Best Dating Rules, Tamie Dearen [literature books to read txt] 📗

She’d always thought that would be a good thing. But now she’d met a guy she didn’t intimidate, she wasn’t sure she liked it after all.

Spencer had put a kettle on to boil before returning to the couch to talk to Josh. They leaned back and got comfortable, as if they had no intention of leaving any time soon. Emily caught Charlie’s eyes and rose from her position between the two men. Charlie knew her intention as soon as she headed her direction. While the guys were deeply engaged, discussing something earth-shatteringly important, like who’d win the World Series, Charlie and Emily slipped out the apartment door.

Giggling softly as they’d done as young girls, they raced for the stairs. “Which way?” said Charlie.

“Up one flight, and then we’ll take the elevator.”

They hurried, breathless and panting, and then rode the elevator up to the open rooftop terrace.

“What do you think they’ll do when they realize we’re gone?” asked Charlie.

“I don’t know, but I was desperate,” Emily confided. “We need to talk.”

“Okay, you first. No, maybe I should go first.”

“Go ahead,” Emily encouraged.

Charlie let out a breath. “He... He gets me to do things I don’t want to do. He doesn’t back off when I yell at him or say no. He... He confuses me—I can’t think straight. And then to top it all off, I’m leaving tomorrow, so I’m probably getting all worked up over nothing.”

Emily chewed her lip. “Okay... Advice or sympathy?”

“Advice now. Sympathy later.”

“Well... I think you shouldn’t close the door on the possibility he’s the one. You have so many things working against this relationship, especially with the distance between you. If it lasts, it would have to be amazing. And you have to give amazing a chance.”

Charlie thought for a moment. “Okay, and I’m going to confess something, because I don’t know what to do about it.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “He kissed me in Spencer’s living room, and he’s been trying to do it again ever since.” She opened pleading eyes to her sister. “What should I do?”

Emily laughed. “I thought that might be what happened. But you haven’t let him kiss you again?”

“No. But he’s very determined to kiss me again before he leaves. Even if we stay out here for three hours, he’ll probably still be waiting in the apartment for me.”

“Sister, I don’t think I can help you. So far, I’ve kissed Spencer twice since I decided not to kiss him anymore.”

Charlie clapped her hands as she laughed. “Good for Spencer.”

“You traitor—you’re my sister. You know I’ll get hurt when he does his thing and takes up with someone new. The more I kiss him, the more it’s going to hurt when he leaves me.”

“Okay. Advice or sympathy?”

“Advice. You’re crummy at giving sympathy. You already laughed at me.”

“Okay, here it is. Sister, he’s not going to leave you. If anyone ends this relationship, it’ll be you.”

“But Grace has told me he always goes from one girl to another. I can’t get my hopes up he’ll stay with me. What if I fall in love, and then he ends it? I have to guard my heart.”

Charlie struggled with her secret knowledge. How could she help her sister without betraying Spencer? “I talked to him, and I really believe he’s not a player anymore. Look how long he pursued you. A player would’ve moved on to someone who was less trouble.”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Josh is a way worse player than Spencer, and you told me to give him a chance.”

“You’re right. He’s really bad. Well, if we ever catch either of these boys cheating, I say, No second chances.”

“Agreed,” said Charlie.

“Let’s go back down and kick them out so we can get some sleep.”

“Okay, but I’m still going to have to kiss Josh goodbye unless you can think of a way out of it.”

“Was it that bad?” teased Emily.

Charlie remembered the assault of his lips and her thudding heart, and she couldn’t help smiling. “I don’t know—I’m pretty sure I passed out from the shock of it.”

As the girls approached the apartment, they found two scowling boys standing outside. “You left us,” said Spencer.

“We’re sisters,” Emily reasoned. “We had to talk.”

“And we’ve decided it’s time for y’all to go home,” said Charlie. “It’s almost midnight, and I’ve got an early flight and y’all have to work in the morning.”

“You’re right,” said Spencer as he pulled Emily into his arms and held her close, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He held her a moment longer before she pulled out of his arms and slipped inside.

Charlie’s heart pounded as she watched Spencer walk toward the elevator, leaving her alone with Josh. She’d put it off all night. She could do this. It was only a kiss. She’d kissed three other guys before. None of them had made her feel dizzy like Josh did, but that was probably a matter of the circumstances. Josh had caught her by surprise, and she’d been angry at the time. Plus, he’d kissed her in Spencer’s living room, where anyone might have walked in and caught them. Now, in the apartment hallway so late at night, they weren’t likely to be disturbed. She took deep controlled breaths to slow her heart rate.

Josh pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. For several long minutes he held her, rubbing her back with his hands. She could feel his heart pounding against hers, even as his movements appeared calm and relaxed.

“You’ve done something to me—I don’t know what. You’ve cast a spell or something.” His voice was gravelly.

“Please, Josh. Don’t use your lines on me. They won’t work.”

His laugh was bitter. “I’ve never used lines like that—I’ve never had to. I don’t think I’ve ever even pretended to really like a girl. This is all new territory for me.”

“So you’ve only done the meaningless sex thing?”

“A lot of it,” he confessed, “But I’d take it all back if I could. I’m sure a