Falling In Love With My Best Friend (Watty Award 2011)

Chapter 9

I hated to think that I was jealous but the truth of the matter was that I was, indeed, envious. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but all the feelings I previously ignored and never wanted to admit came rushing to me at once and hit me like a train. The truth was, it just took seeing her giggly and starry eyed with someone else to make me realize them.

When I reached the two of them, now both looking at me baffled, I realized that I had no idea what to say. With absolutely no intentions of telling her how I felt about her, I froze.

So there I stood like an idiot, my eyes meeting her questioning stare. I felt a fire streaming between us and as her expression softened I was convinced she had to be feeling the hypnotic feeling also. The sound of Paul's booming voice was what pulled us out of our trance. Her eyes fell to the floor and she fidgeted around nervously with her bracelet.

She felt it.

Slowly, not yet wanting to look away from her, I transitioned my focus from her to her date who was radiating anger at this point.

“What the hell, man?” He yelled, irritated. His voice rose louder than the mellow song, causing many people nearby to give us strange looks mixed with confusion and a twinge of amusement.

Damn. Now what?

I hadn’t thought through far enough to plan what I was going to say; I just had to stop them because, to be honest, I couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He was feeling her up like I had just been doing to Brooke-Brooke who meant nothing to me-and like he himself had done to countless other girls over the time I had known him. The thought of her being just another conquest to him, or anyone else for that matter, irked me. I knew for a fact she had next to no experience with guys. Paul was the first one whom I didn't purposely intimidate from asking her out and I was beginning to regret that decision.

“Uh…I….I was just going to tell Gracie that…” I stalled, scrambling to think of a quick excuse.

She looked as uncomfortable as I felt in this moment with at least a dozen eyes glued on me. Eavesdroppers, hoping we beat the crap out of each other right here so they have a cool story to tell all their friends.

Tell Gracie what!?

 “…that I forgot to tell you that I’ll ask coach if I can teach you how to drive. If you want...” I directed my attention back to her, trying to appear as casual as could be in the middle of my awkward outburst.

“Really?” She sounded pleasantly surprised.

I nodded my head, relieved that she fell so easily for my explanation. In all honesty, it wasn't a very good one but it was the best I could do in the five seconds I had to think of one.

“That would be great!” She stepped forward and unexpectedly gave me a big hug.

I loosely hugged back with one arm, not expecting her father to agree to this but it was the first excuse that popped into my head. I began to curse my poorly honed ability to lie to my best friend when Paul drew me back to our current discussion.

“That couldn’t wait?” Paul cut in coldly, his eyes piercing me with scrutiny.

He could see through my facade just as I could see through his. He had to know that I felt more for Gracie than I let on after all the time he had known us just as I knew he wanted more from her than he was letting on based on all the time I had known him. I knew what he was after; I knew his game and the way he worked. I just didn't think he would try it with her right in front of me. Gracie wasn’t a toy he could play with and then throw away when he was done.