Page 17 of Falling For My Best Friend's Brother

When Knox approached me, I couldn’t keep the surprise from showing on my face. I’d honestly expected him to turn me down.

I watched in awe as he dropped his suitcase on the floor, then took the stool directly opposite me, eyeing the pasta like he was trying to figure out if it was a bomb. I didn’t know what he was worried about. It looked nice to me.

His head rose to look at me, face suddenly blank. “Thank you.”

I nodded again, though my heart was jumping inside my chest. That was probably the nicest thing he’d ever said to me. It didn’t even matter that he’d said it in such an unfeeling tone. Something inside me warmed.

Knox grabbed the fork, as if uncertain of the choices that brought him to this point, heaved in a breath, and then scooped some pasta and lifted it to his mouth.

I didn’t breathe as I watched him chew. Other than Lindsay, no one else had tasted anything I’d cooked before. And she dutifully played the role of best friend every single time, complimenting my food when all she wanted to do was spit it out and rinse her mouth. I always appreciated her for not laughing at me, especially when she offered to teach me how to make basic meals and taste-tested each plate.

With Knox, however, I’d put in more effort. I realized I wanted to impress him, though for what reason, I didn’t know. I just knew that I wanted him to like my food.

His jaw worked as his eyes locked onto mine. My heart was hammering so loudly that I could hear it in my ears.

When the silence stretched in for much longer than I could take, I raised an eyebrow at him, biting my lower lip. “Well?”

“Well, what?” He stuffed his mouth with another forkful.

That means it’s good, right?Knox didn’t strike me as considerate as his sister. If it was bad, he’d be laughing right now.

“How is it? Do you like it?” I inquired impatiently.

He shrugged, taking another forkful. “It’s edible.”

Okay. I already knew that. I needed more. And why was he being so casual about it?

“Yes, but is it good?” I pressed.

It sounded like I was fishing for compliments, but I didn’t care. I put my heart into cooking this meal, and I wanted him to say something other than “It’s edible,” for fuck’s sake.

But Knox just kept chewing, seemingly oblivious to my agitation.

My nostrils flared. I could feel the anger coming up. “Knox—”

“Didn’t you say it’s the thought that counts?”

I did say that. It wasn’t a lie, though. It just wasn’t what I wanted to hear. Reminding myself that I’d done this to be nice to him and not to feel good about myself, I let it go. I didn’t think a good deed would automatically make him a better person, but still, I’d expected a little more gratitude.

He ate in silence for a while and sometimes his eyes would drift off as he stared into the distance while I wondered what he was thinking about. I didn’t dare ask, though, no matter how much I yearned to know. But I knew it must have had to do with his work.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” he suddenly asked.

I blinked down at Knox. “What?”

He gestured to his almost empty plate. “You’re not eating.”

“Oh.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m not hungry.”

Both perfectly arched brows shot up. “You cooked for just me?

Well, when he said it like that, it sounded weird.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

For a second, he looked like he didn’t know what to say. An awkward tension filled the space between us as we held each other’s gazes. I bit down on my lower lip, my breath hitching when his sapphire eyes dropped to it. They darkened just a bit, filling my head with images of lips on lips, tongues clashing.

I shouldn’t be thinking of such things about Knox. It made me recall last week, when I’d worn some of my sluttiest clothes and paraded around him with my breasts all but hanging out. Obviously, I hadn’t been in my right mind, or I wouldn’t havemade such a pathetic move. But I could’ve sworn that I got to him. His body language and general uneasiness were clear.

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