TYSON CAINE: Book 1 in the Brothers in Arms Series (Brothers in Arms Book 1) (7 page)

What have I gotten myself into? How is it Saturday already? Cassie has assured me that Kyle is very good looking, intelligent, and not a sleazebag. I may have even checked his Facebook page, and yes, the boy is a looker.

Cassie drives her crimson red sporty hatchback to Spinnaker’s Café, where we are meeting her boyfriend, Lucas, and his infamous friend, Kyle. “God, Brooke, you really are out of touch. You look white as a ghost,” she declares to me with wide eyes.

“Very funny,” I reply feeling slightly nauseous.

I have the strangest feeling, as if I’m betraying Tyson just by being here. I know it’s silly because we are just friends, but honestly, we have such a strong bond.

Cassie parks with ease between a motorcycle and a station wagon. I climb out of the passenger seat and inhale the fresh night air. It feels so nice on my face, a welcome coolness to ease my nervousness.

“There they are in the booth,” my BFF says to me as we enter the café and glance around. I look over at a corner booth situated next to the flat screen TV and see a very smiley Lucas waving, and his friend Kyle. Even from a distance, I can see he is hot!

Well, shit, he has my attention so far.

“Close your mouth, Brooke. You so owe me one,” Cassie whispers to me, and I can’t help but giggle.

Casually, I follow her over to the table, where she embraces Lucas, and their kiss grosses me out. Wow, Kyle really is gorgeous. He is extremely tanned, his muscles are bulging through the sleeves of his white tee; he has hazelnut colored eyes, and his wavy blond hair looks even shinier than mine is.

“Brooklyn, this is Kyle,” Cassie introduces us.

Kyle stands, showing off more of his body and slim waist, and his smile is beaming. “Hey, Brooklyn, it’s awesome to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Kyle extends his hand to shake mine.

I accept and shake his hand back. It kind of felt like he could crush my hand. “Nice to meet you too. Don’t believe anything Cassie says about me,” I joke trying to break the ice just a little.

“She was right about how beautiful you are,” Kyle says, and it makes me smile widely and blush just a little. Then somehow my thoughts wander to Tyson. He is always complimenting me. For a second, I wished those words were coming out of his mouth.

“Thank you,” I say as Cassie and I slide in the booth to sit opposite both guys.

The waitress turns up on cue. “What can I get you ladies?” she asks, though I swear her eyes don’t leave Kyle’s.

“Just a sparkling water,” I say. I really need to lay off the soda. I’ve had two this week already; it’s not good for the mid-drift tops for dancing.

“I’ll have a Coke,” Cassie orders. She is the soda queen, but lucky, as she is wafer thin.

“So, Brooklyn, I hear you are a dancer,” Kyle asks me, wasting no time.

“Brooklyn is an amazing dancer, Kyle. She’s seriously brilliant,” Cassie interrupts as I roll my eyes. I appreciate her sweet words.

“You are making me out to be Beyoncé, Cas. I do okay as a dancer, but I train my butt off,” I reply trying to sugarcoat my talent.
Tooting my own horn has never been a strong point.

“I would love to come to a recital one day and see for myself,” Kyle says catching me by surprise.

I wonder how that would work out? Would Kyle sit with Tyson? Would they be friends?
Tyson only misses my recitals when he has a game.
I really need to stop thinking about him.

I risk a quick look up at Kyle. He is smiling with his bleached white teeth, not a crooked one to be seen, and his deep brown eyes gazing at me. Maybe this won’t be so bad. He is the perfect gentleman.

I could at least make the effort to try. He seems genuinely nice.

The waitress wastes no time in bringing back our drinks and takes our food orders, which are four burgers with curly fries. The old style jukebox in the corner is playing some cool tunes. Spinnakers has always been a favorite hangout place, which kind of makes me worry who I might run into.

Conversation, which consists mostly of Kyle asking a lot about me, is consistent and easy.

“So ice hockey, huh?” I enquire trying to elaborate on what Cassie had told me.

“Yep, I’m the captain of the team. Last three years we have been undefeated,” he boasts.

“That’s awesome. I’ve only ever been to one hockey game. Don’t you get hurt?” I ask remembering the crashes on the ice.

“Yep, lots of bruises, but that is what all of the padding is for,” he answers logically.

A loud cheer and laughter comes from the café door, where a bunch of guys are walking in.

I recognize all of them immediately. I pause when I hear the familiar deep, sexy voice. I feel Cassie’s eyes on me as I look at the door to find Tyson staring at the four of us with a frown on his face.

Shit.

So much for the girls’ night I lied to him about. I will just tell him we ran into Lucas and his friend. He can’t know that it was a setup.

Tyson’s face looks stiff and serious like he’s in pain. He glares at Kyle, then at me, and I feel sick, nauseated, and riddled with guilt.
It’s insane! We are friends!

I give him a wave, which makes him look puzzled, unsure whether to come over to our table. Jacob looks over and waves when he sees me, and then they head over.

“Hey Brooke, hey Cassie,” Jacob declares oblivious to Tyson’s reaction.

Tyson stays silent and stands next to him. That in and of itself is not a good thing; I’ve learned from experience that a quiet Tyson is usually fighting with demons on the inside.

“Hey, Jake. Tyson. We are just having some dinner,” I announce casually trying to snap him out of his awkwardness.

His dark, questioning eyes find mine, and I smile. He smiles back. It’s a little forced, but it's still a smile. “How was practice?” I ask feeling like I’ve been busted shoplifting or something.

Tyson looks at Kyle. “Training was good, we crushed it. Going to kick some ass next week,” he replies looking at me; his eyes have brightened now that we’re talking about football.
That was Tyson trying to sound tough when I know he’s really a teddy bear.

“Awesome, like you guys ever lose anyway,” I say honestly.

“So who are your friends?” he asks sarcastically.

“Well you know Lucas, Cassie’s boyfriend, and this is his friend, Kyle,” I tell him as Kyle stands up to shake his hand. Tyson hesitates and then shakes it.

“Nice to meet you, Tyson,” Kyle states looking a little puzzled, especially as Tyson’s eyes keep finding mine. I’m sure he is wondering if we were ever together. Tyson nods not saying a word in response to Kyle.

“Well, Brooke, I’m famished. I need a hamburger with everything on it, so I’ll see you tomorrow at the lake,” he tells me stirring the pot and catching me by surprise. He even bends down to kiss my cheek.
Is he claiming me as his property?

“See ya,” I reply as he and Jake disappear.

Now, I’m even more confused than I was earlier. That was Tyson being protective, but what right does he have when we are nothing more than friends?
He can’t do that.

The waitress brings our food at the perfect moment. I keep quiet and dig in welcoming the distraction. I can feel Kyle’s eyes on me, but I ignore them. After we eat, the conversation is a little awkward.

“How about we get out of here?” Cassie suggests, and I nod. It’s after nine, and I need some fresh air.

“You guys could come to our place. The garage has a pool table and foosball,” Lucas states trying to keep the night going.

“I should get home. I have a kid brother, and he’ll be waiting up for me. You know how Dylan is, Cas,” I reply.
It’s not entirely a lie.

“Yep, you are his idol,” Cassie replies, following my lead.

“I can drive you if you’d like, Brooklyn?” Kyle offers. I’m sure he is just trying to be nice unless he is planning on a good night kiss. “Lucas can go with Cassie,” he adds. Something tells me this was how they planned it.

“Um, sure,” I answer as I feel like I have no other option. I don’t want to be rude. I look at Cassie, who is smiling and nodding. We walk to the exit, and I instinctively turn back to see Tyson staring at us.
It’s so awkward.

I can’t let him see me get in Kyle’s car. I wave at him, and he waves back, still looking pained and frowning
. I force a smile to tell him it’s all good, but he looks away.

Kyle is behind me when we exit, and he puts his hand on my lower back.
Just great, the icing on the cake. I hope to God Tyson didn’t see it.

As the cool fresh air enters my lungs, I inhale it deeply.
This whole thing was a mistake.

“Cassie, I’m actually not feeling well, hun. Do you think you could drive me home?” I ask and put one hand across my stomach.
I look into Cassie’s eyes and plead with her.

“Yeah sure, Brooke. You do look pale. You wouldn’t want to throw up in Kyle’s car,” she answers, and I know I will owe her big time.

“I’ll come over after I drop her off at home, baby,” she tells Lucas and kisses his lips.

“I’m sorry, Kyle. It must have been something I ate. I had a great night. We should do this again another time,” I say apologetically, trying not to lead him on.
This was a mistake. I’m just not ready. I know that now.

“No problem. I hope you feel better,” he replies smiling, though looking a little forlorn. “Bye, Brooklyn,” he says as I turn and head toward Cassie’s car. I feel the tears well in my eyes.
Jesus, the guilt I am feeling mixed with my confusion has made me emotional.

I hastily climb into Cassie’s little hatchback. I look into the café, but I can’t see Tyson. As we drive home, I burst into a flood of tears. All of the feelings of guilt, betrayal, and love come to a head and come crashing down. The tears fall and fall—
I can no longer control them.

“Jesus, Brooke, the date wasn’t that bad.” Cassie giggles.

I laugh out loud.
Thank God, I need to stop crying.
“Shit, Cassie,” I state to her as I realize.

“You are in love with Tyson,” she declares beating me to it.

“Holy fuck, is it that obvious?” I shout.

“Well, yeah! It’s been obvious for months, but I thought you would get past it and fight the urge,” she replies honestly.

“I can’t fight it anymore, Cassie. I can’t deny my feelings anymore. It is hurting me to keep them inside,” I say truthfully, for once in my life.

“You know he feels the same too, right?” She looks at me smiling.

“No, I don’t know that,” I respond. Well, sure, I’ve noticed a few things but nothing concrete.

“Oh my God, Brooklyn, you are blind. He is totally in love with you,” she declares loudly.

“I’ve seen him check me out a few times. Sometimes, I find him staring longer than he should, and tonight, he was all possessive,” I answer. “But he’s a teenage guy. I thought he was just perving on my assets,” I add now feeling more confused.

“It’s so much more than that. Trust me!” Cassie almost shouts the statement. “He is trying to protect your friendship just as much as you are, honey,” she adds as she reaches over and rubs my arm.

If everything Cassie is saying is true, then we need to have a serious discussion. No more dates with other people, and no more pussyfooting around the subject.

I just hope to God Cassie is right. Rejection from Tyson will be like a knife in my chest.