Mutually Beneficial

Chapter 13 - Crush

"If you have ever had to love someone from afar, then you understand the true meaning of devotion. You don't need them to know you love them, you don't need them to return it. You only hope that they feel it. And when they feel it, if they think of you for just a moment... that will be enough."

- Renuka I. 

~*~

BROOKS POV

"Prove it to me. Tonight."

Giules' words constantly replayed in my mind like a broken record. 

To say I was shocked when she continued to flirt with me would be an understatement. But that girl never ceases to amaze me. 

My stomach tightened at the thought of seeing her tonight and the potential events that could unfold. 

Giulia Montenegro was the most beautiful person I have ever laid my eyes on. 

I still remember the first time I saw her. I was 14 years old, riding my bike through the neighborhood to meet my friends at the movies. At that time, like any other teenage boy, I was awkward and lanky, yet to grow into my skin. 

As I was whizzing past through the busy streets, I felt something pierce the back wheel of my bike. The air whooshing out, causing the wheel to deflate at lightning speed. Realizing I would most likely face plant into the dirt if I tried to break suddenly, I jumped off of my bike and let its metal frame hit the ground with a thud. 

As I was bending down to inspect the damage, I caught a glimpse of a figure sitting under a large oak tree. I silently cursed, hoping that they didn't see me make an absolute ass of myself. 

I don't know what possessed me to do a double-take, but I am forever grateful to whatever higher power that did so. 

Because as I glanced back, I saw the face of an angel. 

Her espresso-colored hair was kissed by the sun, creating bronze streaks that bounced off of each strand. Her tan skin was a stark contrast against her white sundress. Her face appeared to have been blessed by God himself. With her warm eyes, full lips and rosy cheeks. 

Even at 14, I knew that I would never find anyone as beautiful as her. 

Despite all the commotion I caused, she didn't even look up at me. Instead, her entire being was focused on fervently writing into what I presumed to be a journal. What I would have given up to read the stories she was writing.

I had never seen her around town before, and our family knew everyone. That meant that she had most likely just moved here. 

Our town only had one school, which meant that unless she was planning to go to the private institution the next town over, she would be attending my high school. 

We were already half-way through the year at that point, so I knew that this girl would probably have trouble making friends. Being the gentleman that I was, I told myself that I would make sure that if she turned up to school on Monday, I would make it my personal mission to ensure that she felt welcomed.

Unfortunately, that plan backfired when Jake got to her before I did. After their little water incident, her now group of friends adopted her like a lost puppy. 

It wasn't hard to learn her name after that. I mean she was the only new girl in our grade and she instantly became friends with some of the most popular people. 

I myself, didn't become a household name until I joined the basketball team in sophomore year. That's when girls finally began to notice me.

But not Giules, she only had eyes for Reid Smith. 

The Asshole. 

Although I chickened out of becoming her friend in the early years, only sharing several fleeting conversations in class, I continued to admire her from afar. 

I noticed how she always offered to help teachers carry their books into the classrooms. How she would volunteer to tutor our classmates with math problems. How she would step in when someone made a cruel joke about another person. 

From all these moments, I knew that she wasn't just beautiful on the outside, but she had a heart of gold as well. 

As I learned more about her, my admiration and crush on her grew. 

So when I found out that she had started dating Reid Smith, my own heart shattered into a million pieces. 

When I saw her post a picture of her and Reid on Instagram with a heart in the caption, I think it was the first time that I had ever cried. I couldn't blame her, Reid was the school's golden boy, and I was too much of a pussy to even be a blip on her radar. 

The next day, I walked up the Rhiannon, and asked her to be my girlfriend. I knew she had a crush on me, so it didn't take much courage from me to do so. If only I had the same amount of bravery when it came to Giules. 

I liked Rhiannon in the beginning, but she never compared to Giules. And maybe it was my fault for using her as a rebound and this was my karma, but our relationship became a revolving door of toxicity. 

Even then, I never stopped pining after what could be between Giules and I. So when she sat next to me in Chemistry and we became lab partners, I knew this would be my shot. 

Of course, I was delusional because I knew she was still with Reid, but I didn't care, as long as I could be near her. 

Putting forward our arrangement was as much for me as it was for her. I knew I was being selfish. I knew that morally, it was wrong. If you had asked me before this entire situation, I would have told you that I could never condone cheating, that I would never be a party to it. 

But with Giules, all I ever wanted was to be a part of her story, like the ones I saw her writing underneath the oak tree when we were 14. I would allow myself to be written in any way, as long as I was there.