He sat back down with a loud sigh and kept his hand on the back of my chair. “Thirty more minutes. That’s it and no grilling her, please.”
They followed his wish, and the rest of the time was spent chatting about Kayla’s senior year and how they liked living in the house. I told them all about their neighbors, my best friends, and their dad knew who Brock was and was a huge fan. I might’ve led him to believe Brock was really friendly. I snickered to myself, already imagining him getting grumpy.
“Ready to head out?” Christopher said, hugging both his parents and sister before coming to stand next to me. “I have to finish reading my book tonight.”
“Like you have homework,” Kayla scoffed, rolling her eyes and leaning in to give me a side hug.
“We have a book club. You should try it sometime. Might learn something, kid,” he said, high-fiving her with a grin. “Seriously, congrats again. You deserve it. Can’t wait for the ceremony.”
She smiled and looked at me. “I get the check next week. I appreciate not waiting until the end of the year because it could help pay for the college application fees. It’s stupid that they charge just for an application. Don’t they get enough money?”
I cringed at the truth to her words. This wasn’t an issue I even knew about or thought about, yet it was very real for a lot of students. “So glad you got it, Kayla. Happy for you.”
“Thank you, Ms. Carter.” She smiled at me before pulling out her phone and walking away without a glance. It made me laugh. Kids were still kids, no matter the age. They could be talking to an adult one second and technology or something more exciting pulling their attention the next second.
Christopher put his hand at my lower back as we said good-bye to his parents and walked outside. It was just after eight, and the evening had already begun. Fall would be here soon, and that meant scarves and pumpkins and bonfires. I smiled up into the air, taking a deep breath at the fresh scents.
“That wasn’t so bad, right?” he asked, giving me a weird look when I opened my eyes and smiled at him. “Are you smelling the air?”
“Yes. It almost smells like fall. It’s my favorite.”
He shook his head, pulling me up against his chest and hugging me. My body warmed at how close we were. I reached up to run my fingers through his hair. He trembled a bit, and I made up my mind then and there.
I was telling him this weekend. Before this got deeper.
“Any way I can convince you to come to my place tonight?” he asked, his voice deep and sweet and so tempting.
I shook my head. “I need to see my brother. We haven’t caught up in weeks, and that thing I was telling you about? It’s not cleared up.”
He frowned and nodded in understanding. “Yeah, you better take care of that. I know it’s bothering you.”
“But this weekend…” I said, waiting for him to make the move. He did, and I sighed when his lips touched mine. It was a polite kiss, but it wasn’t enough. It didn’t matter that we were outside his parents’ house and that they could be watching. He tasted like beer when his warm mouth parted, and I took advantage andkissedhim hard.
He groaned into my mouth and clung to me harder, like he couldn’t get close enough to me, and my body hummed with emotion, for him. He pulled back, breathless, and let out a strangled breath. “Okay, don’t kiss me like that and leave me alone. Not fair.”
“Didn’t mean to go that far,” I said, wiping the back of my hand over my mouth. “Damn. You tasted good, and kissing you makes me forget to think.”
He hummed in response and pulled me in for a tight hug. “Go talk to your brother. I’ll see you tomorrow, and I swear, you better not have plans tomorrow night.”
“Not even with you?”
“That’s my girl.” He patted my ass and watched as I got into my car. My body felt heavy with dread, and I wished I could hold on to this joy for a few minutes longer. Putting on the radio, I made my way toward Fritz’s place, chewing my lip to the point it stung.
But when I got there, I thought I might throw up that pizza and beer.
Gilly: I’m outside Fritz’s place. I can’t do it.
Grace: You don’t have a choice. Get it over with.
Gilly: I might be halfway in love with Christopher. The truth could make them both hate me.
Gilly: I’m shaking.
My phone buzzed, and I answered it, almost on the verge of tears. “Hey.”
“Fritz will be furious with you, but it won’t last. You keeping this from him and he finds out another way…that is what you’re avoiding. Don’t back out. I know he has this new girl, but we both know it’s a rebound. That man thinks love is a joke now.”
“It could ruin our relationship.”
