I’m drawn to her in a way I can’t explain. I reach for the remote and turn the TV on just to have some noise in the room. There’s nothing on, but that’s okay. She leans closer to me and I wrap my arm around her. “Thank you for tonight.”
“Well, you’re welcome. It was nothing special but I’m just glad I got to spend a little time with you.”
“When do you get to fight?” she asks. That’s a good question, because I’m wondering the same thing.
“I don’t know. I’m going to ask tomorrow, though. I can’t wait to get out there. It’s going to be different to finally fight legally, but I’m game.”
“Let me know when you do because I’ll definitely take some pictures.” She yawns.
“Speaking of, did you leave your camera in the car?”
“Yeah, I tucked it below the seat so it’s safe.”
“I want to see the pictures when you go through them, if you don’t mind.”
“Definitely. Maybe tomorrow you can come by after practice or something.” She mentions it so innocently. Who am I to tell her no? I’d be a fucking fool.
“Yeah, sounds good. You’ll just have to let me know when you’re ready for company.”
“Duh.” She laughs.
“Did you just say duh?” I ask incredulously. That’s one word I haven’t heard in a long time.
“I sure did.” She smirks.
I lean over bringing my hands to her sides. She laughs as I tickle her. It’s so mesmerizing the way her hair swings back. She’s begging me to stop but I keep tickling. I’m laughing alongside her and I remember we should probably keep it down so we don’t upset Ruston. I pull my hands away and lean forward. She’s still trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard when I press my lips against hers. She gasps for a moment, almost like she can’t believe I just kissed her but she kisses me back. Her lips are soft against mine. My dick throbs inside my jeans but I block that out.
She breaks the kiss and brings her fingers to her lips. “Whoa,” is all she says. I’m not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. I’d hope it’s good. I don’t want to ask in case I’m dead wrong.
The rest of the night, we sit on the couch laughing and talking. We kiss a few more times and each kiss gets better than the one before. I don’t want to take her home but I know if I don’t soon, one of us is going to fall asleep and then I’ll never hear the end of that from Ruston. Whatever’s crawled up his ass can stay there. I don’t want any part of it.
Chapter 12
Tamilyn
Every part of me hoped Ruston wasn’t going to be home last night but seeing him there awoke so many feelings, and I had to remember what I’d told myself. I do want to give Austin a chance, and breaking that news to Ruston was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I could see the hurt in his eyes. I know I ripped his heart out and I feel terrible. No matter what he says, I feel terrible. He can’t possibly think what I did was easy. He’s my best friend and I knew deep down things were never going to be the same no matter how hard I hoped they would be. I knew I’d fucked up with him when he went to his room and shut the door. Once Austin brought me home, I wanted to call or text Ruston and make him talk to me but I knew that would be pointless. Ruston wasn’t going to answer the phone and talk to me. I’d be lucky if he ever spoke to me again.
I sigh loudly, causing the young girl in front of me to jump. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spook you. I was just thinking to myself. Are you ready?” I ask her.
She grins and begins explaining her vision for her senior photos. Looking at her, I can envision everything and I can’t wait to see how this will end up. I’m excited to get through this shoot. Tonight, I’m going through the photos from the engagement shoot from the other day and then the ones from the fight.
We’re standing in a field surrounded by wildflowers and Brinlee sits amongst them. “Pick one and hold it in your hand,” I instruct her.
She twirls it around her finger before keeping still. I don’t say a word as I begin candidly shooting. I’m catching great shots and she doesn’t even notice it. That’s what I love about my job, capturing the beauty within. Beauty you can’t force. It’s just there, and Brinlee has plenty of it. When she realizes I’ve been snapping pictures, her face turns crimson. We spend another thirty minutes or more out there and I’m satisfied with our progress.
As she drives away from the dirt road, I sit inside my car organizing my photography equipment. I’m guessing Austin is still at the gym. I haven’t heard from him yet so I decide to go home and begin sifting through the last few shoots. I begin driving when my phone starts ringing. I forget all the issues I have been dealing with when I see my mom calling. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard from my parents, but I know they needed that vacation.
“Hey, Mom!” I answer excitedly through the Bluetooth setup in my car.
“Hey, Tam, we’re finally home. How’s everything been?” she asks, her voice laced with concern. I’m their only child so it’s only natural they worry about me.
“Everything has been fine,” I tell her. I don’t really want to elaborate over the phone.
“I’m cooking tonight, so you and Ruston should come by.”
Cue the lump in my throat. I wasn’t ready to have his name brought up just yet. I am nowhere near ready to attempt to explain any of what’s happened over the past few days to my mom.
“I’ll see if he’s busy,” I lie. “But I’ll be there for sure.”