What on this planet Earth did dad just say? Jared? My step-brother? No! No! No! That just sounds wrong. Oh my god. Imagine being good friends with a boy you went on a date with turns out to be your step-brother? How awkward is that?!
I had so many questions! Since Jared came along with dad, didn't dad mention that he was going to meet his daughter whose name was Ashley?
Jared stared back at me, mirroring my horrified expression. I glanced at Erica who stared back at me with shock.
Dad cleared his throat, breaking the silence, "Jared, this is Ashley, my daughter."
"I know," Jared said, not taking his eyes off me.
I turned in my chair and faced dad again. After a moment, Jared came and sat down next to dad, his face looked completely blank. He was speechless. So was I. Why did I agree with mom to come for this dreadful dinner? I should've just been stubborn and refused to come. Urgh! Kill me now. Erica, Jared, Abby and I always argued the most about the silliest things and now, sitting here on the same table, we were tongue-tied.
The dinner was absolutely weird. Dad kept talking about the most random and boring things which included the weather report too. Jared would just keep nodding occasionally and I tried to speak much less than I had planned to in the first place. Erica tried to keep things normal by just adding comments to everything my dad said. Honestly, if Erica didn't come along, this would have been much worse. I kept glancing at my watch and when I couldn't take it anymore, I excused myself to the washroom.
Entering the washroom, I threw my handbag to the floor and ran a through my hair. Splashing some water on my face, I took deep breaths and grabbed my phone from my bag.
Tell my dad that your mom just texted you and told you to get back home now because it's getting late and we have school tomorrow.
I hit send and waited for Erica's reply.
Forty-two minutes. Forty-two minutes. I suffocated out there for forty-two minutes. Urgh. This is so annoying. I actually went on a date with my step-brother. He took me on a hot air balloon and he kissed me on the cheek and made me feel special.
Yes! Good idea! I just told him and he asked the waiter to get the bill, come out now. We'll leave.
A shaky breath escaped my lips. Wiping my face and grabbing my bag, I walked out of the washroom to find Erica and dad standing with her sling back over her shoulder.
"We're leaving?" I asked, trying to sound disappointed but of course, it didn't work that well.
"Yup, mom wants us back home," Erica replied. Yeah, she sure does.
"Alright," I nodded.
"You girls can go ahead, do you need a ride?" Dad asked.
"No, thank you," Erica replied, giving him a tight smile.
I looked at Jared, who was staring at the table, lost in his own world.
"Alright, see you soon, thanks for the dinner, it was fun," I lied.
Dad pulled me in for a hug and kissed the top of my head. For a moment, I felt safe. It felt nice to have my dad's protective arm wrapped around me but sadly, it just lasted for a moment. It would never be the same again, not that I really understood the value of having a dad at the age of five. But growing up without a dad, I never really got to feel any true emotions that I should have felt towards my dad except rage.
"Jared?" Dad called out to him when he didn't bid us good-bye.
"Yes?" Jared asked, trying to avoid eye contact with me.
YOU ARE READING
My Best Friend's Brother
Romance"Nice try," I said and the smile on his face grew wider. My eyes took in every inch of his face with pleasure. I continued, "But you've got to try better than that to impress me." A soft laugh escaped his lips. "Who said I was trying to impress you...
