He shuts the door before I can respond.
My mind is still so muddied it takes the entire walk down the hallway before I realize the girls are talking-about me.
"Okay, tell me honestly. Do you think Brody is hot or what?"
I"m not an eavesdropper normally, but the question Dani asks Hayles is one I want to know the answer to, too. So I hang out in the hallway.
"He"s way hot. Everybody knows that."
Whoa. Stomach twists.
"You guys dating, but not really dating?"
Hayley laughs. "No. We"re just friends. I don"t think I"m exactly his type."
At least I haven"t been obvious.
"Are you sure? He"s been flirting with you all night."
Maybe I have been obvious.
"Trust me, I"m sure. I know who he likes."
"You?" Dani laughs.
"Ha, ha. No!"
Yes. h.e.l.l yes.
"Okay, okay, but let"s just say hypothetically, if this girl was you, would you go for it?"
I"m leaning forward so much, I have to duck my head back around the wall so they don"t catch me listenin". She"s taking forever to respond! Would she go for it?
"Gosh, I can"t even think about that hypothetically."
Why not?
"Why not?"
Thank you, Dani.
"You"ve seen Brody, right? I mean h.e.l.lo! You know those s.e.xy scales?"
Ah h.e.l.l...
"Scale from one to ten?"
"Yeah. I"m like a four, and that"s only because I"ve got a big rack. And Brody is like a fifteen. There"s no way for me to even contemplate him being interested in me. Because it"s just not possible."
Dude, is that really what she thinks? If anything, it"s the other way around.
"Just say it is possible. Would you go for it?"
"I don"t-"
"Hey man, did you get lost?"
d.a.m.n Tanner.
"Very funny," I growl as I walk into the game room. Both girls" faces are bright red, and I"m sure mine is too. Tanner seems to be the only one relaxed. But he did just spend a h.e.l.l of a lot of time in the bathroom.
"Okay, round two, girl. Be prepared for a rematch!" Tanner grabs the controller and sits on the edge of the couch.
Hayles laughs and rolls her eyes. "Your funeral."
Reason 9: You"ve turned me into a psycho.
"Holy super fun! Thanks for bringing me. Your friends are awesomesauce!"
"Uh, yeah. Uh huh." Tongue not working again. Either that or my brain isn"t functioning. I can"t get her words out of my head, and I wish Tanner would"ve taken longer in the can.
"Hey, you okay?"
Hayles smiles, but she looks concerned. Can"t help but smile with her.
"Yeah, I"m fine. Just tired I guess."
"Okay..."
Silence. Well, not really silence. She sings along to the radio. But her voice is lost in the swirling thoughts going through my head.
I think I want to ask her out. On a date. But she"s been so weird about that topic, I"m pretty sure she"ll cringe or laugh at me.
And Quynn... well, I"m still not sure how I feel about that.
"Brody?"
Stomach twists. "Yeah?"
"Did something happen with Quynn?"
"Huh?"
Even though it"s dark, I still see her face go red. "You"ve just been quiet. I know I don"t know you all that well, but I"m a perceptive person, remember? So, spill. What"s wrong?"
Everythin". I"m falling for you, but still like Quynn. Not sure how to ask you out without you freakin" on me. Can"t decide whether or not I want your help anymore-if I should give up on this whole date the brother"s ex thing, or if I should grab you and kiss you right now.
"Nothing."
She clears her throat. "Can I be blunt?"
"Yeah."
"If you"re thinking it"s hopeless, you"re wrong. And you need to stop thinking that right now."
What is she talking about?
"Since I"ve totally been failing at my pointers today, I"m going to let you in on a secret about girls."
"What"s that?"
She smiles. My heart does a funky flip floppy thing. "Hugs usually mean more than just a hug."
"Uh, yeah?"
"Yes."
I get to her street, wishin" she didn"t live so close to Tanner so I could spend more time with her.
"Hey, would you mind turning your lights off when you pull in? I don"t wanna wake anyone up."
I nod, flipping the switch as I park in her driveway. She unbuckles, but I"m not done talkin" to her. Not yet.
"Uh, Hayles?"
"Yeah?"
"What do they mean?" I gulp. "The hugs?"
Her tongue slides over her lips before she talks. Uh, yeah. That"s hot. "I guess it depends on the girl, but what I get from it, you said something that made her feel cared for. That means a lot to girls."
"So, it"s like a trust thing?"
She smiles and raises her eyebrows. "Wow, Brody. Yes. That"s exactly what it is. Quynn trusts you with her feelings. That"s huge!"
Right, Quynn. "Uh, can I be honest with you?"
She rolls her eyes. "I hope you"ll always be honest with me."
I laugh as she punches me in the arm. Can"t tell you how good it is she remembers stuff I said to her before. "Touche."
"Well...?" Her eyes get all wide. I know it"s dark, but I"m finally noticing her eye color. Could be just the lack of light, but they are the deepest green I"ve ever seen.
I clear my throat. Dude, relax. "I guess I"m not sure about Quynn anymore."
"What?!" Whoa, her voice can get real loud. "Why? It"s only been like a couple days, and you"ve already made some huge dents. Why"re you questioning it now?"
*Cause of you. You"re fun, awesome, and hot as h.e.l.l. And you came out of nowhere, makin" me feel gooey c.r.a.p I didn"t know I was capable of.
"I dunno."
She shifts, so her torso faces me. I try to keep my eyes away from her chest, but I can"t help glancing once. Okay, maybe twice.
"Look, I"m going to ask you plain and simple. What did you feel when she hugged you?"
Nothing.
"I dunno," I say again. "It happened really fast."
"Just think. Close your eyes if you need to. But think hard about what it felt like to have her that close to you-to comfort her."
I do end up closin" my eyes. I have to in order to concentrate on Quynn. It was pretty amazin" to have her slim and s.e.xy body against mine, even though it was only two seconds. Her arms slung around my neck is what I remember most, and that was hot. I"d always wanted her to hug me like that. Why didn"t it feel any different though?
And dude, it was nothing compared to Hayles. Yeah, I was the one to hug her, and it was just as short, but there was something different about it. Her short and cute body snuggled into mine. Her chocolate smell. Her surprise even. And when she wrapped her arms around my torso I"m pretty sure I lost all train of thought.
I could hold Hayles for the rest of my life.
"Brody?"
My eyes shoot open. I almost forgot I wasn"t alone.
"Hmm?"
"What did you feel?"
Be honest, Brody. "That I just got an answer I"ve been lookin" for." Cheesy, but honest.
She giggles. "Good." Her hand reaches for the door handle.
"Hey, what are you up to tomorrow?"
"I don"t know. Why?"
Voice-box, do not fail me again. "Do you want to hang out?"
"Oh!" Her face brightens. d.a.m.n cute. "Like another game night?"
"If you want." I laugh. "But just you and me this time, if that"s all right."
She"s so expressive. Her face goes from major excitement to suspicion in a split second. "Not a date though, right?"
I guess not, because that"s the deal breaker. "Nah, *course not."
"Then, yeah! I"m totally up for it. Text me to let me know when I should head over."