Page 177 of The Perfect Spiral
“The story is, I dragged you up the mountains to see the sunset because I just had to see it, alright? Kyle will buy it, just blameme, he could never be mad at me,” I told him, my eyes fixed on my frowning brother.
Wes hopped out of the car first, while Kyle made his way over to us. I climbed out of the car when Wes held the door open for me.
“Where the fuck were you two?” Kyle roared at us, with Knox following his lead.
“I wanted to see the sunset, so I bribed Wes into taking me up there to see it,” I assured him. His expression softened, but Knox was sizing Wes up behind Kyle.
They both looked like alpha males ready to pounce.
“What did you bribe him with?” Kyle asked, his hands relaxing from their tense grip. He was still making his way over to me.
“I said I’d make him my special chocolate mug cake if he took me up,” I thought quickly on my feet.
I was usually a terrible liar, but I was impressed by how convincing I sounded and how quickly I’d come up with the lie. Nice one, Al!
A smile spread across my face, and Kyle mirrored it, pulling me into a hug. I could tell he’d been worried about where we’d gone.
We all walked back inside, and I took out the ingredients to make Wes my pretend bribe. This was more of an apology for the disastrous date, even though it was out of my control. I still felt bad, despite how well it had ended.
Wes finished every last bite of the cake I’d made him and beamed at me, whispering, “I should take you out on train wreck dates more often if I get this cake made for me!”
After placing the mug in the sink to soak, we all took a walk out to the beach. Ben joined us and sat with me in the sand.
“What did I miss?” he asked, innocence written all over his face as he clapped his hands to brush off the sand.
“Ugh, you don’t want to know, Hendrix,” I groaned, crossing my legs and watching everyone fool around in the distance.
“That bad, huh? Hannah kind of filled me in. You’ve got two beefy guys fighting for your attention, so much that one ruins the other’s date with you? Damn! You’re screwed,” he joked, nudging my shoulder.
“Ugh, I don’t want to date anymore. Can I just marry you now, Ben? I’m tired of all of this, it’s too much,” I said, feeling the energy drain from my body. The tiredness hit me hard as we sat in the dark.
Why are they both vying for my attention when they’re supposed to be interested in other people? Why did Knox have to go and ruin the date? Could my mom be right? Am I the girl Knox has been talking about? Am I the reason they’re at odds?
“I’m all yours, sweet cheeks. Dinner sounded tense, though. Kind of glad I didn’t go... Maybe you should take a break from dating until you’re in the right headspace,” he suggested, nodding as if he’d just solved all my problems.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe I need to focus on myself for a while. Get my head straight.
“Hendrix, you’re turning into such a gossip. We need to find you some more guy friends,” I teased, “But yes, we did kiss. It was nice.” I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered the way he’d kissed me in the dark, on the hood of his car.
“But it wasn’t Knox,” he pointed out, reading my thoughts like an open book. I snapped my gaze to his, his eyes reflecting the moonlight.
“Stop lying to yourself, Alex. Admit that you like him. It’s okay to like him.”
“I don’t want to be just another girl chasing after him. He doesn’t like me, Ben, so I’m just wasting my time. There’s no point in letting feelings develop if they’re not going to be reciprocated,” I admitted, tracing patterns in the sand with my fingers.
“Has he told you he doesn’t have feelings for you?” he asked, taking my hand in his. I shook my head. “Then don’t assume he doesn’t. It’ll destroy you, sweet cheeks. Trust me.”
He sandwiched my hand between his, trying to warm it with his own heat.
I bit my lip, thinking about Knox. Ever since we kissed at Christmas, I haven’t been able to get him out of my head. The way he holds me, touches me, kisses me, looks at me... My feelings for him only grow stronger the more time I spend with him.
But does he like me back?
I’m nothing like the girls he usually goes for. I’m the polar opposite, in fact. We’re on completely different ends of the spectrum. Why would he like me?
I glanced over at him, laughing with Andy and Kyle. The sound of his laughter sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I’d recognize that laugh anywhere.
I gave Ben a weak smile and turned back towards the house. “I’m tired. I think I’m going to go to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow before you fly out?”
