Best Friend’s Brother: Best Friend's Brother Romance (8 page)

“Maybe,” Jakob nodded his head slowly.  Lauryn shook her head and gave him a stern look.

“This isn’t high school.  You can’t wait to see if it’s all perfect to try anything.  And Zoe is…”

“Your best friend and her own person,” his head was still nodding, as if to keep up with a slow paced rhythm.  Lauryn yawned wide when he spoke.

“I know.  But don’t you like her?” Lauryn wanted to figure things out without having to be told everything.  She didn’t want to know more about the situation than the people actually involved in the situation.  She rested her head on the back of the couch and closed her eyes.

“I do like her.  Enough for it to wake me up at 2 in the morning, and enough to have my sister lecture me about it before the sun even rises.”

Lauryn groaned.  They were too alike.  He wasn’t really going to tell her what his plans were or where his head was at.  He knew that whatever it was he was doing was working or not working, but whatever the case, he was keeping his thoughts to himself.

“Don’t hurt her,” Lauryn raised an index finger and wagged it in his direction sternly.

Zooey’s first boyfriend in high school had been a complete louse.  They were in 10th grade, and it was during one of Carla and Jakob’s first break ups.  Zooey tried dating a Junior by the name of Seth Yeun.  He was cute, and kind of popular, but he didn’t really like Zooey.  Everyone could see it, except her.  She was too excited about him.  All he was really looking for was to hook up with a virgin.

Lauryn had saved the day of course.  She walked him home one day.  It was her way of getting to know her best friend’s boyfriend.  He tried to hit on her, and Lauryn decked him square in the nose.  She had to explain it to Zooey, who was angry for weeks.  She thought that Seth had gotten Lauryn alone and something could have happened before she stopped it.  Lauryn of course stood her ground and let Zooey know that it was all Seth.  Seth didn’t tell anyone what happened.  He told everyone that he had an accident on his motorbike, and his nose was black and blue for a long time.  Zooey stayed with him for a few more weeks.  That was the longest she and Lauryn had gone without speaking.

Seth ended things with Zooey.  She admitted that she wasn’t ready to lose her virginity, and he eventually gave up.  Zooey was upset for a long time.  She was too embarrassed to face him.  Seth treated her like garbage after that.  He never talked to her, or ever acknowledged their relationship again.  Lauryn didn’t let a stupid feud get in the way of her friendship.  She tracked Zooey down one day after school and they had a long talk.  Lauryn told Zooey everything she knew about guys based on her brother.  

‘No matter how nice they seem, take a deeper look.  And never ever let a man come between your best friendship.’  Zooey listened, and that made her always cautious about men.  She didn’t get into relationships until she was absolutely sure, and even then, she managed to end up being hurt.

Lauryn may have been the one to cry more, but Zooey felt things more deeply than her best friend.  She just had her own way of locking it up and letting it eat at her.

“Shouldn’t you be telling Zoo not to hurt me?” Jakob said as he kept his eyes on his sister’s wagging finger. “I mean, I
am
your brother.”

“Yeah, and I will.  But I know you both.  I’m not having my friendship ruined over some guy.”

“Again, your brother, not just some guy.”

Lauryn leaned back into her restful spot on the couch.

“You know I care about her.  I’m not looking to hurt her.”

“So why not take any of the regular ‘hey let’s start dating’ steps?”

“I’m not sure what I want right now…” Jakob let his voice trail off.  He looked like he was lost in thought now.

“Does this have anything to do with Carla Mennez?” Lauryn raised an eyebrow at him.  She didn’t think it did, but it didn’t hurt to ask.  The thought made her stomach tighten.

“Why does not being sure about someone equate to ‘it’s probably because they’re thinking about someone else’?”

“Because big bro, it usually is,” Lauryn closed her eyes and yawned again.  Jakob let out a sigh, but said nothing else.  He had too many things and too many people on his mind.  Everyone wanted something from him, but no one had said what they wanted
for
him.  It was a game that he remembered playing in high school when there were a bunch of Sophomores and Juniors after him.

“Remember Jennifer Lowe?” Lauryn opened her eyes and lifted her head.  She was wide awake now.  She shifted in the couch so that she was facing her brother.  He had to adjust his outstretched legs again.  Jakob groaned at the mention of the name.

“Yeah…”

“And what happened with that?” Lauryn said accusingly.

“Can we not talk about that?”

“No, no I’m gonna talk about it.  Remember she liked you, and she wanted to go out with you, and then you sent her a rose as a secret admirer.  Why did you do that?”

Jakob was scoffing and making unusual groaning noises while Lauryn spoke.  He pretended to cover his ears with his hands.  Lauryn reached over, and they started wrestling.  She managed to pin him down and keep his arms still with her knees.

“I know it was you who sent it to her.  Why were you such an asshole?”

“I wasn’t an asshole.  I knew she liked me.  I wanted her to
not
like me, so I turned the attention on a mystery man.”

“Yeah.  A mystery man who never came.  A mystery man who she is probably still waiting for to this day,” Lauryn said dramatically.

Jakob laughed and got one of his hands free.  He tickled Lauryn til she got off, and sat in her little section of the couch.

“Life’s not like one of your romantic comedies, Snow.”

“I know right?  And isn’t it a damn shame?  Whatever happened to her anyway?”

“Last I heard, she moved to Minnesota.”

“How do you know that?”

“I told you.  I wasn’t an asshole.  I just didn’t think it would be a good idea for her to like me.  I made sure she was ok after the rose and stuff.  She seemed to be.”

Lauryn smiled up at her brother.  He was a different breed of human being.  Track star and wide receiver for their school’s football team; he was funny and wanted by so many girls in high school.  He would still get stared at once in a while if he went out.  There was still magic there.

Lauryn was proud of him for not letting his looks or his talents get to him.  He was the popular guy who would talk to the nerd and invite them to the party.  He was the kind of guy who would send a girl a rose to make her feel wanted, even if not by him.  He was the kind of guy who could make even the saddest heart smile.

“Don’t give me that look.  How is Mr. Doctor?”

“Dr. Mathers is wonderful,” Lauryn said with a smile.  She hugged herself.

“Go on,” Jakob raised both of his eyebrows.

“Nothing to report.  We’re good.  Things are good.”

“Yeah, but how does that work?  You haven’t told me anything about him.  You kind of have a head start with all the women in my life.”

“Well, Ryan and I met on my way to the bookstore.  He saw the books I had in my hand, and just made mention of them.  I don’t know a lot of people who’ve read Jonathan Norrell and Mr. Strange,” she was still smiling.  She was reliving the memory in her mind.  “He’s so funny too.”

“Funnier than me?” Jakob grinned wide.

“Gross.  Way funnier.  He actually has a sense of humor,” Lauryn laughed.

“Does he make you happy?” Jakob’s expression had turned serious.  Lauryn stopped laughing, but she smiled and thought about it.

“So happy.  I can’t remember anyone making me this happy.”

Lauryn had her fair share of heartbreak in her college years.  In her first year, she met a Microbiology major named Sadie.  Sadie seemed sweet, but she was a serial cheater.  Lauryn, with her forgiving nature and her belief that everyone can change if they realize they’re hurting someone enough, let that relationship last for more than a year.  She didn’t let anyone know how much it affected her.  Lauryn considered Sadie to be her first love.

“And do you make him happy?” Trust Jakob to ask something like that.  He always wanted to make sure that everyone involved in a situation was ok.

“Yeah.  I think he really loves me.”

“I’m sure he does.  I can tell by the way he looks at you.  You’ve got a good thing going, Snow.”

Lauryn thanked him.  They sat silently for a while, enjoying each other’s company.  Lauryn was so happy to have her brother home safe.  She didn’t have to worry about the next time he would be deployed.

“I really really hope you find the girl of your dreams, Jake,” she moved closer to him, and put her head on his chest.  His eyes were closed, but he nodded and said nothing more.

It wasn’t long before the two of them passed out on the living room couch.

Chapter Six

This summer was proving to be hotter than the last.  By the middle of July, most of the people in town were outside of their homes.  There were sprinklers out in almost every yard.  It was shorts and tank top weather.

Zooey and Lauryn had spent the most part of the last few weeks catching up and spending time together.  They would go out with Jakob and Ryan sometimes.  It felt like nothing had changed since they were younger.  And Ryan fit in with them so well.  He could have grown up with them too with the way he got their jokes and knew how to hold his own around them.

“Morning sunshine!” Lauryn was at Zooey’s door with Ryan.  Jakob was in the car.  He was the chauffeur for the day.  Carla had invited the people from their high school who were in town to a day by the lake on her property.  Lauryn and Zooey were skeptical when they got the invite, but Jakob was all smiles.  He thought it would be a great opportunity for all the women he cared about to finally have a chance to get along.

“Hey guys, gimme a sec,” Zooey had on bright yellow sunglasses.  She picked up a large tote bag.

“Wait, I’m here for some yogurt,” Lauryn moved past her and into the house.  She jogged to the kitchen and got a cup of yogurt from the fridge.  She didn’t bother to get a spoon.  Lauryn had a bright pink straw in her hand, and she pushed it through the lid.

Ryan helped Zooey with her bag, and put it in the trunk of the car.  He and Lauryn sat in the backseat, and Zooey got into the front.  Jakob took off his seatbelt to lean over and give Zooey a kiss.  Lauryn “Ooooooed” childishly from the back.  She slurped her yogurt when the two in the front gave her a dirty look.

Jakob put his seatbelt back on and started the car; they made their way to the Mennez house.

*

“You guys made it!  Great,” Carla greeted all of them with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  She held out her hand to formally greet Ryan, and he took it and gave it a squeeze.  Zooey relaxed.  Carla did seem like a nicer version of herself.  She didn’t want the past to dictate how she felt about someone.

There were a few other friends from high school.  Some came with their significant others or their kids.  Most of them were from the same grade as Carla and Jakob, but a few remembered Lauryn and Zooey.

Zooey moved over to her spot under the oak tree.  She took a blanket out of her bag and spread it out.  Lauryn and Jakob joined her, and Ryan was already in the lake basking in it.

“Hi Jakob,” it was Jennifer Lowe.  She had blossomed out of an awkward stage from high school.  She was now a meteorologist on a popular network in Minnesota.