My Best Friends Brother

Chapter 27

The ride back so far has been fucking uncomfortable. He put his headphones in about five minutes into the journey and hasn’t taken them out since. That was an hour ago.

I know he’s got a crazy amount of stuff running through his head right now and it’s not like I wasn’t expecting this... But it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

We’ve hardly passed anything since we got on the highway coming back from the middle of nowhere. I think I remember there being a decent burger place a few miles ahead so I guess I’m going to try my best at conversation. We probably need one.

“You hungry?”

His head never lifts from its direct view of his phone. He’s been staring at that thing the entire time. I’d think he was purposely ignoring me if it wasn’t for the music blasting so loudly from his ears.

I lean over, tapping his knee and making him jump out of his skin. He must have been seriously lost in whatever he was looking at, not that he’s let me see the screen once.

“Shit. You scared the fuck out of me.”

He laughs but it’s more of a nervous chuckle. I haven’t seen him like this, since I saw him in my office he’s been all confidence. This isn’t like him.

“Sorry, I just wanted to know if you’re hungry? There’s a burger place in a few miles then nothing until we get back to Westbrooke, so if you want to stop I kind of need to know.”

Miles shakes his head. “I’m good but we can stop if you want to.”

He goes to immediately slip his headphones back in and a sudden panic hits me. I don’t know if I’ll have another reason to talk to him before we get back and I seriously can’t leave it like this.

“Miles,” He pauses, stopping and waiting for me to talk, but I’ve got nothing. Shit. “Um.. Aren’t you like always hungry? I mean, you like eat, like a lot. I mean-”

He starts to chuckle. “Wow, you’re really bad at this. That was your attempt at a conversation starter?”

He really needs to stop making me blush like this, I’m really not okay with it.

Throwing my head back against the headrest, I try not to laugh at him immediately calling me out. The guy can apparently read me like a fucking book. Spotting a rest stop on the side of the road, I pull in quickly, I probably shouldn’t be driving for this. He’s still smiling when we stop but it’s smaller now. He looks more nervous than I feel, this is the part where he calls this all off then...

His voice is weak, but I’m grateful he’s at least starting the conversation we both know we need to have before this gets anymore weird.

“It changed things for you, didn’t it? What he said..”

Shit. I don’t want him to feel like this, this fucking broken, I never should’ve put him in this position.

“Kind of. I mean, Eli didn’t exactly say Zoe was-”

“Wait. Eli? Zoe? What have they got to do with it?”

I’m looking at him for some explanation but he appears just as confused as I am.

“What do you mean? Wait, Miles who were you talking about?”

“Jayce.” Jayce, what the hell would Jayce have to do with this? “What are you talking about with Eli and Zoe? Why would that have changed things for you?”

Okay, apparently we’re on two very different pages here.

“When Eli said about how hurt Zoe was when you left her, it was clear that upset you. I don’t want to be the reason you’re upset, or her for that matter. I could see the doubt in you and-”

“There’s no doubt in me Josh, at least not on that front.” There isn’t? “Yeah I was upset, but only because she said we could be mates then she went and kissed me again. I don’t think it was her plan from the sounds of it but it kind of crushed me that she would risk our friendship like that. I made it clear to her before I left the dance that I was done with me and her that way. I hate hurting her, but even if I hadn’t come to you last night, I would’ve reacted the same way because that’s not what I want from her. Not now and not ever, she broke my trust, twice, there’s no way to get it back.”

Fuck. He was regretting letting her have that chance, not taking the chance on me.

“Okay. What did you mean about Jayce changing my mind? All he asked me to do was give you a lift back.”

Miles breathes deeply, he’s planning his words carefully here. There’s tension between him and Jayce, but he also knows Al is my best mate, he can’t just go bitching about her husband.

“It’s the way he talks about me, like I’m still just his kid brother. He has this way of making everyone kind of dismiss me, like my opinions and the way I feel doesn’t matter in comparison with how he does. I don’t even think he realises he’s doing it, it’s just part of our relationship now. I just... I don’t want him to get in your head and make you see me that way too. I don’t need him to validate what I want...” He turns his whole body, his broad shoulders blocking out the sun peering in through the passenger window as we become face to face. “I hope you don’t either.”

I shouldn’t ask the question, I know I fucking shouldn’t. Fuck, I can feel the heat creeping into my cheeks just looking at him and thinking it.

Just fucking ask him you dickhead.

“What do you want Miles?”

Okay, there’s no way I can look at myself in the mirror ever again if he says to run a million miles from me, you could grill a steak on my cheeks there’s so much fire in them.

Stop smirking Miles, you look too fucking good doing it.

“You know, you’re really fucking cute when you’re nervous.”

I am not fucking cute! I’m a 6’5 wall of fucking muscle who’s brother has been teaching him to fight since I was twelve. I’m not cute... he’s fucking cute.

Miles leans forward, unbuckling his seatbelt and moving until he’s as close as he can be to me without sitting in my lap. His fingers gripping my jaw and pulling me forward until he’s got our heads held together, my hands reaching out and taking hold of his hips whether I want them too or not.

“I like you.” His eyes close as he talks, my skin melting into his whilst his breath whips against my lips in a minty frenzy. Being this close to him is becoming fucking addictive. “I really like you. I don’t know what the fuck we do from here or what I am, but fuck, can that just be enough for now?”

Enough? It’s fucking perfect.

“Yes.” His relief is obvious, he can’t stop smiling now. My hand travels from his hip, searching his waist and gliding over his chest until it reaches the back of his neck and I can tilt his head. I’ve never initiated a kiss between us, but as his head lift from mine and I can finally find his lips, I capture them.

It’s a kiss softer than any other one we’ve had, not raw or lustful. I wish I could express with words that there’s no fucking pressure here, I know he needs to sort his head out and so do I, but this will have to be the way I show him instead.

Neither of us try to stop, fuck knows when we’ll be able to kiss like this again. His lips stroke mine gently, sensing and feeling for every curve and dip. He wants to feel me, to take me in and fucking keep me. I can’t stop myself doing the same, memorising every movement he makes for all the times I replay this moment in my fucking head again later.

As much as I wish we could, we can’t stay here forever. Eventually I pull away, the hand I hadn’t realised he had placed on my jaw comes forward, swiping his thumb across my lower lip like he’s trying to seal his kiss in place on my body. Does he not realise I couldn’t forget it if I tried?

His eyelashes are so long and thick, I can hardly see his perfect orbs through them as he gives me his undivided attention.

“What the fuck are you doing to me Joshua Jones?”

I wish he knew how many times I’ve asked myself that exact same question about him over the last week.

He gets himself set back up, reluctantly moving into his seat and plugging in his belt before we take off. Instead of returning to his headphones he starts pressing all the buttons on my screen to connect his phone to my car. Al tried to do it once and I almost tore her arm out of the socket to make her stop, I don’t let anyone touch my ride.

But do you see me stopping him right now? Damn fucking sexy fucking basketball playing fucking Thompson, he has too much power over me already. I don’t appreciate it.

His music picks up, flipping to a song that I haven’t heard in a while, although I don’t think I’ve ever listened to this version of it. It’s The Chainsmokers – This feeling, except it’s not got that underlying dance tone, it’s completely acoustic and the guy singing it has some serious reach with his voice. It’s crackly, I think it’s one of those live performance versions from a gig. The lyrics are also unnervingly appropriate.

“Who is this?”

We take off down the highway, the awkwardness of earlier disappeared completely as the wind smacks in through the open window, the sun bright and shining down on us.

“It’s a local artist... do you like it? Or are you more into the Disney classics like Brie?”

I glare at him and he bursts out laughing. At least I know I’m not the only one to be tortured by her one woman karaoke car show.

“He’s really good.” Miles smiles, slipping his hand over smoothly onto my thigh. He keeps it there, clearly having no understanding of what this kind of contact with him is doing to me, before gently moving it up into mine, making sure our fingers lock.

It shouldn’t be possible for a single move to bring someone so much pleasure. He’s holding my hand but I can feel him in every inch of my body.

Fuck. I’ve got no fucking chance here... He’s going to make sure he’s impossible to walk away from. Not that I can ever imagine actually wanting too.

As the song ends and transfers into one with someone definitely not as talented as the guy before, I realise I never said it back.

Bringing our locked hands to my lips, I kiss the back of his palm and try to hold back the smile that comes from seeing the blush creep up his cheeks.

“I like you too Miles.”

And with that, our hands were sealed until we saw the welcome to Westbrooke sign...

... Okay, maybe I held on a little bit longer than that too.

Please remember to vote and comment beauts ❤ 📖 😁