The Heartbreaker I Adore (When In Waverly 2)

“I asked you what your intentions were with her, and you denied feeling anything for her. I never said I didn’t want you to date her,” he interrupts before I can finish. And I realize he’s right. He never did come out and say, “Don’t date my sister.”

“You mean you never had a problem with me?” I ask in horror. All this time, I could have been pursuing her, showing her how crazy I am about her. So many weeks wasted on trying not to make Colby angry, and all I’ve been doing is pushing her away.

“No, of course not!”

“Then, what’s with the overprotective, big-brother crap you’ve been pulling?”

“I am an overprotective big brother. Hannah’s young—really young. She’s never had a serious boyfriend. You’ve been flirting with her like crazy, making her fall for you, and then saying you’re not interested in her. What was I supposed to think? How was I supposed to respond to that?”

I lay my head back against the headrest and let out an angry groan. I’m such an idiot. The biggest idiot that ever lived. I should get some kind of award. My picture will now go in all of those illustrated dictionaries that people buy for their kids. My name will be the actual definition: Idiot- (n.) Seth Miller.

“So, you really do care for her?” he asks.

“Yeah, I really do. I love her,” I say. I can’t believe I’m uttering those words out loud, but it’s true. I’m wildly in love with Hannah Stuart.

“Then you should go in there and get your girl,” Colby says with a cocky smile on his face. If he’s saying that, I must still have a chance. He wouldn’t send me in there to meet my doom. Would he? I know he was mad, but he wouldn’t feed one of his best friends to the wolves.

I climb out of my Jeep, and he pats me on the back. Everything’s good. He wouldn’t have done that if he’s not really rooting for me. The walk to the front door feels eternal. It looks like the door is getting farther and farther away the more I walk. But it still feels too soon when I get there. It’s not too late. I can still turn around and go back home. I can let Hannah move away, and I’ll forget any of this ever happened.

I look behind me, and Colby’s still there, watching me, grinning like a doofus. I want to tell him to scram, but this is his house. I turn around and face the door. My fingers twitch by my side. It’s going to be fine. The worst that could happen would be her laughing in your face. Oh gosh, that would be really awful. Nope. Not doing this.

I turn around to leave, but Colby’s there behind me. “You’re doing this. Get in there,” he says as he grabs my shoulders and turns me back around. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“Not as much as I’ll regret doing this if she laughs me out of this house,” I say.

“She’s not going to laugh.” He unlocks the door to let me in, and I step inside. I hear faint music coming from down the hall, so I follow the sound. I stand at the open door and watch as she dances around her room, tossing random items into boxes. I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.

She spins and sees me standing at her door, watching her, and she immediately stops dancing. She steps back in shock but slips on the t-shirt on the floor behind her. She goes down hard, landing on her backside. My heart plummets, and I immediately jump into action to help her up. I notice it’s my old Queen t-shirt that she acquired right after the fire at her house that she slipped on. I pick it up, and she takes it from me, hugging it close to her body.

Her face is flaming red, and she begins busying herself with her cardboard boxes again a moment later—no dancing this time, unfortunately.

“Are you okay?”

“Yep. My pride is the only thing wounded,” she says with a tense laugh. I see her rub her butt and know she’s lying.

“You’re really leaving,” I say. It’s not a question. The boxes tell me it’s true. I want to take those boxes and destroy them so she’ll be forced to stay here with me at least a little bit longer. I would cherish any extra time I could get with her. Even if it only adds an extra hour.

“Yep,” she says. She won’t even look at me. I watch her as she throws my t-shirt in her box and tapes it closed. She turns to find another box, but I stand in front of her, blocking her way. She tries to go around me. Just talk to me, I’m screaming in my mind. I grab her face and force her eyes to mine.

“Please don’t go. Please,” I beg, and she closes her eyes.

“Why do you care whether I stay or go?” she asks in a raspy voice full of repressed emotion. Her bottom lip trembles as she stares up at me. e

“Hannah, I love you.” There. I’ve said it. Now it’s up to her to do with it what she will. If I’ve learned anything over the last few weeks, it’s that I am not in control here. Hannah holds all of the cards, and I am at her mercy.

“What?” she asks. The confusion written all over her face crushes me. How could she not know? Have I been so unclear with my feelings? I kissed her, for crying out loud! What did she think that meant? Does she think I go around kissing random women for the fun of it?

“I love you, woman!”

She pushes my hands off her face and presses her palm to her forehead. I’m helpless as she begins pacing her room, crying. Her eyes are focused as she thinks to herself.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” I say. I’m going crazy over here watching her and waiting for her to say something…anything.

“You don’t want to know what I am thinking.”

“I do. I can handle it.”

Her hard eyes zero in on me, and I know this isn’t about to go how I had hoped. She takes a deep breath and says, “I’ve waited years to hear those words from you. Practically my entire life, Seth! And you’ve waited until three days before I move away to say them?!”