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Tingles erupt between my legs at the threat.
The innocent threat because he sees me as a sibling. Not a sexual partner.
Get it together, Tills.
His signing has improved, and a warm feeling wraps around my heart at the fact he learned. For me. I let the thought go as quick as it comes. It’s not healthy for me to create unrealistic situations in my head. Like the one where my brother’s best friend doesn’t just see me as a “little sister.”
I glance over to see a text come through on his phone.
Sarah.
Jealousy burns in my stomach. He’s about to be in the NFL. Famous. Women will be falling at his feet on a daily basis. Women who are…not like me.
He swipes the notification off the screen, ignoring the text, but I know he’s only doing it because I’m next to him. Because contrary to what you expect most college athletes to be like, Greyson is a good guy, and he would never intentionally do anything to hurt my feelings. That doesn’t mean I don’t hurt them on my own. I bring most of it on myself. Letting myself get lost in a fictional world where this friendship turns into more.
You can answer you know. I sign, motioning to his phone.
Answer what? He frowns.
Your…girlfriend. I grab some popcorn, filling my hands so I won’t say something else idiotic.
He lifts a brow and instead of signing he leans over to my ear. “If I had a girlfriend, you really think I’d be sitting in this movie theater with you? Another woman?”
I shrug a shoulder, acting like the warm breath that just bathed my skin didn’t make me break out in goosebumps. Like it always does.
Lifting my hands, I sign. I don’t really count, Greyson.
I expect him to laugh or have a witty come back, but he just leans in again and whispers. “You’re the only one who counts.”
Chapter 28
Tilly
I laid awake for hours last night. Greyson’s words were on loop in my brain. All the words I had wanted to hear for so long. Years. But his timing couldn’t be more terrible. I guess if you think about it, it’s kind of our thing. The timing was terrible back then, and it isn’t much better now. Especially as I sit here at my desk, my eyes zoned in on the diamond ring I accepted not even a week ago.
It’s one of those days I needed the silence, so I left my hearing aids at home. I had no sessions today. It was a day to catch up on paperwork anyway. I needed to sort through my thoughts, my feelings, my truths. And the truth was, I wasn’t in love with Blaine McKnight. I loved the idea of him. At first. I loved the idea of someone loving me. I knew who my heart really belonged to. Who it had always belonged to. But it wasn’t just Greyson’s confession that’s opened my eyes.
My hand reaches up to rub my bicep. I woke to bruises painting my skin. Bruises that someone who claimed to love me put there. I never wanted to be that person. The person who gets taken advantage of. My family has always been afraid I would be due to my impaired hearing, but in this situation, it has nothing to do with it. My impaired heart was the cause of the predicament I found myself in.
I check my phone, seeing the time Blaine had texted back when he would be available for dinner. I asked him to come to my house tonight to discuss the wedding. I was surprised he agreed, but he told me he’d be there at seven PM sharp. I knew what I had to do. And it couldn’t wait any longer.
The smell of garlic bread fills my cabin. I made my homemade pasta sauce and have a fresh salad in a large bowl in the middle of the table. Blaine’s Audi pulls into the driveway and a wave of nervousness creeps into my body. He hadn’t handled my opposition to the wedding date very well, so I was sure he wasn’t going to be happy tonight. But I wanted to have a meal and talk a few things over. I wanted to be honest with him.
His knock sounds at the door, so I swipe my hands on a rag before answering. I was dressed in my casual lounge pants with an oversized sweater. I smile, greeting him with a quick kiss on the cheek before moving towards the kitchen.
“Smells good.” He removes his coat. “I see you dressed for the occasion.”
I take a deep breath. Had he always been this subtle with his jabs? How did I never notice?
“It’s my home. I can dress how I like.” I grab the spoon, stirring the marinara before moving the pan to the table.
“I guess these aren’t so bad.” He catches my waist as I step away. “Should be easy to get off.”
His hand slides across the waistband, traveling dangerously close to where I did not want him. Ever again. He plants a kiss on my neck and a sick sense slithers over me.
“Dinner is ready.” I slip out of his grip before he can argue.
We take our seats. I had a fire going in the fireplace and soft music playing. I was hoping to create a calm environment for when I inevitably broke things off. For good.
