Best Friends Forever

Chapter Four

The first half of the trip was fine. I held my tongue and let Courtney drive as recklessly as she pleased while listening to her girly electro pop that drove me insane. I was trying to set a good example for her so when she traded me spots at the halfway point of the trip, she might give me the same courtesy that I'd given her.

Not even five minutes after I settled into the driver's seat and eased back onto the highway, however, Courtney was already getting on my ass.

"So how are we gonna do this? What's your plan?"

I glanced at her from the side. "My plan?"

"You know, like," she gestured wildly with one hand while she took a loud, obnoxious slurp from the slushie we picked up at the last gas station, "how'd we get together?"

"Um..."

I didn't really do a lot of dating myself. Or rather, I didn't do any dating, so cute and romantic origins weren't really my strong suit.

"I dunno. We met on a dating app or something?"

"A dating app? Ugh, no! You don't get it, Dahl!" Courtney snapped with a vicious shake of her head. "I need to look like I have a cool and interesting life! And that I met a cool and interesting guy while I was living my cool and interesting life!"

"But you didn't," I pointed out with a shrug.

Courtney growled in her throat and grabbed me just above my knee with sharp claws. I was filled with a mix of anxiety–feeling her hand in such an intimate place–and also fear–at the intensity of her grip on that place.

"If you're just gonna be a know-it-all jerk then you might as well turn around right now," she seethed and dug her nails into my leg a little deeper before she released me.

Dahlia is a know-it-all jerk. Usually it doesn't bother Courtney but...maybe she doesn't need that right now. Maybe she needs something more than her best friend. I flicked my eyes over to Courtney, who'd gone to staring out the window sullenly. But what does that even look like?

I thought about the kind of person Courtney liked to date and the kind of person she seemed to want, but those things often seemed conflicting to me.

She dates these jerks that treat her like crap, but she's always talking about how much she wants a guy that'll pamper her and treat her like a princess. And she's obviously getting mad at me for being a jerk so...

I could practically feel the equation in front of my eyes as I did the complicated math that was girl feelings–and more specifically, Courtney's feelings. They made absolutely no sense to me, but I thought I had a handle on what she wanted from me at the very least.

Courtney could pick up another jerk just about anywhere if she really needed a date for this. She chose to go with me because I know her better than that. I know what she really wants from someone. What she wants from me if I'm planning to put on the charade as her boyfriend.

This brought a whole new and interesting question for me to ponder in the not-at-all awkward silence the two of us were sitting in.

What kind of boyfriend would Dalton be? I looked over at Courtney again, still staring out the window with a tight posture. He definitely wouldn't let his girlfriend stew in her feelings when he did something wrong. That's for damn sure.

I let a hand fall off the steering wheel before I reached over to touch the back of one of Courtney's hands. She stiffened up a little more as she turned to look at my hand on hers before her eyes flicked up to mine with a curious stare.