Chapter 6
REID RATHE
I can’t believe she lied about her name. Ten minutes later, in a silent car with Dustin, it’s literally all I can think about. Avery was insistent about driving herself. She refused to get into the car.
When Dustin said we were picking up his sister from across the hall, I figured she was just visiting Ivy. Giddy and excited, I had stayed in the hallway with him instead of going to his car, hoping ‘Sarah’ would answer so I could get another look, so I could see if she remembered me.
Yep. Wouldn’t you know it? She remembered me.
Sarah is his sister. His freaking blood. And she lied.
Why did she lie about her name though? It doesn’t make sense unless she was just looking for a hookup and nothing serious.
She didn’t want me to know who she really was even if she didn’t know who I really was.
It doesn’t add up, but I’m not going to pretend that I understand what’s going on in her head.
All I know is that it hurts.
Amazingly, however, it doesn’t deter me.
I want her now more than ever, and knowing she’s Dustin’s sibling does nothing to stop those feelings.
But I have one problem. She says she’s not interested in me.
I know that’s another lie, but she has to have her reasons for saying it, for being so determined to get away from me.
Maybe the name thing and this thing are connected. I’m not sure how, but I have her brother sitting next to me. He’s an open book to all things Avery, right?
Hiding my grin, I slowly swivel in my seat to look at the side profile of Dustin.
He catches my look from the corner of his eyes. “What?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “So, your sister…”
He glances over at me with a frown. “What about her?”
Deciding to start out easy, I ask, “What’s she majoring in?”
He looks back at the road. “I don’t know the technical term. She tells me all the time, but I can never remember it. A surgical nurse of some kind. Or something like that. She has two more years left, like us. Why?”
My shoulders rise and fall dramatically as I shrug and look out the front window. “Just wondering.”
“She’s minoring in Spanish, just like you.”
I whip my head back to face him, and then casually roll my neck, trying to hide the fact that he just dropped a bomb on me. If she’s minoring in Spanish, we’ll likely share the same classes. Hell, she’s going into the medical field just like me, so we may share more than just Spanish.
“Is that so?” I say casually.
He nods. “I’m surprised you guys haven’t run into each other yet with you going for anesthesiology. You guys travel through the same buildings.”
Blowing out a breath, I hide the hammering of my heart.
We may not share the same medical classes, at least none that I know of yet, but we do share the same hallways.
I hadn’t been searching for her going through some of those hallways, but I definitely will now.
Even if she made it clear that she wants nothing to do with me, I don’t plan on listening because I know she’s lying.
She wants me, and I want her, so there’s no point in fighting the attraction.
Which brings me to my next question. “Is she dating anyone?” Because that could be the reason she’s so uptight and standoffish. It could be a guilty soul. God, I hope not, because if she is, I’ll be forced to walk away, and I don’t know if I can do that.
He shakes his head. “No, thank freaking God.”
I frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Adjusting his hands on the steering wheel, he angles his body toward mine.
“She just got done with an asshole. It’s how I got her to move back home.
There was nothing left for her at her old college because her last boyfriend destroyed everything for her.
And when she finally did agree to come here, she’d sworn off men until she was done with college. ”
I rub at my jaw, both relieved and disheartened at this news. “Damn. What happened with this guy?”
He flicks his gaze at me. “Not my story to tell. You’ll get to know my sister, and then you can ask her yourself.”
My eyebrows rise even though getting to know Avery is exactly what I plan on doing. “Must be pretty bad if she wants nothing to do with even dating.”
He chuckles without humor. “Dude, you have no idea. I almost went across the country to kill him.”
Tapping my thumb on my jeans, I ask, “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
With a single shrug, he focuses back on the road. “Again, not my story to tell. I didn’t want her past to taint what would happen in her future.” He bunches his nose. “Don’t tell her I’m telling you this.”
“You’re not really telling me anything,” I point out.
He scowls as he comes to a stop at a red light then flicks his gaze to the rearview mirror where Avery follows close behind in her car. “Why are you so interested in this? You could just ask her yourself. She’s going to be hanging out a lot with us.”
I quickly turn my attention out the window. “No reason.”
He is silent for a few moments, and then his voice rumbles, “Absolutely not.”
“Huh?” I say, even though I know exactly what’s coming next. Dustin’s too smart for his own good. I should have known he’d make the connection.
“You’re not going to date my sister.” His voice is so firm that my stomach sinks.
Slowly, I turn back to face him. His face is set, and he spares me several glances as we hop onto the highway. “Who said I wanted to date her?”
“You’re completely interested. You never ask about stuff like this.”
I try to shrug indifferently, but I know I’ve failed when my voice cracks, “Just trying to get to know her.”
“Yeah, right. You’re getting the scope of things. You’re totally interested, and I’m telling you absolutely not.”
I flex my jaw, and anger starts to curl and lick at my gut. “Why the fuck not?”
“Dude, I just told you about her bad breakup. And I don’t want my friend and family life to mix. If things get messy, I’ll have to choose.” He shakes his head. “No. No dating my sister. Don’t even try it.”
Continuing to flex my jaw, I stare out the front window. Now what the hell am I going to do? He’s my best friend. And she’s the girl I can’t stop thinking about.
Can I ignore Dustin? Can I pursue Avery without him knowing and hope that he eventually comes around to the idea?
Or do I walk away from Avery completely and try to stuff my attraction to her down so deep that I become someone I no longer recognize?
God, that sounds horrible. Why would I do that to myself?
No, I won’t do that. Not when Avery and I could maybe—possibly—be the best thing that’s ever happened to both of us. Just because I’m selective about the women in my life doesn’t mean I’m not a romantic.
Option one it is. I’ll pursue Avery without Dustin knowing, and when the time is right, if Avery and I actually become something, I’ll tell him.
Sure, he’ll be mad for a little while, but he’ll get over it.