Page 32 of Sweet Heat at Bayside
“Me either, but is it safe to ask you my question now?” Serena asked.
Chloe leaned forward, her hazel eyes wide with curiosity. “Ask me anything. I’m like a dating guru.”
“You are pickier than anyone I’ve ever met,” Serena reminded her. “That’s totally not true. You’re like a datingwarning sign.”
Mira laughed. “Okay, okay, you two. Keep it PG, please. Drake is still my brother.”
“I know. Don’t worry. This isn’t about sex. I didn’t tell you guys this, but Drake and I almost kissed Wednesday night.”
“What?” Chloe snapped. “You withheld that from us?”
“Thank you,” Mira said.
“You’re welcome. There’s more. Thursday, a fulldaybefore Drake and I even kissed, he told me how he felt about meandall the reasons why we couldn’t be together. And his reasons made sense. I mean, sort of. The way he said it, I almost felt thankful that we had never hooked up before. We talked about thatalmost kissthe summer of the duet, and he said we were in two different places, with him going off to college and me just starting high school. And he was right.”
“That’s really chivalrous of him,” Mira said, “considering most high school guys are out for sex.”
“It makes me wish I hadn’t threatened him back then,” Chloe said softly.
“You threatened him?” Serena and Mira asked in unison.
Chloe shrugged. “You’re my sister. He broke your heart. I wanted to punch him, but you know, that would have been like punching a brick wall, and I like my knuckles. So I threatened him instead.”
“Gosh, you’re awesome. Thank you.” They had always had each other’s backs, but she’d never known her sister had gone that far on her behalf. “Anyway, he knew I was only filling in temporarily at the resort, and he didn’t want to put me in the position of us getting together and then giving up my dreams or being confused about where I was heading and what I was leaving behind.”
“He meanthim, right? Leaving him behind or a relationship with him?” Mira asked. “I hadn’t realized full-on big-brother mode was that ingrained in him.”
“No, notbig-brothermode,” Serena said. “Responsible-mode or protector-mode. He made itveryclear that his feelings for me were not big brotherish at all. He said that he couldn’t be with me because it would be selfish, and that if we kissed he’d never be able to hold back.”
“Well, that didn’t stop him last night,” Mira pointed out.
“Yes, it did,” Serena said honestly. She’d felt his restraint. She’d been ready to go all the way, and he’d put on the brakes. He’d done it again. He’dprotectedher.
The man didn’t have a selfish bone in his body.
“Hello?” Chloe waved her hand.
Serena blinked several times to try to clear her thoughts. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“So what’s the problem? That he was right? He couldn’t hold back?” Chloe asked. “Because I’d say the man’s a boy scout for going years without touching the woman he wanted. Especially since you guys were always together.”
“I know he is, and no, that’s not the problem. The problem is, I left each of the guys a card Friday afternoon thanking them for everything and telling them that I’d miss them. But since I thought Drake and I had no chance at being together and I was moving away, what I wrote in his was blatantly honest. I basically poured my heart out, and now I worry it was too much. That maybe it scared him off.”
“What did you write?” Mira asked.
“How Ireallyfeel about him. I held nothing back.” She wasn’t about to tell them what she’d written, but it played in her head like a recording stuck on repeat, just like that old Journey song Drake used to play all the time. The one she’d lived by. “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
“Well, has he said anything about being scared off?” Chloe asked, bringing her attention back to their conversation. “Has he pulled back? Because he’s texted you three times since we started this chat.”
“No. He hasn’t said or done anything like that, but if I got a card where he’d poured his heart out, I’d atleastacknowledge it.”
“Maybe he’s embarrassed,” Chloe suggested.
“Ask him,” Mira added. “Or I can if you want? He promised Hagen he’d take him sailing tomorrow afternoon. I can ask him then.”
“No! Don’t, Mira.Please?That would be mortifying. We’ve only had a few hours together. We’re not even really dating. I don’t know what we are yet. The last thing I want is to make this seem like more—or less—than it is. Promise me you won’t even tell Matt. You know the guys talk. Matt might slip up and say something, and then they’ll all try to fix us or something.”
“Then that’s your answer,” Chloe said. “If you’re confused about it, chances are he is, too. And if you poured your heart out, he’s probably figuring out how to handle it. Just give it some time.”
