3 Seconds (Time for Love 6)

It was a fabulous night.

We sang along with our favorite songs, Brendan holding a much better tune than I, and stayed until the last note of the encore was played.

By the time we got out of the crowded parking lot, it was way later than I usually stayed out on a school night, but when Brendan asked, “You wanna stop somewhere and get breakfast?” I couldn’t say no.

I didn’t want the night to end.

So, even though it was almost three in the morning, and we both had to be at school the next morning, I found myself pulling into an all-night diner.

Brendan got out first, walked around the car to open my door, then held out his hand and helped me out of the car. I swear, my insides got all gushy. I’m not sure if it was from the excitement of the evening, exhaustion, or him being a total sweetheart. Probably a combination of the three, but for the first time in years I felt like a smitten teenager, out on a date with the boy of my dreams.

It felt amazing.

Chapter Thirteen ~ Brendan

Beep, beep, beep…

“Noooooo,” I groaned as I reached a hand out and slapped at my floor, trying to find the offensive alarm clock.

Victorious, I covered my eyes with my arm and began to silently beg for the time on that damn clock to be wrong.

I slid my other hand beneath the covers, finding only my cell phone keeping me company. Bronagh and I had decided to sleep separately, so that we would at least get a couple hours asleep. We knew if we stayed together, we would have more than likely found something else to occupy our time.

I peaked beneath my arm at the clock on my phone, and cursed when I realized that the time on my alarm hadn’t magically been changed, but was indeed correct.

“Damnit!”

I pushed the covers off my naked body and sat up slowly, pausing when I was seated to try and get the fog out of my brain.

Last night had been unreal.

Bronagh surprising me, being at the concert with her, then stopping for breakfast on the way home. All of it … I’d never shared a night like that with a girl before. It was pretty sad to say at my age, but it was true.

And the fact that she’d paid attention to me, to what I enjoy, the music I like, then gave me a gift for no other reason than to make me happy … I almost didn’t know how to handle it. The joy that such a simple gesture gave me.

Shit, I’d gotten misty over it and had to pull myself together.

Suddenly the phone went off in my hand, scaring the shit out of me. I’d forgotten I was holding it.

“Fuck,” I said, not thinking as I turned it on.

“Is that any way to answer your damn phone?” Brock’s voice chastised as I brought the phone to my ear.

“Sorry, man,” I said, running my hand over my face as I tried to come fully awake. “I’m still half asleep and the phone scared the fuck out of me.”

“Don’t you have class this morning?”

“Yeah,” I answered, pushing off the mattress and getting to my feet. “I’m getting ready to go now.”

“We haven’t see

n you in a while,” he said gruffly, and I knew he’d probably gotten up early just to get in touch with me before school. We didn’t usually go this long without seeing each other, or at least checking in, but I’d been so caught up in Bronagh, that I hadn’t reached out as usual.

“Yeah, sorry, I’ve been busy.”

“Well, get unbusy,” Brock ordered. “Tori and Dec miss seeing you, so you need to stop by … soon.”

I grinned in response. What he really meant was that he wanted to see me.