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Dragging his fingertips up my arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake, he slid them into my hair, angling my head. Both of us sank into each other—a tangle of lips and limbs and breathless sighs until my stomach tightened and everything inside me burned, a fire ripping through me from the inside out.
When he pulled away slightly, he helped me find my footing, his breathing heavy. Then he swallowed and stared into my eyes. “Mia, I was wondering . . . I wanted to ask you if—”
“Maya, are you finished yet?” Ethan’s voice boomed, startling us apart. I jumped, and Carson’s arms fell away, back to his sides.
My cheeks burned guiltily as Ethan entered the room, eyeing both of us strangely. “You ready?” he asked, his tone clipped.
“What? To go where?” I blinked through the haze of confusion, the kiss having killed a couple thousand brain cells, thinking it was a miracle I could even speak.
“The movie? You said we could go to the late showing. Remember? If we’re going to make it, we need to leave now.”
“Oh, uh.” I glanced back to the boxes, then to Carson. How did I tell him I’d rather stay there and pack boxes with his brother? And okay, maybe I wanted to kiss him again, to see if we could recreate the moment we just shared or if it was a one-time fluke. I was betting it wasn’t a fluke.
“Forget it.” Ethan shook his head, obviously sensing my hesitation, his shoulders tense.
Carson stepped forward, grabbing the bag of wrapping paper, and catching my eye. “It’s cool. You guys go. I’ll finish up.”
My stomach sank. “You sure? Weren’t you about to ask me something? I can stay if you need me to?”Please say you need me to.
Carson stepped closer and reached out, touching my hand briefly. He opened his mouth to say something, his eyes locked on mine, and I willed the words out of them, whatever they were.
I wanted to ask you if . . .
You’d go to the dance with me?
You’d go out with me?
Be my girlfriend?
I wasdyingto know.
But Ethan hovered in the entryway like a sentinel, rigid and unwavering. “I’m sure whatever it is can wait,” he said. “Right, Carson?”
Carson closed his mouth and gave my hand a little squeeze, offering me a smile, “Uh, yeah. Sure.”
I deflated, hoping Ethan didn’t notice my disappointment, but when I turned back toward the entryway to grab my coat, his eyes were on me.
I avoided his gaze the entire time as I grabbed my jacket and slipped on my boots. It wasn’t his fault I was disappointed. We got interrupted. Big deal. Carson and I could pick up where we left off. It’s not like Ethan knew what I was feeling. I hadn’t exactly been open with him about how I felt toward Carson.
It was an awkward thing—telling your best friend the boy you wanted was his brother.
Chapter 26
MIA
Iextendedmyboxof Goobers toward Ethan once more, but he shook his head.
This wasn’t how it worked with us.
He always ordered a large popcorn with extra butter, and I got the Goobers, while he pretended to hate them but ended up eating half the box. We usually switched snacks a quarter of the way through. But Ethan hadn’t ordered anything except a soda, and so far, he hadn’t so much as touched a Goober.
What the heck?
I sighed and turned my attention back to the screen where the latest Marvel superhero movie played in all its HD digital glory. Ethan was a huge fan of these action flicks, and I never complained because occasionally he’d sit through one of my chick flicks. Besides, the men on these films had some serious muscles in their skintight costumes. All in all, it was worth the trade.
But today I wasn’t into it. I kept getting lost in my thoughts, wondering why Ethan was so quiet. There were no jokes between us. No laughter when one of the characters did something super unrealistic or cheesy. No Ethan leaning toward me to explain what was happening because he intrinsically knew I was confused. No stealing my candy. Nothing.
It was excruciating.
