Best Friend's Brother

one

I sit on Renee's bed, my legs crossed. She types on her phone quickly, her forehead creased with frustration.

"You're gonna get worry lines." I say out loud, looking at my freshly shaved legs. She looks up at me, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Huh?" She asks, her mouth slightly agape.

"You're going to get worry lines." I repeat, mocking her facial expression from before.

"Shut up. I'm texting Paulie. He said he wants to go out tonight. Obviously, I can't." She motions to me, looking back at her phone.

"Go ahead, Ren. I can just sit up here and wait for you to come back. Just bring me up some coke and a bag of chips." I say, and she bites her lip, staring at me.

"No, no, no. That's rude. And it's Best Friend Time. Not Boyfriend Time." She sets her phone beside her, and straightens her hunched over back.

"Okay... I wouldn't mind, though." I shrug, and she rolls her eyes.

"It's just so you can spy on my brother." She smiles, and I fake gag.

"Hell no, Ren. I've seen the way that boy keeps his bedroom. There's no way I could be interested in someone like that." I insist, and she laughs.

"You're right. You do have that weird thing." She looks back at her phone, picking it up.

"What weird thing? I have a weird thing?" I ask, mock anger in my voice.

"Yeah, you clean up everywhere you go. Remember when we got here, and you immediately picked up Lucas's spilled juice that had been there for approximately three seconds. And, at school you literally stay after school to help clean up the classrooms. How did you not know you had A Thing?" She scoffs, and I roll my eyes.

"I'm just friendly. I don't have A Thing." I reply, my heart palpitating because I can hear the quick thumping of music from her brothers' room.

"You have A Thing. Accept it, kid. Do you mind if Paulie comes over for an hour or so?" She asks, looking up at me to see my reaction.

"I couldn't care less, dude." I reply, standing and going to my overnight bag that sits in her desk chair.

"Okay, thanks." She says, and I unzip my bag, pulling out a pair of leggings and an oversized T-shirt.

I close the door, and the door bell rings downstairs.

"Damn, he moves fast." I say, talking to Renee. She laughs, and gets up from her bed. I peel my pants and shirt off, quickly put on my bed clothes, and going downstairs with Renee.

She opens the door, and Paulie stands there, his hands shoved in his pocket, hair covering his face. Renee is approximately seventeen and a half, and she is dating a twenty four year old.

"Baby!" She yells, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. He holds her by her butt.

"I will sit down here. Y'all go upstairs and make out or whatever." Her parents don't seem to care about he dating an adult. Even thought it is quite illegal.

I go into the living room where Jameson, Renee's dad, sits on the couch. I sit on the floor and cross my legs.

"Is Paulie here?" He asks me, and I nod, looking up at him.

"Here's the remote. Do you want me to get Beau to occupy you?" He asks, standing off of the couch. I shrug.

"It doesn't matter." Please. Please. Please.

"BEAU!" He yells as loud as he can, and the music thumping since I arrived stops.

Light footsteps trek down the stairs, and into the living room.

"Yeah?" Beau answers, his voice smooth and rich and deep.

"Come down here and give Stella someone to talk to while Renee is with Paulie." Jameson says in a demanding tone, and Beau rolls his eyes.

"Dad, can't you just make Paulie leave? Renee shouldn't be allowed to date him, anyways." He mutters, slumping on the couch. I pay attention to the TV, changing the channel while Beau half sulks behind me.

"Pick Gold Rush." He tells me, pointing at the channel.

"No. We are gonna watch America's Next Top Model." I reply, sitting on the couch on the opposite side of Beau.

"Gross! No! It's my house." Beau grumps, reaching for the remote in my hands. I pull it away, and he leans back to sitting up.

"I'm the guest!" I yell back, clicking the channel.

"Not my guest. I get to pick. You can pick when Renee is around and not me." Beau leans back towards me, and grabs for it again, but I move it away from me, and he crawls closer, reaching for it. The closeness of our bodies doesn't seem to make a realization in my head yet.

His chest is just above mine, accidentally rubbing against my blobs repeatedly, but he is too occupied with reaching for the remote. I pull it farther away, and he holds himself up with one arm, reaching with the other.

I lift my leg to knee his side, but I hit his arm, and he fall on top of me, our faces inches from each other.

I stare into his dark brown eyes that sparkle, especially when this close. He doesn't move yet.

He smells like incense. Like the good kind in Urban shops in the mall that suffocate you in the good way.

He pushes himself up quickly, and stands up.

"Sorry." He mumbles, leaving the living room.