by Megan Green
“Nothing is going on. Nothing that shouldn’t have happened a long, long time ago.”
Her fingers move to the front of my shirt, her soft caress trailing up the line of buttons at my chest. I shudder at the contact.
I need to be sure though. I need to know this isn’t just her way of trying to get over that asshole before I touch her.
“Are you sure? I mean, everything with Miles…”
She lifts her hand to my mouth, gently pressing her fingers into my lips to cut off my words. “This has nothing to do with him. This is about you and me.”
“But you and I have never involved lying back on the merry-go-round, your lips only inches from mine. It’s never involved hand-holding and tender caresses. Not like this,” I add, trailing my fingers up along the length of her forearm.
“Sometimes, it takes losing something you never really wanted to see what’s been standing right in front of you all along.”
The words are so sure, her tone so even, that I don’t even question it.
Before I can think twice, I lift my face to hers. And she meets me halfway, her lips crashing against mine as her scent and taste take over my every sense.
I’ve been waiting for this moment for as long as I can remember. Pictured it a million different times and in a million different ways.
Each and every one of those scenarios pales in comparison to reality.
Avery Grant is the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.
And I’m never letting her go.
Chapter 12
Avery
“Hey, girl, hey,” Sammy says as she answers the phone, causing a smile to instantly spring to my lips.
“Holy shit, I’ve missed you,” I say, not realizing how true those words are until I heard her voice.
Carter has always been my closest friend. But Sammy is by far my closest girlfriend. And there are some things that only girls will understand.
“So, get your cute butt back to Stetson. It’s not the same here without you.”
And, for the first time since I left, I think about how much I miss everyone there, too. Not just Sammy, but also my parents, my residents, my friends…
Seattle is an amazing city, but as my girl Dorothy always said, there’s just no place like your own home.
And a sudden wave of homesickness washes over me.
“Soon,” I promise. “I just, um…” I trail off. “I just have a few things I need to figure out here first.” My tone leaves no room for error, the reason for my call clear in every word. I need advice.
I can practically see Sammy as she perks up on the couch, her long legs curling under her as she prepares to demand all the juicy details.
“Spill,” is all she says.
And I do. I tell her everything. First, about the conversation I had with Lexi and Liv and how I held Carter’s hand on the car ride home. I tell her about the tension that coursed between us and how I could see his desire to kiss me in his eyes as we stood outside my bedroom door. I recount the tense hours between that encounter and dinner last night. And then I tell her, in painstaking detail, each and every moment of our time on the playground.
She’s silent when I finish, and if it wasn’t for the soft sounds of her breathing coming through the other end of the line, I’d be concerned that I lost her.
“Saaaammmmy,” I whine, unnecessarily drawing her name out.
She laughs, briefly clearing her throat before finally speaking, “Sorry. I’m just shocked.”
I heave out a sigh. “I know. Who would’ve thought something would ever happen between me and Carter?”
She snorts. “Yeah, that’s not what I’m shocked about. Everyone who got within a hundred yards of you two knew there was enough chemistry there to cause an explosion the size of Vesuvius. I’m just shocked you finally opened your eyes enough to see it.”
A slight edge of irritation creeps into my voice. “Did everyone know Carter was in love with me but me?”
Sammy chuckles. “Pretty much. Pretty sure everyone knew you were in love with him but you, too. Well, and Carter.”
“I’m not—” I start, but Sammy quickly cuts me off, “Don’t even try to deny it, Avie. Like I said, we all knew it. We were just waiting for you two to figure it out. I was starting to think it was never gonna happen.”
“How did you know?” I ask, still unable to grasp the idea that all my friends and family somehow knew I loved Carter when I didn’t.
“Think about it, Avery. Who was the first person you always wanted to talk to after something good happened? Or bad? Who was the first person on your mind whenever someone asked if you wanted to hang out after school? The two of you never went anywhere or did anything without the other.”
“Because we were best friends,” I insist, standing up from my bed and starting to pace.
“It went deeper than that, and you know it. You never agreed to a date before you talked to Carter. You always checked with him before doing anything, just to make sure he would be okay with it and could come along if he wanted. Hell, you even went to prom with him even though you had another date.”
“Only because Carter didn’t. I didn’t want him to miss prom.”
“He didn’t have a date because someone else had asked you first. And there was no way in hell that boy was going to go with anyone else. He only had eyes for you.”
Could it be that Carter really loved me as much as all that?
A sudden realization hits me. “That’s not true. Carter dated a lot in high school. We used to double date all the time.”
I can hear the frustration in Sammy’s sigh. “No, you dated a lot in high school. Carter took out whatever girl happened to be available that night, so he could go with you and make sure the guy you were out with didn’t try anything.”
“He did not,” I protest, but even as I say the words, I know they’re wrong.
“He so did. He always said he didn’t want any of those assholes making you do anything you didn’t want to do. But, if you ask me, he just didn’t want them to touch what was his.”
“Oh, please. Carter isn’t like that. He’s like the least alpha guy I know.”
Again, she laughs. “Only with you, my dear friend. Carter lets you see the soft and gooey side of him. But you have no idea how many guys he threatened over the years. Each and every guy you ever dated was under strict orders to never break your heart. Not unless they wanted a busted face.”
“You’re lying,” I say, unable to believe that this side of my best friend exists.
“God’s honest truth. Carter is a good guy. One of the best really. But he can be a scary motherfucker when he wants to be. Must be all those muscles,” she adds, sounding dreamy.
“Sammy!” I exclaim with a laugh. “This is Carter we’re talking about here.”
“Yeah, and Carter is fine as fuck. The only reason I never tried anything with him was because he was so clearly in love with you. And I refuse to be someone’s second choice.”
I let out an exasperated breath and fall back onto my bed. “I feel like my entire life has been a lie.”
Sammy chuckles. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. It’s still just you and Carter. Only now, you get to add in all the fun stuff. Like kissing and orgasms.”
“Oh my God!” I shriek, jackknifing up off the bed. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“It’s the truth,” she says, like she didn’t just put a million different thoughts in my head.
Carter Hughes is definitely one sexy piece of man meat. And, suddenly, the idea of seeing him naked doesn’t seem so bad.
But…
“I’m scared, Sammy. What if Carter and I try this thing, and it doesn’t work out? What if I end up losing him forever?”
“First, I just want to go on the record and say there’s no possible way that will happen. You two were made for each other, and there’s no doubt in my mind that you guys are going to get married, have a million beautiful babies, and go on being ridicu
lously in love forever and ever.”
“But…” I prompt, knowing, with the way she started that statement, that a but is coming.
“But, if for some reason I’m wrong, if for some reason you two don’t end up being each other’s forever, then there is a chance things will be different for you two. You most likely won’t be able to go back to the way things were.”
“Exactly,” I agree, glad to know she sees where I’m coming from.
“But,” she continues, her tone pointed, like she can already tell I’m going to latch on to her last words and run with them, “what if I’m right? What if you and Carter are meant to be together? What if he makes you happier than you’ve ever been, and vice versa? Don’t you, the eternal optimist when it comes to love, think that’s worth the risk? When the reward is so great, what’s a little uncertainty in the grand scheme of things? I think, if you let yourself, you’ll find something really special with Carter. No, I know it.”
“You really think I should give this a shot? Us, I mean?” I ask.
“I do,” she says with absolute conviction.
And, as I hang up the phone a few minutes later, I know she’s right.
I don’t want to lose Carter. But I also don’t want things to just go back to the way they were either. Not now that I know there are feelings between us.
Sammy might be a cynic when it comes to a lot of things, but she’s always been there when I needed her. I know there’s no way she’d want to see me get hurt or lose one of the most important people in my life.
And she’s absolutely right. Love is always worth the risk.
Last night with Carter felt more real than any of the many nights I’d spent with Miles. He kissed me with so much passion, so much intensity, that, for the first night since I’d arrived, I didn’t fall asleep with thoughts of Miles on my mind. There was only Carter.
I’m really going to do this, I think to myself. I’m going to date my best friend.
The thought makes my heart skip a beat. And, when I hear the key turning in the lock in the hallway, my skin prickles with anticipation. Scrambling to get up off the bed, I rush out into the hall, coming face-to-face with Carter as he swings open the door.
“Hey, Smalls,” he says, his voice breathy as his eyes rake over my body, as if he wasn’t sure whether or not he would find me here.
“Hey, Carter,” I say back, giving him a small wave.
A rush of heat flares in his eyes, and a subtle nod is the only cue I need. I launch myself at him, his big hands gripping my ass as I twine my legs around his waist.
It’s not unlike the many times I’ve thrown myself at him after we were separated for a while.
But the kiss that follows is.
And it sets my soul on fire.
My hand clutches the edge of the restaurant table, my other arm wrapping around my middle as I lean forward, laughter racking my body so hard that not a single sound escapes my lips.
“And do you remember what your mom said after that?”
“Oh my God,” I gasp out between breaths. “How could I forget?”
Sitting up straight, I curl my hands into fists and put them on my hips. Carter does the same with his, and together, we recite the words my mother must’ve said a thousand times to me over the years.
“I brought you into this world, young lady. And I’ll just as soon take you out!”
Carter’s voice rises a few octaves as he says the words, making him sound exactly like Alvin the Chipmunk. It does nothing to solve the fit of giggles I dissolved into moments earlier. In fact, it only makes them worse.
Everybody in this restaurant probably thinks we’re insane, the way we’re acting more appropriate of two teenagers than two grown-ass adults. But I’m having way too much fun to give a damn about what a bunch of random strangers think.
“Okay, seriously,” I say when I can finally form words again, “you have to stop. I’m going to pee.”
“Hey, remember that one time—”
I hold up a hand, cutting him off before he can even get started. I know exactly where he’s going with that, and it’s not something I need to be reminded of.
Drinking an entire two-liter of Pepsi before going over to watch Dumb and Dumber with Carter wasn’t my most brilliant idea.
“I don’t think so, buddy. We are not going there. Not tonight.”
He chuckles as I shoot him a death glare, mentally threatening him with bodily harm should he continue to bring up the night that shall not be named.
“Fine, fine,” he says, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “We won’t discuss the time you sprang a leak in your undercarriage.”
I reach across the table and slug him in the shoulder. “You ass.” I try to sound pissed off, but I can’t help the smile that seeps into my words.
He grabs on to my wrist with one hand while using the other to rub the spot I just hit. “Jeez, Smalls. You been working on your right hook?”
He links his fingers with mine as he sets them down on the table between us. The easygoing way in which he does it makes me smile, and once again, I marvel at how much has changed between us over the past two days.
“Gotta have some way to defend myself out here, in the big city,” I quip, rubbing my thumb over the back of his hand.
“That’s what I’m here for,” he says, his tone light but his words striking me with their sincerity.
Carter has always been my protector. From schoolyard bullies to high school heartbreaks, Carter has been by my side throughout it all, always there to pick me up whenever I fell and kick the ass of whoever had pushed me—both literally and figuratively.
Once again, I wonder how I ever lived without him.
“I know I’ve already said this, but I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed this, Carter. You. Us.”
He cracks a smile, a smile that I’ve seen a million times before. But this is definitely the first time the sight of it causes my heart to skip a beat.
“I’ve missed you, too, Avie. I hate the circumstances that brought you here, but seeing you standing there, on my doorstep, was the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.”
I chuckle. “Aside from that whole getting drafted thing.”
Carter shakes his head. “Getting drafted was amazing. But it pales in comparison to having you back where you belong.”
He doesn’t have to say the words for me to know what he means. He’s not talking about Seattle. He means with him.
I belong with Carter.
I always have.
His eyes sparkle as I grin at him, the waitress choosing that moment to break the spell and bring our check.
“If you’re sure there’s nothing else I can get you…” she says, looking hopefully at Carter.
He just shakes his head, his eyes never once leaving my face. “Just the check is fine. Thank you.”
She pouts her pretty lips as she walks away, looking as dejected as the last puppy left in a cardboard box in front of a pet shop. She’s pretty—long blonde hair pulled back into a thick braid, a few tendrils pulled out to frame her sharp cheekbones, and bright green eyes. A week ago, and I would’ve been ribbing Carter about his complete obliviousness to the effect he has on the opposite sex. But now…
Maybe Carter isn’t quite as oblivious as I thought. Maybe he never gave a single one of them a second glance because…
Was Sammy right? Did Carter only ever date in high school so that he could keep an eye on me? Is that why, despite the fact that he looks like a younger, slightly more attractive version of Bradley Cooper, Carter Hughes has never had a serious girlfriend? Has he truly been waiting for me all this time?
I’m not sure why, but just the thought of that releases a swarm of a million butterflies in my stomach as I watch him pull out his wallet and slide a few bills into the black leather check folder. Once he’s done, his eyes lift to mine, warmth pouring out of them as he scans my face.
“You ready?”
I nod, a k
not of emotion suddenly forming in my throat, making it impossible to speak. He stands, extending his hand to mine like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Because it is.
Being here with Carter, laughing with Carter, loving Carter…
It’s as easy as breathing.
And, thirty minutes later, as I curl myself around him while we’re watching Never Been Kissed—he’s continued his support of my amazing nineties movie binge—I marvel at the fact that I’m here, in Seattle, in my best friend’s arms.
And nothing has ever felt so perfect.
Chapter 13
Carter
Last night was a dream.
It had to have been. That’s the only explanation for the scenes running through my mind as I slowly find myself coming awake the next morning.
It was a dream—a wonderful, amazing, out-of-this world dream. And, if the hard length between my legs is any indication, I’d say it was pretty hot, too. My dick swells against the fabric of my boxers, aching for relief.
But, when I go to move my arm to reach down and adjust myself, I realize I’m stuck. And the attempted movement jostles the object pinning me down, causing a soft sigh to escape its lips.
Her lips.
My eyelids spring open, my gaze falling down onto Avery’s perfect face as she burrows herself deeper into my arms. Luckily, my attempted movement doesn’t seem to have woken her, a sweet smile on her lips as she continues to sleep in my arms.
And that’s when I realize…
It wasn’t a dream.
After dinner last night, we came back to the apartment and snuggled in on the couch together. I would’ve been content to sleep there all night just so I didn’t have to let her go, but I also knew that the couch was nowhere near big enough for the both of us. After the movie ended, I suggested we head to bed and get some much-needed sleep.
I expected Avery to retreat to her room, closing the door on our night and my hopes. But she surprised me. She disappeared behind her door for only a moment, coming back out with a change of clothes and her toothbrush in her hand.