Page 27 of A Necessary Nudge Out of the Friend Zone

CHAPTER11

Colton closed his eyes and let Remi’s hands work over his neck and shoulders. It was relaxing. The way her fingers felt was incredible. Her touch sent shivers through him. He could easily get lost in the feeling of her so close, her breath tickling his cheek. It was intoxicating. The way she smelled combined with just being close to her made him feel like someone hooked him up to an electrical outlet. His skin hummed with the current. What would it feel like to kiss her?

Wait, what was he doing? Remi and he were friends. That was it. He shouldn’t be thinking of her in any other way. Heat rushed to his face. What might she do if she knew the kinds of thoughts running through his mind right now? Would she freak out on him? He needed to stop thinking those thoughts before it became a problem.

Her fingers skimmed over his neck again, making his breath catch. Dang, he should tell her to stop. She’d done enough. But he just couldn’t quite force his lips to speak. Maybe in a minute, after a while longer.

“What are you thinking?”

Colton bolted upright. “Nothing. I’m not thinking anything. Why? Why do you want to know?” Okay, he needed to shut up now.

Remi studied him. “Just curious. You seemed really relaxed. Did that help you?”

“Yes,” he said too quickly. Why was he acting all nervous? What was wrong with him? “I’m fine now. You can go. I—I need to get ready for my date with Liz.” He cringed. Did he just tell Remi to leave? He hadn’t meant to say that.

Remi stood and walked toward the door. “All right. Text me when you’re done with your date. I’ll come over.” She seemed stiff. Awkward.

“Ask Brooke if she wants to come,” he blurted out. Maybe having Brooke there would make him start acting more normal.

Remi paused a second before nodding to him. “Yeah. Brooke. Sure. I’ll ask.”

She left before he had the chance to say anything else. He sighed and sank back into the seat. That hadn’t gone well. Why had he started thinking those kinds of things about Remi? How could that happen? Remi was just…Remi. His friend. He’d never thought of her in any other way before. Now things were getting all jumbled up in his head.

Maybe he needed to put a stop to the crazy notion that he was attracted to Remi. She wasn’t his type. Why was he having those kinds of thoughts? He shook his head. It had to be some weird fluke. He was tired. Thinking too much. He’d go on the scuba diving excursion and all would be fine again when he got back to his room.

* * *

Remi opened the hotel door. “Brooke?”

The sound of the shower answered her. Figures. She pulled out her scrapbook and leafed through the pages while she waited for what seemed like forever for her sister to come out of the bathroom. Memories flooded her of the times she and Colton had shared. The school trip to John Brown’s cave, and how they had traded their lunches and then gotten in trouble by old Mrs. Fussypants. (Her name was Mrs. Fitzpatrick, but Colton had given her that nickname after the lunch incident, and it stuck.)

Brooke opened the bathroom door and a cloud of hairspray wafted out.

Remi sighed. “This is hopeless,” she said to Brooke as she shoved her scrapbook into her suitcase and crossed the room.

“What is? I thought things were going well. You snuggled. He called you over. Now what?”

Remi flopped down onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. “I was bold. I did what I thought you would do. I gave Colton a massage. He said it felt nice, but then when I was leaving he said to make sureyoucome over tonight with me. So, it didn’t work at all.”

Brooke sat down next to her on the bed. “It’s okay. Tell him I have a date with someone else. That should help.”

Remi sat up and gaped at her sister. “You want me to lie to him?”

A smile grew on Brooke’s face. “No. It’s not a lie.”

Confusion swirled in Remi until the truth dawned on her. “Wait, you’re going on a date?”

“You didn’t ask me how it went last night at the dance club.” She brought out her lip balm and applied it while trying not to grin.

Sure. Brooke wasn’t just going to say it. She was going to make Remi ask. “How did it go?”

“Really well.”

“Obviously. What happened?”

“I met a great guy named Mark.” Brooke blushed. Like, a real blush. Remi didn’t think she’d ever seen her sister blush before. She must really like this guy.

“Mark, huh? What’s he like?”

---