Chapter Thirteen
Riley
"Thanks for the ride," I say to Brad as we stand outside his SUV, just in front of the trailer.
"Pick you up around six-thirty?" he asks.
"It's already six. Don't you need more time? You said you have to stop at the store. And then you'll have to go home and change and—"
"What time do you want me here?" he asks with a smile.
My heart stutters at that damn smile. "Um, whenever is fine."
"I'm kind of in a hurry to get this night started. It's not that often it's just the two of us, without Nate."
"That's true." I glance over at Dave's truck. "Sooner would be better. Looks like Dave's here so..."
"You don't want to watch him and your mom make out. Got it. I'll hurry and get back when I can. I'll text when I'm on my way." He opens his door and I watch as he gets in.
"Brad, wait!" I race over to him.
"Yeah?"
I stand next to his door, wondering why the hell I'm about to say this but unable to stop myself.
"That's not the reason," I say, gulping down a breath.
"Not sure what we're talking about," he says in that calm, easy voice of his that somehow puts my nerves at ease.
"My mom and Dave making out. That's not the reason I want you to hurry back. I mean, it's one of the reasons, but..."
"What's the other reason?"
"You." I look away, then back at him. "It's like you said. It's usually not the two of us. Alone. But I want that. I mean, I'm looking forward to it. So um, hurry back."
"Will do." He smiles and nods toward the trailer. "Go get ready. I'll be back before you know it."
He drives off, and I'm left feeling like I'm fifteen again and just found out my secret crush likes me back, all giddy, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It's so ridiculous. I'm 22, almost 23. I shouldn't be this excited over a guy, especially one I shouldn't be dating. Even if he wasn't Nate's cousin, why would I date a guy who will be moving away in a few months? It doesn't make sense, but none of this does. Nothing the last few weeks has made any sense. Nate saying he loves me. Me falling for Brad. Brad liking me back. It's all so unexpected and confusing. Maybe that's why I find it so exciting. My life up until now has been boring and predictable, but now it's suddenly not, and I have no idea how this summer will end.
As I'm getting ready to go out, Nate calls.
"I thought we weren't talking tonight," I say when I answer.
"That was the plan, but I need to ask you something."
I hope he's not going to ask if tonight is a date. If he does, what do I say? I told Brad it wasn't, so I guess I'd tell Nate the same, even though it already feels like a date. I'm wearing a dress and I straightened my hair and put on makeup, which I wouldn't do if I was just going to the movies with Nate.
"What's the question?" I say.
"Tara just called me."
"Yeah? What about?"
"I think she just asked me out."
"And? What'd you tell her?"
"That's it? You're not surprised? This is Tara. From the pool?"
"Yeah, I know, but I'm not surprised. I always thought she had a crush on you back in high school."
"You never told me that. You never even talked to her in high school."
"Sure I did. We had algebra and English together. You weren't in those classes with me so you didn't see me talking to her."
"You never said anything about her. If you guys talked back then, you would've told me."
"So what'd she say? When she called you?"
"She said she wasn't doing anything tonight and asked if I wanted to meet her for dinner."
"If you're meeting her, then maybe it's not a date. Maybe she just wanted to go out and thought you might be free."
"That's the other thing. Why would she think I'd be free? She knows I spend all my time with you. Did you tell her about our fight?"
"No," I say, not wanting to tell him the truth. He'd be embarrassed if Tara—or anyone—knew he proclaimed his love to me and I turned him down. "But she did ask me if you were seeing someone."
"Why didn't you tell me that?"
"Because we're not supposed to be talking."
"When did she ask you? Today?"
"Yeah, after work, when we were in the locker room."
He sighs. "I wish you'd told me, or at least sent me a text. I wasn't prepared for this. Tara took me totally off guard. I didn't know why she was calling. She had to ask me out like three times before I finally figured out she asking me on a date."
"So what did you tell her?"
"I told her I'd call her back."
"Why? You don't want to go out with her?"
"I don't know. I've never thought about her that way. I haven't thought of ANY girl that way since—" He stops.
"Since you decided you like ME that way."
"Yeah," he mutters.
It makes me wonder when he realized he had feelings for me. When did it start? And why didn't I ever notice?
My phone dings with a text. It's from Brad, saying he's on his way over.
"Nate, what's your question? Why are you calling?"
"I don't know what to do. I wouldn't mind going out with Tara. I mean, she's definitely attractive. She's also really smart, and she's not as serious as she used to be. She's lightened up, which is good."
"So what's the issue?"
"I wanted to make sure you were okay with it."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. I guess I thought maybe you'd be jealous."
"Why would I be jealous? We're friends. That's it. You can date whoever you want. You never asked me before if it was okay for you to date someone."
"Because you didn't know the girls I dated in college. You know Tara, so I thought it might be weird for you."
"Not at all. I don't have a problem with you dating Tara, or anyone else we know."
"You sure? Because if it were the other way around, I wouldn't like it."
"You don't want me dating anyone, even guys you don't know. But you can't be that way. You can't be mad at me for dating."
"I know," he says with a sigh. "I'm working on it. It would help if you didn't date one of my friends. Maybe you don't think it's weird, but I do. It'd be even worse if you were with someone like Brad. Having you date my cousin?" Nate lets out a laugh. "Shit. I know it wouldn't happen, but just thinking about it pisses me off."
Why does he think it wouldn't happen? Does he think Brad's too good for me? That a future doctor can't date a trailer park girl?
"Speaking of Brad, what are you guys doing tonight? Did you decide on a movie?"
"Not yet. Maybe we'll do something else. I don't really feel like going to a movie. What about you and Tara? I think you should go out with her, even if you just go as friends. It's Saturday night. You don't want to be stuck at home on a Saturday night."