Page 18 of My Favorite Girl

It’s evening and I’m playing a piano duet with Ally in the living room of the beach house, both of us laughing as our fingers brush against each other’s, battling it out to press certainkeys. She reaches across me to play her notes, her breasts grazing against my arm. Half the time, I wonder if this is why she teaches me duets, so we can get close and touch each other.

From my peripheral, someone enters the living room, joining us by the piano. Ally and I stop playing, looking up at the same time to find Killian.

He rests a forearm on the piano top. “Carlie Montgomery is throwing a party tonight at her parents’ beach house. You two interested in attending?”

I’m pretty sure Killian is fucking Carlie. The Montgomerys are family friends, their beach house not too far from here. When Killian isn’t off with Carlie, he’s been hanging out with me and Ally a lot this summer—Felix too, when he visits—the four of us entertaining ourselves with the pool, the tennis courts, the beach, even chasing each other through the hedge maze. We play poker, which Ally is still terrible at. She insists I keep teaching her how to improve, that poker is an interest of mine and she wants to get good at it for me.

I’m surprised Killian is still inviting Ally to these parties. There have been a few spread throughout the summer I’ve attended with him. Ally always chooses to stay back with Dad and Amabella, saying it’s not her scene. I know it’s because she’s had bad experiences with people at school. I’ve asked her to come along with me, feeling bad for leaving her behind, but she always turns down the offer.

“I’ll stay home from the party with Ally,” I say.

“Who’s to say Ally is staying home?” Killian grins. “Ally, you keen?”

“You know these parties aren’t her scene.” I give the response a little too fast and a little too sharp, and Ally frowns at me.

The amount of male attention she’d receive at these parties would be tough for me to stomach. We’ve already discussed howwe can’t be together, but from the way we act in private, it feels like Ally is my girl.

Back in the city, with our connected bedrooms, she’s continued climbing into my bed most nights, teasing me by wearing short pajama pants that barely cover her ass. I always pull her to my chest, holding her close with one hand on her lower stomach beneath her shirt, flush against her skin.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to slip my hand beneath her panties and feel how wet she is, then push my fingers inside her pussy and make her come. I know she’s felt my dick hard against her back many times. I know she likes it from the way she presses back against it.

Our parents are under the impression we formed such a strong friendship as a result of Ally not having friends, and that we truly are just friends. I mean, it’s not a total lie. My brothers believe it too. There were a few comments from Killian and Felix back when Ally and I first met, implying that perhaps something more was happening between us, but I convinced them otherwise. I can’t risk anyone finding out about me and Ally. The little intimacy I do get with her would instantly be over.

“You don’t want me at the party?” she asks me.

“I didn’t say that. You’ve never shown an interest before. I didn’t want you to feel like Killian was forcing you into anything.”

She presses her lips together, deep in thought. “I know I’m not the best around new people. Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”

“Of course not.” And it’s the goddamn truth.

“Well, what will it be?” Killian prompts. “Could be fun. Your first party. I’ll get you drunk.”

“Killian,” I snap, glaring at him. “She’s never had a drop of alcohol in her life. She’s not getting drunk.”

“I’ll go,” Ally says. “I won’t drink, but I’d like to see what’s so fun about these parties.”

“Great. We’ll leave in an hour,” Killian says, exiting the living room.

Ally makes a move to follow him, but I grab her wrist before she can stand from the piano stool. “You don’t have to go to this party if you don’t want to. I’ll stay back with you.”

“I want to go. Mom and Josh said I can attend these parties as long as I have you and Killian looking out for me.”

“Because they don’t know what goes down at these parties.”

She retrieves her wrist from me and laughs, the sound purposefully sweet, like she’s playing up her innocence. “And what does go down at these parties that you can’t bear me to be around? Drinking? Drugs? Sex? Maybe Iwantto have sex.”

“Ally…”

“Youdon’t want me having sex. Is that it?”

She holds my gaze, the two of us staring at each other in silence, but I know she can read my annoyance of her question.

“Yes,” I finally say. “I don’t want you having sex with a random guy at a party.”

She rolls her eyes, with that sweet little laugh again, and stands from the piano stool. “I need to get dressed.”

I watch her leave, swearing under my breath. I almost run after Ally, desperate to make her promise she’ll stay by my side tonight and not hook up with any guys. But she has every right to be with another guy. I’m not creating double standards here, and I can’t keep pretending like she’s mine. Sooner or later, she’ll find a boyfriend and I’ll need to learn to be okay with it.

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