Adult Responsibilities

Chapter 10

Andrew's heart pounded out of his chest as he drove away from Kate's house. The day had been amazing, with her confiding in him and meeting his friends. They'd had a moment in the car on the way home, and when he'd kissed her hand, he was sure he felt a spark with her that was much more than friendship. For a split second, he'd contemplated actually kissing her, but he had the feeling that might freak her out. He wanted to get her to go on a proper date with him before doing anything that bold, but he still felt amazing with even the little interactions they'd had. He couldn't deny how much he liked the beautiful doctor, or how attracted he was to her. His whole body was literally tingling as he drove on the freeway, headed to his apartment.

As he drove along, his phone rang and he answered on Bluetooth. "Andrew, where are you?" Shane asked loudly, not even saying hello, and Andrew laughed. "I'm on the freeway, I just finished bringing Kate to her house," he said softly, and Shane gasped. He heard Morgan in the background, and she started shrieking. "Get you ass back here, Siwicki, so we can talk about Dr. Kate!" the younger blonde yelled, and Garrett yelled out after her. "Come back Andrew, we want to discuss your dream girl," his sandy-haired pal said, and Andrew giggled at his friends, agreeing to head back to the house. "Hurry the fuck up, Andrew!" Shane screamed into the phone. "Yeah, we don't want to wait, we're already planning your wedding," Ryland added, and Andrew rolled his eyes at his friends' enthusiasm.

When he arrived, they were all sat in the same spot on the patio, the four friends and two dogs sitting around the couch, at least four bottles of wine in. "Oh my god!" Shane yelled as soon as he walked in the door, and Ryland immediately handed Andrew a glass of his favorite whiskey. "Kate is amazing!!! She's SO sweet, so pretty, I mean, I'm in love with her," Shane said with a laugh, and Ryland giggled too. "I'm not even jealous because I am too," Ryland added, and Morgan grinned broadly. "I kind of want to date her too, to be honest," she said, and Andrew let out one of his famous loud cackles.

"I'm glad you guys liked her. She really is awesome, huh?" the red-head said, grinning bashfully, and Garrett nodded. "She's something special, buddy," the taller man said kindly, and Andrew nodded. "She's SO beautiful, if she wasn't so sweet, it would make me sort of uncomfortable," Morgan added, laughing a little. Shane cleared his throat. "We um... well, we tried to talk you up to her," the YouTuber said sheepishly and Andrew groaned. "Oh, I know, she mentioned," he said with a sigh, and Morgan cringed. "Sorry, Andrew, but we just wanted to help her see how great you are," she said with a shrug and Andrew smiled. "Yeah, we couldn't help it," Garrett added, giggling away as he'd drank about a bottle of Crown on his own. "She's so cute, we can't let her get away!" he added, Andrew cracking up at the idea that this had become a group activity. "It's OK, guys, I... well, I'll take all the help I can get with her," Andrew said softly.

After several more hours of drinking and talking, Andrew went to his room at Shane's, figuring he'd just stay there after he'd drank his weight in whiskey. As he laid on top of his bed, his cell phone dinged.

"Hey handsome, are you up? I've been thinking about you. I miss that adorable face and those soft lips."

It was a message from an influencer named Summer. Andrew had went out with her once several months ago, as a favor to his friend Zane who was trying to date her friend Brooke. Andrew thought Summer was hot but there wasn't anything there with her. He had, however, casually hooked up with her several times since, and while they didn't regularly talk, they would occasionally text each other when they were feeling lonely and looking for a fun night. It was harmless and casual, and while Andrew had never been the kind of guy to have one night stands, in the past year, he had to admit that he'd let his standards slip. He'd hooked up with a lot of girls, and none of them had meant anything to him, but the fact that he had continued to sleep with Summer even though he wasn't really into her was something he wasn't proud of. He'd told himself before that he should stop, but Summer stroked his ego, and he couldn't deny that she was good in bed, providing him with an outlet when he was on a dry spell.