Page 7 of Smitten With My Brother's Best Friend
I hurriedly get dressed and drive to the small pub in the middle of town. It’s late, so there aren’t many people there, but I see Adam has already taken a seat in front of the bar.
“Hey,” I say, sitting beside him on the stool.
“Enjoying your first day back?” he asks.
I shrug. “It’s all right. Not a lot has changed, though.”
“I was thinking that too. We leave for missions and come back, and everything is still the same. It’s kind of nice. Aster Falls will always be constant and unchanging.”
I’m afraid I have to disagree with him. It’s not nice. It’s boring. I don’t want to leave and come back to the same life and the same things all the time. I keep my thoughts to myself though. He’s so happy to be back, and I don’t want to spoil his good mood with my bleak thoughts.
We talk for a little while until it’s time to head back home. My mood is better by the time I leave the bar, and I didn’t drink much, so I drive home. My mom is already asleep when I get home. I wanted to apologize to her, but I guess I’ll have to do so tomorrow.
Just before I fall asleep, I find myself thinking about Taylor. I’m not sure where the sudden attraction and fixation is coming from, and I’m not sure I like it.
******
I manage not to see her for a whole week. It’s intentional. We’re probably avoiding each other. She’s avoiding me because she hates me, and I’m avoiding her because I don’t understand my sudden feelings around her.
I’m seriously considering leaving Aster Falls for the duration of my break. There’s nothing here for me. All I’ve done in the past week is sleep, eat, work out, hang out with Adam, and repeat. A change in environment would do me a lot of good. My mom has me going to get groceries for her. I’m a 29-year-old fully grown man, and getting groceries for my mom should be beneath me.
I leave the grocery store and drive past a restaurant in town when I notice something odd. Or should I say, someone. Taylor Miller. The one person I’ve been trying to avoid. She’s standing in front of the restaurant with her boyfriend, and they seem to be having a heated argument. I park my car and decide to watch them through my rearview mirror. I can’t help being curious.
Everything happens faster than I can blink. One minute Taylor is standing in front of him, her expression desperate and annoyed, and the next, she’s on the ground.
My blood boils like broth on a stove, and I see red because the motherfucker just pushed her to the floor. I open the car door angrily and approach them.
“Oh shit, Taylor. I’m sorry,” the asshole is saying. He doesn’t see me coming up behind him.
“Hey, asshole,” I call out.
He only has time to turn around before my fist is flying. Now he’s the one on the ground. Taylor gapes at both of us, and I move to help her up.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
She nods.
“I’m fine. What are you doing here?” she asks.
“I was driving past when I saw the both of you. Do you need me to beat him up?”
“Motherfucker!” Terry roars. His nose is bleeding.
The sight gives me intense pleasure.
“Terry, just leave. Please.”
He looks like he wants to argue, but I glare at him, and he gets the message. He walks away from us and enters a car. A few seconds later, he’s driving away.
“What the hell just happened?” I ask Taylor.
“We got into an argument,” she says.
“He fucking pushed you! Does he do that shit often? Has he ever hit you?” I ask through gritted teeth.
I swear if he hits her, I’ll find the bastard, then I’ll kill him, with Adam’s help, of course.
“No. He was just angry, and he has never hurt me before today.”
