A Crush on Her Best Friend's Brother: Complete Box Set (6 page)

Rachel:
I missed talking to you too. I can't wait to see you tomorrow.

She
wanted to know was there really something between them, or was he
just playing with her. Rachel knew he was the one man that could
break her heart. She had liked him since she was thirteen.

The
next day was Christmas Eve and she was having dinner with her mom at
Karen's house. She made sure to put on a pair of jeans that clung to
her curves in a sexy way. Her hair was down against her shoulders.
She had some makeup on, but not too much. Rachel grabbed a pretty
sweater and some sexy boots. She checked herself once more in the
mirror before seeing if her mom was ready. Rachel couldn't wait to
see Brad. She was only home for a little over a week and knew it
would be months before she would be able to go home again.

They
knocked on the door across the street. Rachel felt like she was
thirteen again. She felt butterflies in her stomach just thinking
about Brad again. The last time she was home, she was so afraid to
knock on that door. So much had changed for her in that month. Brad
didn't know it, but she looked forward to their call each night. It
was nice feeling like she had a friend while she was away. Karen had
made friends at school, and the two girls talked less each week.
Rachel was shy and kept to herself. Her day was all about school and
homework. The soup kitchen she had started working at was helping as
well. She found herself excited to get up each morning during that
month.

The
door swung open with Karen on the other side. The girls hugged, as
Karen started talking a million miles a minute about her night with
Sam. She pulled Rachel into the house. Her mom came out and began
talking to Rachel's mom. Karen began walking down the hall.

“
Come
on,” Karen said. “I want to go and talk to you in my
room.”

Rachel
saw Brad looking at her from the living room as the two girls passed
by. He had a huge smile on his face, as he made a hand gesture about
his sister talking so much. Rachel let out a giggle, and Karen turned
to look at her.

“
What's
so funny?” Karen asked.

“
Nothing,”
Rachel answered.

The
two girls went into Karen's room and talked about school and how much
fun Karen was having.

“
Have
you been talking to any hot guys?” she asked.

“
Actually,
I have,” Rachel answered.

Karen
stopped and looked at her in shock.

“
Is
that so hard to believe?” Rachel asked.

“
No,”
Karen answered. “I'm just surprised you haven't mentioned it.
What's he like? Is he cute?”

“
Yes,
he is very cute,” Rachel answered. “It's nothing really.
We're more friends than anything. We talk at least once a day. We're
not dating or anything, but he's a really nice guy.”

Karen's
mom called down the hall to tell them dinner was ready. The girls got
up and ready to go.

“
I'll
be out in a minute. I need to use the restroom,” Rachel said.

Karen
walked down the hallway toward the dining room. Rachel walked the
opposite way toward the bathroom. She jumped when an arm reached out
and pulled her into Brad's room. He let out a laugh when she gave him
a dirty look.

“
You
scared me,” she whispered.

“
I'm
sorry,” he said. “Does she ever stop talking?”

Rachel
laughed and shook her head at him.

“
She's
just excited about Sam.”

Brad
wrapped Rachel in his arms and held her tight.

“
I
couldn't wait another second to hug you. I missed our nightly chat.
We have to find a way to see each other later today,” he said.

“
I
had a hard time falling asleep for some reason,” she said.

“
That's
because you didn't get to talk to me,” he said with a laugh.

Rachel
held on to him a few moments longer. He kissed her softly on the
lips, and she leaned into his touch. When he pulled back, she looked
into his eyes. They were so blue and sexy. She smiled up at him and
pulled back.

“
I'll
go out first,” she said.

He
gave her a light smack on the ass as she walked away. She looked back
over her shoulder to see the smirk on his face.

During
dinner, he sat across from her. She felt his foot on her leg. When
she looked up, he had the cutest grin on his face. Rachel laughed and
Karen looked over at her.

“
What
are you laughing about now?” Karen asked.

“
Nothing,”
Rachel answered. “I was just thinking about something.”

“
Were
you thinking about the hot guy you met at school? The one you're
friends with,” Karen asked in a flirty tone, as she stressed
the word friends.

Before
Rachel could say anything, Brad looked up at her. His jaw was
clenched tight.

“
You
have a boyfriend at school?” he asked.

She
wasn't sure if he was messing with her or if he really thought she
was talking to someone else.

“
No,”
she said.

“
You
said you talk to him at least once a day,” Karen said. “You
said he was hot.”

Rachel
heard a growl escape Brad's lips. Everyone looked over at him, but he
patted his chest to play it off as something else.

“
How
hot is he?” Brad asked. “Tell us about him.”

“
We're
more friends than anything. He's very nice looking, but he can be a
real ass sometimes. We talk on the phone mostly. I don't get to see
him much. How about you, Brad. Do you have a girlfriend at school? I
bet you're out with a different girl every weekend. Since you're a
football star, they probably line up outside your apartment.”

Rachel
smiled as she spoke. She looked at Brad as she said the last
sentence.

“
There
is this one girl,” he said. “I can't seem to get her out
of my mind.”

“
Yeah
right,” Karen burst out. “You actually found someone. I
have to meet her. Who could possibly get my brother to stop being a
player? She must be pretty special.”

“
She
sure is,” he said. “The guys think I'm losing my touch.
They don't mind though. It leaves more fun for them. I haven't been
to a single party in the last month. It's kind of nice spending time
in my apartment without a bunch of guys there.”

Rachel
kept her eyes down on her plate. She couldn't help but wonder if he
was full of shit or if he was being honest. Had he really not hooked
up with anyone since Thanksgiving? It wasn't the first time he had
said it. They did talk before they went to sleep each night. She
always wondered if he would go out after he talked to her.

“
Are
we going to meet her?” Karen asked.

Rachel
felt her body stiffen at Karen's question. She felt horrible for not
telling her friend about them, but they weren't in a relationship. If
it ever became serious, she would tell her, but there was no reason
to bring something up that wasn't serious at the time.

“
Maybe
one day,” he said. “I think you'd be surprised.”

“
Ouch,”
Rachel's mom yelled out from next to Brad. “What was that?”

“
Sorry,”
Rachel said. “My foot accidentally hit you. Are you okay?”

Her
mom looked up at her with a smile.

“
It's
fine,” she answered.

After
dinner, everyone moved into the living room. The girls opened their
presents from each other and from the opposite parents. The two of
them had been friends for so long, they both felt like they had three
parents looking out for them.

Rachel
felt a strange feeling. She jumped up from the couch and ran for the
bathroom. It was so weird. Everything was fine all day long.
Suddenly, she was throwing up. She threw some water on her face and
looked in the mirror before going back to the living room.

“
Are
you okay?” Brad asked, as he looked up at her.

“
I'm
not feeling well. I think I'm going to go home. Maybe something I ate
today didn't agree with me. I'm sorry,” she said. “Thank
you for everything. I'll see you later, Karen.”

Without
waiting for a reply, she grabbed her bag of presents and walked out
the door. The air outside felt good on her face. Why did she have to
get sick as soon as she got home, she thought?

Rachel
spent the rest of the night in bed. Her mom brought her some crackers
to eat, hoping they would stay down. Her phone buzzed.

Brad:
Are you okay?

Rachel:
I don't know. It came out of nowhere. I feel okay now. I ate some
crackers. I'm sorry I left.

Brad:
I wish I could be there with you. It was horrible knowing you were
sick and not being able to help you.

Rachel:
I'm fine now.

Brad:
So, I'm an ass sometimes? I told you I haven't been with anyone since
Thanksgiving. Do you believe me?

Rachel:
You were being one at dinner. I don't know what to believe. I
remember how you were.

Brad:
It's nice to know that you think I'm hot. Unless there's another guy
you're talking to. I'm not the same guy that left for college. I care
about you, Rachel. For two years, I came home wanting to see you.
When I answered the door last month, I knew that I never wanted to go
that long without seeing you again.

Rachel:
I'm not talking to anyone else, unless you count my date for Friday.

Brad:
Not funny. I can't believe you're going.

Rachel:
How can I tell Karen no? What would I say? We're just hanging out
together. You're going out anyway.

Brad:
With the guys.

Rachel
changed the subject. She wasn't turning her friend down. It was
probably the only night she would be able to spend with her. When she
went back to school, she wouldn't see her for months. The thought of
being gone for three months made Rachel sad. So much could happen in
that amount of time.

The
next day, Rachel and her mother stayed home together. It was
Christmas, and she was going to have a day with her mom. They made
breakfast, talked, opened gifts, watched movies, made dinner
together, and played cards. She couldn't remember the last time she
spent that much time with her mom.

“
Do
you have anything you want to tell me about the guy you and Karen
were talking about?” her mom asked.

“
Not
really,” Rachel answered. “We're just friends right now.
I talk to him on the phone or we text. There's nothing to really
tell.”

Her
mom shook her head and looked at her with a questioning look.

“
What?”
Rachel asked.

“
What's
his name?” her mom asked.

“
He's
just a friend,” Rachel snapped.

“
Okay,”
her mom said. “I've been seeing someone.”

Rachel's
eyes widened at her mother's confession.

“
Really?”
Rachel asked.

Her
mom shook her head, and a smile spread across her face.

They
sat talking for hours about her mom's new man. Rachel was so happy
for her. She was finally moving on with her life. With Rachel away at
school, she needed to have a social life. It made Rachel feel so much
better about her mom. They were laughing and joking. It felt so good
to be home.

When
Friday arrived, Rachel didn't want to go out with Karen and the guys.
She wanted to stay home. Really, she wanted to see Brad. They had
seen each other at the airport and dinner just days before, but she
wanted to spend more time with him. Maybe he didn't want to spend
time with her, she thought. He mentioned that he wanted to see her a
couple of times. Was he just saying that to make her feel better?

She
knew she couldn't back out on her friend. Karen was important to her,
and she knew Karen really wanted her to go. Rachel took a shower and
grabbed a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes. She wasn't going
out of her way to look good. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She
put on some lip gloss and light makeup.