My Brother's Best Friend: a Josh Richards FanFiction -complete-

Part 7: Date

He was right, but those were mostly my own fault. "I need to change. I'll see you downstairs in a little bit?" Bryce nodded and left, shutting the door behind him.
I changed into my outfit quickly. The simple black top accentuated every one of my curves, and the skirt's floral pattern gave a girly vibe to the entire outfit. I stepped into a pair of black stilettos and glanced at myself in the mirror. I looked good. Doing that two nights in a row was shocking for me.

I walked down the stairs, and the girls had just gotten back from shopping.
"Whoa," Dixie said, looking at me with her jaw dropped.
"Ah! You look great!" Amelie said, smiling.
"Do a spin!" Addison squealed.
"My little sister isn't so little anymore, huh?" Bryce asked, leaning in for a hug. "You look beautiful."
I hugged him back tightly. "Thank you, bubba."
"Don't let him treat you poorly," Bryce warned, pulling out of the hug.
I smiled at him. "With a father figure like you, I know exactly what I'm worth, and I wouldn't dream of letting someone treat me badly. If they do, my mean older brother will take care of it."
The girls sighed happily as they watched us with one another.

Kio walked out of the kitchen. "Ooh, where are you going all dressed up?"
"She's going on a little date with Tayler," Blake said, wrapping his arm around Kio's shoulder.
Kio gasped. "Tayler, like Tayler Holder? When did that become a thing?"
Jaden laughed as he came out of the kitchen. "Were you not at the party? Have you not been on tiktokroom recently?"
We all looked at each other as confusion crossed Kio's face. "I'm so lost."
Blake patted his shoulder. "I'll explain later, man."

The doorbell rang. "That's probably him. Can you all disperse so I can open the door? I don't want it to look like you were all waiting down here," I said, walking towards the door. Nobody moved. "Guys!"
Kio, Jaden, and Blake turned to pretend to inspect a plant. The girls quickly jumped over the back of the couch, arranging themselves and quickly turning on the television. I shot Bryce a look. "What? I'm not moving."
I shook my head and opened the door. "Whoa, you look amazing," Tayler said, stepping inside the house. "How is everyone?" he asked, calling them out for their poor attempt at looking busy.
"Let's go," I said, pulling him out the door. "Don't wait up!"
Bryce quickly stuck his head out of the door. "Home by ten, ma'am."
I laughed. "Not a chance, bubs. See you in the morning."

Tayler and I got in his car, and the ride was silent except for the sound of the radio. We pulled into the Saddle Ranch parking lot.
Tayler walked around the car, opening my door and holding his hand out for me. "Don't freak out, but I saw Fletcher. He's probably going to stop and try to talk to us. If you're not comfortable, I can do all the talking."
I nodded as he extended a hand to help me out of the car. Sure enough, Fletcher was at our side in seconds. "Tayler! Bailey! The fans wanna know what's going on. Are you two dating? Just hooking up? What's going on, man?"
Tayler looked back at Fletcher. "Hey, Fletch. We're just hanging out."
"What about the picture that was posted of you two? Looked a little too close to just be hanging out."
Damn it, Fletcher. "The picture was taken out of context. Don't believe everything that you see on the internet, kids," I said, grabbing Tayler's arm.
He got the hint. "We're late for our reservation, man, but it was really nice to talk to you."
"Jaden wasn't kidding about him," I laughed.

We sat down at our table. We didn't talk much as we looked through the menu. Suddenly, I was questioning everything. Did I only agree to this date because we meshed well when I was drunk?
The conversation struck up again once we had ordered. We reminisced times we had spent together with Bryce in Maryland. "Do you remember when your mom caught us smoking weed in Bryce's room? She was pissed," Tayler said, laughing.
I giggled. "She was just mad because I was only sixteen. She thought Bryce was going to corrupt me or something. Little did she know, half of the bad ideas were mine. How about the time you and Bryce played truth or strip, and Bryce was naked before you even took anything off?"
Tayler chuckled again. "He really didn't want anyone to know his body count back then, huh? Now, it's like something he starts a conversation with."

When we finished our meal, Tayler and I quickly hurried to the car, hoping to avoid Fletcher all together. I giggled as we just barely made it past him. Thank God that he was busy with Charli and Chase.
"I want to show you something, if that's okay," Tayler said, looking over his shoulder as he backed out of the parking spot.
"Of course," I replied anxiously.

We drove in silence again. This time, I intertwined my fingers with Tayler's. It was different than having my hand in Josh's. Josh's hand made me feel safe and calm. Tayler's hand made me feel adventurous.
We pulled up to the beach, and Tayler walked around to the trunk, grabbing a blanket out of it. "Come with me," he said, grabbing my hand again.
In that moment, he was the perfect distraction. I would follow him anywhere if it meant that I could avoid every feeling I already had.

Tayler let go of my hand, laying the blanket on the sand. "Sit with me," he said, patting the ground next to him. I didn't waste any time in sitting down. I snuggled next to him in the chill of the early evening.
"Look at the sunset," I said, shivering. "It's beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you," Tayler said, leaning in to kiss me.
His lips were soft against mine. He increased the urgency of his kiss, running his fingers through my hair. As he deepened the kiss, I climbed into his lap, straddling his legs.
He broke the kiss, moving his lips down my neck and along my collarbone.
I let out a slight moan, and suddenly, the reality of what was happening set in. "Wait," I said breathlessly. "We can't do this."
Tayler looked at me, confused. "Did I do something wrong?"
I shook my head. "No, it's not you. I'm sorry. It's not fair of me to do this to you," I stated, standing up. "We should probably go."
"Wait, Bailey. What do you mean by it's not fair of you to do this to me?"

I shook my head again. Tears filled my eyes. "My heart isn't in this, Tayler. I can't let myself lead you on."
A look of hurt crossed Tayler's face. "Your heart's not in the sex, or us in general?" When I avoided eye contact, he had his answer. "Alright, let's go."
He picked up the blanket, balling it up in his arms and walked towards the car.
As I got in my seat, I could see the hurt and anger on Tayler's face.
"Tay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I like you. I do. I just don't think it's fair to you if my heart is elsewhere."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you told me before I could really get attached."

We drove the rest of the way in silence. When we arrived, Tayler put the car in park and turned to look at me. "Do you want me to walk you up?"
I shook my head. "Thank you for dinner, Tayler. I hope that this isn't going to entirely ruin our friendship."
He nodded and sat in the driveway as I walked to the door.

I walked inside, shutting the door behind me and sinking to the floor against it. What the hell was I doing?