Boyfriend or Brother? [Book 1]

Chapter 2. BRENNAN

A few minutes after going upstairs, Caleb came down with bowls of popcorn stacked on top of each other and he placed them on the couch.

"You guys each take a bag, I'm just waiting for Annie and Katie to come back so we can start the movie." Caleb explained.

"Thanks, Caleb." Hayley said as she grabbed a bowl.

Ryan and I agreed and then took a bowl as well.

"I wonder what's taking them so long." Ryan wondered.

Caleb shrugged. "It seemed like a private matter. When I came to the kitchen they stopped talking when they heard me, then they ran up to Annie's room."

"It's all my fault. After I hugged Annie she seemed upset at me. I probably made her feel uncomfortable, and the truth or dare question—"

"Brennan! I doubt it's your fault." Caleb interrupted me.

I sighed. "I don't know, Caleb. It probably is. I think I just ruined my friendship with Annie." I ran my hand through my hair and then placed my palms over my eyes.

"...I'll think about it." I heard Annie's voice as she and Katie came down the stairs.

"Brennan? Are you okay?" She asked as she came over. I realized my hands were still over my eyes. I quickly took them off of my face and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"You sure?" She asked.

"Positive."

Annie nodded and smiled, then sat next to me. As she sat down, her leg brushed up against mine. I felt sparks, almost like electricity flowing through me when we touched. It was a good feeling, and I didn't want it to go away.

Annie realized our legs were touching. She blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pulled her knees towards her chest so we wouldn't touch anymore. I noticed that she does that when she's embarrassed or nervous.

Caleb popped in the DVD, turned off the lights, and hit play.

When the dinosaur was trying to get the kids from the weird hamster ball ride, Annie shrieked and jumped towards me.

"Don't worry, I've got you." I whispered as I put my arm around her. Even though it was dark, I knew Annie was blushing. She scooted closer towards me and then wrapped her arms around my waist.

I felt the tingling sensation of sparks again. I couldn't help but pull Annie closer when another scary scene showed up.

Later on, the 'romantic' scene came on, where there was a kiss between the park owner and Owen, who works there.

I couldn't help it, I felt even more sparks. Annie looked up at me, and I think she felt the vibe, too. I couldn't stop myself, and I guess she couldn't either, because she didn't stop me. I leaned down with my arms around her shoulders, her arms around my waist. Our lips got closer and closer, then we were nose to nose, and I went for it.

My lips touched hers gently, and we kissed. At first, Annie just let me kiss her gently, then she got into the kiss by kissing me back.

I didn't know if anyone was watching, but honestly, I didn't care. I wanted to keep going, but Annie pulled away and whispered, "I'm afraid we'll get caught. We need to stop."

I nodded, then we went back to sitting about a foot away from each other. I couldn't focus on the movie because I kept thinking about our kiss. It felt so great to kiss Annie; I've had a crush on her for as long as I could remember. But then I thought, 'Does she actually like me?' 'Is she only kissing me to be polite?' 'Does she not like me this way and only kissed me to not hurt my feelings?'

All those thoughts floated through my head for the rest of the movie. Before I knew it, everyone was clapping as Caleb took out the DVD.

"That was a great choice, Caleb!" Ryan said.

"Thanks. Well, it's 11:30, Mom might come down and yell at us. We should get to bed." Caleb suggested.

Everyone nodded and got under the blankets that were set up on the floor. I slept in between Katie and Ryan, and Annie was in between Katie and Hayley. Caleb slept next to Ryan. I could hear everyone start to fall asleep, but I couldn't. I needed some space.

I quietly tip toed out of the room and went to Caleb's room. I just sat there for about 10 minutes when Annie came in. "Can't sleep?" She asked.

I nodded.

"I can't, either." She said as she sat next to me.

We sat there in silence for what seemed like forever, but then I broke the ice by asking, "Do you like me, Annie?"

Annie hesitated. "I don't know, Brennan. You're really nice and sweet and handsome, but you're Katie's brother. If we dated and broke up, it'd ruin my relationship with Katie and your relationship with Caleb. I don't want Katie or Caleb to feel like 3rd and 4th wheels."

I nodded, and my heart sank to the bottom of my chest. "I understand, Annie. I'm sorry I kissed you and hugged you. I've just had a crush on you for a while and I couldn't help myself tonight, I guess."

Annie nodded, then hugged me. "I'm sorry I kissed you back and made you think I had feelings for you. I do, but we can't be together. I'm so sorry."

We sat in silence for a little while longer before Annie stood up.

"It's past midnight, we should get some rest. Good night, Brennan."

"Good night, Annie." I whispered as she left the room.

I sat there a while longer before going back to the blankets and pillows. I felt bad for doing this to Annie, and I couldn't sleep until around 3 when I fell asleep from exhaustion.

I really wanted Annie to be my girlfriend, but I knew it'd never happened.

But I can dream, right?