Page 26 of Rescued By My Best Friend's Brother

Theworldspinsasthe driver comes to a stop. I swear he is driving me on the bumpiest roads ever, making my world even more unstable. I really shouldn’t have drunk so much. It was supposed to be just one or two drinks. I lost count after dinner. I thought food would help, but it just made Mr. Matheson want to drink more.

“We’re here,” the driver says.

I hear a door open, informing me I, too, can open the door. I struggle for a second, somehow forgetting how doors work. Finally, I find the lever and pull on it. I stumble out of the car but catch myself enough that I don’t hit the pavement. Don’t need to show up at work tomorrow with road rash on my face.

I hear my name and look up. On the porch of my house is a shadowed figure, but I’d know that silhouette anywhere. I can just make out the worry in her expression. I am not sure if it is because it is dark outside, or the fact that there are two of her.

I point at her and smile. The emotions from our kiss trickle through my drunk mind, followed by the images of my dream I can’t seem to shake. I really thought those types of dreams finally ended in college, but I guess with Elena’s return, the dreams came back too.

“You’re here. Good,” The words stick to my lips, making it difficult to talk.

She stares down at me with her arms crossed. My eyes linger a little too long on her breasts, pushed together to make her cleavage more pronounced. As if she has teleported, she appears beside me, putting her arm around my waist. I hang my arm around her shoulders, glad to finally have something to ground me to the earth. The world stops spinning so much, and each step I make feels steadier.

I peer down at her and smile. “I have something on my mind.” I think about the kiss, the way I want to do it again and keep going. “Something on my mind,” I echo, more to remind myself to tell her before I pass out.

We struggle to make it inside. She sets me down on the stairs while she goes back to lock the door. I touch my nose. “Good idea! Don’t want any unsavory characters like that Bradley fellow comin’…” my voice trails off as the railing of the stairs calls my name. I lean against it.

Elena sets her hands on her hips and scowls at me, but I can see she wants to smile. “Unsavory characters? Fellow? Never in my life would I think those words would come out of your mouth.” She reaches down and grabs my hand. Instead of allowing her to assist me to my feet, I drag her down towards me. Her other hand presses against my thigh so she doesn’t fall into me. “Jasper,” she mutters.

I smell her sweet vanilla scent, the same vanilla I’d tasted on her lips the other night. I stare at her lips. “You have pretty lips,” I say.

Her cheeks redden. “You’re drunk, Jasper. Let’s get you to bed.” She tugs on me, but I pull her back down, returning us to our previous position.

I shake my head. “No. I have to tell you something.”

She exhales. “Jasper, you can tell me after I get you in bed.”

“I like you, Elena,” I try to make my voice sound as sincere as possible, enunciating each word carefully.

She tugs me to my feet, throwing my arm around her shoulders again. “I like you, too, Jasper. I never really hated you. I just responded to the way you treated me. To be honest, I liked you picking on me. I never had anyone who picked on me and made me feel like I was a part of a family. I know that's not really what you meant, but that’s what I felt.”

I shake my head. “I didn’t hate you.” I think about how she chose Adam. How badly I’d wanted that to be me, how I’d felt so jealous that my best friend got to call himself her boyfriend. Their relationship didn’t last long, but by then, it was too late. I had fallen into the routine of being her nemesis in a way, and it became a habit I just couldn’t break by telling her my feelings.

“Adam,” I blurt out as we enter my bedroom.

She stops and peers up at me. I notice one of her hands holding my wrist. My fingers twitch to grab her hand and hold it. “Adam? Are you talking about my first boyfriend?”

I nod.

“That’s really random. What about him?” She starts walking again, and I follow her lead.

The liquid courage I’d had after dinner makes it easier to be honest. “I was jealous. I tried to ask you out and you didn’t take me seriously. Then Adam, of all people. It was just something I didn’t expect.”

She releases me. My legs hit the bed, causing me to fall onto it face-first. I roll over and suddenly feel unstable again.

“Jasper, you’re drunk.” She pulls off my shoes and sets them to the side.

“Hey!” I point at her, but I can’t seem to focus on her blurry image. “I may be drunk, but what I said is true. I want you, Elena Pruitt.”

She chuckles nervously and stuffs my feet under the blankets. “Go to bed.” She brings the blanket to my chest.

I grab her arm and pull her in close. “I want to kiss you, Elena,” I say as her face comes into focus. I see her hazel eyes, wide with shock, her wavy brown hair falling forward, almost touching my face. I move my hand to the back of her neck and start to bring her towards me. I feel her breath stop on her lips, as if waiting for mine to meet hers. I close my eyes, ready to take her in, take her all in.

She jerks away from me. “Jasper, you’re drunk,” she repeats. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good night.” She leaves my room before I can say or do anything else.

I sigh and roll over on my side. Maybe she never liked me in the first place. Slumber drags me fast into its darkness, aided by the several shots of whiskey Mr. Matheson had insisted on.

Chapter Fifteen

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