Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

CHAPTER 16

PART 4-CHAPTER 166

JESS

This was nice.

Peaceful.

It felt good to be out on a date, doing something normal.

I needed this.

Eric walked beside me, his hands tucked casually into his pockets, his eyes focused on the horizon. He'd been charming all afternoon-holding doors open, making me laugh with his dry wit, his dimples showing every time he cracked a small, quiet smile.

But there was still this... distance. Like there was something just out of reach, something he wasn't saying.

And maybe that was okay. Maybe I was just expecting too much.

"I love living by the beach. It's so beautiful," I said, breaking the silence between us as the cool ocean breeze ruffled my hair.

Eric nodded, glancing over at me with a slight smile. "Yeah. It's quiet. I like it here."

you come here ofter when you lived in

eyes flickering away from mine. "Sometimes, when I had time. The beach suits you. I always thought you'd look beautiful with a

my fingers, unable to shake the feeling that he was holding back, but I told myself not to

a smile. "What about your cabin? What made you decide to

for a second, then gave me another shrug. "Needed a

details, no real glimpse into his life. But I let it go, convincing myself it wasn't a big deal. I'd been overanalyzing everything lately, and this was

needed this to

little ice cream stand, its neon sign flickering against the darkening sky. My heart lifted,

smiled back, his dimples deepening.

eating his ice cream, his eyes wandering over the shoreline. "So... do you ever miss living in the city? The busyness,

"Not really.

in History - clearly, he wasn't interested, and

I said softly, more to myself than to Eric. "To get away from

second, I thought he wasn't going to, but then he looked over at me, his expression unreadable. "Sometimes starting over is the only option." walk "We don't need to do this. Clearly you aren't in it. I'll just home. Really." I shrugged, ready to tuck my

wanted you-I mean this-for so long. I thought I'd never get another shot. "Eric confessed, and I cocked my head

could say we even went on a date," Eric

went on a date? How? I thought you said we met my first year, and I was with Luke then. "That didn't make

a date. That's when you told me about your boyfriend and crushed my heart," Eric said,

his cone. "No. If anything, I

laughed. Finally, Eric was warming up and charming, but we were

but I could hear the uncertainty in my own voice. "It was... really