How Not to Fall In Love

Chapter 19

"Rylee, you okay? You've said hardly two words since we've gotten here," Austin said, looking up from his Math book. 

"Sorry, I guess I'm just preoccupied right now." I glanced around the restaurant, waiting for Taylor and her friends to come barging in at any minute. 

Austin must have followed my gaze toward the door. "Rylee, I told you Taylor doesn't come here. Besides, who cares if she does walk in." He took a bite of his cheeseburger. 

It was easy for him to say that because she was still in love with him. As for me, she saw me as the one who took Austin away from her even though I didn't. And nothing in the world was going to convince her otherwise. 

I took a bite of my cheeseburger, trying not to stare toward the restaurant's entrance. But I couldn't shake this horrible feeling that something awful was about to happen. Austin would tell me I was being paranoid. I was trying my hardest to enjoy being here with Austin even though it didn't mean anything to him except me tutoring him for his Math test tomorrow. 

"Again, thanks for tutoring me, Rylee," Austin said, working on problems while eating his cheeseburger. 

"You're welcome." I took a drink of my water. My heart sank at that minute because all he saw me as was the nerd who was helping him pass his Math test. 

"I told Dad you'd be here," A guy with dark brown hair said, walking up behind Austin. 

"What the hell do you want, Kaden?" Austin rolled his eyes. 

"Dad asked me to come look for you since you weren't answering his texts. I tried to tell him you were here, but he wouldn't listen. Maybe next time, you'll text him back." 

"I'll go call him." Austin got up and pushed past the guy. 

The guy sat down in Austin's seat. "Hi, I'm Kaden, Austin's older brother." He smiled. 

"Hi, I'm Rylee. Are you a senior at school?" I asked, taking a sip of my water. 

"No, I'm a freshman at college." Kaden glanced down at Austin's Math book. "Good luck in helping him; I tried, but he wouldn't listen to me." He flipped through the pages, keeping Austin's place in the book. 

"It took him a few times, but he's doing really well now." I took another sip of my water, trying not to stare at his gorgeous grey eyes. He had the same chiseled jawline, too. His hair was a little darker than Austin's. 

"Well, I wasn't a pretty girl explaining it either." He smiled, popping one of Austin's fries in his mouth. 

Pretty? He actually called me a pretty girl. I couldn't believe he said I was pretty. I took another sip of my water, looking off to the side out the window of the restaurant, watching Austin pace back and forth on the sidewalk as he talked on his phone. I could see him run his hand through his hair a few times. 

"Don't worry. Dad's probably just giving him hell about not answering his texts. This is a normal thing with them two. They don't really get along that well. If you know what I mean." He raised his eyebrows. 

My dad popped into my mind because I knew exactly what he meant. Dad favored my sister over me, and it showed regularly. No matter what I did, it was never good enough. So yeah, I knew all too well what Austin was probably going through on the phone right now. Knowing that just made me want to go out there and be with him even more. 

"I see why my brother broke up with Taylor." 

"Huh?" My wide eyes flashed back over to him. 

"Come on, Rylee. You're gorgeous. Like you don't know that." He smirked.