My Best Friend’s Brother

He catches me looking at him again and smiles, and I go back to watching the TV. My body is much more interested in the feeling of desire for him after yesterday and everything he did.

Julie says, taking me by surprise:

”Brennan is inviting us to go to that cool bar his cousin hangs out at. Do you guys want to go?”

I look at Chris, who also looks at me, and I disguise it by looking at Julie and saying:

” Sure.”

Chris also says:

”I’m going too.”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Great, more time with Chris and Julie at the same time. I think I can behave. I need to.

But it gets hard to concentrate on this when I look at Chris, who smiles at me while Julie types back to Brennan.

We are on the couch in the living room: me, Molly, and Brennan. Our cell phones are a distraction or just a cover because there is no conversation we want to get attached to right now. Endless minutes later, Brennan decides he can’t wait any longer and goes up the stairs to my sister’s room.

We both sit on the couch in the living room. After a while and some exchanging of glances, Molly says:

”Thank you really for staying with me yesterday.”

I smile back and say:

”It was a pleasure.”

She then takes a deep breath and asks:

”Do you want to go to that bar?”

I don’t know why she is asking me this, or maybe she wants to talk anyway, so I answer:

”Why? Did you have other plans in mind?”

I look at her in that way that makes her face flush in a way that I love. But if I thought she would be shy this time, I was wrong. She looks at me in a very provocative way and says:

”Maybe.”

I’m ready to drop the whole thing, tell Julie I’m staying home, and ask Molly to make up some excuse not to go out too, but Julie and Brennan are coming down the stairs now and saying we have to go soon. I stand up and disguise it by putting a hand on what is half evident in the front of my jeans and say:

”Look who’s in a hurry now.”

Julie tells me to be quiet, and we head for the door. Molly is right behind them and right in front of me. If I know her even slightly, I know she enjoys my situation. I get close to her ear and say softly:

”You love to tease me like this, don’t you?”

She smiles and turns around, saying:

”At least now I can fix this for you too.”

Well, if I wanted to feel somehow more relieved, she has not only made that impossible now, but she has made it even more so that I want to stay here and with her for at least the whole night.

Julie turns around and says:

”Come on, you two.”

Molly and I look at her with a face that makes her almost feel guilty for being late, I said almost.

We head towards the elevator, and when we get to the parking lot of the building, Julie asks Molly if she wants to go with them or if she doesn’t mind going with me because they are still going to pick up a couple of Brennan’s colleagues.

Molly looks a little disconcerted but finally decides it will be better if she goes with me in my car. I like that, but I don’t let it show because I know she doesn’t want Julie to know about anything between us. I don’t think Julie would get upset about it, but it’s Molly’s wish, just another one I’ve been doing my best to fulfill lately.

Minutes after we get into the car, Molly asks me:

”What did you say to Julie when she caught you leaving my house with that guilty face?”

I ended up laughing. Molly is curious, and I knew she would not let it go. I say:

”I just told the truth.”

She looks worried now when she asks:

” What do you mean?”

”That I had slept with you.”

She is speechless now, and I end up laughing and say:

”Relax, I didn’t say that.”

She even puts her hand on her heart, making me laugh even more complex, and I say:

” I just said how you were at night and that I had gone in the morning to see if you were better.”

She stares forward thoughtfully for a while, and I say:

”Listen.”

She looks at me, and I continue:

”I promised I wouldn’t say anything to her. Just trust me, okay?”

She smiles, and I find that I would do a lot to get her to smile at me like that more often.

… Molly…

We are near a table where there are several glasses of alcohol. Chris, just like me, rolls with just one drink since we got here, while the others are already on their third or fourth. The place is excellent, and there is a dance floor and several lights of different colors. The music is loud but not close enough to where we are to disturb our conversations.

My gaze meets Chris a few times, I can’t stop thinking about how he was before we came here and my desire for him only increases every time he accidentally or on purpose makes his spleen touch mine because we are so close here.

Minutes later, he gets up along with Devon, Brennan’s cousin, and they head towards the bar to order more drinks. I know they will take a while because the line is enormous. You can see it from where we are.

You can also see how Chris is catching the eye of some women standing next to them. They look and smile, and one of them says something to her friend. I look away, and it’s none of my business.

My gaze doesn’t stay averted for long.

I try to join in the conversation at the table, but my eyes are going in Chris’s direction. I can already see that they are talking to him.

I know I shouldn’t care, and I don’t care, but I also know that I wouldn’t say I like the idea of him having another girl today. Oh, stop it, Molly. You don’t want or ask for exclusivity from him. He gets whoever he wants.