“You were always dating someone!” I all but snarl.
Brandon matches my snarl with a growl of his own. “I’m not dating anyone now.”
And then, as if to prove the point, he kisses me. It takes several moments for my mind to catch up.
I’m kissing Brandon.
He tastes like cinnamon gum, and his hands are soft, almost hesitant. After a moment, he pulls back.
I stare at him, stunned.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, stepping back. “I shouldn’t have…”
“It’s all right.” I wrap my arms around myself, confused.
All I’ve ever wanted was Brandon to kiss me. And now he has. And it was…nice. Really nice.
Maybe not as nice as I expected, but still…
You know…nice.
I feel a little lost, not understanding what my problem is. Not until a pair of gray eyes flash in my mind.
No.
I am not going to think of Mason right now. Absolutely not. I refuse.
It makes sense that something I’ve built up in my mind for years wasn’t exactly what I hoped it would be. Besides, it was a first kiss. Those are always awkward. We’ll get better.
It’ll get better.
Brandon looks just as disconcerted as me, which I’m not honestly sure is a good sign.
“If you’re not dating Sadie, then what’s going on?” I demand, trying to distract myself from the unwanted thoughts swirling in my head.
And I need to know, because I’m pretty sure Sadie’s head-over-heels for Brandon. A fact that makes me feel a tiny bit guilty now.
Brandon draws in a long breath. “We’ve been friends for a few years. She dated a guy on my soccer team—he was a real jerk. They broke up when he graduated.”
“Okay…?”
“We had some classes together, and we started hanging out. She volunteered to come with me on Thanksgiving so I wouldn’t have to face you alone.”
“Face me?” I hiss.
He raises an eyebrow as if to say I just proved I can be intimidating.
“She likes you, Brandon,” I say quietly.
He winces and rubs a hand over his face. “I know.”
“How could you string her along like that?”
Because that’s a nasty thing to do, and Brandon’s not nasty.
“I didn’t mean to. I figured it out too late.”
Well, that explains it. He’s just a man, and no matter how brilliant they are, they can be somewhat dense when it comes to women.
