and my brother anyway. He didn’t have anyone else to take him home, so I told him he could ride with me until David’s ankle is healed and he’s driving again.”
Scarlett quirked a brow and grinned. “Interesting. That should be really interesting,” she said with a chuckle. Her voice became low. “So how are things between you two? Does this mean you two are gonna patch things up?”
I shrugged and pulled my cheer bag over my shoulder a little more. “What do you mean?” But I refused to meet her gaze.
She nudged me and crossed her arms. “Come on, Rach. I’ve noticed you two. And you guys have been weird since the winter dance. I still don’t get why you guys don’t just go for it. You two are obviously made for each other.”
I shook my head. “Scarlett…” I replied, trying to form an argument, but it was no good.
“Please,” she replied. “I remember what you told me, and I think it’s just an excuse. Who cares that he’s best friends with your brother?”
With a frustrated exhale, I replied, making sure to keep my voice down, “You don’t get it. My brother would freak out. Don’t you see? That’s why he never asked me to dance. It would create all kinds of drama. Not to mention my dad. It’s just…not worth it.”
She put her hand on her hip and gave me a skeptical look. “Not worth it, huh? That’s not what I’m seeing. As far as I can tell, you two are still just as crazy about each other. And for a good reason.”
Why was it impossible to cover up how I really felt about Aaron around her?
“I see how he looks at you,” she went on. “How you look at him. I saw it from the minute I moved here.”
Oh my gosh. Was it that obvious?
I glanced around, trying to keep it together and not believing we were having this conversation again. If I had let Aaron go, then she had to let this go too.
“Friends,” I said finally, nudging her back and trying to get my usual self-confidence back. “We are just friends.”
“Okay,” Scarlett said, taking a couple of steps towards her mom and raising her hands in self-defense. “But I still think you two would be like the cutest couple ever at Jefferson High.”
I shushed her, but smiled, glad this conversation was over. “Wrong,” I called after her. “That honor obviously goes to you and Ben.”
She turned back to me and laughed. “Yeah, we are pretty cute, huh?”
We said goodbye, and I walked up to Aaron. “Sorry. Have you been waiting long?” I asked as I stuck my stuff in the back.
“Nah, it’s cool,” he said, setting his stuff down next to mine.
I made my way to the driver’s door, and he opened my door for me. I stepped in.
“Thanks,” I said, wondering why I felt so nervous all of a sudden.
He closed the door, and I focused on taking a deep breath.
Aaron was just being a gentleman. That was all.
Inhale…
Exhale…
No need to freak out right now.
When he got in the passenger side, the first thing I noticed was how good Aaron smelled. Apparently, he had showered after practice, which he didn’t usually do.
Was it weird that I knew that?
Why did I know that?
It was weird, definitely weird.
I pulled out of the school.
All I knew was, that with Aaron in the car, I had to focus a little harder on the road and which way to go.
“Thanks again for giving me a ride,” he said, breaking the silence in the car.
I kept my eyes on the road, not sure how my concentration would do if I met those captivating honey-colored eyes of his. Sometimes I debated whether they were my favorite thing about him. “Of course,” I replied. “Like I said, it’s no problem.”
Why was I talking so much?
We came to a red light, and I snuck a quick glance at him.
His hair was wet and perfect. His mouth was set in a serious expression, but all I wanted to do was—
“Light’s green,” he said, turning to me.
“Oh,” I replied, quickly pressing on the gas and silently chastising myself for being a dork. “Sorry. Long day. I’m kind of tired.”
Was it me or was Aaron’s voice deeper these days? And I wasn’t about to ask him, but he had to be a couple of inches taller too.
He just got cuter and cuter with every summer that went by.
Because we’d known each other forever, I still thought about