Page 56 of Tell Me When It's Over

Not to mention the dreams. Plural. As in, I’ve had more than one about my once half-brother. They aren’t R-rated by any means, but they’re pushing the PG-13 boundary considering who he is. Sure, we aren’t related, but once upon a time… Stop.

“I know,” I relent, voice hoarse, and shoving the thought far, far away. Eyeing Chase when I see his lips twitch, I shove his shoulder and snatch the remote back from him. “We still have forty minutes of this thing left, so—”

“We should go out.”

My eyes bug out of my head as I stare at him with my mouth still open mid-sentence. Did he just say what I think he did? As if staring wi

ll give me that answer, I study his features and try figuring out what I’m missing.

Half his lips curl up slowly. “You look surprised, which means I probably suck at making the whole I-like-you vibes noticeable.”

I…don’t even know what to say. “Oh.”

The other half of his lips curve. “I know what Mia was thinking when she made Garrick introduce us. Have to say, didn’t mind the setup when you slid into my brother’s car that day.”

Double oh. “So…” I blink a few times until I force myself to say something that doesn’t make me sound like an idiot. My cheeks are hot, and the heat is spreading around my face. “You really want to go out with me?” I mean, he said he did. I imagine it wasn’t an invite to go outside together, especially because it’s raining and gross, but who knows? My experience with this sort of thing is nonexistent.

I think back to Saint Michael’s when I had my only real boy experience, and it wasn’t dating. I’m not sure the hand holding, hugging, and the occasional kiss counts because I do that stuff with Kyler. Well, the kisses are strictly cheek or forehead, no matter how long his lips stay, but still.

The feeling in my stomach turns to something different when I think about Beckham Reeves, who hasn’t crossed my mind in a long time because every time he does I squish his memory, and Chase must think the shift in my expression is because of him because he instantly backtracks. “You know, we’ll forget I even asked. It’s fine. Really.”

“No!” I blurt, heart drumming in my chest as I try making this right. “I mean, not ‘no’ as in ‘no, I don’t want to go out’ I just mean ‘no’ as in ‘no, I don’t want to forget that you asked me to go out.’” Swallowing, I wave my hand. “Can we start over? I don’t think I’m making much sense because I’m nervous.”

“You’re nervous?” He laughs again and I’m grateful that it’s in a lighthearted way. “I’m nervous. It’s taken me a lot longer than I originally planned to ask you, and I hadn’t really meant to blurt it out like that.”

“What?”

He nods. “I’m not great at this. Garrick told me—”

“Garrick knows?” My voice is way too high to pass off as normal. He told his brother he was going to ask me out?

“Well, yeah. He actually called me an idiot for not doing it sooner.” That admission comes with the faint coloring of his cheeks, rivaling mine.

Blinking, I need to take a deep breath to collect the thoughts running rampant in my mind. So what if his brother knows? His super famous brother who I kissed posters of. No big deal. What I should worry about is if Mia knows since she and Garrick have been working together over the past few weeks. And if she doesn’t, she’ll make a scene once she does.

His throat clears again. “So, would you?”

I’m brought back to the question at hand and find myself nodding because I don’t know what else to do. “Sure. I mean, yes, I’d like that.”

I think.

It’s not a lie either, but the words feel funny on my tongue. I haven’t been asked out before. Maybe because I’ve closed myself off to it, but mostly because I don’t think guys have been interested. Back in Phoenix, I’d been flirted with, but it was usually by old men that would come into one of the many diners I waited tables at. Regulars who were harmless, for the most part. None of them were serious about their advances. Half of them did it to see me blush, then tease me the rest of the night when I did.

Chase seems harmless too. Nothing like his brother which is promising. Garrick is a charmer, the kind of guy who flirts with everything with a vagina. It reminds me too much of the men Mom hung around. In comparison, Chase is safer.

Safe is good, right?

But I look at him, really look, and wonder if I should have said no. Not because he isn’t a decent guy. I like hanging out with him. But because part of me thinks the man upstairs won’t like the development.

The curly-haired boy in front of me gives me a warm smile and nods, swiping a hand through his tresses until the strands flop back over his forehead. “We should exchange some weekends we’re both free. I can rearrange my schedule easily, but I know the café isn’t as flexible since Mel let you pick up more hours.”

Nibbling my lip, I give him a nod and wonder what Mia will say. Then my mind goes to Mom, and I try not to frown, I really do, but my lips feel heavy thinking she isn’t here to tell me what she thinks. Would she like Chase or tell me to go after Garrick? Would she give me advice on what to wear and how to talk and what color lipstick to apply?

I’m still thinking about my agreement to go out with Chase by the time Kyler is done with his shower and walking into the living room. Chase is gone—something came up with his mom, so he promised to finish the movie with me another day. We parted with a goodbye hug that lasted longer than normal, leaving me with a shy smile on my face that he matched before walking out. Sighing, I follow Kyler into the kitchen and sit at the counter while he prepares his usual protein shake that looks way too healthy for my liking.

“Where’d Chase go?”

“You chased him away with your broody mood,” I tease half-heartedly, watching him pause what he’s doing to eye me. I roll mine. “He had to go home.” He resumes what he’s doing, and the silence makes me think I upset him. Do wet towels bother him that much? “Are you angry at me, Ky? I said I was sorry.”

---