My Best Friend's Brother: A Standalone Friends to Lovers Romance (Soulmates Series Book 2) (4 page)

Chapter 6: Shane

I
was halfway home when I realized I was clenching my fists so hard they were
getting sore.

Sure,
I'd scolded Mike and knocked him around enough to get his attention, but as far
as I was concerned, he got off too lightly.

On
the plus side, I'd managed to successfully suppress how deep my feelings of
hatred went for him.

Because
it wasn’t entirely personal. I never liked any of the guys Andi went out with.

The
least offensive was probably Jason De Marco, who took her to prom, and that was
only because we played hockey together back then, and I thought he was a decent
guy.

Of
course, after Izzy told me he'd given Andi a fat purple hickey on her neck and
that he tried to push her head down, I avoided him like the plague.

I
don't know why exactly. I always thought it was simply because- next to Izzy-
she'd always been the person I was most protective of.

What's
more, I knew how special she was, and I had this idea in my mind of how I
thought she deserved to be treated, an idea no one ever seemed to live up to.

At
least Mike was out of the picture now, which was a relief. He was the worst guy
to catch her attention yet.

And
to be frank, I think the reason I hated him most was that his behavior reminded
me of my own jealousy.

I
still remember the first time I saw her flirt with someone in high school- like
really flirt. Like hair twirling, eyelash batting, cheek blushing flirt. I
remember wishing she'd look at me like that, that my attention would reduce her
to a sweet, giggling mess.

Maybe
I was too familiar for her to see me that way, or perhaps it was the fact that
she and my sister were so close.

But
that didn't stop me from noticing the curve of her ass or the twinkle in her
eye or her shapely lips.

But
noticing was one thing.

It
would've been quite another to do anything that couldn't be laughed off or
denied, anything that might challenge the deep trust she and Izzy had in me.

I
pushed the door of Andi's favorite sandwich shop open and listened as the chime
rang out under the floor mat. Then I ordered a wreck for me, a spicy turkey for
her, and two Oreo milkshakes to go.

"Can
you put some extra Oreos in the bag?" I asked.

The
young man behind the counter nodded.

I
was trying to remember what frat he was in when an elbow brushed against my
arm.

"I
didn't think you were an extra Oreos kind of guy?"

I turned
towards the familiar voice and felt a surge of warmth in my stomach when my
eyes found her crimson smile. "Sonia. Hey."

She
glanced down at the leather boots sticking out of the bag in my hand. 

"Oreos
and drag, huh?" Her voice was as smooth as her clear brown skin.

"Not
exactly," I said, trying to remember how long it had been since-

"I
thought you were going to come out last weekend?"

I
shrugged and accepted my change from the cashier. "I was going to, but my sister
came to town so I had to change my plans." It wasn't a complete lie.
Izzy's art school was only a few hours away, and she did swing by all the time.
Last weekend just hadn't been one of them.

Sonia
pursed her lips.

The
guy across the counter slid the bag of sandwiches towards me and set down a
tray with two shakes in it. "Your extra Oreos are in the bag."

"Thanks,"
I said.

"Well,
I won't keep you," Sonia said, eyeing my meal for two. "But don't be
a stranger." She put a hand on my shoulder and pressed her cinnamon
smelling cheek to mine.

My
mind flashed briefly to the last time we hung out. We’d pressed a lot more than
our cheeks together.

But
a moment later, I thought of Andi waiting anxiously in my bedroom, pining for
food and an update on what I can only assume had been one of the worst nights
of her life.

"See
you around," I said, heading for the door and picking up my pace.

When
I got back to the house, I climbed the stairs, shifted the bags to my left
hand, balanced the shakes against my chest, and knocked, since the last thing
she needed was someone barging in on her after the day she had, even if it was
my room.

She
opened the door wearing one of my hoodies a second later, the bottom of it so
long it nearly made her frayed jean shorts disappear.

Her
eyes lit up when she saw me and stayed bright as they bounced around my full
arms.

"A
little help?" I handed the shakes to her.

She
smiled as she took them.

"I
hope you're hungry," I said, setting the sandwiches down on my desk.

"How
did it go?" she asked, eyeing the bag with the boots.

I
handed it to her so she could see for herself.

She
took it and rummaged through the spoils. "You got everything."

I
furrowed my brow. "You said that as if you doubted me."

"Never,"
she said, throwing her arms around me and squeezing me just tight enough to
remind me that she was still shaken up.

I
held her head against my chest and didn't let go until I felt her loosen her
grip.

"Thanks,
Shane," she said, taking a step back and looking at me, her fat lip
impossible to ignore. "I owe you one."

"Just
stay away from him and we'll call it even," I said, taking the sandwiches
out of the brown bag and laying them side by side.

"What
did he say?" she asked, taking her sub to the edge of the bed and
unwrapping it carefully so the paper became a little placemat.

"Not
much." I took a sip of my shake. It was creamy and delicious and tasted
like being a carefree kid again.

"Don't
be vague," she said. "I've been going crazy here worrying he might
hurt you or say nasty things about me to you or-"

"What
the hell would that matter?" I asked. "You know I don’t give a shit
what he thinks about anything."

She
shrugged. "Still."

"Well,
he didn't say anything nasty about you, and I had no trouble getting your
stuff. Convincing him to leave you the hell alone was a bigger job than I
anticipated, but it’s over now-"

"Did
you hurt him?" she asked, her voice as soft as her chocolate eyes were
wide.

"Just
enough to scare him," I said. "Like he did to you."

She
swallowed.

I
took my sandwich over to the end of the bed and sat down beside her. "He's
fine, though. Trust me. I only hurt him enough to get his attention."

She
pursed her lips and looked down at her sandwich.

"I
would've done the same for Izzy."

She
nodded. "I know."

But
by the look on her face, I got the feeling that she had no idea how much I
really cared about her.

Then
again, how could she?

I'd
always kept it to myself.

Chapter 7: Andi

We
didn't talk much as we ate our sandwiches. Instead, we listened to the mild domestic
happening in the room next door until Shane put on some music to drown out the
sound.

Not
that I was really listening anyway. On the contrary, I was trying to process-
and guess- what happened between him and Mike.

To
be honest, though, I wished I could forget about Mike altogether.

Sure,
things were fun in the beginning- and the sex had been energetic in a way that
made it easy to ignore our increasingly animated fights- but for the most part,
Shane was right.

He
was no good for me.

My
grades had dropped in two of my classes. I'd spent virtually no time with
Shane, and I hadn't gone to visit Izzy once since Mike and I started going out.

But
worst of all, I didn't like who I'd become as a result of dating him.

I
was more meek lately and unsure of myself. I'd started lying to my parents
about serious stuff, like my grades and how my boyfriend was treating me.

It
was pathetic that someone could come into my life and overwhelm me like that
until I hardly recognized myself.

And
when he squeezed my jaw, I felt fragile for the first time in my life, and I
hated it.

I
wanted to feel strong and confident, and I wanted to be in a relationship where
my grades didn't suffer and the guy I was sleeping with didn't do things I
couldn't tell my friends about.

So
I was grateful for Shane's help, grateful that I could count on him to talk
some sense into me and force me to take action… especially when all I felt
strong enough to do was curl up in the corner until the whole thing blew over.

But
it wouldn't.

The
only thing that was ever going to blow was Mike's temper as soon as something
else set him off, and even though I felt like a coward for letting Shane do my
dirty work for me, the important thing was that it was over and I was safe.

If
only Shane didn't see me like a sister.

I
swear our closeness was as much a blessing as it was a curse.

Just
once I wanted him to look at me the way he looked at those girls I'd seen him with-
like my feelings and insecurities were the last thing he was thinking about.

Maybe
that's why I kept dating guys who had no real respect for me- because I
couldn't figure out how else to get that possessive intensity that I always
craved from Shane.

"God
I needed that," he said, crumpling the crummy white paper that previously
held his sandwich. "Is yours okay?"

"Perfect,"
I said, covering my full mouth. "I owe you one."

He
furrowed his brow. "Stop saying that. You don't owe me anything."

I
swallowed. "Sorry."

"And
stop saying you’re sorry." He raised his hands and threw the wad of paper
in a perfect arc so it landed squarely in the small green garbage in the
corner. "It doesn't suit you."

I
knew he was right. I felt like all I’d done the last two months with Mike was
apologize. I'd started to say it even when it didn't make any sense.

"Can
I save the rest of this?" I asked, realizing there was really another meal
in the half eaten sandwich before me. "Chuck it in your fridge for the
moment maybe?"

"Of
course," he said, standing at the edge of the bed while I wrapped it up.
"Besides, you need to save room for dessert."

I
furrowed my brow. "I thought the milkshake was-"

"I
got extra Oreos," he said.

I
smiled. "Oreos, huh?"

He
nodded and took my sandwich over to the fridge.

"Dessert
and a distraction then?"

He
looked over his shoulder at me. "My thoughts exactly."

My
eyes traced the length of his defined jaw. "I didn't even know you could
get extra cookies there. Is that another one of the perks of being big man on
campus?"

He
closed the fridge door with his foot. "More like one of the perks of
saying please."

"I
see." I propped some pillows up at the head of the bed. When I leaned
against them, I was convinced a burst of his cologne released around me.
"Do you have any milk?"

He
scrunched his face. "There’s milk in the kitchen, but I have to warn you.
At least thirty of the guys that live here are repeat offenders when it comes
to drinking straight from the jug."

"Right,"
I said, crossing my ankles. "I'll stick with my milkshake then."

Shane
laid down beside me and put the bag between us. "You go first."

I
rolled onto my side, pulled an Oreo from the bag, and held it up between us.

His
fingers brushed mine as he tried to get a good grip on the side of the cookie
closest to him.

"Ready?"
I asked, raising my eyebrows.

He
nodded and began to twist.

The
icing came off on my side. A surge of warmth burst in my stomach. "Truth
or dare?" I asked.

He
narrowed his eyes at me. "Truth."

I
pursed my lips, but stopped when I felt the crack stretch across the bottom
one.

"Well?"

"How
come you've been avoiding me?"

He
turned an ear towards me. "I haven't been avoiding you."

"But
we haven't hung out in ages-"

"I've
been avoiding your ex."

I
glanced down at the cookie bag.

"Because
you deserve better, Andi. And it breaks my heart to see you happy with such
a-"

"I
wasn't that happy."

"I
know," he said. "But what was I supposed to do after I begged you not
to go out with him and you did anyway?"

"For
what it's worth, you were right from the beginning," I said, falling back
against the pillows.

"I
don't care about being right. I care about you being happy and safe."

I rolled
my eyes. "Safe. You sound like my mother."

He
flinched like he didn't agree.

I
took a sip of my shake.

"As
far as I'm concerned, the only good thing that came out of your relationship
with that wannabe wife beater is those leather boots," he said, nodding
towards the bag by the door.

"They
are pretty hot boots," I said. "I'll wear them for you
sometime."

His
cheeks flushed.

"I
didn't mean it like that," I added quickly. "I meant-"

"I
know," he said, holding up another Oreo.