Chapter Chapter Twenty Four
Knox
Life was fucking amazing. Amy and I spent the entire weekend at the house, and as the next week rolled on, we started preparations for her to move in.
She needed to give her landlord one month’s notice, but she said it was going to take her that long just to pack anyway.
Though I couldn’t quite figure out why. She only needed to take her clothes, as far as I was concerned—she had everything else she needed at the house—but I wasn’t going to pressure her into hurrying.
The only real issue was that I was impatient for her to live with me.
So, one week later, on Friday, I decided to surprise her at school.
She was finishing early, and I wanted to whisk her away to the beach for a lazy afternoon.
I was meeting Jeremy and Finn in the evening to play basketball, but I had plenty of time until then.
Besides, I planned to convince Amy to tag along.
I was on the school’s approved list since I’d already been here for that speech, and they knew me as a chaperone, so I had no problems getting in.
“Where can I find Amy?” I asked the school’s security guard after putting away my ID.
“The English teacher?”
“Yes.”
“She’s probably chaperoning the elementary school kids at this time.”
He looked at the schedule to confirm and then explained how I could get to the class.
The door was wide open when I got there. The kids were already packing up their belongings, but Amy was nowhere in sight.
“Mr. Knox,” one of the kids said.
He was vaguely familiar from the last time I’d visited, but I couldn’t remember his name. I was pleased that he’d remembered mine, though.
“Hey there. Do you know where Miss Amy is?”
“She’s with Miss Agnes. They went to the teachers’ room.”
“Right.”
“Are you her friend?” the same boy asked.
“Yes.”
“Does that mean you take care of her?”
“I do.”
“I told you.” He nodded, looking importantly around himself. The others nodded too. Was he their leader or something?
“Where is the teachers’ room?” I asked them.
The same boy stepped out of the classroom and said, “You go straight up, then right, and then right again.”
“Thank you. Those are good directions.”
He looked like he was about to burst with pride. I could understand Amy’s fascination with elementary school kids. They were old enough that you could have a conversation with them, but still small and innocent.
“Thank you all,” I said with a wave.
I headed straight to the teachers’ room, excited for the weekend to start. The school was more deserted than I expected it to be. I noticed Amy through the open door to the room. She was sitting down, drinking from a cup. I realized she was talking to another woman, probably Agnes.
I stopped in front of the door so I wouldn’t intrude on their conversation, but I couldn’t help overhearing Agnes say, “Listen, I know you aren’t making much headway in the whole dating thing.”
I laughed to myself. Amy clearly hadn’t brought her up to speed. I was betting that she was going to brag about me any second now.
Agnes continued. “Normally I wouldn’t do anything like this, but I have the perfect candidate for you. He’s super smart. You’d have lots in common. He loves to read. And he didn’t say it out loud, but I know he wants to start a family.”
I kept waiting for Amy to say she wasn’t available.
“Oh. On paper, he sounds great. Why aren’t you dating him, then?”
Agnes laughed. “Because he’s my brother.
He really is a good guy. Until recently, I wasn’t sure if he’d gotten over his ex.
I didn’t want you to be his rebound or something.
But he’s completely healed, I’m sure of it.
You two would make a great pair. And then we’d actually be sisters.
Just say the word, and I’ll fix you up with him. ”
Of course Amy was going to tell her that she was seeing someone else. I was sure of it.
“That’s very considerate of you. Thanks for thinking of me.”
I frowned. That didn’t sound like she was turning the offer down.
“So, can I talk to my brother?”
I waited and waited, but she didn’t reply. Fuck. Why isn’t she saying anything? Sure, the woman’s brother seemed exactly like what Amy had been looking for... before I was in the picture.
Still, we’d talked about moving in together. She was moving in.
Not exactly, though, a voice said at the back of my mind.
Had she been placating me when she said she needed a month to collect her belongings? Was that it? Did she not actually want to move in with me?
“Knox,” Amy said, jumping to her feet and jolting me from my thoughts.
Agnes looked at me and frowned. “Oh, Mr. Sterling!” She glanced at Amy and then back at me. “Are you seeing another group of high schoolers today?”
I cleared my throat. “No. I’m here to talk with Amy.”
“Well, you’d better make it fast,” she said, “because we’re both heading over to the high school in a few minutes. The principal wants to see us. I’ll wait for you just outside the door, Amy.”
She stepped out of the teachers’ room and stood a few feet away.
“Knox, what are you doing here?” Amy asked softly. “I thought you were playing basketball with Jeremy.”
“We still have time before that. I thought you were done with classes, and I’d planned to take you away.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Ms. Adams asked us if we had time for a short meeting, and I said yes.”
“Don’t worry. That’s the downside of surprising someone—it might be inopportune.”
“I’m really sorry you came all the way here. But it won’t take long. Two hours, maybe. You can pick me up after.”
“I was going to suggest you hang out with me, Finn, and Jeremy later for basketball anyway.”
“I’d love that.”
I cleared my throat. “Not sure if it’s a good idea anymore.” I sighed. “I overheard your conversation with Agnes.”
“Oh, I wondered if you did.” A blush formed on her cheeks. Then
she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at her feet, obviously uncomfortable.
Fucking hell. What was I doing, asking her to move in with me? I knew exactly what Amy wanted out of life, and I was not it. Why the hell did I go and complicate things between us? I’d had incredible sex with one of my closest friends, and somehow I’d been on the edge of muddying things even more.
“Listen, if you want to go on that date with her brother, I don’t mind.”
Amy blinked and then narrowed her eyes. “You don’t?”
“No. He sounds like exactly what you’re looking for, right?” The words tasted bitter in my mouth. “Sounds like a catch, if you ask me.”
“Knox, I don’t understand.” Her voice was almost a whisper. “You said you want me to move in with you.”
Fuck yeah, I did. Because I wanted her with me all the time. I didn’t want anyone else looking at her, let alone taking her out on a date. But the fundamental issue was still there: We wanted different things.
“I think I got carried away, gorgeous.” I smiled, infusing my voice with humor. “It’s best not to take me seriously all the time.”
She blinked. “You want me to go out on a date?”
I fucking didn’t. Not even one bit. In fact, I wanted to lock her in my house and never let her leave.
“I want you to be happy,” I replied. Which was neither here nor there and didn’t answer her question.
“Come on, girl. We’re going to be late,” Agnes said.
“You go. I don’t want to keep you,” I said.
She blinked. “Um, okay.” She nodded, then smiled before leaving.
What the fuck did I just do?
* * *
Amy
I spent the next two hours in a bit of a daze.
Ms. Adams told us about this fantastic sponsorship she’d obtained—which meant we could plan more activities for the rest of the year.
But I was really only half paying attention.
I wasn’t entirely sure what just went on between me and Knox.
Had he really told me I should go on that date?
And that he’d gotten carried away with the idea of moving in?
It felt like a punch to the gut. I mean, on Monday, he’d sent me a list of moving companies that his assistant had come up with and even suggested that he could strong-arm my landlord into letting me out of my lease sooner.
I was so confused.
Once Ms. Adams finished talking about her plans, the others pitched in with ideas.
Usually I had plenty myself, but I couldn’t focus.
Part of me wanted to text Knox and ask what all of this meant.
Was this more casual than I’d imagined? It couldn’t be.
I remembered how possessive he’d been when he’d insisted we were only seeing each other.
And the event! No, I wasn’t blowing it out of proportion. He’d wanted us to be exclusive.
And then the realization hit me. Oh my God, did this mean we were breaking up?
“Amy? You don’t have anything to add?” Ms. Adams asked. “You’ve been very quiet.”
“Sorry. I don’t feel too well.”
“Oh, poor thing. You should have said that from the beginning. Come to think of it, you do look a bit pale. Well, we’re done here anyway. We’ll regroup and continue this conversation another time.”
Agnes and I left first, and though I wasn’t in the mood to chit-chat, she caught up with me as I left the classroom. “You okay? Want me to make you a tea before you go home?”
“Thanks, but I think I just need to rest.” I paused, trying to figure out what I wanted to say next. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “Listen, Agnes. Thanks a lot for thinking about me when it comes to your brother, but I’m just not ready for anything right now.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “Okay.”
“Really, don’t take it personally.”
“Don’t worry. If you change your mind, just know that he’s available.”
But I’m not, I wanted to say. Although I wasn’t sure about it anymore. What did Knox mean? I was driving myself crazy trying to figure it out. But there was no reason to. I was going to see him in a minute, and then I could ask him to his face.
Agnes bid me goodbye, and I hurried outside. I looked around for Knox’s car. Maybe it was a few blocks down. I swallowed hard, checking the time. Maybe he was running late. I’d said two hours, after all, and he still had twenty minutes to go.