Page 3 of Choosing Skyler

Brady

I glance up from my new enrollment packet for Thorngrove University when I hear the embarrassed laugh of a female. Following the direction of her gaze, I see my best friend, Devon, strutting along the counter like he’s doing the catwalk on a damn runway. He catches my gaze and winks. I look back at the girl with him, noticing her auburn hair and knockout curves. When he reaches her, he instantly bends down to whisper in her ear. I feel the tightening of my lower stomach and I instantly go back to completing the paperwork for my transfer before the deadline tomorrow. The last thing I need is to cause tension with Devon by perving on his girl.

I wonder why he didn’t mention her to me when I called and told him about applying to attend senior year here with him. He’s the closest thing to family that I have left. So, moving here was inevitable for me—with or without my transfer being approved. I couldn’t stand my hometown for another week without Mom. Everything in that town reminds me of her and the fact that she’s gone.

I look up to see Devon with his hand on the girl’s waist just above her hip and leaning down to whisper in her ear, this time with a shit eating grin. I feel it again, that tightening in my lower stomach, and I realize that I’m in trouble. This is the first sign of attraction that I’ve had to anyone in years, and she’s not only taken, but taken by my best friend. That’s just my luck.

I complete the paperwork in front of me and finish my coffee. I stand, looking up just as Devon and the mystery girl turn back in my direction. My gaze is instantly locked on the most beautiful sky-blue eyes I’ve ever seen.

As my gaze shifts to Devon, I notice he’s not at all upset about me eyeing his girl. In fact, he looks excited. Like he’s as happy to see me as I was to see him until I realized I had this insane attraction to the one person I could never have—because she’s his.

I guess I’m getting better at my poker face because Devon is like a mind reader. He can usually tell what someone is thinking just by the expression on their face. I’ve never met anyone else that can read people the way he can.

Devon runs up and wraps me in a bear hug. He’s a few inches shorter than me but he’s got my size beat by about thirty pounds. I clap him on the back and look over his shoulder to see the girl standing behind him with both coffees in her hands, grinning at me with a knowing smile. She’s obviously used to his antics. He turns to take his coffee back and looks between the two of us with something like mischief in his eyes. Oh, boy, one of us—or both of us—are in for it. He grabs her by the hand and yanks her to his side to introduce us.

“Sky, this is Brady. Brady, I want you to meet my other best friend…” he starts, but I cut him off when the name registers.

“Sky? As in Skyler?!” I yelp. “As in your best buddy that would troll the mall and check out hot chicks with you?” I ask, shocked at learning that she’s a—she.

“Hot guys, too,” she says and then I see the most beautiful blush light her gorgeous face. “Oh, my gosh. I mean… I’m just gonna shut up now.”

“Oh, too late for that!” Devon chuckles. “I think my girl has a crush, Brady.”

“Devon!” she yells, and that blush travels all the way down to her chest which is stretching the low-cut neckline of her cotton t-shirt. “I’m done. I can’t even talk to you right now. I’m gonna hit the ladies’ room before we head out.”

Then, she’s practically running down the hall where the restrooms are at the back of the coffee shop. Devon bellows with his boisterous laugh as she disappears inside the women’s restroom.

“Man, she is so easy to rile up,” he says, still laughing. “She usually hides it better in front of the new, though. You’ve got her frazzled.”

“Me? What did I do, other than stammer like an idiot? Man, I thought Skyler was a, um, guy. You’ve got a cool ass girlfriend if she’s checking out chicks with you. Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Tell you what?” His laughter turns to confusion. “That she’s a she? I didn’t realize you thought otherwise. I mean, I guess Skyler is a guy's name too, huh?”

“Well, yeah. But I meant why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend? It must be serious. You’ve been talking about Skyler non-stop for three years,” I answer.

“Oh, yeah. It’s not like that, man. She’s the coolest chick I know by far, but we aren’t together. We really are just best friends. Have been since our orientation freshman year. She had a rough home life. Not to mention the douchebag boyfriends and friends before she moved here for college. She gets in her head and down on herself too much. I couldn’t stand to see her so sad. So, I decided to cheer her up and keep her up. The rest is history.” Devon glances down the hall to see if Skyler is coming back yet.

“I can see the chemistry between you two. You are way too, um, familiar to just be friends.” I raise a brow at him.

“Well, there issomeattraction, considering we met by me shoving my tongue down her throat.” Devon chuckles.

“You did not! How do you get away with the shit you pull, man?” I scoff.

“Like I said, she was sad and all up in her head. Since then, it’s just been hanging out and occasionally making out. Trust me, if we were meant to be together it would have happened by now. We are together like ALL the time, but it's just friendship. She’s like the girl version of you, to me. Well, except for the making out.” He cracks up at his own joke. “Seriously, though, speaking of chemistry. I haven’t seen you look at anyone like that since Shelly in the tenth grade. I was beginning to think you were becoming asexual or aromantic.”

“Nah, not like that. I’ve just had too much going on to be concerned with any of that. With taking care of Mom and then everything else I just didn’t have enough left in me to look at anyone that way. I still don’t, really.” I shrug.

Devon starts to say something but stops when I nod at Skyler coming back toward us.

“Are you still going to the mall with me, Dev? I mean I know Brady just got here. So, I get it if you two want to catch up. I can just head over by myself and hope I can dress myself without looking like a clown,” Skyler says with a self-deprecating laugh.

I throw my hands up before speaking. “Whoa, Beautiful! You could never look like a clown unless you let this one pick out your clothes. Please, tell me you don’t. I mean, look at how he dresses himself.” I joke and just as I’d hoped that blush spreads across her cheeks.

I notice now that she has a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks.Damn, what is it about this girl?

Devon huffs. “Look who’s talking. Jimmy Buffet called; he wants his wardrobe back.”

I laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I know I look like a beach bum. Even though I haven’t been to the beach in what, five years?”

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