by Kate Hunt
Chapter Nine
Austin
“Fuck,” says Chloe, hurrying back into the living room.
I look up, instantly concerned at the sound of her voice.
“What’s wrong, Chloe?”
“I accidentally answered your phone. I thought it was mine. It was Rob. Fuck. I can’t believe I just did that.”
My face falls. I rub a hand over my mouth.
“Shit,” I say. “Did he know it was you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay. Maybe—”
My phone in her hand rings again.
I rush over and take the phone from her.
“Hey, man,” I say, answering the phone.
“You with someone?” Rob asks.
I can’t bring myself to lie to him. “Yeah, I’m…kind of busy right now. What’s up?”
A second of doubt passes between us. “Right. Hey, really sorry to bug you over the weekend. I just had a thought about that meeting we’re having on Monday and I wanted to run it by you.”
The tension on the line fades. Okay. I think we’re fine.
“Yeah,” I say. “Sure thing. What’s up?”
My phone call with Rob doesn’t last too long. When it’s over, I turn to look at Chloe. She’s sitting slumped on the sofa, the pint of ice cream untouched on the coffee table in front of her.
“I don’t think he figured it out,” I say, walking up and squeezing her shoulder.
She nods. But she doesn’t look as relieved as I’d hoped.
“Austin…” she says, then sighs. “Oh, God. I really don’t want to say this. But…I think the universe is trying to tell us that this is a bad idea.”
“Look, I know this seems like a big deal right now, but it’ll be fine.”
“Maybe. I’m not just talking about the phone call, though. There have been other things, too. You saw the way people looked at us tonight at the restaurant. And…well, I didn’t want to mention this, but my schoolwork has been affected, too. We’ve been talking so much on the phone and I’ve been thinking about you so much that I’m falling behind.”
Shit. “First of all, screw anyone who cares about our age difference. I don’t care. Do you?”
“No.”
“And as for your schoolwork…we’ll cut back on the phone calls.”
“It’s not just that. I think about you all the time. It’s like I can’t concentrate on anything else.” She chews the inside of her lip. “I don’t know, Austin. I just don’t know.”
I pull her into my arms and hug her for a long time.
I leave Chloe at the end of the weekend without much clarity about our current state. Everything feels so damn up in the air. The whole flight home, I work it over in my head, trying to figure out what to do.
Maybe there really are too many things stacked against us.
I can’t let her go, though. I just fucking can’t. And while I might not be able to make everything easy for us, there is one thing I can do. When I get into work on Monday morning, the first thing I do is ask Rob if the two of us can go out for coffee and talk about something.
“Of course,” says Rob, pulling his eyes away from his computer and giving me a curious look.
We head down to the coffee shop and grab a table. Rob settles down in the chair across from me. “Hey, if this is about our presentation—”
“It’s not,” I say.
“Oh. Okay.” He raises his eyebrows and waits.
I sit back and cross my arms, ready to defend myself. “It’s about Chloe.”
Rob raises his eyebrows. “Chloe? What about her?”
“I don’t know any easy way to tell you this, Rob. So I’m just going to say it. I have feelings for Chloe. She has feelings for me. It started over Thanksgiving break. We’ve been talking ever since, and…well, this weekend, I flew down to see her. I know she’s your sister, man, but…she’s special. She’s incredibly special. And I don’t want to keep sneaking around behind your back. It’s a shitty thing to do, and I’m not going to do it anymore.”
God, does it ever feel good to get that all off my chest.
Now, though, comes the tough part, of course. Rob’s reaction. I brace myself. It’s not like I expect him to fly across the table and punch me or anything, but…you never know.
I look up and focus my eyes on my best friend. He blinks at me, opens his mouth, and then closes it again.
“Fuck, man,” I say. “Say something.”
Then Rob opens his mouth and says the last thing I would have ever expected him to say.
Chapter Ten
Chloe
I hate the way Austin and I leave things when he goes home at the end of the weekend. But I try to convince myself that maybe Austin was meant to come into my life for a short period of time. Maybe he was simply the man I was meant to lose my virginity to, and that’s all he’ll ever be.
Still. It sucks. My chest constantly hurts in the days that follow. Finally, on Tuesday morning, I can’t take it anymore.
I call my brother.
“Hey, Chloe,” Rob says when he picks up. “What’s up?”
“I need to talk to you. Is this a bad time?”
“Nope,” he says. “I have to run into a meeting in about fifteen minutes, but I have until then.”
I think about Rob at work. I try to remember how far Austin’s desk is away from Rob’s, but my memory is fuzzy. I’ve visited the place only once, and mostly I was just impressed that my brother had started a real business.
“Okay. I have a question for you,” I say. “If I were to date someone you didn’t want me to date…how bad would you take it?”
Rob laughs. “What are we talking about here? Mild asshole or total douchebag?”
“I’m serious, Rob.”
“Why wouldn’t I want you to date him?”
“Just…because.” I wince. “Just answer the question.”
“You can date Austin, Chloe.”
My eyes shoot wide. “Um, what?”
“In fact,” my brother says, sounding amused, “Denise and I were hoping you two would get together.”
“Wait. What? Rob, what are you talking about?” I’m so confused right now.
“It wasn’t random when we brought Austin along with us for Thanksgiving, Chloe. We thought you two might hit it off.”
“You and Denise were setting us up? Wait…was Austin in on this?”
“No. He had no clue. Look, Chloe…don’t freak out. It wasn’t some big elaborate scheme or anything. A few weeks ago, Denise and I were talking about how Austin never dates, and she made some joke about how she bet the two of you would hit it off. I didn’t agree with her at first…and then I remembered how you always ogled him when he would come over after school.”
“I did not,” I protest.
“Yes, you did,” Rob says. “Anyway, the point is, I changed my mind. I thought, hey, maybe you two would hit it off after all. And then Denise suggested we invite Austin to a family gathering, and…well, there you have it.”
“I’m…” I struggle to find the words. “You aren’t pissed?”
“Pissed? Why would I be pissed?”
“He’s your best friend. I’m your little sister.”
“You’re an adult, Chloe. You’re not a kid.”
I blink. “Why didn’t you just tell me you thought he and I should date, then?”
“Uh…have you ever done anything I’ve suggested?” says Rob. “Fat chance you’d listen to me if I told you to date my best friend.”
Rob has a point. I look around the room. It feels like everything’s changed. If this isn’t an issue anymore…maybe those other issues will also have a way of working out.
“Sorry,” I say, realizing I haven’t said anything for several seconds. “I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around this. I was so convinced you’d have a problem with it. That’s why we…” I stop myself.
“Why you what?” Rob asks.
“Never min
d.”
“It’s okay, Chloe. Austin told me.”
Oh my God. Austin told Rob about what we did over Thanksgiving? Did he also tell him about visiting me over the weekend? About us sleeping together?
“He told you what, exactly?” I ask cautiously.
“That you two have been talking.”
I try to hide my sigh. “Right.”
“And I know he was visiting you this weekend. You don’t have to pretend he wasn’t.”
“Oh,” I say.
“Look, I really don’t want to know any details. But…you like him, right?”
“Yeah,” I say, quietly. “I do.”
“Then stop making up excuses, Chloe. If you want to be with him, be with him.”
I’m overwhelmed for a second. Then I can’t help but laugh. I feel a little trembly with giddiness.
“I have to go, Rob,” I say. “Thanks for the talk.”
“Sure thing, sis.”
I hang up with Rob. I let out a happy scream into my hands. I take a breath and tap the screen of my phone again and compose a text to Austin:
Hey! Can we talk?
Several minutes—minutes that feel like hours—go by. Austin doesn’t write back.
Maybe he’s in a meeting?
Then something occurs to me. Rob said that Austin told him about visiting me. So it would be safe to assume that Rob told Austin about him and Denise setting us up.
It’s weird that Austin didn’t get in touch with me after that, right?
Shit. I wonder if Austin didn’t have the same reaction as me. Maybe he’s ignoring me. Maybe he’s a fucking weirdo and only liked me because it was forbidden and he wasn’t supposed to have feelings about me. Maybe…
I sink down into my couch and dip my head into my hands.
Stop it, Chloe, I tell myself. You’re overreacting. You’re fine. Everything’s fine.
I consider calling Rob back and asking him if Austin is busy with something at work right now. But it feels wrong. It will feel like I’m spying on Austin.
What am I supposed to do?
I’m about to send Austin another text but decide to call him instead. His phone rings. And rings. Then goes to voicemail.
“Fuck,” I say, throwing my phone on the couch beside me. I dig my fingers through my hair and take a deep breath in and let it out.
I’ve just closed my eyes in despair when my doorbell buzzes.
Chapter Eleven
Austin
“Hello?”
Chloe’s voice flows tentatively through the apartment building speaker. I feel warmth flood my chest at the sound of her voice.
“Hey, Chloe,” I say. “It’s me.”
“Austin?” Now her voice is high and shocked. “What are you…come up!”
The door buzzes and I grab it and fling it open.
I practically run up the stairs. When I make it up to her floor, she’s already standing there in her doorway, in shock.
“Hi,” I say, grinning.
“Hi,” she says. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see you.”
“Yeah, but…”
A neighbor walks down the hallway and Chloe breaks from her trance to pull me into her apartment.
“You flew down here?” she says. “You were just here.”
“I know. But I needed to see you again.”
“I’m…” She shakes her head. “I just got off the phone with my brother. He told me about everything. About knowing. About how they…”
“I know,” he says. “They thought we’d be good together.”
“I tried texting you…and when you didn’t respond, I thought…” She looks up at me. “But you’re here.”
“I’m here.” I smile. “I’m here to officially ask you if you want to be together. For real. No hiding from anyone.”
She laughs. “You could have called me and asked me this, you know.”
“No,” I say. “I couldn’t. I needed to see you. Because I needed to tell you this in person, Chloe. I’m falling in love with you.”
She gasps. “What? You are?”
I nod. “Yeah. I know it’s quick. But I feel like I’ve known you forever. I mean…I have known you forever, Chloe. Our paths just haven’t crossed in the right way until now.”
She tears up. She nods. “Yeah. You’re right.” Then she smiles. “You aren’t going to propose to me now, are you?”
I laugh. “No. But I should probably tell you…I’ve had thoughts about what it would be like if you were my wife. Does that freak you out?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“I know we still have some obstacles to overcome. But I don’t care how hard it is or how much time it takes. I want to be with you. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes, too.” She grins. “I had a crush on you, you know. Back in the day.”
“You did?”
She nods. “I used to fantasize that we’d be together. That we’d be married. That we’d have kids.”
“So…basically…you’re saying that I’m your dream come true?”
“Yep. Basically.”
“Well, you’re my dream come true, too.”
I lean in to kiss her and we don’t let up. She moves her hands to my shirt and starts to undo the buttons. I slide my hands beneath her skirt and pull down her tights. Quickly, feverishly, we get our clothes off. Or most of them, anyway. When I push her up against the nearest wall and enter her, she still has her bra and her skirt on, and my shirt’s still on, just unbuttoned, my pants and briefs pooled at the floor. We need each other too much to bother with the rest of our clothing, or to move to her bed.
“Oh, Austin,” she gasps. I thrust deep into her, pinning her to the wall. I hold her face and crush my lips to hers.
Each thrust feels equally erotic and loving. We’re drowning in pleasure together. And when she comes, her thighs quivering, her gasps high and out of control, I whisper into her ear that I’m falling in love with her and I swear she comes even harder. When she comes the second time, I come with her.
Chapter Twelve
Chloe
Snow flecks the windshield as Austin and I pull up to his parents’ house. It’s Christmas Eve and I’m equally giddy and nervous. It’s going to be my first time meeting Austin’s parents, and even though he’s assured me they’re going to love me, I can’t help but be nervous.
Austin parks the car behind theirs in the driveway and leans over to give me a kiss.
“You look gorgeous, Chloe,” he says.
“Thanks, baby,” I say. I take a breath. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Austin’s mom answers the door with a cheerful hello and gives hugs to both of us. Her genuinely warm welcome calms me down—and so does Austin’s dad’s hearty greeting, too. As the evening progresses, I see that Austin is right, of course. I really have nothing to be nervous about. His parents are just as nice as he told me they’d be.
“So you flew up to see Austin a few days ago, is that right, Chloe?” his mom asks when we sit down to dinner.
I nod. “Yeah. Figured we’d sneak in a little time together before coming up.”
“That’s sweet,” says Austin’s mom. “And you two are going over to your folks’ place tomorrow around midday, right, Chloe?”
I nod and glance over at Austin. A few weeks ago, when we were figuring out our holiday plans, neither of us wanted to spend Christmas apart, so seeing both of our families together seemed like the best solution. It feels a little over-the-top, since it’s not like we’re married and our parents live less than half an hour apart. But I can’t imagine spending these days without Austin by my side.
“Austin said you’re a photographer, Chloe?” his dad asks.
I smile. “Yes. Well…I’m a student right now. But my goal is to have a photography career.”
“That’s great. Maybe you can teach a few things to this little lady over here.” He moti
ons his head toward his wife and Austin’s mom scoffs in protest.
“My photos are just fine, thank you,” she says.
“Yeah, if you like thumbs in them,” says Austin’s dad.
We all laugh.
“We’ll show you our Europe vacation photos after dinner,” says Austin’s mom. “I promise that less than five percent of them have a thumb in them.”
“Oh, don’t force her to sit through all of those,” Austin’s dad says. He leans over to me and whispers, “Seriously. Speak up if you don’t want to see them.”
But I laugh. “No. I’d love to see them. And I promise I won’t judge any thumb appearances.”
“See, honey?” says Austin’s mom. And then, smiling over at Austin, she says, “She’s a keeper, son.”
Austin’s parents’ photos, as it turns out, are actually super fascinating to sit through. Austin’s mom has such a unique way of taking photographs—she notices the things that most people don’t notice. When I tell her this, she looks flattered and tells Austin again that he “picked a good one.”
“I know,” says Austin, smiling at me. Then his expression shifts and he stands up.
“I know I picked a good one. She picked me, too, though, Mom.” He looks at his parents and smiles lovingly at them. “I’ve never said this to you guys…but I admire your marriage so much. For so long, I thought I’d never have what you two have.”
Then he looks back at me. “But I was wrong. I can have it. Chloe, you’ve given it to me already. But I want to make this official.”
I clasp a hand over my mouth as Austin digs a ring box out of his pocket. As he lowers to one knee and opens it in front of me, I gasp.
His proposal is better than all the ways I’ve daydreamed it.
“Will you marry me, Chloe?”
“Yes,” I say. “Oh my God, Austin. Of course.”
Behind us, Austin’s mom starts bawling happily, and his dad squeezes his wife’s shoulder.