"Your pictures are all over the house, and the rest of the family talks about you all the time."
"Really? All good, I hope."
"Very good."
"Well, brown eyes, now you’re definitely at an advantage, since you know who I am, and you claim to know all about me, and I don’t know your name."
"Oh." I smiled shakily. "I’m Jocelyn Andrews."
He extended his hand, which I awkwardly shook. It was soft and warm, and I had an incredible urge to touch more of him. "Nice to meet you, Jocelyn Andrews. I’m Alex Jordan, but you already knew that."
I nodded. I was too mesmerized to do anything else. I didn’t know what had come over me. I had never reacted this way to any guy, but then again, not many guys had paid much attention to me.
"So, where’s Evan?"
"On the phone with Cali."
"And you’re okay with that?"
"Why wouldn’t I be?" I felt like I was missing something.
"My brother leaves a beautiful woman in the kitchen while he talks on the phone to his ex-girlfriend?"
A beautiful woman? God, kill me now. He was flirting. "They’re back together again," I managed to choke out.
"Huh, I must have missed that. So, you’re not dating my brother?"
Before I could answer, Evan barreled into the kitchen and jumped on Alex’s back. Alex quickly flipped him over and pinned him to the kitchen floor, ruffling the hair that Evan always made sure had just the perfect amount of mess to it.
Evan pushed him off and quickly fixed his hair. He had an unhealthy fetish about his hair and didn't like anyone to touch it. They sprang up and gave each other a rough hug. Alex squeezed Evan’s shoulder before letting go. I got the impression he'd really missed his brother.
"What are you doing home?" Evan asked. "Yale kick you out?"
"You wish." Alex laughed as he picked an apple out of the fruit bowl and bit into it. I noticed he had the most amazing lips to go along with those white teeth. "I got that internship, the one Dad made me apply for."
"That’s great!" Evan smiled, and I figured this internship was a good thing.
"Yeah," he said, "but it doesn’t start until July, so I have to take an on-line course, and Dad arranged for me to shadow the head psychiatrist at the hospital. You’re stuck with me for four months."
"Cool!" Evan smiled, and I could tell he was really excited to have his brother home; I knew I was.
"Yeah, but you seem a little busy for me." Alex winked at me, and my heart skipped a beat. "Cali?"
"How did you know that?" Evan asked.
"My good friend, Jocelyn, told me." He took another bite of apple. I’d never been so captivated by someone eating a piece of fruit, but then again, I’d never seen Alex in person.
"Your good friend, Jocelyn?" Evan glanced at me, then at Alex. "How long have you been home?"
"Not long enough to ask Jocelyn out." Alex smiled at me.
Is he kidding? He wants to ask me out?
"She won’t go out with you," Evan answered for me.
"Why not?" Alex asked.
"You’re too old for her," he said.
