17. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
Scarlett
Steven kills the engine, and I swallow hard seeing all the cars parked in front of my parents’ house. It looks like the entire town is here for dinner and a ‘talk.’
“Are you sure that it’s just your family?” Steven points at the packed street.
“Didn’t I tell you your family is here too?” Running my hands up and down my pants, I wonder why I couldn’t just tell Ryan I wasn’t interested? Why did I have to throw myself in Steven’s arms and beg him to kiss me?
Instead of disappointing one person, I now need to explain to my family and his why the entire town believes the two of us are dating.
“Oh geez. I thought the inquisition this morning was bad.” He rubs his forehead and groans.
My mouth ticks up, recalling my reaction being nearly the exact same.
Chewing the inside of my lip, I ask, “So what’s the plan?”
Steven throws me a wry grin, “The plan? Why don’t you tell me? This is all happening because of you.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I give my head a gentle shake. “Stick to the truth?”
He shrugs. “Sure. It went so well this morning; let’s try that again.”
“Steven,” I smack his arm. “You’re not helping!”
“Yeah, well, in this case, my helping you has gotten me into trouble. I think it’s best if you handle this one.”
My belly swirls. Rubbing my palms together, I suck in a deep breath.
“Scarlett,” Steven says, grabbing my hand, a small smile on his face. “Whatever happens, you’re not alone in this. My brothers are going to tease both of us mercilessly, and who knows how our families are going to react. But it’s going to be both of us dealing with it. Together. I got you.”
“I know.” My head drops against my chest. “I just feel so foolish.”
He tugs at my chin, making me meet his gaze. “About what?”
“For dragging you into this.” I throw my hands up. “For making the entire town think we’re together. For…for…”
“For?” He asks gruffly.
My fingers dig into my thighs, turning my knuckles white.
For wanting this to be real.
For making a promise to his dad…
Every day since Steven came home, resentment has been building toward that promise, followed by a wave of guilt that sits heavy in my stomach. His dad only wanted him happy. I want that too. More than anything. I just never imagined it would be at the expense of my own happiness.
Glancing up at Steven, the familiar weight returns to my chest. The more time we spend pretending, the more I wish it wasn’t pretend at all.
I don’t know what I thought would happen when I asked him to kiss me, but I never imagined this.
Turning to look out the passenger window instead of at him, I murmur. “For not being honest with Ryan from the very beginning.”
I can feel Steven watching me. His gaze is heavy on the back of my head. Suddenly the car feels too small.
“Honesty is always the best policy.” He says dryly, and I nod. There’s a heavy silence, one that’s filled with unspoken words begging to be acknowledged. But the weight of my promise is like an anchor around my neck. “Okay. So then you’re going to tell them the truth.”
“I’m going to tell them the truth?” My lips twitch.
“Yup.” Steven nods. “You do the hard lifting, and I’ll cover your six, James.”
“Have you been watching Top Gun again?”
He gives me a look that asks if I know him at all, before reaching for the door handle. “That way, if anything goes wrong, I can blame you. I’d hate to lose my street cred with your brother and cousins.”
Steven pushes the door open, but stops when I call him. He turns to me, brow furrowed.
“We didn’t talk about guidelines.”
“Ahhh, yes.” He pulls the car door closed and settles back in. “Lay it on me.”
Picking at some imaginary lint on the sleeve of my shirt, I try to swallow past the lump that’s settled there. “From now on, in public…” I stare at my fingers, trying to find the right words. Forcing myself to spit what I want to say out.
How do I tell him that I don’t think we should kiss anymore when kissing him is all I can think about?
But kissing him has to stop. Otherwise I’ll never want to actually find him a match other than me.
Steven chuckles. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”
“Like what?” I pull my lip through my teeth and glance up at him. I only hold his gaze for a second before quickly focusing out the passenger side window and the spring flowers trying to bloom in front of my parents' house.
“Shy. You’ve never been shy with me.” He nudges me gently. “In public, we what?”
“Shouldn’t kiss,” I spit out. My cheeks feel hot, and I’m grateful for the dark interior. “Unless it’s absolutely necessary. Sometimes pretending can get confusing, and…I don’t want to mess up our friendship.”
Silence, except for the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, fills the car. When I turn to look at Steven, his eyes are filled with understanding, and he dips his chin.
I hate it.
“I get it, Scar. No kissing in public.”
The word public hangs in the air like a challenge.
“Unless absolutely necessary.”
One that’s already been accepted.
A mischievous grin flits across his face. “You know everyone inside knows we’re here, right? They’re probably going to assume the reason we’re taking so long is that we’ve been making out.”
My brows shoot up, and my mouth falls open. “No, they won’t!” My voice squeaks, and I start biting down on my thumbnail. “Oh geez. Do you really think so?”
I scrub my hand up and down my face; it feels like it’s on fire.
His rich laughter fills the car, and some of the heaviness in my body eases. “Guess we should go find out?”
When he goes to grab the handle again, I put my hand on his arm. “But there’s more to talk about.”
“How about we cover the rest later? I’m not going anywhere. Plus, there’s a household full of people we need to tell about our little ‘sham’ first.”
‘Sham’ makes what we’re doing sound so ugly.
I don’t let go of his arm, and he sighs. “I promise, we’ll talk later, and I won’t kiss you in public. Can we go before your father comes and drags us from the car?”
“Oh, here we go with the promises again.”
“I told you, I can make as many promises as I want. It’s you that’s not allowed. And I promise not to kiss you.”
A slow smirk crawls across his face, and my gaze falls to his lips, before he adds huskily, “Unless you ask me to.”
My breath is pulled from my body, and my eyes snap to his.
Steven pushes the door, but before he closes it, he winks at me, leaving me behind with my mouth flapping in the wind.