Page 73 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

His expression turns serious and a smile spreads across my face. He thinks he’s the only one who can tease. “Really?”

I touch his shoulder and walk past him. “See you later, Sean. Tell Jamie I said ‘hi’,” I hear his chuckle as I walk into the house.

Chapter 28

Sean

As I watch Jessica walk into the house, an involuntary smile creeps across my face confirming what I’ve known for a long time. I’m in love with Jessica, madly, deeply, and irresistibly in love with her. She consumes my thoughts day and night. The last few days have been challenging to navigate. We’ve been spending a ton of time together and I’m not sure how she feels about me.

I walk back to my car on legs that feel like lead, and as I back out of my driveway, I rehearse what I will tell Jamie. It’s not easy to tell your best friend that you’re in love with his sister, and as much as I love Jessica, I’m also scared that it will affect my relationship with him. Or worse, cause friction between our families.

As things stand right now, I don’t think I can do anything else. I want to spend the rest of my life with Jess and can’t imagine my life with anyone else.

I’ve been planning to talk with him for a while now, and when I woke up today, I knew I couldn’t continue to put it off. I need to let Jessica know how I feel and I can’t wait another day. There’s always the chance that she won’t feel the same, but I have to try.

When I arrive at Jamie’s house, my heart is already hammering against my ribcage. I wipe my palms on my shorts, and a side of my head starts to ache. I knock on the door, dreading this conversation. I rub my temple as I wait for Jaime to open the door.

When he finally opens the door, his eyes are still drowsy from sleep. His eyes widen when he sees me. “Sean,” He steps aside so I can come in. “Is everything alright?”

“Yup.” I nod, immediately sitting on the couch, not sure my legs will hold me up. “Did I wake you?”

“Yeah.” He sits beside me. “I had a rough night.”

I think about putting the focus on him and then leaving without saying anything, but I can’t put this off any longer.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Just a late night out.” He laughs. “And then I got carried away. Gosh, I’m starving.” He groans.

“We can go for breakfast after, if you want. But I need to talk to you about something first.”

Jamie really looks at me, and his eyes narrow. “Are you okay, Sean? You seem nervous. What’s going on?”

My stomach swoops, and I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I’m in love with Jessica.”

His expression doesn’t change, and I tug on the collar of my shirt that suddenly feels too tight. “Jamie, I’m in love with your sister,” I repeat.

“I heard you the first time,” he says. “Excuse me.” He rises to his feet and disappears into the kitchen. My mouth opens when he reappears with two bottles of soda and a protein bar. “Sorry, I have to eat something. Do you want some?” He sits.

I just bared my soul and he gets soda and a protein bar? My stomach turns. I have no words, so I just repeat myself again. “Jamie. I just said I’m in love with Jessica.”

He bites his protein bar and laughs. “I heard you the first two times. This isn’t a surprise, Sean. Everyone knows you’re in love with her. You’re saying it like it’s news.”

“What?” I gasp. “Everyone knows what?”

Jamie rolls his eyes. “That you’re in love with Jess. You might be a great actor, but you did a poor job here. It’s pretty obvious to anyone who sees the two of you together.”

I run a hand through my hair, my heart roaring in my ears. I thought this would be a battle, but it turns out I was mistaken.

“I—I’m shocked.”

Jamie finishes off the protein bar and sips the soda and laughs. “Yeah, we all knew.”

“We?” I echo. “Who is we?”

“Me. Evelyn. My parents. Your parents. And probably everyone in town.”

My body temperature suddenly drops like a bucket of cold water was emptied over my head, and I gape at Jamie silently while waiting for the shock to pass. “You’re saying everyone knows I’m in love with her?”

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