My Best Friend's Brother: A Standalone Friends to Lovers Romance (Soulmates Series Book 2) (21 page)

Chapter 37: Andi

I
doubted Shane was really expecting me to show up in something slutty.

But
I figured, why not?

I mean,
I got lucky with the barn dance because the dress code was easy to follow, but
I didn’t want to look out of place at the stoplight party when I knew there
would be tons of sorority girls there going for broke. Or rather, dick.

Surprisingly
though, the skankiest thing I could get my hands on came straight out of
Steph's closet.

Honestly,
it's shocking what some of those good Christians will wear… and how many
blowjobs they'll give to make sure they save themselves.

Needless
to say, it was an educational day.

Anyway,
she had a strappy red dress that was tight enough on top to make the girls
really stand at attention.

What’s
more, it flared a bit at the waist so I wouldn’t have to worry about beer
bloat, and the bottom cut straight across the most toned part of my thighs,
which were looking better than ever after my recent trips to the gym.

I
paired it with some Louboutin knockoffs to keep the red theme going, painted my
nails accordingly, and curled my hair into some soft waves that fell over my
shoulders.

Finally,
I applied my secret weapon-
Eyeko
Mascara- so I would
look as deliciously
fuckable
as possible.

Unfortunately,
Tyler was working the door when I arrived and tried to hand me a green cup.

"I’d
prefer red," I said, looking down at my dress like can't-you-take-a-hint?

His
face fell. "Really? That's a shame. Who's the lucky guy that's getting a
piece of that later?" he asked, looking me up and down.

"Bite
me, Tyler."

"You
know I would," he said, handing me a red cup.

Knowing
I would feel way less awkward with a drink in my hand, I headed straight for
the keg, the music vibrating up through the floorboards into the bones of my
already tipsy legs with every step.

I
didn't mean to have quite so much to drink before I got there, but it's not
every day that Steph's up for a screwdriver. Plus, all it takes is a few top
ups when you're getting ready, and you don't even notice the damage you've done
until you hit the fresh air.

Still,
while I liked to think I was resistant to pathetic human needs like the desire
to fit in and be liked by strangers, I wasn’t quite confident enough to rock up
to a party like this without a little courage.

Fortunately,
Kevin- my favorite guy in the house besides Shane- was working the keg.

As
soon as I saw him, I felt my chest relax to the point where I actually began to
notice the frequent head to toe looks I was getting as I swiveled through the
crowd, which did wonders for my confidence.

Kevin's
eyes lit up when he saw me, too. And as he lifted his chin in my direction, the
girl with her arm draped around his waist looked back and forth between us,
clearly trying to decide if I was a threat.

As
a result, I tried to look as friendly as possible, realizing a moment later
that I recognized her as Kevin's date from the barn dance.

Kevin
shouted some greeting to me and introduced us, though her name got lost in the
noise as he reached for my cup.

As
soon as it was full, I took a step back so the other thirsty students could
budge in. Then, once I was sure I could take a sip without spilling all over
myself, I lifted the cup to my lips.

That's
when I saw him.

He
came around the corner in a jet black collared shirt and the faces around me
melted into a blur. He looked like he'd shaved with a brand new razor, and I
swear to god I could tell he smelled good from across the room.

As
his gaze passed over me, I saw the moment where he caught himself and glanced
back. It happened so fast, but his eyes zeroed in on me like a hawk on a mouse.

I
swallowed.

He
walked towards me with the magnetism of Bond himself, and my insides clenched
at the sight of his subtle smile. He was so hot I couldn’t think.

"Andi,"
he said, his voice low and yet- somehow- the only thing I could hear.

"Hi."

"You
look-" He checked me out so hard I had to lock my knees to keep from
wilting.

"What?"
I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Like
you don't belong here."

I
furrowed my brow.

"I
mean that in the best way possible."

I
batted
my lashes at him.

"I
see you went with red."

I
lifted my cup and licked my lips. "That's right. Everywhere."

He
clenched his jaw and lifted his own cup. It was red, too.

I
squinted at him. "Remind me again, will you? Does that mean you're
unavailable?"

"Only
where everyone else is concerned."

"I
see." I shook some loose waves behind my shoulder. "So I didn't need
to dress quite so slutty then?"

"You
don't look slutty," he said, his dark green eyes locked on mine. "You
look beautiful."

"More
like overdressed."

His
lips twitched. "We'll take care of that later."

"And
now?"

"Now
I'm going to tap the next two kegs and put someone else in charge of paying the
DJ so no one comes looking for me when I disappear."

I
pursed my lips.

"You
cool to hang out here for a second? I'll only be a minute."

"I
suppose," I said, glancing into my cup. "But don't keep me
waiting."

He
drained his beer.

"Fifteen
years is a long time."

"Too
long," he said, handing me his empty cup. "But I'll make it up to
you."

I
nodded and watched his strong back disappear into the crowd. Then I leaned
against the wall and passed the time by scanning the faces around me and making
up stories about why they chose their particular cup color.

Until
I realized one of those faces was headed right for me.

It
belonged to a pretty blonde girl about my height. Well, I assume she was pretty
most of the time- when she was smiling- which she most certainly was not.

And
neither were the two mean girls flanking her sides in matching LBDs.

I
was about to turn around to see if they were staring down someone else when I
remembered I was against the wall.

The
blonde stepped up to me, her long hair in a fishtail braid that went all the
way down to her waist. "So you're the bitch who went to the barn dance
with Shane."

I
rolled my shoulders back, suddenly registering why she looked so familiar.

"The
one with the deep throat."

My
eyes grew wide.

She
looked me up and down.

I
felt my stomach drop.

"What
are you, mute? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

I
only had a few inches on her in my heels, but I tried to make the most of it as
I looked down at her and cocked my head. "Yeah. I do."

She
craned her neck forward, her blue eyes bulging. "Well?"

"Who
the fuck are you?"

And
that's when I felt a full beer splash across my face and drip down Steph's
dress, followed by two more before I'd even opened my eyes.

Chapter 38: Shane

All
I saw from across the room was Andi's face right before it happened.

I
could tell it was Chloe by her hair and the fact that she was flanked on each side
by
Tweedledee
and Tweedledum, and that awareness was
enough to make me hurry over.

But
like Andi, I never saw the drinks coming.

I
made it there by the time she opened her eyes, but it wasn't like in the
movies. The music didn't sputter to an awkward stop. The whole room didn't turn
to look.

The
party just kept on going- as if the most beautiful woman in the room hadn't
just been assaulted.

It
made me want to throw up almost as bad as it made me want to grab Chloe by the
hair and drag her out of the house like a caveman.

"Get
out," I said, stepping in front of Andi and staring down at Chloe's smug
expression. "Now."

She
scoffed. "We have every right to be here, Shane, just like-"

"You
had every right," I said. "Until you did that. You are no longer
welcome here- all three of you."

Chloe
stared me down for a second like she was trying to decide whether I was
serious. "Come on girls. This house is overrated anyway."

My
body bubbled with the desire to say something mean as they walked away,
something that would tear Chloe down and humiliate her the way she'd humiliated
Andi, but she didn't deserve my energy.

I
turned around.

Andi
was wiping a mixture of beer and mascara from under her eyes. The top of her head
was wet and still dripping, though a few of her soft curls had escaped
unscathed.

My
first thought was to take my shirt off and try to mop her up where the sticky
beer was shining against her chest.

Instead,
I grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd to the bottom of the stairs.

When
we got there, I scooped her up in my arms before she could object and carried
her beer scented body up to my room.

As
soon as I set her down outside my door, I unlocked it so she could step inside.

I followed
a second later, flicking on the switch attached to the bedside lamp before
handing her the towel hanging over the back of my desk chair.

"Andi."

She
ignored me and ran the towel down her arms.

"Andi.
Look at me."

She
lifted her heavy looking lashes and raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"I'm
sorry."

She
dropped her head and started patting the front of her dress, a worried look on
her face.

"I
had no idea she would ever seek you out, much less-"

"Don't
worry about it," she said, her voice cold.

"Can
I give you some dry clothes?"

"This
isn't even my dress," she mumbled, extending the bottom of it out in front
of her so she could see the uneven streaks of beer.

"You
want me to send it to the dry cleaners? I can send it right now."

She
shook her head.

"Are
you okay?" I asked, putting my hands on her shoulders and forcing her to
meet my eye.

Her
lips twitched.

"Talk
to me."

"How
did she know what happened in that field?"

I
furrowed my brow. "What?"

"I
sure as hell didn't tell anybody."

"Neither
did
I
."

"Really?"

I
dropped my hands. "Of course not."

"Then
why would she refer to me as ‘the bitch who went to the barn dance with you,
the one with the deep throat?’"

I
closed my eyes and squeezed my temples with one hand.

"Not
cool, Shane," she said, stepping out of her heels. "I thought I could
trust you to not treat me like one of your little whores. I thought I could
trust you to keep things between us."

"You
can. And I did. I swear."

Her
eyes looked too angry to cry, but the hurt in them was painfully obvious. She
turned towards my closet, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards
me.

"I
know why she said that."

"I'm
listening," she said, shaking my hand off her wrist.

"She
came here the day after the dance. Angry."

She
folded her arms.

"And
I'll tell you what was said, but please give me a chance to explain-"

"I
want the exact words."

"She
said, ‘Good luck finding someone who can deep throat like I can.’"

She
shook her head.

"And
I yelled after her that I already did."

Her
mouth fell open.

"But
I wasn't thinking. I was just annoyed that she barged in here and woke every
guy in the house with her crazy accusations. I just said it to piss her off. I
know that’s immature but-” 

"Uh-huh."

"You
must know by now that I would never say anything like that about you to anyone,
and not just because I don't know how to-"

"What?"

I
sighed. "I can't even figure out how to tell Izzy how much you mean to
me.”

She
pursed her lips.

“So
there's no way I'd ever waste my breath trying to convince Chloe that you're
the best thing to happen to me in…"

Andi
raised her eyebrows.

I
stepped up to her, sliding a hand around the back of her neck as my eyes
dropped to her lips. "Maybe ever."

She
kissed me then, and I held her as my whole body responded to her warmth, her
sweetness.

I
heard her drop the towel a second later as she swirled her tongue in my mouth
and tilted her hips against mine.

"Stay,"
I whispered, letting my hand find the small zipper between her shoulder blades.

She
slid her hands up my chest. "Are you sure you aren't just saying what you
think I want to hear because you've always wanted to hook up with a girl that
was covered in beer?"

I
laughed, laying my forehead against hers as I pulled her zipper down to her
waist. "Actually, I didn't know that was a fantasy of mine until about
five minutes ago."

"So
you didn't plan this?" she asked, her eyes bouncing between me and her
fingers as she fumbled with the buttons on my shirt. "Having your ex throw
beer on me so you could get me naked?"

"Only
the getting you naked part," I said. "Which I admit I've been
plotting for some time."  

"If
we do this, Shane, there's no going back," she whispered, her brown eyes
looking to me for answers.

I
slipped a finger under the thin strap of her dress and dragged it over the
smooth curve of her shoulder. "Would you even want to?"