Page 58 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“You mentioned something about not being ready for a relationship,” I say. “Why did you think that?”

Rick sighs. “Because I’ve been burned a few times, but haven’t we all?”

“We sure have.”

He shrugs. “It’s not like I was against relationships, but I wasn’t actively searching, you know? I’ve heard that relationships tend to find people when they aren’t looking for it.”

“I’ve heard the same.”

“What about you?” He asks, staring at me with a gaze full of interest. It makes me a bit uncomfortable and I find myself looking anywhere but at him.

“What about me?”

“Yes. Why were you at the event?”

This time, I laugh. Because he would never understand the premise behind the event and why it was organized. No one else would understand except my friends and I. “Like I told you the other day, it was organized by my brother and friend. I had no choice but to attend.”

It isn’t a lie, but it’s not the whole truth either.

“Well, I’m glad you came.”

“Why are you so interested in me, Rick?” I ask.

He pauses for a few seconds, then smiles again. “I don’t know. I guess I just kind of feel a connection with you. Call it fate or whatever, but when you walked into the cafe that day, I felt drawn to you. When I found out you were the writer of my favorite book, it just felt like fate had a hand in it. Then we had a great conversation, and I knew I had to see you again.”

It is a satisfactory response, so I nod. I don’t, however, expect him to throw the question back at me, but he does. “What about you, Jessica? Why are you interested in me?”

I want to ask how he knew I was, but I remember that I had written his name down on my scoresheet, which is why he had my number in the first place.

“Uhh…” I rack my head for pieces of our first meeting and conversation. “I think it’s exactly as you said it. The connection. I don’t acquaint myself with people easily, but when you sat at my table, we seemed to connect.”

“Yeah–”

“It’s also a bonus that you love thrillers, for real. Like the icing on the cake.” I say this more for myself, to convince myself that Rick is higher on the scale than Sean. But I can feel the lie and frown again.

I catch myself and awkwardly smile.

Rick shrugs. “After a great date I am hoping that I’ll get to see a lot more of you,” he says.

My heart beats faster and I wipe my palms on my dress. “Let’s take things one step at a time and see where it leads.”

Rick doesn’t say much after that, he pays the bill and suggests we head home. It’s almost ten. According to Sean O’Connell, having a girl home by ten is the proper thing to do. When we get to the car Rick holds the door open for me as I slide into the passenger seat. He closes the door and walks over to the driver’s side. The drive home is quiet but comfortable. Yet, I have a feeling that Rick might be bothered about something.

“Did you enjoy yourself, Jessica?” He asks as we near my house.

“I did.” It’s the truth.

“Me too,” he says. “Thank you for honoring my invite.”

He pulls his car next to the curb and opens my car door. Once again, I find myself glancing at Sean’s house, but it’s dark and looks like no one is home. I look away and let Rick walk me onto the porch. We stare silently at each other for a moment, and I know he’s expecting me to invite him in. I won’t be doing that. Rick is a wonderful person but he’s not the one for me.

When I don’t invite him in, Rick steps backward a bit, still smiling at me. His gaze falls to my lips, and I instantly recognize that he wants to kiss me. I clear my throat.

“Uhm…call me when you get home, okay?” I say as I turn to put my key in the lock.

“When can I see you again, Jessica?”

“I’m not sure, Rick. I’m working on my next book and the deadline is coming up fast. It’s probably best that I focus on getting that done.”

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