it would be him.
I couldn’t believe it was him.
Slowly, Aaron pulled back. “Are you cold?” he asked me, still just a couple of inches away. He rubbed his hands up and down my arms.
I smiled. “No. I’m okay.”
But he pulled me into a hug anyway.
My eyes closed again on their own.
“You don’t know how much I’ve always wanted to kiss you like that,” Aaron murmured.
Was it me or could my smile not get any bigger? I kept my eyes closed and said, “Yeah? Well, you picked the perfect spot.”
Dating Aaron & Other Forbidden Things (Garcia Brothers Book 2) Page 6
