Page 35 of Because of Dylan

“Miss Jones, have you seen my brother today?”

With his question, the sounds, motions, and smells of the cafeteria come rushing back in.

Was that disapproval in his voice?

I turn to face him. “I saw him this morning. But not since.”

“I was under the impression you two have lunch together.” An eyebrow rises.

“Not on Tuesdays. Our schedules don’t line up that way.” Tommy meets me for lunch often, but it’s November now. He’s made new friends, and I’m happy he’s venturing on his own. But I don’t say any of it to Professor Dick.

He looks at me for a long moment. And I can’t read him. I can’t tell what he’s thinking. What he’s hiding behind those beautiful eyes. I know he’s trying to read me. Still judging me and trying to figure me out. Good luck with that. I don’t even know what’s going on with me. How could he?

He gets up, pushes the chair back in place, picks up his to-go salad, looks at my plate and back at his salad.

He steals two fries from my plate and pops them in his mouth. “I should have gotten the burger and fries.”

He nods at River and disappears.

“What the hell just happened?” I look at River with both hands up as if I could grab the answer from the air.

She’s laughing at me. “He likes you,” she says in a singsong voice, dancing in her chair.

“What? No. Just no. He hates my guts. He thinks I’m corrupting his brother.”

River stops the chair-dance. “Who’s his brother?”

“Tommy.”

“Wait, the kid you’re hooking up with is his brother?”

“Yes. No. Yes. No. Ugh.” I push my plate to the side and bang my head on the table.

She steals another fry. “What is it? Yes or no?”

I pull my plate back and shove a bunch of fries in my mouth before I lose them all. Chew harder than needed. Swallow. Take a drink from my water bottle.

“Yes, Tommy is his brother. And no, we’re not hooking up. We never did.”

“Whoa … hold the press. You’re not hooking up with this kid. Why?”

“No. We’re friends. I don’t fuck every guy I know.” I glare at her.

“I know that. I didn’t mean to imply you fuck everything with a dick. I meant, I could swear you said you were with him.”

“You assumed, River. I never said it.”

“Huh … well, that makes things easier, then. It would be too weird to be hooking up with two brothers.”

I lean into the table, lower my voice. “I’m not hooking up with either of them. Never happened. Never will.”

She goes for another fry. I smack her hand away.

She rubs her hand. “Famous last words, Becca. Famous last words.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ohhhh, you challenged the universe with that never. Now we have to figure out which brother you'll be with.”

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