͏b͏r͏o͏k͏e͏n || ͏b͏i͏l͏l͏y ͏h͏a͏r͏g͏r͏o͏v͏e

S I X

"Broken?" Billy finishes for me, his voice softer than usual. I look at him, surprised. He's staring straight ahead, his jaw tense. I nod slowly.

"I guess you could say that," I whisper.

The silence between us grows, thick and heavy. I let my eyes wander over him. The soft curve of his jaw, the way his messy blond curls fall just above his eyes, those eyes that are always filled with something I can't quite read. He's a puzzle, one I should probably stop trying to figure out. But I can't help it.

"You're staring again, princess," Billy says, his lips twitching into a smirk. That stupid nickname makes me roll my eyes, but I can't help the small smile that sneaks onto my face.

I'm not sure what makes me ask the next question, but it tumbles out before I can stop it. "Billy, what's your family like?"

His whole demeanor changes in an instant. His eyes darken, his body stiffens, and I can feel the shift in the air. My stomach knots. I've crossed a line.

"I wouldn't call them a family," he huffs, his voice hard as he turns onto Parkridge Road.

I frown. "Hmm. Father, Mother, Sister. Sounds like a family to me," I say, counting each one on my fingers before plopping my hands back in my lap. I'm trying to keep things light, but I already know this was a bad idea.

"It's not, though," he grumbles, jaw clenching and unclenching in that way that makes it clear I should drop the subject.

"I don't get it," I mumble, more to myself than to him.

"You wouldn't," he mutters as the car comes to a stop in front of my house. "Grey house, right?" he asks, his tone returning to its usual indifferent self. I nod.

"Thanks for kidnapping me," I say, trying to keep things light again as I unbuckle my seatbelt.

"Anytime..." His voice is low, and I feel his eyes on me. I hesitate, my hand hovering over the door handle.

When I glance over at him, I catch him staring. His eyes sweep over my face, lingering for a moment longer than they should. My heart does that stupid fluttering thing again, and I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

"You're staring," I whisper, trying to sound confident, but my voice comes out shaky.

His smirk is back, and I want to hate it, but I can't. He leans in just a little, his hand resting on the steering wheel as his eyes lock onto mine. "I like watching you squirm, princess," he says, voice low, teasing.

A loud thud against the window startles both of us, making me jolt in my seat. I spin around, eyes wide, only to see my dad standing on the other side of the glass, grinning like a proud parent catching me in the middle of something.

Great.

I roll the window down hesitantly, already feeling the awkwardness bubbling up inside me. "Hey, Dad," I say, trying to sound casual, but my voice betrays me.

"Hey, honeybun," Dad says cheerfully, glancing from me to Billy. "Who's your new friend?" His grin is as wide as ever, and I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

I open my mouth to speak, but before I can get a word out, Billy beats me to it. He gets out of the car and strides confidently over to my dad, holding out his hand like he's been preparing for this moment his whole life. "Billy Hargrove, sir," he says, giving my dad's hand a firm shake. "I live on the next street over. Your new neighbor."

"Hargrove! I work with your dad, actually," my dad continues, clearly not phased by the surprise. "In fact, I just invited your family over for our cookout tonight. Won't that be fun, Ana?" He gives me a playful nudge, completely oblivious to the tension that just erupted inside me.

"So much fun," I reply, forcing a smile. Awkward doesn't even begin to cover it.

"Well, Billy, I'd love to stay and chat, but we'll do enough of that tonight. I've gotta get this meat thawed out," Dad says, holding up the grocery bags in his hand. "See you in a bit, bud. And thanks for driving my daughter. Steve got sick after practice and left early." With that, he gives Billy a friendly nod and heads inside, leaving us standing there in the awkward aftermath.

Billy turns to me, his usual smirk creeping back onto his face. "What kind of drugs is he taking?" he asks, his voice low, and I can't help but laugh.

"So, you're the noisy neighbor," I say, crossing my arms in an attempt to regain some sense of control in this bizarre situation.

He nods, flashing a grin. "How did you not know? I figured you stalked me in your free time."

I scoff. "No, I have a life, thank you very much."

Billy licks his teeth, that smirk never leaving his face. "Well, I guess I'll see you tonight, toots," he says, already walking back to his Camaro.

"See ya..." I mutter, starting to walk toward the house. I pause and look back at him, an idea popping into my head. "Oh, and Billy," I call out. He turns, raising an eyebrow. "Please go get your sister," I say, my voice teasing.

Billy grumbles under his breath. "She's not my sister," he mutters, rolling his eyes before hopping into his car.

Tonight's going to be interesting, to say the least.