Single, Available, and Completely Attached

by Michelle Brewer

  “I was going to see if you wanted to get something to eat. I’m famished.”

  “You passed several restaurants on the way here.”

  “But I wanted you to keep me company.” He tilted his head, his blue eyes sparkling as they held hers.

  “I…have plans.”

  “You’re obviously dressed for a very important occasion.”

  “If you must know…” Anna felt her cheeks redden even as she prepared to finish the statement. She knew she was opening herself up for a whole new level of good-natured ribbing. “There’s a new episode of Forensic 360 on tonight, and I—”

  “Are you serious?” She rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to defend herself. But Drew interrupted before she could even begin. “I love 360.”

  “Stop it. I know you’re just making fun of me.”

  “No, I mean it. Is this the episode about the wife and the husband’s brother?” Drew’s tone was actually serious, and Anna glanced up at him warily.

  “And the poisoned lemonade. Yes.”

  “Oh man, well forget about dinner, we can order in.” And before she could stop him, he was already in the house, heading for the couch. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “You’re being completely serious right now, right?”

  “Annabelle, I do not joke about my true crime.” He removed his jacket and tossed it on the back of the couch, taking a seat. It took him a moment to turn around and repeat his question. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “After you’ve already made yourself comfortable?” She swung the door closed and walked around to the other side of the couch, grabbing up the blanket she had been about to snuggle up with before Drew had sent her the message.

  It had only been a few days since she had taken him for the tour around the community center, and they had seen each other more days than they hadn’t. He’d stopped by with coffee, she’d met up with him for lunch—and if they didn’t see each other, then they had been certain to converse at least once throughout the day.

  It felt strange to her, how easily a friendship with Drew had come about. With absolutely no effort on her part, he had somehow become a fixture within her world.

  And it had seemingly occurred overnight.

  “Hey, what’s your address?”

  “Why? You’re sitting in my living room.”

  “I’m ordering a pizza. I told you I was hungry.” She looked over to find him concentrating on his phone. “Is pizza okay with you?”

  “Make it stuffed crust and we’ve got a deal.” He grinned, and she gave him a second before she rattled off the address. “Now be quiet—it’s about to start.”

  “Wait, you don’t have DVR?” He shook his head, completely astounded. “Okay, next week, we’re taking this party to my house. I don’t even know if I can watch live TV.”

  “Yeah, yeah…sorry, I don’t live a life of luxury like you do, Mr. Whitman.”

  “It’s not a luxury, Annabelle. It’s a necessity.”

  Her only response was to roll her eyes at him before she shifted her attention to the TV, the familiar intro music filling the room. Within a few minutes, it was obvious what was going to happen, as it always was. But still, Anna couldn’t tear herself away, and neither could Drew—until the knock at the door.

  “You get it—I’m not getting axe murdered.” Anna told him, and he laughed as he rose to his feet. He returned a moment later with a pizza box.

  “What’d I miss?”

  “The brother poisoned the lemonade to make it look like it was the wife! They found evidence on his computer about a search he did for the most commonly used method of murder by women.”

  “What an idiot.” Drew held open the box, letting Anna take the first piece before taking one for himself and setting the box on the coffee table in front of them. She tried not to remember how, just a few weeks ago, he had been sitting on that table.

  “I know, right?” She cast a sidelong glance at him as he sat there, absorbed by the narrator on the TV. Something stirred within her as she remembered the touch of his hands on her bare skin—but she pushed it away.

  She was enjoying his friendship. And though he made sure to offer some sort of sexual favor every time they were together, she was under the impression that it was actually the last thing he wanted from her.

  Not that she could blame him, if for no other reason than because Jeff was his best friend. She was sure there was some sort of code at play, but she felt as if they were already breaking those rules just by simply sitting here together.

  “Want another piece?” He startled her back to the present by offering the box to her again. She took another slice just as Alice walked through the door.

  “Anna Marie, I swear, if you’ve got that stupid crime—” Alice stopped short as soon as she saw Drew sitting on the couch. “Oh.”

  “You don’t like Forensic 360?” Drew’s tone was incredulous as he took in the younger girl. Anna couldn’t help but bite her lip. She had never really thought about it until now—but Alice and Drew were kind of the same person.

  And, deep down, Anna felt the faintest stirrings of panic fluttering within her.

  What if Drew liked Alice? What if he realized she was the more exciting sister?

  She was, in Anna’s opinion, the more beautiful one. With her bleached hair, her funky style, her pretty tattoos…she was, at the very least, much more provocative.

  Wait, what if Drew liked Alice?

  “Gross, I can’t stand that crap.” Alice rolled her eyes. “And who are you?”

  “I’m Drew. Annabelle here is my new best friend.” He reached out and tugged on Anna’s ponytail.

  “You mean…Drew Whitman?”

  “The one and only, thank you. Well, there’s probably another Drew Whitman out there somewhere, but I guarantee I’m the best looking one, at the very least.” Alice turned to look at Anna, clearly disappointed with what her sister was wearing.

  “We’re having a girl’s night.” Anna explained, grinning when she felt another tug on her ponytail. “Well, I was having a girl’s night, until Drew crashed.”

  “So, you’re…just hanging out?”

  “That’s what friends do.” Drew explained, as if this wasn’t common knowledge. “I mean, it’s a whole new concept to me—personally, I wouldn’t mind a little something extra, if you know what I mean—” Anna turned and punched him in the shoulder.

  “You’re more than welcome to join us, Allie.” She only offered because she knew it was the last thing in the world Alice would want to do. Still, she almost crossed her fingers—just in case.

  “Oh, I think I’ll pass. You kids don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Alice winked dramatically before she clunked her way up the stairs.

  “She seems like a sweet girl.” The tone in Drew’s voice was very sarcastic, and relief swept through Anna.

  “I’m surprised you two didn’t hit it off. Actually, what I’m more surprised about is that you haven’t run into one another before. I think you both…follow similar philosophies when it comes to the opposite sex.”

  “Then maybe she’s the one I should be friends with.” Anna swatted at him again, shaking her head.

  “Well, I can call her back down here for you—” And she was startled when she felt his arm fall around her shoulders and pull her just a little bit closer to him, his free hand finding it’s way to her waist—where he proceeded to tickle her. She squealed, squirming away from him. “Friends keep their hands to themselves.”

  “Not in the movies I’ve been watching.” She rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back to the TV, a small smile on her face.

  “You’re impossible.”

  “I know, but it’s part of my charm, isn’t it?” He nudged her with his shoulder and without even looking at him, she knew he had that cocky little grin on his face.

  “Keep telling yourself that…”

  “Oh, you adore me. Just admit it.”

  “I would never.”
She told him, not taking her eyes from the TV, though she had no idea what was going on. He sighed loudly beside her.

  “See, this is why DVR is so important. We’ve missed the ending of the show.”

  “They’ll replay it again. We’ll just catch it next time.”

  “See, you just can’t get enough of me.” And even though she laughed and feigned denial, the words he spoke were true.

  “Hey, you’re the one who just randomly showed up at my house.” She reminded him.

  “I told you, I was in the neighborhood.”

  “I still don’t believe it.”

  “Maybe I just wanted to hang out with my new best friend. Is that a crime?” The smile on his face was genuine and Anna found herself sighing inwardly.

  She looked forward to his company much more than she was willing to admit.

  And not in a romantic sense—but just knowing that there was someone who was thinking about her, someone who enjoyed spending time with her, was enough for her.

  She hadn’t realized how lonely she’d been until she’d finally found someone to spend a little time with.

  Chapter Eight

  It was late Wednesday evening when Alice knocked on Anna’s bedroom door. Anna removed her headphones and tossed her sketchpad aside, having decided to give her mind a break from thinking about work tonight—until Alice interrupted, anyway. “Do you still have that black sweater thing?”

  “Which black sweater thing?” Anna asked. Her sister always assumed Anna knew exactly what she was referring to.

  “You know, the fluttery one, with the short sleeves.”

  Right, because Anna should have figured that out based on “black sweater thing”.

  She sighed and rose to her feet, thumbing through a few hangers before holding one up. “That’s it. Mind if I borrow it? I’m doing a shoot for some hotel tomorrow, and I’m supposed to be dressed professionally.”

  “Are you sure this is what you want to borrow?” Anna glanced at the thin material, trying to imagine what Alice would wear underneath it. Knowing her sister, it was going to be more bar-casual than anything remotely close to professional.

  “Is that not okay?” Anna sighed again, turning back to her closet. When she emerged, she held a dark-blue button down shirt. It was just form-fitting enough that Alice might go for it.

  “Wear this. And make sure you leave no more than two buttons undone.” Alice barely glanced at it before laying herself down on Anna’s bed.

  “So…what’s going on with you and that Drew guy?”

  Anna had been preparing herself for this since Alice had walked in on them Saturday evening. In fact, she was surprised it had taken Alice this long. Her sister was one of the nosiest, most insistent people she’d ever met. “He told you—we’re just friends.”

  “And you think that’s a good idea?”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “I don’t know—because he’s Jeff’s best friend, maybe.” Of all the possible responses, this was the one Anna had expected the least. “And you know, and I know, and even Drew knows, that the whole ‘just friends’ thing…it always turns into something else.”

  That she had expected. In Alice’s world, the only point in having a relationship with someone of the male gender was a physical one.

  But things weren’t like that between Drew and herself. There was nothing more between them. Nothing more than two lonely people looking for someone to connect with—in a purely intellectual sense.

  “Just because you’re incapable of maintaining a completely platonic relationship with someone of the opposite sex doesn’t mean that everyone else has the same problem.”

  “No, Anna Marie. That’s exactly what that means. I’m just honest about it.” Alice shrugged her shoulders, and before Anna had the opportunity to reply, she had changed the subject. “Hey, why don’t you come out with me again this weekend?”

  “That didn’t exactly work out the last couple of times—”

  “Well, it doesn’t hurt to try again. Just come out. We can dance, and have a few drinks…”

  “That’s exactly what you said last time.”

  “But you were sad then. It’s been forever since you and Jeff broke up. Aren’t you…ready?” Anna’s only response was to raise an eyebrow. She didn’t exactly feel like discussing her lack of a sex life with her baby sister, whose was clearly thriving. “Besides that, you have to admit—you did have a little fun.”

  “I don’t know, Allie.”

  “Please, sissy? I feel like I’ve barely seen you lately.” Alice pouted very convincingly, and Anna sighed loudly.

  “Friday?” Anna asked, giving in.

  “Friday is perfect. Were we still on for next week, too?” It took Anna a long moment to remember what it was Alice was referring to. “The anti-V-day date?”

  “Oh!” Was it already next week? She couldn’t believe how quickly time was passing. Immediately following Anna’s break-up with Jeff, and after Anna had spent New Year’s Eve on her own, Alice had promised to spend Valentine’s day in front of the TV watching nothing but horror movies. “Yeah, I just didn’t even realize how much time had gone by.”

  “Sounds like a plan!” Alice jumped from the bed, grabbing the shirt as she did so. “I’ll get out of your hair now.”

  Anna watched as she went, wishing that she could have been a little more like her sister. Of course, she was the older sister, and after their parents had died, she had felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.

  She had never really known what it was like to be carefree.

  An image of the ride home from the football game conjured in the back of her mind, and she saw herself as she must have looked to Drew: Bobbing around like an idiot, belting out the lyrics to ridiculous songs in even more ridiculous tones.

  It was the closest to carefree she’d been in recent memory.

  ~*~

  Drew was on his way out the door when he realized he’d forgotten his phone. He turned and headed back into the apartment, grabbing it from the countertop he’d left it on earlier. As he made his way back toward the door, he, out of habit, checked for any new messages.

  He was surprised to find one.

  Annabelle: What are you doing at this very moment?

  She had sent it about a half hour ago. He quickly typed out a reply.

  I’m debating between Madden and M.L.B—why?

  It was only a little bit of a lie. For some reason, he didn’t like the idea of telling her that he was going out to the club so that he could find a nice little distraction for the evening.

  Even though they were friends, and that was the kind of thing he should be able to tell a friend.

  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was her he was trying to distract himself from.

  After several minutes passed, he almost gave up, figuring he’d missed out on whatever she had been about to offer to him.

  Annabelle: Would you mind coming to Tryst? Allie…set me up.

  What do you mean, set you up?

  Annabelle: Like, on a date.

  Aw, and you need my help?

  Annabelle: I don’t need it. I would appreciate it, though.

  I don’t know…I had a pretty big night ahead of me.

  Annabelle: Playing some video game? When you could be here, making fun of people, with me?

  Well…when you put it that way…

  I’m on the way.

  Okay, so this was a change of plans.

  But the idea of Anna sitting there while some guy…

  Nope, that wasn’t going to sit well with him.

  He was already in the car, and the ride seemed to take forever, though he was sure he’d made record timing.

  The club was loud and busy, as would be expected on a Friday night. It didn’t take long for him to spot Anna sitting at a table, dressed in a short skirt and a dark top. Across from her was a younger guy—wearing skinny jeans, a piercing in his lip, his hair bleached white.


  He almost laughed as he watched Anna try to be polite, when really, she was squirming in her seat.

  Finally, he decided she’d had enough. He stopped at the bar and ordered a beer, taking a drink before heading in her direction.

  Even if he hadn’t been looking for her, Drew knew that he would have zeroed in on her eventually.

  She was, as usual, intoxicatingly beautiful.

  He passed by the table at first, counting the seconds down in his head before he turned around. “Anna Maloy? Is that you?”

  “Oh—hey, Drew—”

  “Wow, I haven’t seen you in forever!” Drew exclaimed, walking back toward her now. She met his eyes, questioning him. His only response was a quick raised eyebrow. “You look amazing.”

  “Oh, thanks—”

  “Do you live around here?” He completely ignored Hipster, the guy at Anna’s table.

  “I’m around,” she told him. “What about you? I think the last time I saw you was—”

  “That frat party. You had red hair, then.”

  “And you punched my boyfriend in the face, if I recall.”

  “He wasn’t much of a boyfriend.” Drew tilted his head at her, almost forgetting that he was putting on a show. “Hey, why don’t I buy you a drink? We can reminisce about the good old days.”

  Finally, Hipster cleared his throat. “Oh—right—this is Alec.” Anna introduced her date.

  “Hello, Alex.”

  “It’s Al-ec.” He corrected.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Of course, he wasn’t. Drew had heard Anna just fine, but he had to let this guy know, in no uncertain terms, that he was the superior male. “I didn’t even realize you were on a date.”

  “Oh—it’s not—”

  “Perfect, then Alex here won’t mind if I steal you away.”