Page 32 of About Time

He interrupts me, “Well, that answers the question of why you turned weird after that.”

I bob my head. “I ran into him on the way back to my car. He had brought Griffin Hale’s son to the pond. A week later I came on to him. Basically, I wore him down.” I give a self-deprecating laugh. “I knew his reputation, and I told myself I was okay with just sex.”

Donovan groans. “I’m suddenly very sorry I pushed you to tell me anything. I don’t have any siblings, but this is what I’dimagine it would be like for your sister to talk about sex.” He makes a gagging noise, and I shove him playfully.

“I can stop telling you,” I say. As much as I didn’t want to talk about this when he came over, getting it out feels like releasing poison. I’m tired of letting this fester inside of me.

Thankfully, he shakes his head no. “I’m sorry. I’m here for you. Just, maybe don’t go into a lot of details.”

I roll my eyes at him. “Yeah, you so don’t need to worry about that. I have zero desire to tell you all the sordid details of my sex life.”

He shudders dramatically and gestures with his hand for me to continue.

“We agreed that it would just be sex until I left for school. I stupidly thought that it would help me work him out of my system. I’ve had a crush on him for so long that I compared every guy to him. It seemed like the perfect way to go off to Central Valley. I figured as long as I didn’t let myself get all girly and start thinking we were more then I’d be okay.”

Donovan shoves his hand through his sunny blond hair, leaving it disheveled in the way I know girls go crazy about. Never me though. I can’t help but think how much easier my life would be if I could have felt the same way. Donovan Miller is an amazing guy, but you just don’t get to choose who you fall for.

If I could, it wouldn’t be Charlie Storm.

We’re quiet for a few minutes before he speaks again. His voice is quiet and sympathetic. It is almost worse than being pitied. “I never thought you were the type that would be able to have casual sex.”

He doesn’t ask me what happened, because somehow he already knows that I fell for Charlie and that those feelings weren’t returned.

A single tear slides down my face, and for the second time in eight years, Donovan hugs me again. I drop my head on his shoulder and he holds me while I cry.

“I love you, ya know?” I say against his shoulder.

“I know, and I love you too.”

I stiffen. He pushes my hair back so he can see the side of my face. “Relax. I don’t love you like that. It would probably make life easier for both of us if I did. There’s no way you’d be able to resist me if I turned on the charm.”

My sobs turn to giggles, and before I know it I’m shaking with uncontrolled laughter.

“What? I’m charming. You just don’t get it because you see me like a brother, and flirting with you would make me need therapy,” he says finally letting me go.

“He’s an idiot by the way,” he continues speaking. “Just because I see you as a sister doesn’t mean I don’t know that you’re beautiful. If he doesn’t realize how lucky he is that you love him, then he’s a fucking moron.”

I open my mouth to argue, but he puts his finger against my lips. “Don’t argue with me. I’m right and you know it. Now, get in the shower. I’m dragging your ass out.”

“I can’t believe you brought me here,” I grumble.

On the outside of Harriston, there’s an old abandoned field that the town uses to put on a “fair” every year when the schools start back up. I think it’s for the parents to celebrate not having to be with their kids all day for another nine months. During the day the festivities cater to families, but once the sun goes down the celebration cranks up a notch or twelve.

Donovan shoves my shoulder. “We always come to the fair.”

“We didn’t last year,” I remind him.

“Doesn’t count. You weren’t here.”

I sigh. “I just don’t know if I’m comfortable here,” I admit.

He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him. “Unless you never plan to come visit your sister and Martin again, there’s always a chance you could run into Charlie. Don’t you think it would be best to do it on your terms? He should see you having a good time. The last thing a guy like him needs is the ego boost of knowing a beautiful woman is still pining for him.”

He makes a great point. I’ve heard someone say before that the best revenge is living well. “Yeah, fuck him. Let’s go ride the Ferris wheel.”

Donovan takes my hand, and I’m starting to worry about how touchy he’s being today. I know he says that he doesn’t have feelings for me, and I’ve never thought he did, but this is a bit over the top. Suddenly he pulls me against his chest, puts his hand up to my face, and whispers close to my mouth, “I see him near the beer tent talking to Griffin Hale and your brother-in-law.”

“Why are you talking to me this close?” I ask him, ignoring what he said.

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