Hired Hottie - Kelsie Rae Page 0,6
I give him a one-shoulder shrug. There’s no use denying it. He already knows the answer.
“And?” I ask, folding my arms defensively. “What are you doing here?”
His calloused palms grasp the wrought-iron railing before pulling himself up the steps until there’s only a foot of space between us. My back hits the red-colored door behind me in an attempt to give me a little more breathing room, but it doesn’t stop my heart from pounding harder than when I was sprinting up the hill a few minutes ago.
“Charlie. I’m an ass.” His declaration makes me smile, fighting against the original anger that’d been harboring itself inside of me since our fight at the theater. Peeking up at him, I tighten my ponytail, my hands fidgeting awkwardly. When it’s clear he has my attention, he adds, “But you know I’m an ass.”
With a sigh, I admit, “Yes. You are an ass to every other person on this planet. I know that. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to be an ass to me.”
“You’re right.”
That’s it. That’s all he says. And it makes me want to see if he’s really my best friend standing in front of me or if he’s been replaced with a doppelganger.
“Did you just admit someone else is right instead of yourself?” I tease, shoving his chest playfully.
He laughs at my reaction, clearly pleased that I’m softening. “Yeah. I guess I did. But I am sorry, Charlie. I know that I touched on a sensitive subject, and I didn’t even have the decency to figure it out when it happened. I was pounding my brain for the whole last week, and I couldn’t piece together why you were so pissed at me. But once it finally hit me….” He shakes his head. “I’m such an ass.” Running his hands through his hair, he tugs on the roots until a bite of pain must spread across his skull.
“We already agreed on that part,” I joke before reaching up and tugging his hands back down to his sides. His skin is warm, but I let go as if it’s scalding before rubbing my hands along my shorts to erase the feel of his skin against mine.
Clearing my throat while praying he didn’t notice my reaction, I ask, “But why are you here? You could’ve just apologized over the phone.”
“You weren’t talking to me, remember? I tried texting, and all I got was bullshit one-word answers. I know you better than that. I know that an apology text wasn’t going to make up for my slipup. You’re my best friend, Charlie. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I want us to go back to the way we were. I know things have been a little weird since I’ve been gone at school, and that they’ll continue to be weird while I’m finishing my degree for the next two years. But I don’t care how much the world changes around me; I just can’t let you change with it. I can’t let our relationship change.”
“People change, Levi. It’s just a fact.”
“But not us. Please. Please? I’m begging you.”
The desperation makes me pause.
“Promise me that things won’t change between us. Promise me that you’ll always be there for me, and I promise that I’ll always be here for you. I won’t use you, and I won’t be an asshole and invite girls when I’m with you. Our time is important to me, and I’m sorry I made you feel like it wasn’t. From now on, I’ll make it a priority. I won’t look at you like a wingman. I won’t look at you like one of the guys. I’ll just…I’ll just look at you like you’re Charlie. My best friend.”
That’s the problem, though, isn’t it? a voice inside of me whispers. That’s all I’ll ever be. His best friend. And only his best friend.
With a soft smile, I nod even though a small part of me dies inside. “I’ll always be here for you, Levi. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
Relieved, Levi throws his arm around my neck and pulls me in for a brotherly hug. “Thank God. ‘Cause I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Chapter Three
Charlie
Two Years Later
“I’d like a cup of coffee with cream, two eclairs, and a cronut, please,” the customer orders. Her mouth is practically watering as she eyes the pastries behind me. I have to hide my laugh when I witness her set of twins tugging on her flowy skirt in an