Page 53 of My Best Friend's Brother
“But you just said—”
“If I want something, then I should go for it.”
The intensity in his eyes silenced her. Breath caught in her throat, she waited.
“Keighly…ever since…” He shook his head. “Let me start over.” He blew out a breath and then met her eyes. “Keighly, I want you.”
She knew what he was going to say, but that didn’t make the impact any less stunning. Little Petey—who wasn’t so little anymore—confidently stood before her and voiced his desires, his heart in his eyes but gaze not wavering.
Keke’s heart fractured.
“I…I can’t.”
His hands dropped.
“Peter—”
“It’s okay.” He held his hands up and out of reach. “It was a long shot.”
“No, you don’t understand.”
He backed away. “Yeah, I do. You see me as Bertie’s little brother. I’m not in your league. I have no right to even think or ask—”
Keke rushed forward. “That’s just it.” She succeeded in grabbing one hand. “It’s because of Bertie that I have to say no.”
His expression softened, his eyes circling. “So…you…”
Keke could only give a sad smile. “Petey… You’re probably going to Cornell and—”
He snatched his hand back. “I wish people would stop telling me what to do!” He stormed away and then halted and turned around. “I get to decide for me.”
Keke nodded.
The intensity in his eyes burned through the space between them, and with it, the bridge Keke had felt since they’d kissed. Before her eyes, Pete was morphing into the man she knew he’d become, but she couldn’t be with.
“And I don’t have to listen to any of you anymore,” he said quietly, his eyes still intense. “Thank you for the lessons, I’m sure they’ll come in handy for the next girl and the one after that.”
Keke smarted but kept her mouth shut. For Bertie.
“You may think I’m too young, but I think it’s about common interests. We’re both driven, pursuing our goals, slightly misunderstood…” He got a funny look in his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t have to explain myself. See ya.”
He left her standing there, mute.
It took several minutes for her to continue walking along the trail, and she didn’t stop until she’d sequestered herself within the empty office. She leaned against a wall and hugged herself, unable to stop his words from looping over and over in her mind.
Everything he’d said was true.
She did think he was too young. Yet, when they were together, his age never crossed her mind—other than when she was giving him lessons. He was articulate and smart, and wasn’t afraid of her…anymore. Even if he hadn’t lifted a few weights to fill out his thin frame, and ditched the glasses, his company was a calming influence. He was safe, yet intriguing.
He was also right about the girls. Once his app dropped and he became a gazillionaire, girls upon girls would line up to walk with him or be seen in VIP rooms at the hottest clubs. Pete wasn’t the club type, but he’d settle into the lifestyle because she had rejected him. When did she have this much power?
She may eventually run into him, if he ever visited L.A. And she’d remember he was her perfect kiss. Would he remember?
Bertie came into the office with a worried expression on her face. “My brother looks like he’s going to beat someone up. What happened?”
Keke shrugged. “Dunno,” she lied. “Did you tell him about your mom?”
Bertie rolled her eyes. “Of course not.”
