Chapter 15

Andrew

I ’d sensed the moment that Brandon had almost pulled away from me. It stung just the tiniest bit, but I also understood his fear. We’d talked about keeping it between the two of us for now, but the more suspicious he acted, the more people were going to think something was up. I tried not to let it bother me or ruin the morning after we’d gotten tested together. Having sex with no barriers between us was a big next step.

I knew Brandon was always safe. He did this after every break-up, but it meant so much more now.

“What’s up with Joe?”

I laughed as we watched our friend make his way down the sidewalk as quickly as possible. “I don’t know. Has he been acting weird lately?”

“You could say that. I met up with him and Aiden the other day and he was throwing money around, which was really different for him... and now this.”

I nodded as Joe disappeared from sight. We’d have to investigate later, and hopefully, our friend was staying out of trouble .

Today was about Brandon and me, so I redirected us to a small Greek restaurant that was around the corner. Brandon perked up the second we walked through the door. “Gyros?”

“Hell, yeah.”

His smile was so bright as he let go of my hand and approached the counter. We placed our orders and then grabbed a table to wait for our food. When they called our number, Brandon excitedly hopped up and ran to get the tray. He sat down the two boats that had pitas stuffed with roasted lamb piled high with onions, lettuce, tomato, feta, and tzatziki sauce. My mouth watered as I picked up my sandwich and took a huge bite. These were always so good, and Brandon and I had bonded over our obsession with them.

While we ate, Brandon chattered on about the book I’d given him. He’d finished it quickly, and he’d loved it. There was apparently a second novel, and he was looking forward to getting it to follow the next couple. I loved listening to him talk about books.

“So, Mom and Dad talked about giving me some more responsibility at the store, letting me open or close it on my own.”

I grinned and wiped my hands on a napkin. “Yeah? That’s a lot of work. Do you think you’re ready for that?”

His head bobbed in a rapid nod. “Definitely. I want them to start taking it easy. They’ve worked hard enough.”

We cleared the table and walked out into the cool afternoon. I pulled Brandon to my side and took a deep breath of his hair. Chamomile and Bergamot. I’d been around Brandon and his family long enough to recognize most of his scents by now, and I loved this uplifting mixture.

“You’re sniffing me?” Brandon laughed.

I sighed and pulled back to look at him. “You always smell good. I was trying to figure out today’s flavor.”

That blush was back. It was amusing how he was so shy about it, but it was what made Brandon so different from everyone else. It made him special to me.

“Did you—if you want, I can help you pick some out?”

I tugged on his shoulder and kissed the side of his head. That blush deepened, but he didn’t push me away. “I’d love for you to pick some out for me.”

“ S o, tell me a little more about this guy.”

I set down my bag of chips and crossed my arms over my chest. Rebecca sat across from me in the break room, nursing a cup of coffee. She’d followed me back here when I came in for the day and was intent on making me talk. At least I was making a new friend.

“Brandon? ”

She giggled. “Yes. You said he’s your best friend?”

It was my turn to feel a little embarrassed now. Even though she wasn’t part of our usual group of friends, she felt safe. I cleared my throat as I sat forward, leaning against the table. “He’s been my best friend since we were little kids, but recently, he’s become a bit more.”

Rebecca set her cup of coffee down and squealed so loud it was almost enough to shatter glass. “That’s adorable. What changed?”

I sat back and ran my hand over the back of my neck. Sweat had gathered there because this still felt like I was doing something wrong by talking about it. “It’s recent. And we always sort of felt that way about each other, but finally agreed to give it a real chance.”

She nodded, her smile bright. “I love that for you. I hope it works out. You should bring him by sometime so I can meet him.”

When I instantly deflated, Rebecca’s smile dropped. “What’s wrong?”

“Well... everything is great.”

“But?”

I sigh and sit back in my chair, running my fingers through my hair. “We’ve agreed to keep things between us for now.”

Rebecca screwed up her face. “Why?”

That was the question of the century, but Brandon had just gotten out of a relationship. Maybe he didn’t want to look like someone who bounced from one person to the next, although I didn’t think any of our friends would view it that way.

“I don’t have an answer for that, but I want to be respectful of him and his wishes.”

Rebecca nodded. “I can understand that, but you’ve basically waited forever for this guy. I bet it’s killing you not to scream it from the rooftops.”

She knew so little about me and Brandon, but over the past couple of shifts, she’s become invested and supportive. It was nice having someone to talk to about it.

I shrugged, hiding my apprehension. “Well, I’ve waited this long, so I can wait a little longer to do some shouting.”

She picked up her coffee and took a long sip, staring at me over the rim of her cup. “If you say so.”

With that, it was time to get to work. I threw the now-empty bag of chips into the trash, and we walked back to the pharmacy. There was a different pharmacist working today, grateful it wasn’t Todd. As far as I was aware, nothing came of the complaint from Miss Carmichael. Todd had tried to make a big deal out of it, saying that I needed to grow a bigger backbone with patients like her, but I appreciated Rebecca had come to my rescue.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Brandon standing in line. He had an envelope clutched in his hand and a huge grin plastered on his face. My heart beat a little faster knowing that I’d just been telling Rebecca about him in the back of the store .

“Andrew!” He broke from the line and came running up to me, wrapping me in a hug. I returned it, shaking slightly with nerves.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked when he pulled away.

Rebecca laughed, looking between the two of us before she entered the pharmacy, leaving us to talk.

Brandon held up the envelope, and I recognized the logo for the clinic. He shoved it into my back pocket. “I wanted to bring this to you. Check your mail when you get home, see if yours came.”

I laughed and pulled the envelope from my pocket to inspect it. “You didn’t even open it?”

Brandon’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I thought we could open them together.”

I stuffed the letter back in my pocket, pulling him into another hug. “That sounds like a great plan. I’ll let you know when I get off of work so you can come over and we can see if I got mine.”

There was no hesitation. Brandon leaned in and placed a quick peck against my lips before pulling back. His cheeks were pink before he waved and made his way out of the store. I looked at my watch and hurried into the pharmacy before I was really late.

“Oh, you two have it bad ,” Rebecca teased the second I walked in the door.

I could only roll my eyes because she wasn’t wrong.