A Little Like Romeo: A Sweet Enemies to Lovers Romance (A Little Love Book 1)

by Emily Childs

  “We’re friends, our families sort of flipped out when we told them we’d been hanging out, so he—”

  “I know, he told me what happened. It still doesn’t change anything. Don’t worry, if you’re not ready to admit that you’re smitten, star-crossed, and passionately in love with Jonas yet, I’ll be there to say I told you so when you come to your senses. You can count on it, but you also don’t hide it well.”

  Jane flips around, done talking, I guess until I start to rub the sides of my head. She pauses. “Are you okay?”

  My throat feels scratchy, like sand. “I think—” I can’t believe I’m going to say this. “I think I need to end things with Axel.”

  Jane grins. “Now we’re talking. Hey, don’t hyperventilate on me. Talk me through what’s going on in your head.”

  I look my friend. “I don’t know. I’ve never…felt this before.”

  “With…who? Which one, because I’m getting confused with the twin brother thing.”

  I laugh and slump against my doorframe. “When he touched me tonight, I felt like I was going to burst. Even before the semester started, I don’t think I ever felt that with Axel.”

  Jane smiles wider. “Now, we’re really talking. You’ve got to tell Jo, Brit.”

  “What if I’m wrong, and Jonas only wants to be friends?”

  Jane rubs my shoulders. “But what if you’re not wrong. Think about that. And don’t worry, I’ll help you wrap up the make-out relationship with the brother. I’m a pro at dumping guys.”

  My hands tingle, they’re going numb. All of me is tingling. Did I just admit I have feelings for Jonas—out loud? I touch my lips, and feel giddy and terrified all at once.

  Burying myself in my sea of pillows, I beam in the fluff privately. Jane is right about one thing, I need to tell him.

  On Monday afternoon my thumb hovers over Axel’s name on my screen. Maybe I should text him—no, that is immature and I refuse to be cowardly. With Jane sitting on the edge of my bed, I tap his name and wait.

  “Hey,” he says after three rings. “How’s it going?”

  “It’s okay,” I say.

  “Yeah, that’s good. I’m just on my way to study group so—”

  “This won’t take long, I just…uh, I just have to talk to you about something.”

  “Oh, okay,” Axel says, his voice chipper and pleasant like always.

  “Okay,” I take a deep breath, and Jane squeezes my hand. “I’ve just been thinking a lot. I think…” My stomach coils in tight, painful knots. “I think it might be good if we don’t see each other anymore.”

  Axel pauses—although not as long as think someone might. “That’s cool,” he says almost as chipper as before. “You get a guy?”

  I stare at Jane, my eyes wide. She shrugs her shoulders and mouths what. “Um, not exactly,” I say slowly.

  “Okay,” Axel says. “It’s fine.”

  “You’re okay?” I question, sort of wishing he might have some semblance of sadness.

  “I’m fine, Brita. It’s nothing serious and things change. It’s all good.”

  He speaks so easily, like it has never been anything to begin with. I don’t know how to react. Is this how every breakup is supposed to go? I cover the phone and whisper, “He’s fine, should I tell him?”

  “About Jonas? No, don’t,” she says. “Just leave it between brothers.”

  I nod and return the phone back to my ear. “Okay then. Thanks for understanding.”

  “Sure, don’t have too much fun. I gotta go, okay?”

  “Yep, see you later.” Stun coats my tone. Not so heartbreaking as I thought. Then I get a little frustrated. Clearly, Axel has been invested in our relationship about as deeply as a drop of water in a glass.

  “So, how did he take it?” Jane asks.

  “Perfect,” I mutter. “He acted like I’d just found another guy, and that was totally fine with him.”

  Jane chuckles. “Well, you kind of did. You’re lucky, it can’t get better than that when you’re breaking up. I mean, if he really is that cool with it. Maybe he’s crying right now.”

  “He didn’t sound like he was about to cry,” I admit. “He almost seemed like he didn’t understand why I even called him to call it off.”

  “Well,” Jane says, clapping her hands. “Now all that is left is talking to the man of the hour. Tomorrow?”

  I nod. “Tomorrow.”

  Tuesday night study session is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

  Later that night, I try to compose a few pages in my capstone paper, but I can hardly think clearly when Tuesday is only a few hours away. I haven’t spoken with Jonas since the party, by intention. I needed to analyze my thoughts. Jane declares Jonas feels something more for me, but what if she ends up being wrong? Straightening my shoulders, I push the fear aside; it is a risk I am just going to have to take. Ironic, Axel urged me to do something crazy this semester. Confessing feelings for Jonas Olsen feels pretty certifiable and epically awesome all at once. I like Viking Brita.

  Then all my Northman power evaporates when my phone buzzes next to my laptop. Jonas is calling. Puffing no less than five sharp breaths, I answer.

  “Hey,” he says. “I’m not interrupting you at all, am I?”

  “No, no I needed a break. What’s up?” I feel as though I’ve forgotten how to talk to the man.

  “Good. So, I wanted to call you about tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, what about it?”

  “Well, would you hate me if I canceled the after-class study session.”

  I choke on my own spit, feeling my nerves sink back into the pit they slithered from. “Uh, sure. No problem, do you have plans or something?”

  “I didn’t, until like ten minutes ago. Brett, he’s embarrassing himself and going after a girl in one of his classes. She agreed to go out with him, but didn’t want to leave her cousin, who is also her roommate, at home. So Brett volunteered me to go on the date too.”

  “You’re going on a date?” I didn’t intend to ask the question out loud, especially not in the disappointed whisper that is my voice.

  “If being volunteered without my knowledge means going—I’d say more like forced,” he laughs, but I don’t. “You okay? I can cancel if you want, I mean we did have our thing set up first.”

  Our thing? My heart sinks even more as my brave Viking bubble pops. I’m foolish, and Jane is wrong too. I’ve allowed myself to get caught up in Jonas’s attention, his caring nature. Jonas only sees me as a friend.

  “No, of course not,” I sigh. “Have fun. I’ll just see you in class tomorrow.”

  “We’re still on for Friday, right?”

  “Of course. Since you’re bailing, you need to supply the food,” I tease. There, I can still banter. I can forget my lack of judgment about our relationship as well.

  “Deal. Sorry about bailing, really.”

  “Don’t be. Who knows, she might be your true love.”

  Jonas laughs, but it isn’t sincere. “Doubt that. See you tomorrow?”

  “Yep, see you later.”

  Sitting at the table I close my laptop. I almost made a complete fool of myself. I might have ruined everything great Jonas and I have built. Pulling out one of the chocolate bars from the stash, I shut away Brontë for the night and turn to late night reruns instead.

  On Tuesday, I have reservations around Jonas. He talks to me for a few minutes after Nichols’s class. I try not to notice how nice he looks in his jeans and blue collared shirt that makes his eyes impossible not to admire. Then Brett calls him and ruins it all over again.

  “I better get going,” he says after he hangs up. “Get ready for Friday, my treat is going to blow your mind.” He animates an explosion at the sides of his head for effect. I laugh the way I always do, but inside a sheet of ice spills over my insides as I watch him walk away. A few days, that’s all, then things will be back to normal, everyday friendship.

  Jane has to pry the truth out of me,
but once I tell her, she gives up studying and crosses her legs on the floor in front of me. “What do you mean he’s on a date?”

  “How else can I say it? His roommate set him up on a blind date.”

  “Oh, that doesn’t mean anything then. He didn’t even do the asking.”

  “Yes, but he canceled our long-standing study session for a blind date. We’re friends, Jane. Like I said. I got caught up in the idea of it.”

  Jane shrugs. “I think you should talk with him still. Or don’t. Whatever makes you happy, girl.” With that she returns her earbuds in place and goes back to her studying. I leave to shower and sleep. My mind needs to shut off. As I step into the shower, I don’t notice the text from Jonas lighting up my phone.

  Well, definitely shouldn’t have canceled tonight. Don’t worry though, I’ll make it up to you.

  Chapter 21

  Jane wraps a cashmere scarf around her neck and practically skips to the front door when six o’clock comes on Friday night.

  “You don’t need to leave,” I say, straightening the grammar books on the table and pulling my hair into a high ponytail.

  “Despite contrary belief that I spend my life glued to a computer screen, I actually have a social life too. That guy I told you about, Ben, he asked me out to this little dive across town. I guess there’s live music. So, yeah I’m out of here.”

  I smirk when she checks her reflection once before opening the door. “Have fun, be safe.”

  “Always,” she calls back. My throat goes dry when I hear her snicker and say, “Oh, sorry Jo, almost ran you over there. Have fun, be a gentleman.”

  I pinch my cheeks, not really knowing why, but they do it in the movies so it seems right. Jonas comes around the corner carrying a pink box filled with something Danish and delicious. I lean against the back of the chair, trying to convince myself I’ve never felt anything near stomach flutters, or desire, or sensations of the kind for Jonas. But when he grins over the box I am brought back to those forbidden feelings.

  “What have you brought tonight?” I say, trying to lift one side of the desert box.

  “I told you it’s going to blow your mind,” he says. Placing the box down he removes the lid. Inside is a square cake. It has a crumb topping and smells divine. “I would like to introduce to you, drǿmmekage, otherwise known as dream cake. It’s amazing. My grandma would make it for me and Axel on our birthday. Except Axel preferred store-bought cake—can you believe it? Just a grocery store bakery.”

  “Anarchy,” I tease, dipping my fork right into the cake. “Oh, you’ll need to deal with me eating this right out of the box.”

  “It’s the only way to eat a cake,” Jonas say, and plops into a chair next to mine. Our knees touch. My hand could rest on his leg if I moved half an inch. I lift my forkful of cake and pretend like my stomach didn’t backflip. He watches me take the first bite. The second the sweetness melts on my tongue I’m ruined, but I can’t let Jonas win so easy. I make a few faces, let him sweat a little.

  “I concede, Jonas,” I say. “This is amazing, and has officially blown my mind.”

  Chuckling, he joins me in cutting out the middle pieces with his fork. Two hours later, the cake is gone and Jonas has a grasp on grammatical rules. He pats his stomach, and closes his book.

  “My brain needs a break, so does my stomach.”

  I agree, stretch my sore muscles that have been stuffed in one position for too long, and drift over to the couch. Jonas follows, of course, and settles about a foot from me. He sits close enough I catch the clean scent of him that whirls my brain and adds longing. He is a new weakness, and truth be told, I think I’m setting myself up to be hurt. Somehow, I find the strength to turn away and glance out the small window toward Emma and Natalie’s apartment.

  “So, you never told me what went so wrong on your blind date,” I say. Jonas and I usually text every day, about nothing really, and in all my pride I never asked about Tuesday night. A real friend would so here I am, asking about Tuesday.

  He laughs, a real throaty chuckle, and rubs his hands over his face. “Oh, it was so awkward. The girl Brett likes, she’s alright, a little demanding, but her cousin—the woman looked like she had just stepped out of high school, she spoke like a mouse—when she did speak. Brita, I’m not exaggerating. I thought I was quiet, she made me look like the most outgoing person on the planet. I started counting how many times I asked a question and she didn’t answer. Flat out, looked at me in the face, and turned away with no answer.”

  “How many times?” I ask, my smile grows the longer he speaks. Shameful—being pleased his date went terrible and all.

  “Twelve! Twelve times. She told me where she was from, her major, and her favorite food. That was it. I asked her about her hobbies, blank stare, no answer. I asked about classes—I could really go on. And to make it worse, if she wasn’t obviously ignoring me already, she played on her phone all night.”

  “She must have been too smitten by all your charm; you left her breathless.”

  “Or terrified. Even Brett noticed and laughed about it all night.”

  “Well, serves you right,” I say and shove his arm. “I spent the night eating chocolate and watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air reruns. It was perfect.”

  Jonas groans. His head falls against the couch. “You know how to make a guy feel worse. You didn’t even invite me to come over. That was my favorite show as a kid.”

  “Jonas, I’m not going to be your rebound girl after you’ve spent the night schmoozing some other girl. Just who do you think I am?” I say in my most pompous voice.

  He shifts, so his shoulders are square to me. “Trust me, you would never be a rebound girl.”

  Something about the way he says it sends me tumbling down a hill when certain destruction lies ahead. Kind of like the feeling of falling except you are so relaxed you don’t even brace for impact. Like in a dream. My smile fades and I study Jonas, with real intent. I love the way his eyes burst like crystals shattering on the ground when he looks at me. Maybe I’m wrong and I’m not the only one lost in the whirlwind. A dangerous connection has shaped with Jonas, one I am hesitant to keep, yet so reluctant to break.

  “Hey, come here,” his voice is soft. He reaches for my face. Blood pumps like a raging river through my veins.

  “What is it?” I ask, unsure if I should pull back or lean my face into his palm. I opt to lean in, how can I not?

  Our faces drift closer, Jonas scoots right next to me on the couch, one leg tucks beneath him, the other still hangs over the edge. Drawing in one lasting breath I tremble when Jonas’s thumb skims across my cheek. My head spins, still like falling, but underwater. I can hardly think straight except for the heat in my skin.

  “You had a little cake right there,” he says, and my heart sinks into my gut.

  I am about to curse myself for thinking Jonas thought of me as anything else but a study buddy when I realize his hand still cups my cheek. His skin feels warm. Jonas remains close; our shoulders brush, and his nose is inches from mine.

  His thumb gently strokes my cheek, and my shoulders lift in heavy puffs. I keep swallowing away the sand in the back of my throat. His perfect eyes align with my gaze. His face draws serious. In the moment the way Jonas looks at me isn’t how a friend looks at a friend.

  One might think closing the gap between a few inches might take a matter of seconds, but for me it is a breathless eternity. Time slows enough to leave me aware of what is about to happen; enough time for my heart to nose dive into my stomach; enough time for me to question whether I should stop it; and enough time to realize I don’t want to stop it.

  Jonas kisses me. Our lips brush gently at first, then deeper, with more fervor. I shudder when his fingers trace the lines of my neck, across my shoulder. My fingers dig into his hair. I lean back against the arm of my couch and draw him closer. His body presses to mine. I’m not swimming anymore, but floating and grounded all at once. I’m kind of in control, and out of con
trol. All I really know is this is the way a woman should be—no, deserved to be kissed.

  His hand rests on my waist, and he pulls back just enough to say, “Brit, I don’t know if Ax—”

  “Took care of it,” I say, and urge his mouth back to mine.

  Jonas doesn’t question again, his arm holds me steady. He kisses me, and kisses me, and kisses me. One slides into the next. I fit against him, like he’s molded for me. For the first time, in forever, I think of nothing but the moment. No need to analyze, no need to be afraid.

  When Jonas kisses me, I finally know what it feels like to be free of thought and simply, feel.

  Chapter 22

  There are some people in the world who are so sincere that you know every emotion they feel at any given time. Jane is one of those people. She asks for every detail, then makes me repeat, then squeals most of the next day.

  “What we need to worry about now is this dress for next weekend. Shopping for sure,” she says.

  I grin and nod. The commerce dinner is coming up, and I plan to fancify, and stay close to a certain Olsen all night. He must have known I was thinking about him because a minute later, a knock comes to the door and Jonas is accosted by Jane.

  “Joe, you dog.”

  He chuckles shyly and slithers into the apartment, his eyes locking on mine. I can’t breathe in the best way.

  “We were just talking about this fancy dance thing,” Jane says nestling on the loveseat. “I’m coming, of course.”

  “Yes, you are,” I say. I have more than a few plans for that night, Jane is in on them and she needs to be my sounding board.

  Jonas sits next to me, and I close my eyes to keep from sniffing him, because he smells that good. I do lace our fingers though. He grins and squeezes my hand.

  “But Joe that means I’m driving with Brita, you’re on your own,” Jane says.

  “Just come with us,” he says.

  Okay, the word us is my new favorite word.