Unwanted (bxb)

Chapter 17

Justin's POV

At eleven thirty, I finally admitted to myself there was no way I was getting any sleep. Since the night before and what had happened with Cole, the memory of the kiss and his hands all over me wouldn't leave me in peace. My mind could think of nothing but him and his lips pressed against mine. I guessed I was glad for the distraction. It was better than wallowing around in my sorrows and my memory of my life from before.

What I didn't like was being all alone in this huge house. I had no idea where Cole was, but I hadn't seen him leave, even though I'd gotten up at eight.

Why the hell should I care? I didn't know. Since when did his location matter to me? Probably he was sleeping with one of the easy girls on his list, not even remembering what had happened between us. Was I alone in thinking it was crazy? We were brothers or something like that. We lived under the same roof, we couldn't stand each other, and any memory that wasn't those kisses and caresses made my blood pressure rise...

But I needed attention. My mother was on the other end of the country, and my friends and the people I'd known all my life were far away. Everything here was new to me; I didn't even know how to get around this gigantic city. Jenna was inseparable from her boyfriend, so I could forget about having her around too often. And I needed someone just then, someone to talk to or at least be there so I wouldn't feel so alone.

At least I'd managed to get Cole's dog to like me. Just then, Charlie and I were both lying on the sofa. His dark, hairy head was resting on my lap, and I was scratching his ears at a steady rhythm. That dog was nothing like the way Cole had portrayed him: he was a sweetie, easy to win over as long as you had a handful of dog biscuits ready. That was how sad my life was: the one person I could lean on in this house wasn't even a person, just a four-legged creature that loved to have his ears scratched and whose favorite pastime was chasing a ball over and over again.

I was watching a movie on TV when I heard the front door open. Charlie was so sleepy he just lifted his ears a bit when a tall figure appeared over the threshold. I saw who it was and felt almost sick.

Cole turned toward the living room and walked over, observing me.

Under the faint light of the TV and the lamp in the entryway, I couldn't see much, but he was obviously exhausted. He leaned against the doorway and looked at me.

"What are you doing up?" he asked a few seconds later. I was briefly hypnotized and couldn't answer. He looked older. Weary. But no less handsome. I tried to focus on the question.

"I couldn't sleep," I said warily. It must have been the first time since we met that we'd talked to each other in a remotely normal fashion.

He nodded and looked at Charlie.

"I see you've kept him on your side. My dog's a traitor."

I smiled involuntarily when I saw that Cole really seemed irritated.

"You know," I joked, "it's not easy to resist my charms, preppy."

Shit.

We paused and looked each other in the eye.
Then he turned to the TV.

"Are you seriously watching cartoons?" I was happy for this change of subject.

"Regular show is one of my favorites," I confessed.

He grinned, and I felt the butterflies in my stomach again.

"Chill, Bieber, it used to be my favorite, too.
When I was four years old." Despite his sarcasm, he came over and flopped down beside me on the sofa, resting his feet next to mine on the coffee table. For a moment, we watched the film in silence.