Chapter 18

As we drove back home, the conversation was stilted. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had crossed a line by spending time with Jason. My doubts crept in, and it felt like I was being disloyal to Bree.

We barely spoke and the silence between us was thick with unspoken thoughts. I stared out the window, lost in my own thoughts.

When we arrived home, Jason turned to me.
"Thanks for tonight, Andy. I had a great time." He said.

I smiled weakly, feeling a sense of guilt. "Yeah, me too."

As we stepped foot in the building, Jason touched my arm, stopping me in my tracks. His hand sent a spark of electricity through me. I froze as I stared at him. His tongue swept over his bottom lip, drawing my eyes to them. I suddenly snapped out of it and hurriedly pulled back, feeling panic fill my stomach.

"Goodnight, Andy," he said, his eyes searching mine.

I nodded, feeling so confused.

"Goodnight, Jason." I responded.

I hurried to my room, changing into my nightwear and climbing into bed. My mind raced with thoughts of Jason and Bree, but eventually, exhaustion took over, and I fell asleep, with memories of the night's events filling my dreams.

……

The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and clear headed.
I headed downstairs to brew some coffee, the aroma filling the air.

As I waited for the coffee to brew, Bree stumbled into the kitchen, looking clearly hungover.

"Morning," she groaned, collapsing onto a stool as she gripped her head.

"Morning," I responded.

I smiled sympathetically. "Coffee?"

Bree nodded, and I poured her a cup. We sat in silence for a moment, sipping our coffee. It was the first time we were talking since the whole argument in my room happened the day before, which made it all the more awkward.

Finally, Bree spoke up.
"Hey, um, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was out of line." She said and I sighed.

"I'm sorry too. I know you wanted me to go to the party, but..." I started to explain.

Bree sighed. "I know, I know. I just- I wasn't really thinking straight. I just really wanted to help you feel better but I understand better now" she said and I smiled softly.

"It's just… it's still really raw for me. I couldn't go back there. At least, not yet. And seriously, you can go to any party you would like to go to. I'll just live vicariously through you. Well, for now." I said and she giggled before she nodded in understanding.

Bree reached out and took my hand, her equally warm ones enveloping mine.

"I get it. I'm so sorry I pushed you. That was so wrong and selfish of me." She said and I smiled.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you" I said, owning up to my part, before we hugged it out, finally settling everything. It was hard not talking to her for that long.

As we pulled back, Bree said, "Thanks for the coffee. You're a literal life saver" She said and I laughed.

"That bad?" I asked and she nodded.

"Literally. My head is literally banging" she said and I laughed as she buried her fingers in her hair.

"Shit! How was the party though? Were Tyler and Emily there?" I asked and she nodded.

"It was okay…" she trailed off.

I gave her a knowing look.

"You know you can tell me if it was fun, right?" I said, watching her with amusement on my face.

"Oh my gosh, it was so fun. There were so many games and the DJ was literally on fire! Some people faced each other in a dance off and Tyler was…" As she kept on talking about the party with excitement in her tone, I felt a little sad. I mean, I was glad she had fun but I wished I got to experience all that with her as well. But then one flash of that dark beach again and that was all it took for me to snap out of it.

"No way. Tyler didn't" I said and she laughed.

"He so did" she said and I gaped. Tyler telling off Marissa Dunley? I didn't even know her that well and it still shocked me to the very core.

"You should have seen her face. Priceless" she said and I burst into laughter as I tried to imagine it.

"Also, I… " she paused as she leaned closer and whispered, before continuing "I hooked up with someone" she said and my eyes widened in shock.

"Shit, is he-" My sentence died in my throat as a voice cut me off.

"Good morning" an unfamiliar masculine voice called out before we saw his face.

"You brought him home?!" I whisper yelled to Bree and she shrugged.

He finally showed his face and I skimmed his features as quickly as I could without seeming weird. He was shirtless and only had shorts on. I almost rolled my eyes. It's like every man here didn't own shirts or something.

He whistled a tune as he walked towards Bree, totally ignoring my presence and collected her cup of coffee before downing it and putting the empty cup back on the table beside her. Call me crazy but he was giving off major Gaston from beauty and the beast energy and it pissed me the hell off.

She sighed and clenched her hands together as if to force herself to keep calm.

"Okay, sweet cheeks, gotta go. I'll see you later" he said, before planting a kiss on her cheeks and she forced a smile.

He turned around and kept on whistling the same stupid tune on his way hot.

"Hey, nice house" he said before he finally disappeared out of our sight.

I looked at Bree and she rolled her eyes.

"What?! I was drunk and he's hot" she said and I hummed. Well, he was definitely hot.

"Fair enough. It felt as though I was immersed in a cartoon movie" I said and she burst into laughter.

"Well, he definitely doesn't fuck like one" she said and I cringed.

"Ew stop! He even gives off small dick energy" I said and she laughed.

"Oh, he definitely doesn't have a small dick" she said and my eyes widened in shock.

"Bree!" I exclaimed and she raised her hands in defense.

"Fine fine" she said and we both laughed.

As we laughed, I couldn't help but tease her further about her new hookup.

"So, is he here to stay?" I asked her and she hummed.

"Damn, with moves like that in bed, he's definitely staying for a while" she said and I shook my head as I giggled.

"Well, I hope he's got more than just a big dick going for him," I said, raising an eyebrow as I poured her another cup of coffee. In a different cup this time.

Bree chuckled. "Oh, he's got charm, all right. And a tongue that could talk the legs off a chair."

I groaned at the terrible pun, but couldn't help giggling. "Okay, okay, I get it. He's a catch."

Bree grinned mischievously. "And he's got a great sense of humor too. He told me I was so beautiful, I made him want to write a sonnet."

I snorted. "Ugh, please. That's just a line."

Bree shrugged.
"Maybe, but it worked. And besides, he's got a great body. I mean, have you seen those abs?" She asked.

I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, I saw them. And I'm pretty sure he was flexing them just for my benefit." I said.

Bree laughed. "Probably. He's got a bit of an ego, but hey, it's cute."

He definitely had more than 'a bit' of an ego but okay.
I raised an eyebrow. "Cute? You're not exactly known for your taste in men, Bree."

Bree playfully hit me on the arm.
"Hey, watch it! I've got great taste. And besides, he's not all bad. He's got a soft spot for puppies and children." She said and I burst into laughter.

I chuckled.
"Well, that's a relief. I was worried he was just a one-dimensional sex god." I said.

She grinned.
"Oh, he's definitely that too. But hey, a girl can't have too much of a good thing, right?" she said.

I laughed and shook my head.

"You're one impossible woman, Bree" I said and she giggled.

"Tyler and Emily asked after you though" she said and I looked up at her.

"They did?" I asked, surprise evident in my tone and she nodded in response.

"They said to send their regards and that they would come and check on you soon. They said they would have come earlier but they wanted to give you space" she explained and my eyes almost watered at how much they seemed to care.

"Aww, that's so sweet" I cooed and she rolled her eyes at my dramatic tone.

"Oh and by the way, I'm pretty sure Emily has a crush on you" she said and I looked up in surprise.

"Emily's gay?" I asked and she nodded.

"Wait, she has a crush on me?" I asked and she nodded again.

I was beyond flattered that somebody, let alone, Emily, had a crush on me. She was absolutely gorgeous and could score any girl she wanted but she liked me?

My cheeks reddened and I could just tell it was red red from Bree's reaction.

She laughed.

"Aww, someone's blushing" she said and I giggled.

"I mean, I barely have people having crushes on me but especially never a girl." I said and Bree scoffed.

"That's not even true. There are so many people that have a crush on you in school" she said and I looked at her in disbelief.

"What?! That's not even true" I said and she scoffed again.

"It is, you're just too blind to see it. Everyone knows this but you" she said and I cocked my head to the side.

"Okay, fine. I'll humor you. Like who?" I asked and she adjusted in her seat, placing her cup down.

"Let's start with Alex" she said and I raised a brow in confusion.

"Which one? The dude or the queer one?" I asked and she chuckled.

"You know what? It's both of them" she said and I gaped.

"Impossible. Quit shitting with me Bree" I said and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious!" She exclaimed and when I realized she was actually being serious, I froze.

"How many more people that I don't know about?" I asked and she chuckled.

"Look, I can't be counting them but right now, I have at least twelve people in my head. I'm sure they are more than that though. I can't remember them all and of course, I can't know them all, so" she said and I looked at her in disbelief.

She said everything so casually, like she didn't just tell me more than twelve people had a crush on me.

I sat there, mouth agape, trying to process the sheer number of people who allegedly had a crush on me.
"Twelve?!" I repeated, my voice laced with incredulity.
"Bree, you can't be serious." I said.

She shrugged, a mischievous grin still plastered on her face.
"Dead serious. You're like a magnet for admirers." she said.

I shook my head, trying to wrap my brain around this revelation. "But... why? I'm just me."

Bree chuckled.
"Exactly! You're just you, and that's what makes you so lovable." She teased and I rolled my eyes in response.

I groaned.
"You're enjoying this way too much." I said as I relaxed on a stool.

"Hey, someone's got to keep you on your toes. Now, which Alex do you think you'll choose?" She asked.

I threw up my hands in exasperation. "I'm not choosing anyone! This is all just crazy talk."

As Bree opened her mouth to talk, somebody cut into the conversation.
"I agree. It's all just crazy talk"

We looked in the direction of the person and I almost rolled my eyes. Almost.