SUNNY
“Got you something.”Brian sits an iced coffee down on my desk. My stomach turns at the sight of it. I close my laptop to start packing up for the day.
“Thanks.” I force a smile onto my face. I normally drink one of those a day. Not so much anymore.
If I wasn’t about to throw up, I’d at least take a small sip in gratitude, but I can’t stomach it. I guess I’m over my iced coffee phase. Which isn’t abnormal for me. I tend to eat or drink something over and over until I hate it and move on to something else.
“How was your day?” he asks, leaning up against my desk. The bell rang ten minutes ago, freeing everyone for the day. The sound of the kids roaming the hallways has finally died down.
“Not too bad. It was test day, so it was fairly easy.” I pile up all the history papers to take home and grade tonight while I watch Big Brother.
“How about you? Are you enjoying working at Rockford Prep?” I make small talk, feeling like I have to. He’s not going anywhere, and I want to be polite even if all I want to do is go home and put my pajamas on and lie on the sofa.
This is Brian's first year here. It’s my third. Rockford High is a tough school for new teachers to get their foot in the door. I went to school here on a scholarship and graduated with honors from college, and that wasn’t even enough to get me a position here. Mack had to put a word in for me. He was considered royalty back when we were in high school. Who am I kidding? He still is. He is always coming through for me when I need him. He has been since our younger years. He has been there for me for all my ups and downs. Whenever life throws a hardball my way, he is always there to intercept it.
“It’s different. The kids here are crazy smart but still little assholes.”
I snort a laugh. “Hormones,” I tease.
Sure, some could be little jerks at times, but they have their reasons normally. They mostly hide them behind bad attitudes, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to break through to the ones that I can. All my life I wanted to be a teacher. To help kids learn and grow.
“I think they've been giving me a hard time since I’m the new guy.” He shakes his head. “You want to grab some dinner?” I jerk my head up to meet his gaze. Crap, Lynn was right. She kept telling me she thought Brian was into me, but I brushed it off. All the female staff are always swooning over him. But I don’t feel any attraction toward him.
He is handsome with his shaggy blond hair and blue eyes. I bet under his buttoned-up shirt he’s rocking a six pack. He’s not built broad and thick like Mack, who is brute force. He’s more lean like a runner. It does nothing for me. The exact opposite of how Mack makes me feel. As always, I’m comparing. I do that with every man that shows an interest in me. I can’t help it. Even after all these years, I’m still doing it.
“I, ah—”
“Have plans.” Mack’s stern hard voice snaps across the room. “Big Brother is on tonight. That means I’m feeding Sunny pizza while she screams at the TV.”
“Right.” Brian’s eyes bounce between the two of us. He’s asked me more than once if Mack and I were a couple. I always say no. Even though I've always secretly wanted us to be.
We’re best friends who live together. My job pays okay, but Mack has tons of room in his place, so I moved in with him our senior year of college. It felt natural, especially since his family took me in when I was in high school and had lost my parents suddenly. It was the only way I could stay at Rockford and keep my scholarship there.
“She’s not into iced coffee anymore.” Mack picks the drink up from off the desk and drops it into the trash. “Makes her stomach upset.” He places a strawberry shake from my favorite diner in its spot.
“Mack,” I hiss. Why is he being so rude? He is always playing the protective older brother role. Still after all these years.
“No worries. I’ll keep that in mind,” Brian says with a smile, unfazed by Mack being a dick. He turns to leave but pauses at the door. “You and your roommate have fun. See you tomorrow.”
“That mother—” I jump up and grab Mack by the back of his shirt. Lucky Brian has already vacated the room.
“What is wrong with you?” I hiss. “Why are you even here?” He gets a hurt look on his face.
“Got off work early,” he grumbles, shooting a glare at the empty doorway.
“Really?” It’s been a while since he popped into my work. Not even for lunch, which we used to do often. He’s been working nonstop lately. Ever since that night we both had way too much to drink.
The night I still have trouble remembering. What I do recall is waking up sore between my thighs. Traces of blood and what I could only guess was semen coating my thighs. Mack was nowhere to be found. There was only a note left on the counter that his dad called and he had to go into the office. It was a freaking Sunday.
Part of that night has come back to me in doses. I definitely recall me challenging Mack that his cock couldn’t fit inside me. I’m pretty sure it did. At least some of it. Instantly my panties grow damp wanting to try again.
“He wants in your pants.”
I release my hold on his shirt. “I’m wearing a dress today,” I point out, swaying my hips. His eyes drop to them. His jaw hardens.
“Are we on for tonight?”
“I don’t know. Are we? You’ve missed the last few episodes working late.” At least that’s what he’s been telling me he’s doing. He’s been a little different since that drunken night. Not in a bad way, but I can tell there’s been a tiny shift.
Mack has never lied to me before, but something has changed, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s dating someone. That would kill me. I’m not sure I could be his friend anymore. I would definitely have to move out. I’m not that strong of a person. Thankfully, it’s not something I’ve had to deal with yet, but we’re getting older and I know it’s inevitable.
His mom, who I adore, is always pestering him to date. I have to admit that it kind of hurts my feelings that she’s never considered me as an option for Mack. I know they come from this super posh and sophisticated world that I don’t belong in, but she has always made me feel welcomed for the most part. They’d even taken me into their home when I was fifteen. Mack has always brushed off her comments about dating and one day getting married.
As goofy as Mack can be with me, he’s super serious when it comes to his responsibilities with his family. Everything else in his life has taken a back seat to that since college and then when he started taking over for his father. He was too focused on that to even consider dating.
In high school, he’d been so intent on looking out for me. Everyone always thought we were together, so I’m sure that was a major cock block for him. God knows all the girls always wanted him. Some even made up stories about being with him.
If I didn’t know him, I would have laughed and called bullshit on him being a virgin at his age for as handsome and rich as he is. Well, he was a virgin. I’m not sure if he even remembers losing it. He might think he’s still one. Heck, I only recall small moments, and I’m pretty sure while he popped my cherry, he hadn’t gotten all the way inside of me. He came, though. It had been all over me. I think it might have been more than one time, honestly.
Though he must recall something because since that night, things have changed. He’s been a lot more distant, blaming it on work. It’s slowly killing me. I’m starting to actually feel sick over it. It also makes me think that if that night didn’t have us both confessing our feelings for each other, then he doesn’t have those types of feelings for me and he only has regrets.
“You want me around more, Sunshine?”
I smile. “Sunshine?”
“You’re glowing.” I touch my cheeks, which are warm. Probably cause I’m thinking about that night, and I always get turned on. “You want me around?” he asks again.
“If you want to be around.”
“Then I’m around. Someone needs to keep creeps like Brad away from you.”
“Brian,” I correct him.
He grunts a response that I can’t make out as he packs up the rest of my stuff for me. I snag my shake off my desk, taking a sip. Maybe things are going back to normal. I should be happy about that, but I’m not. I can’t keep going on like this. It’s only a matter of time before things have to change. But for tonight, I’ll be his sunshine.