My Best Friend’s Brother

He still looks at me and challenges:

”Can you do it?”

I didn’t expect that. So I stand there while Chris sits back down again and starts his game.

I know he hated that I told Colin, but I couldn’t keep what happened to my fiancé. He should understand that.

I then recover and head for the door, saying:

” This won’t happen, and don’t bother talking to me either, because I don’t intend to speak to you again in my life!”

Chris says without looking at me:

”Good.”

I say:

”Great!”

And I slam the door.

I get home, close my door, and stand there with my back to him for a while.

”Oh, I hate this guy!”

…

One week later.

Colin traveled yesterday, Friday. I thought that Chris and I could not exchange words less than before, but now I realize it is possible.

We are studying at the kitchen table as usual. Chris comes downstairs, says good morning to Julie, and doesn’t even look in my direction.

As he walks out into the living room and turns on the TV, Julie says softly to me:

”I thought you guys were evolving, but I see I thought wrong.”

I give her a weak laugh and pretend not to care what happened. The problem is that I can’t find it as good as I thought it would be.

I wish things were different. I didn’t want Chris and Colin to fight, and I didn’t want to have kissed him and …

I feel like I’m staring at him again. Then I change the direction of my eyes and concentrate again on the books in my hands.

…

I return from the supermarket accompanied by Chantal, who has also decided to do some shopping with me.

As soon as the elevator opens, we find Chris and a girl making love in front of his apartment door.

I don’t know what I feel, but I wouldn’t say I like this. I wouldn’t say I like this shamelessness in front of my apartment.

I take long steps while Chantal looks at them and seems to approve of the situation.

He sees me, looks at me for a second, and then closes his eyes again, as he almost eats that woman right there.

I roll my eyes and open the door, entering with my purchases.

Chantal comes right behind, closing the door.

I walk towards the kitchen so she can’t see how angry I am about all this, and I don’t even know why.

Chantal says with a laugh:

”Man, he’s good! I wish I had the opportunity to try it.”

I look at her and roll my eyes again.

”You have a boyfriend.”

Damn, that sounded like I hated to imagine her with him.

She says:

”Yeah, I know, but I keep imagining it…”

I interrupt her:

”Better forget about that and help me put the groceries on the table.”

Molly comes toward me and starts helping me.

She then laughs and says:

”Are you going to tell me you never thought of that?”

I interrupt again:

”Let’s drop the subject?”

She laughs.

I look even more guilty and feel it too.

… Chris…

One month later

It’s Friday night, and Julie has just gone out with Brennan. I have nothing to do, so I decide to play a game.

I hear someone knock on the front door, open it, and come in. I see out of the corner of my eye that it’s Molly and think:

Damn!

I wouldn’t say I like how my body gets alert when she’s around like this. It makes me uncomfortable. As soon as she sees me, she looks a little reluctant as she closes the door behind her but asks:

”Is Jullie there?”

I look at her, then back at the TV in front of me, and say:

”No.”

She still stares at me, and after a few seconds, I look at her again and make a face saying:

“What more do you want?”

She continues:

”And?”

I look at my game again, and she seems annoyed at being ignored like that. She comes and stands in front of me, blocking my view, and I pause the game saying:

”Will you please stop being so childish?”

She puts her hands on her waist and says:Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

”You are the one who is being childish!”

I would keep arguing if I weren’t half mesmerized by how her face is turning a little pink, her mouth is ajar, and she looks a little breathless.

Her being angry like that is sexy.

She still stares at me, and I find I have to say something to push some half-inappropriate thoughts out of my head.

I say:

”I don’t know. You’re friends, aren’t you? You should know where she is.”

She takes a deep breath, and I continue:

”Now, will you get out of the way?”

She turns and walks away, but she shouldn’t wear such short shorts if she wants me to ignore her.

I look away from her ass as she looks back at me and says:

”Could you at least tell me if you know where she left my biology book?”

She looks at me, trying to remain calm, but her face is still a little pink, and she takes a deep breath as she rubs her tongue over her lips. And I decided to look at the TV again because the feeling it gives me in some parts of my body might become too evident if I kept looking at her.

But she understands my act in another way. She gives up talking and goes toward the stairs, but I say:

”She said something about that. I think that book is over there in her book closet.”

She stops walking up the stairs and looks at me, not gratefully but very annoyed, as she says something I can’t hear, but I know it’s certainly not something about my pleasant company.