I’m his brother’s best friend. I’m a year and a half younger. We grew up together. By extension, doesn’t that make us almost like brothers?
But that look. Thathunger.
What do I know? I’m a sixteen-year-old virgin. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I just need to stop overthinking everything.
As Felix and I walk downstairs, I ask, “Who’s the hottest girl in our grade?”
“Hm, maybe Kayla? Why? You gonna make a move?” He wiggles his thick eyebrows at me and I snicker, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
“No, no. Just curious.”
He shrugs, and we meet Aaron and Amber in the kitchen. Amber is packing food and chatting with Tina while Aaron sits at the island with a cold cloth draped over his tilted-back head. He groans about needing medicine for his headache, and Tina giveshim anI told you solook, clearly unsympathetic to the hangovers of her underage children.
We set our things on the kitchen table and the women look up.
“Bear! Fe!” Amber squeals. Aaron jumps slightly in his seat but otherwise doesn’t move, the rag still firmly laid over his eyes.
“Morning, Amber. Tina.” I give them both a lazy smile, one dimple coming to light.
“Oh my God, you’re so cute! I could literally eat you. How old are you again?” Tina laughs and smacks Amber’s shoulder as if to sayyou’re so funny, but she’s still watching me, clearly waiting for an actual answer. I turn to Fe, who raises his brows. “Sixteen since July,” I say, and she sighs.
“You could make just about anyone risk a case.”
“Amber.”
The room goes quiet for a moment.
Amber recovers quickly, unbothered by Aaron’s warning or his tone. Still, something low in my stomach stirs at the sound of it—the authority in his voice—before I can stop myself from noticing.
“Anyway, Cutie Bear, come help me, please.”
I walk around the island to where she’s standing, and despite being the younger one, my five-foot-eleven frame has me towering over her measly five-six. She looks up at me and pats my head, ruffling my messy blond hair and making it even worse.
“Great. Thanks for that, Amber. Now I definitely don’t look like I just woke up.”
She laughs. “Can you cut up this watermelon and put it in this bowl?”
Nodding, I take the knife from her hand and slice the melon cleanly in half. Behind me, Tina and Amber work on whatever they’re making, while Felix is sent on ice duty for the cooler.
All the while, I can feel his eyes on me. Not the melon—me.
I glance up from under my lashes, trying not to make it obvious that I’m peeking, and our eyes meet. Yep. I was right. He’s staring holes straight through me. I can’t quite read his expression—whathe’s thinking. Aaron looks conflicted, hesitant, almost like a wounded animal caught between fight or flight.
So, I lift my head fully and offer him a soft smile, one that I hope says,hey, let’s not be awkward. Don't worry about watching me shower last night, I didn’t mind!
Aaron seems to understand. Slowly, his gaze softens, and a small smile settles on his lips.
I turn back to the watermelon. Crisis averted.
Everyone moves through their assigned tasks, and as I finish cutting the fruit, I count how many days it’s been since I last went home. It’s hard to keep track sometimes. Greg and Tina stopped asking years ago, and Fe and I spend so much time together that we notice each other’s absence more than our presence.
Counting it out, it’s been eight days. The last time I went, I stayed for fifteen minutes and left again. I should probably stop by today, make sure everything is how I left it. Then I won’t have to bother again for a while, and everything can stay quiet.
My hand twitches.
“Aaron, can we stop by my house on the way out? I need to grab something.”
Aaron nods, taking another bite of the apple he stole from Tina before swallowing. I track the movement before I can stop myself.
