Page 23 of His Stubborn Girl

* * *

I lookat the clock as the credits start to roll. “Wow. It’s almost midnight. I should get going.”

Luke rises from the couch along with me. “Yeah, I should head out, too. Thanks for letting us crash, girls. It was a fun night.”

Surprisingly, we did have a fun evening. We baked the cookies and then battled it out on video games for a while. After Willow crushed us all about a dozen times, we watchedWicked. Which the boys ended up liking in spite of their grumbles about it. I didn’t know what to expect tonight, but Lukas was on his best behavior. It almost felt like we were on a double date.

“Thanks for hanging out with us,” Brennon says. He’s a really nice guy, and so sweet with Willow. “We should do it again sometime.”

“We’d like that,” I say, stepping over to Willow for a hug. “I’ll take the cookies for Soph. And I’ll tell her that next time we’ll need to make it a triple date.” I notice Lukas stiffen next to me, then realize my mistake. “I mean the next time it will have to be the six of us. You know what I mean.” I giggle, trying to play it off. Willow and Bren chuckle in understanding, but my brother isn’t too happy about my slip up.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” I tell her. “Thanks again.”

I grab the containers of cookies and go to the door. Lukas is right behind me, telling them bye as he follows me out. As soon as we’re out of the building, he’s at my side, gritting out his whisper. “What the hell, Torrin? We’re not a couple.”

For some reason, his comment cuts right to the core. After tonight, the looks, the laughs, the way he kept smiling at me, the few times he brushed up against me while we were baking, his thigh plastered to me during the movie, it just felt like something was happening between us. But I’m delusional.

“I know we’re not. I didn’t mean it like that.” I stalk toward my car. “It came out wrong. And I fixed it. You don’t have to be such a jerk about it.” I spot his truck across the way, thankful he has to go in the opposite direction. “Good night, Lukas.” But he doesn’t head in its direction. He’s stalking right behind me. His heavy footsteps matching the cadence of my pounding heart.

“We need to talk, Torre.”

“It’s late, Luke.”

“This can’t wait.”

I get to my car and turn. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

“It was a mistake.”

“Which part, Luke?” Because none of it felt like a mistake to me.

“All of it.”

“I’m sorry you regret it. And I’m sorry I don’t feel the same.”

I turn and open my door, placing the cookies in the passenger seat. I knew this was coming, but my pitter-pattering little heart was just hoping it wouldn’t.

“We aren’t done, Torre.”

Sounds to me like we are. “What else is there for us to discuss, Luke? You don’t want to be with me. You hate what happened. And it will never happen again. I get it. Now, can I go?”

I’m not in the mood to do this right now. I already feel raw and the tears are stinging my eyes.

“What I want and what is right are two different things, Torrin.”

“So, what do you want, Luke?”

“For things to go back to the way they were.”

Yeah, I do too. But I’ve tried to shut it off, and I can’t. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him, but I did. And now, I’m never going to be able to look at him the same. No matter how hard we try, things will never be as they were.

“Fine.” I climb into my car and look up. “Forget I’m even here and text me in six months when football is over and you remember you have a family.”

I slam the door shut and start my car, seeing him stalk over to his truck as I pull out. It feels like I’ve been put through a blender these last two days. Morally, I know he’s right. We can’t be together. Logically, we shouldn’t. But emotionally, I can’t think past my feelings to see a future with anyone else. He’s the only one I’ve had this connection with. And after last night, I don’t think I’ll ever find a spark like that again.

But it’s an impossibility. Our parents would never be okay with us being together. It’s not like we could share the same room when we’re home for break or kiss under the mistletoe. We’re a family unit. The four of us have been through a lot together. And it would destroy our parents. But rational thought still doesn’t dissuade my heart. Nothing does.

I pull into the parking lot of my dorm and find the first available spot. I shut my car off and take a deep breath. I wish I had someone I could talk to about this with, but I can’t tell my friends. They’ll think we’re sick and perverted. They’ll think I’m a psycho for wanting to have sex with my stepbrother.

---