My Best Friend's Brother: A Standalone Friends to Lovers Romance (Soulmates Series Book 2) (5 page)

Chapter 8: Shane

I
didn't want to dwell on the thought of her in those boots.

I
don't know why I even mentioned it, especially when she was laying on my bed in
my sweatshirt after a day when I'd done enough questioning my motives as it
was.

After
all, the bottom line was that Andi trusted me, that she always had, and that
nothing was worth threatening that trust.

And
yet all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss her cracked lip and
make it better.

She
grabbed one side of the Oreo I was holding, and we both twisted again.

"Yes!"
she said, looking down at her icing covered half. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

She
tilted her head. "Don't you want a dare?"

"I've
had a daring enough day as it is."

"Okay."

"Plus,
the truth is more interesting, don't you think?"

She
shrugged. "Sometimes."

"Shoot."

"Who
are you taking to your barn dance this year?"

"I
haven't decided yet."

She
craned her neck forward. "But you must've thought about it."

"I
guess."

"I
thought you were seeing that Indian girl?"

I
shook my head. "Seeing is too strong a word."

"What
about the Chi O then? The one that thinks you’re crazy about her?"

I
raised my eyebrows.

"I
overheard her talking about you."

"What
did she say?"

"She
just made it sound like things between you guys were kind of serious."

"Well,
they’re not."

"With
anyone?" she asked.

"Did
Izzy put you up to this?"

"Not
exactly."

"Tell
her to mind her own damn business. I don't try and trick her into telling me
which mustached beret model she's watching black and white movies with-"

"Yes
you do."

I
scooted back against the pillows. "I'm ready for the next Oreo."

She
smiled and pulled another out of the bag. "Feeling lucky?"

I
twisted the cookie and failed to get the icing again. "These are
rigged."

"You
picked '
em
."

"Truth,"
I said.

She
sighed. "Okay. As a friend, how bad is my lip for real?"

I
stared at it.

"Oh
god, really? Is it seriously taking you that long to come up with something
moderately reassuring to say?"

"
It's
fine," I said, trying to ignore the drop in my
stomach. "It's a perfectly fine lip."

Her
face dropped. "More like a perfectly fine busted lip."

I
shook my head. "You don't look busted. I promise."

Her
lashes cast shadows on her cheeks when she dropped her eyes. "Maybe not,
but people aren't exactly going to line up to get a piece of-"

I
tilted her chin up with my fingers, leaned forward, and kissed the side of her
bottom lip where the crack had formed, holding my lips there just long enough
to notice she'd stopped breathing.

Then
I pulled back and placed a hand on her cheek. "See-" I said, staring
into her shiny eyes. "There's nothing wrong with your lips."

She
swallowed and leaned away, staring at me like she recognized me but couldn't
place who I was. "Why did you-" She brought the fingertips of one
hand to her lips.

"Because
you're beautiful, Andi. Unconditionally. And it's time you got that through
your thick head."

Her
eyes smiled. "You can be really sweet when you want to be."

"Don't
tell anyone," I said, leaning back against the pillows and sliding my
hands behind my head. "I don't want to ruin my reputation."

"Your
secret is safe with me," she said, curling her bare legs up into my
oversized sweatshirt.

"Good."

"Will
we do one more?" she asked.

I
grabbed the edge of the bag and peeked inside. "I swear to god if I don't
get the icing this time, I'm going out to buy more and we're doing this all
night."

"Choose
carefully," she teased.

"There's
only one left."

"You
still get to choose your side though."

I
straightened up and stretched my arms in front of me and then out to both
sides, cocking my head like I was preparing for the game winning pitch.

She
laughed, and the sound made my heart glow in my chest. How could I have gone so
long without that life affirming sound?

"Come
on already," she said. "Don't keep the fans waiting."

I
exhaled and reached in the bag. Then I pulled out the final Oreo and held it up
between us.

"Are
you sure that's the side you want?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and
looking between me and the cookie in question.

"Don't
fuck with me," I said. "Just twist the damn cookie."

"Okay,
but only if you're absolutely sure you're ready. I mean, if you need to do some
lunges or something-"

"Shut
up."

Half
her mouth curled into a smile as she took the cookie facing her and gave it a
twist.

I
fist pumped when I saw that I had the icing covered side.

"Ridiculous.”
She shook her head. "I can't believe you won after that silly
display."

I
tapped my temple with two fingers. "It's all about visualizing the win.
Maybe I can give you a few pointers next time."

"I
won all the other ones!"

"Because
I let you," I said. "I threw them so I could get the game winning
Oreo."

"The
game winning Oreo? I thought
every one
was a game
winner."

"Good
point," I said, tired of gloating. "Pick your poison."

She
sighed. "Truth."

"Are
you sure?" I asked. "Because the dare involves those boots and-"

"I'm
definitely sure."

I
can't believe I mentioned the boots again. What the hell was wrong with me?
"Last chance to change your mind?"

"Truth,
please. Final answer."

"Do
you want to stay?"

She
scrunched her nose. "Stay what?"

"Here.
Like stay the night?"

She
glanced at the Miller Time clock on the wall and then back at me. "Like on
the futon?"

"Actually,
the futon is- unlike your lip- genuinely busted."

"Uh-huh."

"I
just thought we could watch-"

"Oh
god please don't say Netflix and chill."

I
laughed. "Come on now. My game is better than that."

Her
lips fell apart.

"Not
that I'm playing games."
Shit
. "I just meant that I've got
this movie I haven’t seen, and it's been a long day for both of us- especially
you- and I'll sleep better if I know you're safe and-"

"Stop
rambling," she said. "What movie?"

I walked
across the room and pulled a DVD off the shelf, studying the front as I carried
it over to her. "Izzy brought it last time she visited. It's one of those
B horror movies about a bunch of sorority girls who accidently kill one of
their sisters."

She
took the DVD and examined the front and back.

I
sat on the edge of the bed and watched her dark eyes dart back and forth as she
studied the praise the film had received from a bunch of fake entertainment
magazines.

"It
looks brilliant," she said.

I
raised my eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Totally.
Plus, Izzy has exquisite taste in films."

I
laughed.

"And
the truth is I’d love to stay," she said. "It's really decent of you
to offer, and you're right. I'd rather not be on my own tonight."

Chapter 9: Andi

Twenty
four hours ago, I thought I'd be waking up next to Mike.

Not
that I was terribly disappointed.

To
say he was a bed hog would be a huge understatement. Every morning, he'd be
sprawled out on his back like he'd been making naked snow angels all night.

Meanwhile,
I'd be lying along the edge of the bed, clutching the covers because he always
kept his place so cold- him being a human sweater and all.

But
he'd always pull me close as soon as he woke up and noticed his morning wood,
which isn't to say he wasn't sweet in the mornings, because he was. It was the
nights where he'd forget himself like a real life Jekyll and Hyde.

For
a while, I really believed I could help him change. I thought my sunny
disposition could keep him from giving into his demons, of which he had many.
But I was being naive.

He
was always going to be skeptical and slow to trust, always going to believe the
world was out to get him.

And
that fact alone made us incompatible.

After
all, I tended to give people the benefit of the doubt and believed deep down
that most people were inherently good.

Perhaps
that's why so much time in his company made me forget myself.

But
it was all over.

I
could start again this morning with a clean slate, and as soon as my lip and
bruises healed, my relationship with him would be a thing of the past. A
mistake, certainly, but one I had every intention of learning from.

And
the knowledge that it was over was the most freeing feeling in the world. It
felt as if my heart had sprouted little wings and was fluttering weightless in
my chest.

And
I knew I had Shane to thank for that.

The
first time I woke up was around five thirty. It took me a second to remember
where I was- probably
cause
I'd never been horizontal
in Shane's room before.

We
used to sleep together all the time when we were kids. He and Izzy and I would
have sleepovers in their basement on the pullout couch, each with our own
blanket curled up around us as we watched movies.

Izzy
always took the middle, though, partly because it seemed like the most natural
arrangement and partly because she liked holding the popcorn. And even back
then, I already knew those were the greatest nights of my life.

How
would I ever be able to top the kind of energetic, safe fun we used to have
together?

Thank
god I appreciated it while it lasted.

Because
obviously once we were teenagers, not only did we not fit comfortably on the
pullout anymore, but there was no longer a sleeping arrangement that everyone
was comfortable with. Not that a discussion was ever required.

Shane
just kind of opted out when he realized he preferred the company of boys and
video games.

So
Izzy and I were left to our own devices, which was fine… except that was when
Shane started to intrigue me in a way he never had.

I
watched from a distance as his interests changed along with the shape of his
jaw and the fit of his clothes. I watched my silly childhood friend become a
handsome man and struggled to pretend I was as disinterested in his development
as Izzy.

Not
that she and I didn't have our own shit to deal with.

I
hated getting boobs, hated the way my hips turned out and used to bang into
things. Even worse, there were a few years where my emotions felt like they
were being controlled by an amateur puppeteer, and there was no telling when I
might lose my cool.

What’s
more, I was convinced that my overprotective mother was out to completely ruin
my life at the time, which just proves in hindsight how entirely off my rocker
I was.

And
the whole time I wished I could be more like Shane, who seemed to be getting
cooler by the day while I was just getting crazier in seemingly direct
correlation to how frequently I suffered breakouts.

Needless
to say, when it came to nostalgia, it was those early years I missed most.
Because things were simple. Things made sense. No one ever wanted anything from
me.

Best
of all, I got to spend every day with Shane and Izzy under the naive pretense
that things would never change.

But
of course they had.

And
nothing was more a reminder of that than the sight I woke up to at five thirty
a.m.

Shane
was beside me, sleeping on his stomach, with his strong arms bent out to the
sides and his hands under the pillow. But that wasn't what most intrigued me about
him.

First
of all, he was sleeping with his mouth shut- something Mike rarely did. I
stared at his lips for a moment and recalled how he'd touched them to mine,
recalled the inappropriate way my body felt when he did it.

There
was just enough soft light squeezing in through the blinds behind the bed that
I could admire how youthful his chiseled face looked at rest.

I
kept my breathing steady as my eyes traveled down his body. His back was smooth
and bare, and his relaxed muscles caused a rolling landscape that was more
gorgeous than any I'd ever seen.

I
wondered what it would feel like to sink my fingernails into his back and feel
his muscles flexing under my palms as he moved over me, in me, his hot whispers
against my ear.

The
thought alone made a burning flush travel from my stomach up to my cheeks.

Finally,
my eyes settled on the sheets that lay over his ass. They were just high enough
that I could see the curve of his butt where it met his lower back but nothing
more.

Part
of me wanted to lift the sheet so I could see if he was naked, but I knew
knowing wouldn't make it any easier to lie there beside him.

Lifting
the sheets would only blow my cover.

After
all, the fact that I’d been head over heels for him since the day he taught me
how to take a bunch of willow tree branches in my hand and swing back and forth
like Tarzan was my best kept secret.

Besides,
I knew better than to want what I couldn’t have.