Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

CHAPTER 16

PART 4-CHAPTER 166

JESS

This was nice.

Peaceful.

It felt good to be out on a date, doing something normal.

I needed this.

Eric walked beside me, his hands tucked casually into his pockets, his eyes focused on the horizon. He'd been

charming all afternoon-holding doors open, makinglaugh with his dry wit, his dimples showing every the

cracked a small, quiet smile.

But there was still this... distance. Like there was something just out of reach, something he wasn't saying.

And maybe that was okay. Maybe | was just expecting too much.

"I love living by the beach. It's so beautiful," | said, breaking the silence between us as the cool ocean breeze

ruffled my hair.

Eric nodded, glancing over atwith a slight smile. "Yeah. It's quiet. I like it here."

| smiled back, wanting to keep the conversation flowing, wanting to feel more of a connection. "Did you come

here ofter when you lived in the city? | mean, you mentioned you've been living out in the nature reserve for a

while now,"

He shrugged, his eyes flickering away from mine. "Sometimes, when | had time. The beach suits you. | always

thought you'd look beautiful with a tan."

"Yeah? Sorry. We probably had this discussion already." | fiddled with my fingers, unable to shake the feeling that

he was holding back, but | told myself not to read into it.

| pushed the thought away and forced a smile. "What about your cabin? What made you decide to live out

there?"

Eric hesitated for a second, then gaveanother shrug. "Needed a change. Wanted to get away from the

noise."

There it was again-another short answer. No details, no real glimpse into his life. But I let it go, convincing myself

it wasn't a big deal. I'd been overanalyzing everything lately, and this was supposed to be fun. A date. Normal.

I needed this to be normal.

After a few more minutes, we reached a little ice cream stand, its neon sign flickering against the darkening sky.

My heart lifted, and | turned to Eric with a grin. "Ice cream?"

He smiled back, his dimples deepening. "Sure."

| glanced over at Eric, who was quietly eating his ice cream, his eyes wandering over the shoreline. "So... do you

ever miss living in the city? The busyness, the people?" 17.42%

He didn't meet my gaze. "Not really. | like the quiet. Less... distractions."

Okay, this was the worst date in History - clearly, he wasn't interested, and | had no idea why he was even here.

"Must be nice," | said softly, more to myself than to Eric. "To get away from everything. Start fresh"

He didn't respond right away. For a second, | thought he wasn't going to, but then he looked over at me, his

expression unreadable. "Sometimes starting over is the only option." walk "We don't need to do this. Clearly you

aren't in it. I'll just home. Really." | shrugged, ready to tuck my tail between my legs and run away from this

horrible date!

"Wait. Jess. No. I'm sorry. | didn't realize. It's just. I've wanted you-l mean this-for so long. | thought I'd never get

another shot. "Eric confessed, and | cocked my head to the side. "You askedout before?"l asked him, and Eric

nodded.

"You could say we even went on a date," Eric said, and | paused for a second.

"We went on a date? How? | thought you said we met my first year, and | was with Luke then. "That didn't make

sense. Did | cheat on Luke?

"See, that's where | got it wrong. You thought it was just a study night, and | thought it was a date. That's when

you toldabout your boyfriend and crushed my heart," Eric said, a little flustered, and | was relieved. "Oh

jeez, | almost thought | was a cheater in my previous life. That would be horrible."

He chuckled softly, the tension easing a bit as he looked down at his cone. "No. If anything, | was planning on

stealing you from him, but that didn't work out so well,"

I laughed. Finally, Eric was warming up and charming, but we were back at my apartment already.

"Thanks for tonight," | said, trying to sound casual, but | could hear the uncertainty in my own voice. "It was...

really nice."

Eric grinned, looking down at me. He madefeel small, like Luke... Shit, | had to get Luke out of my head.

"Yeah. It was."

q q , 2 .

Eric didn't say anything at first. He

just looked at me, his deep browa,

eyes reflecting the Fikt low of the

0 f q

SEeailigh: Sverhead, | wasn't sure if |

wanted him to kissor if | was

ready for that with him. The content

is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

But then Laura's voice floated into my head, playful and teasing. "Con, Jess, live a little! Don't overthink

everything. It's just an itch!"

| swallowed, feeling my pulse

quicken. What was the harm in an

kiss? Voy Las, Ralbivg ack too

mudh.- \Be Laura was right-maybe

| needed to stop overanalyzing

everything and just... live a little. The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

Before | could second-guess myself, | smiled up at Eric, giving him the smallest nod, like | was giving myself

permission too.

2

That was all it took.

Eric stepped closer, his hand reaching out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. The gesture was so gentle,

so

careful, and | found myself leaning into it despite the nerves bubbling up inside me. His thumb brushed lightly

against my cheek, and then, before | could overthink it, he leaned in.

His lips touched mine, soft and

tentative, like he was testing the

waters. | froze for a second, m

uncertain if thisowadwht fwanted -if

His Wabhhat it was supposed to feel

2 ' 9

like-but then | heard Laura's voice

f f i" : sen

again, urgingon. "Just enjoy it.

So, I did. My lips moved against his,

my body relaxing slightly into the

kiss. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

PART 4 CHAPTER 167