Page 50 of Silent Desires

Max:Who is beautiful, kind, sweet, and about to get a ride to school?

I stop in my tracks and turn to see the twins in their truck slowly creeping up behind me. I can’t help the huge grin that splits my face, as Max opens the door and jumps out. I run up to him as he jogs forward and scoops me up in a big hug, lifting my feet off the ground.

Pain radiates from my back where his arms squeeze me and I can’t help but grunt.

“Shit, sorry, Sweetheart, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

I give him a weary smile and a thumbs-up to show him I’m okay. His eyes track over my body, like he’s looking for signs of injury, and when I grab his hand and give it a small squeeze, he seems to relax a little.

“Alright, get in, Angel. I’ll be gentle with my hug,” Jasper calls from inside the truck.

I climb in with Max’s assistance and sit between them on the bench seat. Max pulls the bag off my shoulder, and puts it by his feet, and I lean over to hug Jasper, who is very gentle with his arms. He gives the top of my head a kiss and pulls back.

“You doing okay today?” he asks, and I nod my head and smile.

As they help to buckle me in, Jasper starts driving, smiling as he asks, “so… You like my sweatshirt, huh?”

My eyes go wide and I blush. I put it on after I got further away from the house, to stay warm, with every intention of giving it to Jasper at school. I forgot I was wearing it when they showed up. I try to pull it off, but he stops me. I pull out my phone and text Max as Jasper is driving.

Me:I didn’t get a chance to wash it, and it smells now. I’m sorry :(

Max laughs as he reads it, then Jasper leans over and gives it a big sniff at my shoulder.

“It smells nice, like you,” he says.

Four whole seconds pass before Max whips his hoodie off and turns to me. “Well, hurry up, take it off.”

I frown at him, but do as he says. Pulling it off, I pass it to him, and he switches them, pulling it on over his head and taking a big whiff. Then he helps me put his on me. I figure if he can smell his, so can I, so I pull the fabric to my nose and inhale.

The one I took off has lost most of Jasper’s scent. This one freshly smells of my sweet twin, and I sigh as I sit back, and they both start laughing. I lightly hit both of them with the back of my hands, making them chuckle more.

I think about my list of ways to flirt and wonder if it’s weird to flirt when they’re both here. But they do things on the list in front of each otherall the time, so I don’t see why not. I turn to look at Max in the eyes and give him a smile while biting my lip.

“Hi,” he says breathlessly, staring at my face.

I lightly stroke my finger down his arm, then look back up at him. He stares into my eyes like he’s trying to figure out what I’m doing. Then his eyes narrow.

I watch his eyes shift down to watch my hand moving up and down his arm softly, then to my other hand clutching my phone. A smile tugs at his lips, and before I know it, he snatches the phone from me. I try to grab it back, but he holds it out of my reach effortlessly, opening it up and flipping to the web browser.

“What are you looking at on your phone, Mina? Hmm? Let’s see here… How to know if he’s into you.” My eyes go wide with embarrassment and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I cover my face, feeling mortified, and he continues reading. “And what’s this? How to flirt with guys.”

I peek out between my fingers and see a huge grin split his face as he turns to look at me.

“Oh, Mina… what have you been reading?” he asks teasingly.

I bury my heated face with both hands, but not fast enough before he sees me turn beet red. He laughs, and I internally groan.

Max puts his arm gently around my shoulder, gently pulling me toward him.

“Tell me, Mina, Sweetheart, were you trying to flirt with me?” he asks teasingly. This is not going the way I thought it would. Why didn’t they warn me about the dangers of leaving browsers open on your phone for anyone to read?

I shake my head, but he tsks. “Hey now, no lying. We’re friends, right?”

I peek up at him and nod my head.

“Good,” he says, smiling back at me. “Cause friends don’t lie. Can you tell me why you wanted to flirt with me?”

I think for a moment.Why?Why was I flirting with them? I… I have no idea how to answer that, so I shake my head.

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