Trying Not to Love You
Page 24
"He may think I have issues, but I don't. I love you Hailey. I know you'll take care of him and that's all I can ask."
"I love you Kenzie." She hugged me again, and then asked, "How are things with Dominic?"
"Surprisingly, we haven't had any drama lately, and things are good. He's a little worried about me spending time with Hunter when he's not around." Dominic and I talked about it a lot last night, and I just kept telling him over and over again that he had nothing to worry about. I was not going anywhere.
"Well that's good." She looked down at her lap again and then back up at me. "Hunter misses you like crazy. I don't think I've ever seen him like this, not even after last summer."
I sighed. "I miss him too, but to keep Dominic happy, and my heart intact, I can't hang around him like I did anymore. He made it perfectly clear there could never be a him and me. Things are going good with Dominic. I don't want to rock the boat. Time will tell if Dominic and I will last, but for now, I want to be with him. He stood up to my brothers when he wanted to date me Hails. Hunter would never do that."
"I get it, I do. I just wish he would pull his head out of his ass, and figure his shit out. He looks like someone has kicked his puppy."
"He'll figure it out. He'll meet someone that will take over the feelings that he has for me."
Hailey fell back on her pillow and said, "I hope it's soon. He is such a downer. I thought I was bad. He's got it way worse than I do."
My phone pinged, so I got up and went to get see who it was. Cooper had texted me that they just got to Hunter's. They were going to swing by and pick us up, instead of us taking a cab.
Hailey and I got ready to spend the night with my brothers and Hunter; I made sure Hailey looked extra hot for Mason. We straightened her long blonde hair and did her eye makeup dark to bring out her eyes. She dressed in a pair of black shorts that were tight and really short, along with a hot pink halter top that made her boobs look great.
After we got her dressed, she helped me straighten my hair. I picked out something a little less sexy, but still super cute. I wore a short spaghetti strap sundress and a pair of peep toe wedges. It was the end of October but thankfully, it was still warm enough to wear my summer clothes.
I stopped by Dominic's room before I headed out for dinner. He told me to have a fun, and that he would see me at the party at Hunter's later on tonight. I stood on my tiptoes, gave him a kiss and told him I loved him and would see him later.
As soon as we walked out of the doors to our dorm, Hunter's head shot up, he nudged Mason and lifted his chin in our direction.
"Damn, he's hot," I heard Hailey say to herself. I shook my head and laughed at her.
"What?" She asked, with a smirk on her face.
"Not a thing. Now go get your lover boy," I told her.
"Don't have to tell me twice." She took off running to Mason and leaped on him. He caught her and swung her around.
Cooper and Hunter both looked at me. I assumed they were waiting for me to have some kind of reaction. What was the big deal? They are adults. He is my brother and she is my best friend. Even if things did not work out for them, I would still have them both in my life. Yeah, it may get weird but it is what it is.
Cooper wrapped me up in his arms and asked, "You're ok with that?" He looked over at them and grimaced. "Because I don't know if I am. She's like a sister to me."
"What's the big deal?" I said.
He shuddered after thinking about it. "I still don't like it. It's just weird."
I kissed his cheek and said "Well, get over it."
I walked over to Hunter and gave him a hug too. He clung to me as if I was going to disappear. He took a deep breath, like he had been holding it forever. "I'm sorry."
I pulled my face back, and looked into his bright blue eyes, the same eyes I dreamed about every night, even if he was the wrong person to dream about. I sighed, "It's ok. Why do you keep saying that? I get it; there will never be a me and you."
"I have a lot to be sorry for." He hugged me tighter, and then let go.
I turned around and went over to Mason and Hailey. They were still wrapped around each other. I cleared my throat. "Um, hello?"
Mason turned his head to me, and then lowered Hailey to the ground. "Hey sis."
I grabbed him and hugged him tight. "Love you, Mase." I lowered my voice so only he could hear me. "Don't hurt her, ok?"
"So you're ok with this?" He dropped his arms from around my waist, and took a step back. "It's not going to be weird or anything?"
"I don't understand why everyone thinks I'm going to have a problem with this. If you ask me, I think it's awesome. I may actually get my best friend as my sister in law." I winked over his shoulder to Hailey, and she smiled back at me.
"Whoa." Mason put his hands up, and had a frightened look on his face. "Who said anything about getting married? Let's not get carried away."
We all started laughing, and walked towards Mason's car. When I opened the door to climb in, Hunter grabbed my elbow, lifted his chin towards his bike and raised his eyebrow. I looked over at it and was surprised to see my helmet sitting on the seat.
I looked in the car at Hailey. "Go get it girl," she said, smiling at me.
How could I say no? I loved riding with him, loved the adrenaline rush from feeling free. I walked over and grabbed my helmet, then looked down at what I was wearing. Damn it, I wish I had worn shorts now. Oh well I was not going to back out now.
Hunter sat on the bike and balanced it, so I could climb on behind him; I did it as gracefully as I could. Once I sat down and had Hunter between my thighs, I tucked my dress under my legs so it would not fly up. I squeezed my legs around his hips, and wrapped my arms around his stomach. Hunter's stomach muscles tensed. I loosened up my hold, thinking he did not want my hands around him, but he grabbed my hands and held them there for a second.
What was I thinking? This was not a good idea.
I felt him take a deep breath, then let it out, then he dropped his hand from mine and started up the bike. We took off, leading the way to Raven's with Mason following behind us.
Dinner went great. Everyone was having a good time laughing and joking with each other, just like old times. Hunter and I even got along great, as if nothing had happened.
"Why didn't Jaylinn come?" I asked the boys.
"She had a soccer game this weekend." Cooper answered me, but stared at Hunter. Huh?
Trying to pry some details from Cooper, I asked him, "Are you spending a lot of time with her?"
"I love you Kenzie." She hugged me again, and then asked, "How are things with Dominic?"
"Surprisingly, we haven't had any drama lately, and things are good. He's a little worried about me spending time with Hunter when he's not around." Dominic and I talked about it a lot last night, and I just kept telling him over and over again that he had nothing to worry about. I was not going anywhere.
"Well that's good." She looked down at her lap again and then back up at me. "Hunter misses you like crazy. I don't think I've ever seen him like this, not even after last summer."
I sighed. "I miss him too, but to keep Dominic happy, and my heart intact, I can't hang around him like I did anymore. He made it perfectly clear there could never be a him and me. Things are going good with Dominic. I don't want to rock the boat. Time will tell if Dominic and I will last, but for now, I want to be with him. He stood up to my brothers when he wanted to date me Hails. Hunter would never do that."
"I get it, I do. I just wish he would pull his head out of his ass, and figure his shit out. He looks like someone has kicked his puppy."
"He'll figure it out. He'll meet someone that will take over the feelings that he has for me."
Hailey fell back on her pillow and said, "I hope it's soon. He is such a downer. I thought I was bad. He's got it way worse than I do."
My phone pinged, so I got up and went to get see who it was. Cooper had texted me that they just got to Hunter's. They were going to swing by and pick us up, instead of us taking a cab.
Hailey and I got ready to spend the night with my brothers and Hunter; I made sure Hailey looked extra hot for Mason. We straightened her long blonde hair and did her eye makeup dark to bring out her eyes. She dressed in a pair of black shorts that were tight and really short, along with a hot pink halter top that made her boobs look great.
After we got her dressed, she helped me straighten my hair. I picked out something a little less sexy, but still super cute. I wore a short spaghetti strap sundress and a pair of peep toe wedges. It was the end of October but thankfully, it was still warm enough to wear my summer clothes.
I stopped by Dominic's room before I headed out for dinner. He told me to have a fun, and that he would see me at the party at Hunter's later on tonight. I stood on my tiptoes, gave him a kiss and told him I loved him and would see him later.
As soon as we walked out of the doors to our dorm, Hunter's head shot up, he nudged Mason and lifted his chin in our direction.
"Damn, he's hot," I heard Hailey say to herself. I shook my head and laughed at her.
"What?" She asked, with a smirk on her face.
"Not a thing. Now go get your lover boy," I told her.
"Don't have to tell me twice." She took off running to Mason and leaped on him. He caught her and swung her around.
Cooper and Hunter both looked at me. I assumed they were waiting for me to have some kind of reaction. What was the big deal? They are adults. He is my brother and she is my best friend. Even if things did not work out for them, I would still have them both in my life. Yeah, it may get weird but it is what it is.
Cooper wrapped me up in his arms and asked, "You're ok with that?" He looked over at them and grimaced. "Because I don't know if I am. She's like a sister to me."
"What's the big deal?" I said.
He shuddered after thinking about it. "I still don't like it. It's just weird."
I kissed his cheek and said "Well, get over it."
I walked over to Hunter and gave him a hug too. He clung to me as if I was going to disappear. He took a deep breath, like he had been holding it forever. "I'm sorry."
I pulled my face back, and looked into his bright blue eyes, the same eyes I dreamed about every night, even if he was the wrong person to dream about. I sighed, "It's ok. Why do you keep saying that? I get it; there will never be a me and you."
"I have a lot to be sorry for." He hugged me tighter, and then let go.
I turned around and went over to Mason and Hailey. They were still wrapped around each other. I cleared my throat. "Um, hello?"
Mason turned his head to me, and then lowered Hailey to the ground. "Hey sis."
I grabbed him and hugged him tight. "Love you, Mase." I lowered my voice so only he could hear me. "Don't hurt her, ok?"
"So you're ok with this?" He dropped his arms from around my waist, and took a step back. "It's not going to be weird or anything?"
"I don't understand why everyone thinks I'm going to have a problem with this. If you ask me, I think it's awesome. I may actually get my best friend as my sister in law." I winked over his shoulder to Hailey, and she smiled back at me.
"Whoa." Mason put his hands up, and had a frightened look on his face. "Who said anything about getting married? Let's not get carried away."
We all started laughing, and walked towards Mason's car. When I opened the door to climb in, Hunter grabbed my elbow, lifted his chin towards his bike and raised his eyebrow. I looked over at it and was surprised to see my helmet sitting on the seat.
I looked in the car at Hailey. "Go get it girl," she said, smiling at me.
How could I say no? I loved riding with him, loved the adrenaline rush from feeling free. I walked over and grabbed my helmet, then looked down at what I was wearing. Damn it, I wish I had worn shorts now. Oh well I was not going to back out now.
Hunter sat on the bike and balanced it, so I could climb on behind him; I did it as gracefully as I could. Once I sat down and had Hunter between my thighs, I tucked my dress under my legs so it would not fly up. I squeezed my legs around his hips, and wrapped my arms around his stomach. Hunter's stomach muscles tensed. I loosened up my hold, thinking he did not want my hands around him, but he grabbed my hands and held them there for a second.
What was I thinking? This was not a good idea.
I felt him take a deep breath, then let it out, then he dropped his hand from mine and started up the bike. We took off, leading the way to Raven's with Mason following behind us.
Dinner went great. Everyone was having a good time laughing and joking with each other, just like old times. Hunter and I even got along great, as if nothing had happened.
"Why didn't Jaylinn come?" I asked the boys.
"She had a soccer game this weekend." Cooper answered me, but stared at Hunter. Huh?
Trying to pry some details from Cooper, I asked him, "Are you spending a lot of time with her?"
