Page 25 of You Saw the Best In Me

They’re chunked with chocolate chips and topped with shaved coconut, along with other shit I don’t understand, but this is Harper’s choice, so she better be right. I can’t stand to lose, especially to Karina.

“You should buy her flowers,” Harper elbows me in the ribs, pointing at the rows of bouquets next to us.

“She’s not my girlfriend, Harp. I will not buy her flowers,” I remark, rolling my eyes at her.

“Oh yeah? Then why am I meeting her? You can lie to Grams all you want, but I know you were with her that night,” she smirks and crosses her arms.

Teenagers and their obsession with romance. She may have a point. I probably shouldn’t introduce them, considering hours ago, I wanted to create distance between us.

Here I am, bringing Harper and brownies to her place like we’re a couple.

My head hurts; it’s been a long couple of days, and I’ve never been more conflicted.

“No flowers, and no mentioning the word girlfriend around her, got it?” I lay down the law, but Harper will absolutely find a way to embarrass me tonight.

I’m merging my two lives, one where I’m an older brother who protects his sister at all costs, and the other where I’m getting dangerously close to the girl next door.

KARINA

My cat has been off the rails all day, and I can’t figure out why. She’s calm and quiet typically, napping on her cat tree or playing with her toys.

Today, she’s been meowing and hissing all over the place, jumping in the air and running from room to room, and I’m at a loss.

Maverick and his little sister are bringing dessert, which has my nerves at an all-time high.

After the tension between us last night, how he wanted to kiss me and stay until the early morning hours, I don’t know how to keep this up anymore.

I’m doing my best not to let him in, but confessing some of the stories about Asher is the opposite of shutting him out.

He’s got that fiery instinct to protect, and I feel he’d be there for me if I ever needed him.

We’re supposed to hate each other, pull pranks, and complicate life. Instead, we’ve got some connection blooming, and I fear it’s becoming magnetic, almost like we can’t stop it if we try.

My head has been spinning all day, replaying my last few encounters with Maverick over and over again, and it’s beginning to give me a migraine.

Gifts, dinner, and now dessert; after tonight, I need to set a boundary between us and put the brakes on whatever’s happening.

There’s a knock at my door, and I look in the mirror before opening it.

I chose an old sweatshirt to cover up and eliminate the chances of Maverick staring down my shirt. I picked leggings to hide some of my curves and make it look like I’m just a regular neighbor.

This girl is supposed to be wise, and I don’t want to mess anything up with his situation.

“Hi, come in!” I open the door as Maverick hands me a grocery bag.

“I’m Harper,” the petite girl says, her brown hair in a ponytail.

I can see how they’re related; their facial features are similar, and Harper is tall like Maverick.

“Well, open it. Let’s see if we nailed your favorite dessert,” Maverick teases, and I pull out a tray of brownies.

Fuck. Seriously, how did he know? Chocolate brownies with any kind of toppings are my weakness.

“Oh, my god. You are good!” I say, smacking his arm and opening the treats.

“Harper had the final say. She must have the same powers as I do,” he puts his arm around her, beaming with pride.

“It’s one of the Carter specialties,” Harper winks, and we laugh.