only a minute older than me. We had always been so close, but since he’s got more involved in Stone Biker business it seems like he’s drifting further and further away from me. He was always a happy, gentle kid, but whatever they’re getting him to do is making him hard.
“No you’re not a kid, but you’re a Stone and that means no Eagle looks at you that way,” Aaron says decisively. After a few more assurances that nothing happened and that I’m fine, the boys head back to their table and, I hope, forget about what just happened.
“Who was the honey?” Brooklyn asks as she appears out of nowhere looking substantially less green than when she left.
“Just a guy. A guy I can’t have,” I add under my breath.
“No such thing as ‘can’t’ sweetheart,” Brooklyn tells me, smiling smugly. “He slipped me his number on his way out,” she tells me and holds it up triumphantly like a trophy.
***
That night in my bedroom I hold the slip of paper with Brian’s number scrawled on it in my hands and I think about what to do. I’ve never been the one to make the move, so this was new territory for me. My brothers had made it clear that I wasn’t to talk to Brian, let alone do anything else with him. But I’m finding it hard not to think about him and it wasn’t just because he was insanely hot. There was something more there, a connection I felt as soon as I saw him and our eyes locked. In that second everything had changed for me, but I know that the only reason he had come over to talk to me was to rub my brothers up the wrong way. Well, he’d definitely achieved that! I look at the clock by my bed. It’s close to 1am. Too late to call, and I know that I shouldn’t call him, but I also know that I want to, I want to more than anything else.
He picks up on the third ring. “Took you long enough,” he says in a low voice, and I feel a tingle just at the sound of his voice.
“How did you know it was me?” I ask, standing up and pacing around my room. I’m nervous and I need to burn off some of that energy.
“How many beautiful girls do you think I gave my number to tonight?” he asks, and I feel myself blush.
“I don’t know, I guess it depends on how many people you were trying to piss off,” I joke, and I’m rewarded by his laugh.
“I hope they didn’t give you a hard time?” Brian asks, and he sounds genuinely concerned.
“No more than usual,” I half-joke.
Brian is silent for a moment and then, as if he’s decided something, he asks, “What are you doing right now?”
“Walking around my room wondering how I’m going to get to sleep,” I tell him truthfully.
“I’ll be at the end of your street in 10 minutes. If you want to see me then be there, if not then don’t worry, I won’t contact you again,” he says and then abruptly hangs up.
I cradle the cell phone in my hand for a few moments, knowing what it would mean if I go; my brothers would never approve—he’s a member of a rival gang and there’s no way they will let that slide. But I’ve already made my decision: I want to see him. I’m desperate to see him, in fact. My brothers are probably out back shooting the breeze and drinking a few beers in the warm Colorado night air. They won’t even notice I’m gone. I slip down the stairs, careful not to step on the floorboards that I know creak. As I get to the front door I hear the swing door to the kitchen open and close behind me.
“Where you headed, Case?” Max asks, and I turn around slowly while trying to even out my breathing.
“Nowhere. Couldn’t sleep, thought I’d take a walk,” I say, although I’m aware how improbable this sounds. I’ve never been very good at lying, especially not to Max.
He looks doubtfully at me and I know he doesn’t believe me, but he lets it slide. “You know we weren’t kidding about that Brian guy,
“No you’re not a kid, but you’re a Stone and that means no Eagle looks at you that way,” Aaron says decisively. After a few more assurances that nothing happened and that I’m fine, the boys head back to their table and, I hope, forget about what just happened.
“Who was the honey?” Brooklyn asks as she appears out of nowhere looking substantially less green than when she left.
“Just a guy. A guy I can’t have,” I add under my breath.
“No such thing as ‘can’t’ sweetheart,” Brooklyn tells me, smiling smugly. “He slipped me his number on his way out,” she tells me and holds it up triumphantly like a trophy.
***
That night in my bedroom I hold the slip of paper with Brian’s number scrawled on it in my hands and I think about what to do. I’ve never been the one to make the move, so this was new territory for me. My brothers had made it clear that I wasn’t to talk to Brian, let alone do anything else with him. But I’m finding it hard not to think about him and it wasn’t just because he was insanely hot. There was something more there, a connection I felt as soon as I saw him and our eyes locked. In that second everything had changed for me, but I know that the only reason he had come over to talk to me was to rub my brothers up the wrong way. Well, he’d definitely achieved that! I look at the clock by my bed. It’s close to 1am. Too late to call, and I know that I shouldn’t call him, but I also know that I want to, I want to more than anything else.
He picks up on the third ring. “Took you long enough,” he says in a low voice, and I feel a tingle just at the sound of his voice.
“How did you know it was me?” I ask, standing up and pacing around my room. I’m nervous and I need to burn off some of that energy.
“How many beautiful girls do you think I gave my number to tonight?” he asks, and I feel myself blush.
“I don’t know, I guess it depends on how many people you were trying to piss off,” I joke, and I’m rewarded by his laugh.
“I hope they didn’t give you a hard time?” Brian asks, and he sounds genuinely concerned.
“No more than usual,” I half-joke.
Brian is silent for a moment and then, as if he’s decided something, he asks, “What are you doing right now?”
“Walking around my room wondering how I’m going to get to sleep,” I tell him truthfully.
“I’ll be at the end of your street in 10 minutes. If you want to see me then be there, if not then don’t worry, I won’t contact you again,” he says and then abruptly hangs up.
I cradle the cell phone in my hand for a few moments, knowing what it would mean if I go; my brothers would never approve—he’s a member of a rival gang and there’s no way they will let that slide. But I’ve already made my decision: I want to see him. I’m desperate to see him, in fact. My brothers are probably out back shooting the breeze and drinking a few beers in the warm Colorado night air. They won’t even notice I’m gone. I slip down the stairs, careful not to step on the floorboards that I know creak. As I get to the front door I hear the swing door to the kitchen open and close behind me.
“Where you headed, Case?” Max asks, and I turn around slowly while trying to even out my breathing.
“Nowhere. Couldn’t sleep, thought I’d take a walk,” I say, although I’m aware how improbable this sounds. I’ve never been very good at lying, especially not to Max.
He looks doubtfully at me and I know he doesn’t believe me, but he lets it slide. “You know we weren’t kidding about that Brian guy,
Similar Books
