BRIANNA

14. YOU SHOULD LEARN TO TAKE A HINT

BRIANNA'S POV

“Remove your claws from my brother, Lydia,” the brunette snapped, her voice sharp as she approached. I hadn’t even noticed her until she was standing right there, prying Lydia’s arm off JC with a confidence that left no room for argument. With a dismissive gesture, she brushed off JC’s t-shirt like she was cleaning up a stain and turned her cold gaze to Lydia. “You should learn to take a hint. My brother doesn’t want you. Have some respect and stay away from him.” The smirk she flashed at Lydia was pure venom, the kind of look that could cut deeper than any insult.

Lydia’s reaction was predictably dramatic. She stomped her foot like a petulant child and spun on her heel, leaving in a huff. The brunette watched her go with a satisfied smile before turning her attention to me. Her expression softened just enough to qualify as polite, but the calculating glint in her eyes told me she wasn’t thrilled about my presence. “You must be my brother’s new snack,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “I guess you’re new around here because this is the first time I’ve seen you at one of his parties.”

The words stung more than I expected, and I opened my mouth to deny her assumption, but she didn’t give me the chance to respond. Instead, she turned to JC with an exaggerated sigh, her hand on her hip as she levelled him with a judgmental stare. “Do you even know this one’s name? Seriously, Jay, can’t you at least find a prettier girl? I swear your taste gets worse every time.”

Her words landed like a slap, and for a moment, I was too stunned to react. Did she just call me ugly? The audacity of it left me reeling. I wasn’t arrogant about my looks, but I knew I wasn’t unattractive. I’d heard compliments more times than I could count, and while I wasn’t the most beautiful girl in any room, I’d never been outright insulted like this. Her casual cruelty left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I struggled to find the right words to respond.

“I think she’s pretty,” JC said, cutting through the tension with a quiet firmness that caught me off guard. He looked at me then, his gaze steady and almost apologetic, and for a brief moment, I felt a flicker of warmth in the midst of my humiliation.

The brunette wasn’t done, though. She rolled her eyes and waved his comment away like it was an annoying fly. “I didn’t say she’s ugly,” she said, her tone defensive yet still dismissive. “I’m just saying if you’re going to bring someone around, at least let her be prettier than your sister. I mean, come on, Jay. We both know I’m more beautiful than her.”

That was it. I’d had enough. The sheer arrogance of her statement was unbearable, and I knew I needed to leave before I said something I might regret. Without waiting for an invitation to stay, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving the two siblings to their argument. I didn’t bother with a goodbye, didn’t look back to see if JC would try to stop me. I just needed to get out of there and find Sarah.

When I finally spotted her across the room, relief washed over me. Her warm smile was like a lifeline, pulling me out of the uncomfortable spiral I’d been stuck in. She waved me over, her expression curious but welcoming, and I felt my shoulders relax as I approached.

“I was wondering when you’d come back to me. How was it?” Sarah asked, her eyes narrowing as if she already knew the answer but wanted to hear it from me.

“How was what?” I asked, deliberately playing dumb, though I knew exactly what she meant.

“Talking to JC.”

“I ran into him and decided to be polite,” I answered, my tone carefully neutral. That had been the plan – just a polite exchange, nothing more. But JC’s attitude had been far from friendly, and his sarcasm had left me more confused than anything.

“And I told you to stay away from him. He is bad news.”

“I heard you,” I replied, my tone calm, “but I didn’t want to be rude.”

Sarah let out a frustrated sigh, clearly exasperated. “Well, if you must know, Lydia has already told her friends that you’re trying to steal JC from her. I told you that girl believes he belongs to her.”

I let her words sink in, the weight of them pressing down. I didn’t need to be told how possessive Lydia could be – she had made that abundantly clear.

“You don’t have to worry about anything,” I said, though my voice faltered just a bit. “I’m not going to put you into trouble. Lydia did introduce herself to me as JC’s girlfriend, and even though he asked her when that happened, I know not to provoke her. I was just curious.”

Sarah looked at me with a mixture of caution and suspicion. “Curious? Why?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, shrugging. “Maybe because he wasn’t what I expected. I’ve never seen anyone like him before. I guess I was just… intrigued.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at me, considering my response. “Intrigued? You’re supposed to stay away from him, Bri. I don’t want you getting tangled up in whatever mess he’s got going on.”

“I’m not looking for trouble,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I just… I guess I didn’t think things through, but I’m not planning to go back to him. I’ll avoid him, I promise.”

Her expression softened slightly, though she still seemed sceptical. “Good. Because I won’t let you mess up what we’ve got going on here. This isn’t high school drama, Bri. We don’t need to deal with any of that.”

“I get it,” I said, though the unease was still there. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on than Sarah was letting on.

For a moment, we stood in silence, the weight of our conversation hanging in the air. Finally, Sarah broke it, her tone lighter now. “Look, let’s just forget about JC. Let’s enjoy the night. We’re here for a reason, and it’s not to get tangled up in all this mess.”

I nodded, though the lingering questions in my mind refused to be ignored. Something about JC and Lydia’s strange dynamic wasn’t sitting right with me. But for now, I pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the familiar, calming presence of Sarah beside me.

JC'S POV

“You’re not interested in her, are you?”

Trust my sister to always ask stupid questions.

“You are the one who told me earlier today that you know I don’t date. That hasn’t changed.” At least I hope it hasn’t changed.

When Brianna was here, I wanted to kiss her so badly, and I’ve never been a fan of kisses. Whenever I look at a girl that interests me, the only thing that comes to mind is how it would feel to have s*x with her, not kissing her. Somehow, I want to feel Brianna’s lips on mine, though. I want to see her lips swollen from a kiss that I would give her. The thought of her in that state shot blood straight to my c**k, and I knew if I kept thinking about her, I would have to leave the party earlier than usual.

I didn’t even realize I had groaned until I heard Page’s concerned voice asking me if I was okay.

“I’m fine.” Even my voice didn’t sound convincing.

“You don’t sound or look okay. You look like you’re in pain. Are you sick? You must be hungry since you only had a burger for lunch. I told Mom that she should allow you to have a full meal for lunch.”

I should thank the almighty that he has kept my little sister innocent, even though she has started dating.

“I’m okay, I promise. You should go back to your friends.”

“Okay, if you say so. You should also get yourself something to eat. If need be, go back home. I’m sure they put our dinner in the fridge.” She smiled at me and left.

As soon as she was out of sight, I exhaled heavily, dropping my head against the wall behind me. My body was tense, coiled like a spring ready to snap.

I should have left the party then and there, but something rooted me to the spot, even as Page disappeared into the crowd, her words lingering in the air like a faint echo. Dinner in the fridge, she had said, as though food could solve what was happening to me. My stomach might have been empty, but it wasn’t hunger that clenched in my gut. It was Brianna—the thought of her, the feel of her presence still hanging around me like the ghost of a touch I hadn’t dared to make.

It was maddening. I was used to being in control, of keeping my desires—whatever they were—neatly boxed up and out of reach. Brianna was the one tearing through all of that, unbidden and unrelenting. I could still smell her faint perfume, something subtle and intoxicating, like citrus and something sweeter, deeper.

I shifted uncomfortably, trying to will away the tension coiling inside me, but every thought only made it worse. The way she had looked at me earlier—confident, amused, like she knew something I didn’t—was seared into my brain. And then there were her lips, plump and slightly glossed, just begging to be kissed. My hand tightened into a fist as if that would help, but it only made me feel more on edge.

What the hell was wrong with me? I wasn’t the guy who fantasized about soft, stolen kisses or imagined how someone’s lips would feel against mine. That kind of thinking was foreign to me. And yet, here I was, desperate to feel her mouth against mine, to hear the soft intake of her breath when I kissed her so deeply she forgot where she was.

Another low groan escaped before I could stop it, and I bit down hard on my bottom lip, hoping the sting would anchor me. I needed to stop. I needed to focus on anything other than her. But it was no use. Brianna had slipped into my mind, and it didn’t matter how hard I tried to push her out—she was already there, already making herself at home.

The music thudded on in the background, a heavy beat that matched the pounding in my chest. I turned my attention to the drink in my hand, focusing on the condensation dripping down the glass, the sharp scent of liquor, and the faint burn of it on my tongue. Anything to distract myself. But even then, she crept back in. I wondered if she was still here, if she was laughing with someone else, her smile lighting up the room, her presence drawing everyone in like gravity itself.

I should have known better than to let myself get this caught up in her. Brianna wasn’t someone you could ignore, but she wasn’t someone you could have, either. Not really. Whatever this was—this maddening, overwhelming pull—I had to shake it. Before it consumed me entirely.

I clenched my jaw and shook my head as if that would dislodge the thoughts. It didn’t. It just made the ache worse, a sharp, persistent tug low in my stomach that made it impossible to stand still. Page had been right—I probably looked like I was in pain because, in a way, I was. The kind of pain that gnawed at the edges of reason and left you standing on the precipice of something unknown. And if I wasn’t careful, I’d fall into it headfirst.

The thought made me scowl. I wasn’t the type to obsess over anyone, let alone someone who wasn’t even supposed to be on my radar. My sister had teased me about being disinterested in dating, and she wasn’t wrong. Relationships were messy, emotional minefields that I didn’t have the patience to navigate. But Brianna was different. She wasn’t just some fleeting fascination or a face in the crowd. She was magnetic, pulling me in even when I fought to stay grounded.

God, what was happening to me? I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about her like this. Not her.