Page 53 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“Yes, really. Come on.”

“Okay, okay.” Jessica is looking at me expectantly, and I smile. “There’s no specific reason why, to be honest. It’s just because I haven’t found The One.”

“Really?” She frowns. “You know, I’ve followed your career all through—”

I mock a gasp, my eyes widening. “So, you stalk me on the internet, then?”

She bursts into laughter while playfully swatting my arm. “Noooo. I just follow you.”

“This is great news. And then, you act like you can’t stand me. You’re such a liar.”

“Shut up!” She nudges me. “Stop interrupting me, Sean. My goodness.”

I raise my arms in surrender. “Okay, okay. Fine. Go on.”

“I’ve seen you date all types of women–” Jessica eyes me, and I almost look away in embarrassment. “From singers to actresses to your normal everyday girl, just a whole variety of women.”

“Yeah?”

“So, what do you mean you haven’t found The One?”

That’s a great question, and the answer is at the tip of my tongue, but I dare not say the truth, so I embellish it. “Well, these women might be beautiful and successful, but after a while, you realize that they don’t really have what you truly desire in a partner, you know? I can’t explain it.”

“I get it.”

We’re at the park now, and we walk across the grass to the benches on the other side of the playground. Children and dogs are running across the field, and a deep feeling of need envelopes me. Jessica asks another question.

“So what do you truly desire, Sean?”

“I don’t know.” We find a bench and sit. “When I see it, I’ll know.”

She nods and looks around her, a smile on her face. At that moment, a little girl kicks a ball, and it rolls across the expanse of the field and stops in front of Jessica. Laughing, she picks it up and waits for the girl to reach her.

“Here you go.” She hands it over to the smiling girl.

“Thank you,” the girl responds, clutching the ball in her little hands. “Are you a prince and princess?” She asks, glancing at Jessica, then at me. Jessica blushes and shakes her head. “No, I’m not. But that’s very sweet, thank you.”

The girl looks like she doesn’t believe it, but she says nothing else and runs off. Jessica turns to me with wide eyes. “Can you believe that?”

“No.” I shake my head. “She definitely just included you so that you won’t feel bad. But she knows I’m a prince; that’s a given.”

“There we go again. Not a prince, more like a troll.” Jessica scowls.

“What did I tell you about compliments?” I ruffle Jessica’s hair, and she snarls at me, slapping my hand away and fixing the strands.

“You said make it genuine. Genuine! Now, you want me to lie and compliment you? Whatever,” she mumbles.

I direct Jessica’s gaze to a point across the field. “Look over there.”

She twists in her seat. “What are we looking at?” She asks. “The tandem bikes?”

“Yes.” I pull her up. “Let’s go for it.”

“What?” She lets me drag her over to the bike station. “Can I refuse?”

“I don’t know.” My shoulders lift in a careless shrug. “Rick would be extremely disappointed.”

Jessica gasps and shakes her head. “Fine,” she huffs. “But this looks scary, though.”

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