"Nay-Nay" Aidan my brother shouts from downstairs.
"What?" I shout back angrily from inside my room as I watch TJ and Jessica out my bedroom window.
"Are you coming out to play, or what?" Aidan shouts back.
"No" I growl as I watch Jessica being chased by TJ—My TJ.
"What? Why?" Aidan shouts again.
"Cos I don't want to" I hiss as I hear Jessica's horrid girly squeal.
Stupid Jessica...
"Fine" Aidan hisses before I hear the front door slam.
I watch as my brother runs toward TJ and Jessica, I see TJ stop and look at my brother listening to whatever he's telling him before his eyes come up to my bedroom window, I gasp and drop down to the floor.
Suddenly there's a knock on my door, with a panic I hide under my bed. "Banphrionsa?" My daddy's Irish voice comes through the door. "Are you okay?" he asks knocking again. **
"Yeah" I say but my voice is muffled from being under my bed.
"Are you sure?" he asks concernedly and I see the handle start to move.
"Yes, daddy, don't come in here?" I cry from under the bed.
"What? Why?" he asks me.
"Because I have toilet roll stuffed down my crop top" I blurt before smacking my face at my stupid lie.
"Err, okay—I'll errrr, leave you to it" dad says and I sigh in relief. "Oh, hey, TJ" dad says happily as I hear him walk away.
Noooooooo....
"Errrr, nay-nay?" TJ's voice comes through the door as he knocks.
"What?" I ask embarrassed because of course he's just heard what I said to my daddy.
Don't ask, don't ask—please, don't ask...
"Why are you stuffing toilet roll down your crop top?" he asks me.
I groan in embarrassment, dropping my face into the carpet. "I'm not" I tell him.
"But you just said—" TJ says in confusion.
"I know what I said, TJ" I snap.
"Okay, okay" he says defensively. "You obviously wanna be left alone—" he says as I hear him moving away from my door.
"Wait" I shout pulling myself from under my bed and rush to the door, opening it there stands TJ, his eyes roam and come back to my eyes.
"You didn't stuff your crop top" he grins.
I gasp, crossing my arms over my chest. "Stop looking at me" I tell him blushing from head to toe. "I said, I didn't" I hiss.
He chuckles at my embarrassment. "Nay-Nay, you're so easy to torment" he grins gently tugging at my hair.
"Whatever" I huff rolling my eyes and enter my room once again.
"So, why aren't you coming outside?" TJ asks as he follows me inside.
I shrug not looking at him. "Can't be bothered" I tell him. "Besides, you looked like you were having fun without me anyway" I say trying to keep the hiss from my voice.
TJ sighs heavily. "Nay-Nay, you have to get over this thing you have with Jessica" he tells me.
"I don't have a thing" I hiss.
He chuckles again tickling my sides making me twitch. "Yeah, you do"
"I don't—" I tell him and giggle at his expression.
"Okay, fine" I huff with a roll of my eyes. "She just does me head in" I tell him.
He chuckles softly. "Was that so bad to admit?" He teases me. "Why were you looking out the window, anyway?" he asks me. "Why didn't you just come out and play?"
I shrug, avoiding his gaze. "I told you, I didn't want to"
He sighs heavily again. "Fine—I'll just stay here with my girl" he grins lying down on my bed.
My heart flutters at his words. "Your—girl?" I stutter.
He grins wider. "My best friend, is a girl—my girl" he shrugs.
"Aidan is your best friend too, what's he your boy?" I huff.
"Yeah" he chuckles. "But we both know I like you the best" he winks at me.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach and my heart soars with the hope of him liking me. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, your brother doesn't help me with my homework—you do" he grins.
All hope of him feeling something towards me, drops. "Oh"
"What's wrong?" he asks me concernedly.
"Nothing, just tired" I lie.
"Oh, do you want me to leave, so you can get some sleep?" he asks softly.
I nod, not looking at him, he's quiet for a beat before he sits up on my bed, and kisses my temple. "I'll see you later, nay-nay" he says against my hair before pressing his lips there again and stands up. "Sweet dreams" he smiles at me, before he leaves my room shutting the door behind him.
My breath shudders, as I drop down sideways on my bed, inhaling the scent of TJ on my pillow. I hear him tell my brother that I'm tired, and I'm sleeping, I hear Jessica's laughter then, which pisses me off to no end. Inhaling the scent of TJ again, I feel tears come to my eyes, TJ confuses me, I see the way he smiles at me, the way he looks at me, I maybe only young, but he looks at me the way my daddy looks at my mummy.
But then he opens his stupid mouth, saying stuff like he just did—his best friend.
Maybe that's all I'll ever be to him...
**Banphrionsa- Princess in Gaelic
YOU ARE READING
Always Been You... (Next In Line Series #1)
RomanceI, Anaya-Mae Casey, have been in love with my best friend Theo James Berkeley (TJ) since I could understand what love meant. And when you're growing up surrounded with families like mine, who show their love every second, of every day, it's near imp...
