Mom shakes her head. “Once Brie is settled and things are better, I don’t see why you can’t date each other. That’s if she feels the same way about you. Most relationships start out as friendship. All I’m saying is take it slow, and once things get serious, use protection.”

“Mom!” I get up and start to walk away. “I already learned everything in health class. We don’t have to have that conversation.”

Mom’s laughter follows me as I dart up the stairs. I’m just about to walk into my bedroom when the bathroom door opens, and Brie darts out.

The second she sees me, she points inside. “There’s a spider in the tub.”

I let out a chuckle. “I’ll take care of it.”

I roll some toilet paper off, but then Brie says, “Don’t kill it.”

“I won’t.” I move closer to the bathtub with Brie hovering close behind me. Opening the window first, I then patiently wait for the spider to climb onto the toilet paper before letting the paper hang out of the window. The spider finally climbs off and scurries away. “All done. It’s safe to bathe,” I tease Brie.

She grins happily, and it makes me think it was all my imagination thinking there was something wrong.After I’m done showering, and I’m dressed in a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, I walk to the living room.

The house smells like popcorn, and there’s a massive bowl on the coffee table, along with a bowl of M&M’s and three glasses of coke.

Brie’s sitting on the one couch, and Mom’s on the other, so I plop down next to Brie, who’s scrolling through the list of movies on Netflix. Her eyes are wide, and she’s holding her bottom lip captive between her teeth.

“There are so many,” she mutters. “Which one should we watch?”

“I think you’ll like this one.” I take the remote from Brie and scroll To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, then press play. “It was pretty popular when it came out.”

“Yay, a romance,” Mom cheers. She grabs a handful of popcorn and wiggles her butt into a comfortable position. “I love this one.”

“You know they made a sequel, right?” I say as I take some M&M’s.

“We can watch it after this one.” Mom looks more excited than us, and it makes a smile spread over my face.

Brie keeps sitting on the edge of the couch, and every now and then, she takes one popcorn. Her eyes are glued to the screen, and as the minutes tick by, the smile on her face grows.

We’re already twenty minutes into the movie when I realize I’m still staring at Brie, watching her reaction instead of the TV.

It’s freaking amazing.

She lets out a chuckle when something funny happens, and her lips part when there’s an intense scene. But then there’s a sad moment, and she pouts.

Holy shit.

I’ll never be able to say no to her if she gives me that look.

This girl is cute and beautiful, and… off the charts hot.

She’s nothing short of perfect.

And it’s safe to say I’m hopelessly crushing on her.

When Brie’s had enough popcorn, she scoots back. Knowing Mom won’t mind, I place my arm around Brie’s shoulders, and I pull her closer. When Brie leans into me, a contented smile sticks to my face throughout the remainder of the movie.

When it’s finished, we take a restroom break before we start the next movie. The intro is still playing when Mom says, “After this, we can watch The Kissing Booth.”

I let out a chuckle. “Only if you make us mac and cheese.”

“Deal.”

The atmosphere is relaxing, and we’re all smiling.

“This is nice,” Mom whispers.

“Yeah,” I agree.

Brie’s smile widens, and then she says, “I love it. I’ve always wanted to do this.”

I pull her back against my side and press a kiss to her hair.

“We should make Saturday’s movie nights from now on,” I mention.

“That’s a good idea,” Mom agrees.

With my arm around Brie, I begin to brush my thumb softly over the skin above her elbow while we watch the movie.Chapter 19BRIEIt’s been two weeks since I moved in with the Lawsons, and after that one message from my mother, I haven’t heard from her again.

Sometimes I feel guilty for just leaving her the way I did, but then I remind myself she’s abusive and mean. She’s never showed me any kind of love, and it’s okay that I don’t miss her.

I feel I’m more comfortable with Cassie now that some time has passed. Living in a calm environment has helped a lot. I had another flashback when a glass accidentally slipped from my hands while I was washing it. Luckily it didn’t break, and Colton was there to calm me down. I wrote about it in the journal Colton gave me, focusing on how I felt after it happened. At least, I wasn’t consumed with shame like the time before, and I’m taking it as a win.

Tags: Michelle Heard Romance
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