Her hair is loose around her shoulders and her eyes sparkle like the Caribbean Sea.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I amsoscrewed. If she’s trying to bring me to my knees, she’sdoing a fine job of it. I avert my eyes because gazing at her is like staring directly at the sun.
It’s blinding. Dizzying.
I need to get away from her before I do something stupid.
Oblivious to my inner conflict, she plunks down on the couch, grabs the remote, and turns on the television. “Wanna watch a movie?”
Hell no.
Abso-fucking-lutely not.
“Sure,” I say.
I’d like to wring my own neck right now.
She flashes a smile, and I feel awestruck because I can count on one hand how many times Daisy has given me a genuine smile. Including this time, it would be one.
“What do you want to watch?” she asks.
I shrug and gravitate toward her. “I don’t care. You pick.”
“Okay,” she singsongs. “Just remember that when we’re an hour into some chick flick and you want to off yourself.”
I settle on the couch leaving about a foot of space between us.
That’s more than enough room, right?
Daisy clicks through a few movies until she finds the one she wants. We watch the preview and she raises her brow in askance. I nod, and she cues up the movie. Twenty minutes in, my muscles gradually loosen, and I relax, losing myself in the mindless humor of the rom-com we’re watching.
This isn’t bad.
What was I so worried about?
I’ve been around this chick since freshman year and nothing has happened because I haven’t allowed it to. And that, right there, is the key. As long as I keep that in mind, everything will be fine. The wanting may never go away, but that doesn’t mean I have to act on it.
Because I’m distracted by the girl next to me—the way she looks when she’s laughing, her fresh floral scent, the way she glances at me to see if I’m laughing as well—it takes about forty minutes until Irealize that the main characters in the movie like each other but are constantly bickering and pushing each other away.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Seriously?
I shift on the couch and give Daisy a little side-eye, hoping she hasn’t picked up on the similarity of our situations. Although, she’s not the one pushing me away. She’s reacting to me being a prick. There’s a difference.
I drag a hand over my face, needing this movie to end so I can retreat to my room for the next twenty-four hours. By the time the credits roll, I’m a nervous ball of energy. Naturally, the main characters got it on and worked out their issues, before living happily ever after.
I almost snort.
If only it were that simple. Some issues are insurmountable. They can’t be wrapped up in an hour and a half. Life is messy, and it’s not fair. Sometimes, no matter how much you want someone, it’s just not going to happen.
This is one of those times.
Grabbing the remote, I turn off the television. I glance at Daisy, ready to put this night behind me. The TV screen is blank, but she continues staring at it. Her brows are drawn together like she’s trying to work through a problem in her head.
I’m not going to lie, it’s a little disconcerting.
“So…” I jerk my thumb toward my room. “I’m off to bed.”
