good friends. I love hanging out with him, but that’s it. It can’t be more than friends. I’m going to help take care of him. Let me get Mel, and we can take him home, deal?”
Austin looks at me skeptical for a beat before agreeing to meet me out at Melanie’s car.
We get to Charlie’s house and I help Austin drag Charlie inside while we leave a very drunk Melanie passed out in her backseat. We get him down the hall to what Austin says is Charlie’s room. Thankfully, Austin is able to carry most of the weight. Charlie is out cold and his six-foot frame is complete dead weight. We unload him onto his bed, and I tell Austin to go check on Mel while I get him situated. After he leaves, I take off Charlie’s shoes and tuck him in. As I’m about to leave, he grabs my arm scaring me half to death. I just barely cover my mouth in time to hold in a shriek so I don’t wake up his entire family. I turn back, and Charlie is looking at me through glazed eyes.
“Hey, you,” I whisper. “How are you feeling?”
“Brynn, I’m sorry. I’m so drunk,” he slurs.
“It’s okay, we’ve all been there.” I throw his words back at him. “I have to get home, but you rest.”
He reaches up to touch my cheek and says, “You are so beautiful, Brynn. I’m so in love with you,” in a whisper before he closes his eyes.
When I’m sure he’s asleep and breathing all right, I bolt out of the house and to the car where Melanie and Austin are waiting for me.
“How is he?”
“Sleeping it off,” I say before starting the car to drive Austin and Mel home.
I drop Melanie at home and let her know I’ll drop her car off tomorrow. I really just want to crawl in my own bed tonight. I catch the front door so it doesn’t slam, lock it, and drag my butt up the stairs to bed. I forego anything that requires effort to get ready for bed, strip down to my bra and boy shorts, and climb right into bed. What am I going to do? Charlie is in love with me? No, he was just drunk. Maybe he won’t even remember what he said tomorrow. Do I want him to remember or just go on how things are? I love our friendship. I trust him, I feel comfortable with him, and I don’t want to ruin what we already have and risk losing him. I haven’t had a male in my life, other than Brett, who I trust in a really, really long time.
The longer I think about tonight, the more I feel like screaming or punching something. Why did he have to get drunk and tell me he loves me? He ruined everything! I mean, can we really be friends now without it being awkward? After stewing in my misery over the events of the night for hours, my room starts to brighten just as my mind has exhausted itself, and I finally lose my battle with sleep.
* * *
The next morning I throw on my robe and walk my haggard self to the kitchen to grab some coffee.
“Oh, my God, I almost forgot you were coming home this weekend! Brett, when did you get in?” I squeal and throw my arms around my older brother.
“Hey, sis, I got in late last night. I’ll be here about two weeks before I have to head back for summer courses.” He sighs. “But I’m here for ‘bonding time’ until then.” He laughs.
“Mom?” I chuckle.
“Yup.” We are both laughing as Mom walks into the kitchen.
“What are you two up to?”
“Bonding time,” we say in unison laughing.
The next two weeks I avoid Charlie and even Melanie, once I dropped her car at her house. Charlie has text me a couple times asking to hang out, and I play it off as spending time with my brother, who is home from college. I’m not ready to see him. I don’t know what to say to him and I don’t want to lose him. I have so many emotions toward him that I haven’t quite figured out yet. The bottom line is no matter how I feel about him, if we start a relationship, it’d eventually ruin the friendship we already have. So instead, I go to the beach, lunches, and shopping trips with my mom and Brett. I spend a
Austin looks at me skeptical for a beat before agreeing to meet me out at Melanie’s car.
We get to Charlie’s house and I help Austin drag Charlie inside while we leave a very drunk Melanie passed out in her backseat. We get him down the hall to what Austin says is Charlie’s room. Thankfully, Austin is able to carry most of the weight. Charlie is out cold and his six-foot frame is complete dead weight. We unload him onto his bed, and I tell Austin to go check on Mel while I get him situated. After he leaves, I take off Charlie’s shoes and tuck him in. As I’m about to leave, he grabs my arm scaring me half to death. I just barely cover my mouth in time to hold in a shriek so I don’t wake up his entire family. I turn back, and Charlie is looking at me through glazed eyes.
“Hey, you,” I whisper. “How are you feeling?”
“Brynn, I’m sorry. I’m so drunk,” he slurs.
“It’s okay, we’ve all been there.” I throw his words back at him. “I have to get home, but you rest.”
He reaches up to touch my cheek and says, “You are so beautiful, Brynn. I’m so in love with you,” in a whisper before he closes his eyes.
When I’m sure he’s asleep and breathing all right, I bolt out of the house and to the car where Melanie and Austin are waiting for me.
“How is he?”
“Sleeping it off,” I say before starting the car to drive Austin and Mel home.
I drop Melanie at home and let her know I’ll drop her car off tomorrow. I really just want to crawl in my own bed tonight. I catch the front door so it doesn’t slam, lock it, and drag my butt up the stairs to bed. I forego anything that requires effort to get ready for bed, strip down to my bra and boy shorts, and climb right into bed. What am I going to do? Charlie is in love with me? No, he was just drunk. Maybe he won’t even remember what he said tomorrow. Do I want him to remember or just go on how things are? I love our friendship. I trust him, I feel comfortable with him, and I don’t want to ruin what we already have and risk losing him. I haven’t had a male in my life, other than Brett, who I trust in a really, really long time.
The longer I think about tonight, the more I feel like screaming or punching something. Why did he have to get drunk and tell me he loves me? He ruined everything! I mean, can we really be friends now without it being awkward? After stewing in my misery over the events of the night for hours, my room starts to brighten just as my mind has exhausted itself, and I finally lose my battle with sleep.
* * *
The next morning I throw on my robe and walk my haggard self to the kitchen to grab some coffee.
“Oh, my God, I almost forgot you were coming home this weekend! Brett, when did you get in?” I squeal and throw my arms around my older brother.
“Hey, sis, I got in late last night. I’ll be here about two weeks before I have to head back for summer courses.” He sighs. “But I’m here for ‘bonding time’ until then.” He laughs.
“Mom?” I chuckle.
“Yup.” We are both laughing as Mom walks into the kitchen.
“What are you two up to?”
“Bonding time,” we say in unison laughing.
The next two weeks I avoid Charlie and even Melanie, once I dropped her car at her house. Charlie has text me a couple times asking to hang out, and I play it off as spending time with my brother, who is home from college. I’m not ready to see him. I don’t know what to say to him and I don’t want to lose him. I have so many emotions toward him that I haven’t quite figured out yet. The bottom line is no matter how I feel about him, if we start a relationship, it’d eventually ruin the friendship we already have. So instead, I go to the beach, lunches, and shopping trips with my mom and Brett. I spend a
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