Page 22 of Don’t Love the Boy Next Door (Hotties Next Door #2)

I slip my phone out of my pocket and scan the screen. No texts from Eric. I don’t know why I’m expecting—hoping?—he’d say something. It was just a scene .

Gosh, I’m obsessing again.

“This movie sucks.” Phoenix shuts it and starts browsing for a different one.

I didn’t think it was bad at all, but it might have something to do with the fact that the love interest was introduced.

“Nope,” she says as she passes through the romance options.

I’m a little worried about her. She’s had crushes and boyfriends before, but I don’t think she’s ever felt so strongly about a guy before. I wish I knew what to say to help her get through this. But since I clearly can’t deal with my own… whatever , maybe it’s best I just keep my mouth shut.

“Seriously, is there anything decent to watch?” With a groan, she settles on a documentary on turtles.

I raise my brow. “I didn’t know you were into nature.”

“I’m not.”

“Oh.”

We’re both quiet.

“Do you want to order something?” I ask. “I’m in the mood for pizza.”

“Not really hungry.”

Really? She loves food.

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t look so worried, Kates. I’m fine.”

“I don’t know…”

She folds her arms over her chest and frowns. “I’ll get over it. I didn’t really like him that much, anyway. He cost us the win all the time and then blamed it on me.”

I raise both my brows, knowing very well that’s not true.

She rolls her eyes again and stares at the screen.

“Well, I’m hungry and I’m getting a whole pie.”

She waves her hand. “Whatever.”

After I order the pizza, I sit back on the couch and watch the documentary, which is really interesting. Turtles are so cute.

“Ugh, this is boring.” She shuts the TV.

“Hey, that was interesting!”

“They’re turtles. It takes them a million years to move their butts. We get it.”

I give her a face. “Are you going to be a sour puss for the rest of your life?”

She folds her arms, raising her chin. “If I feel like it.”

I sigh and fold my arms, too.

We sit in silence for a long time, until she says, “How was rehearsal?”

The memory of the kiss conquers my mind. Without meaning to, a groan escapes my lips.

“What?” Phoenix asks.

“Nothing,” I quickly say.

The cloud vanishes from her face as her eyes rove over me. “Oh my gosh, I know that look! Something did happen.”

“Wow, it’s like the flick of a switch. Weren’t you the bitterest person in the world thirty seconds ago?”

“That’s because I have something else to focus on. Tell me, tell me, tell me,” she says as she bounces on the couch.

“I love that you’re back to your old self,” I tell her, “but why does it have to be at my expense?”

Her eyes widen. “That means something really juicy must have happened. What is it ?”

I press my lips shut.

“I’m your best friend, Kates. I’ll get it out of you sooner or later. So just save yourself the trouble and tell me now. Then I can go back to being mad at The Jerk.”

“If that was supposed to convince me, you suck. Because if keeping you in suspense makes you this happy, I should stretch this for as long as possible.”

Her eyebrows dip low as she contemplates it. Then she playfully slaps my arm. “Just shut up and tell me.”

I bury my face in my hands, throwing myself on the couch. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I moan. Then I flip onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. “I don’t know if it’s worse than when I tumbled down the stairs.”

She moves so she’s over me, staring at me from upside-down with a hanging jaw. “Another kiss scene?”

I groan and slap my hands over my face again.

“Maybe it’s not as bad as you think.”

“Ugh!” I lower my hands and stare up at the ceiling again. “I didn’t freak out or fall down the stairs.”

“Progress.”

“But…oh my gosh, it’s so embarrassing.” My chest puffs up as I take a deep breath and let it out.

“Eric was pretty hesitant the last time. I was, too. But this time, he was so confident. So comfortable in the role. I think it’s because he knows all his lines and has a better sense of the character. ”

“Uh hu…”

“He swept me off the floor and into his arms so…”

“Confidently,” she says.

“Yeah, but also…like romantically.”

Her eyes bug out. “Ooh!”

“And then he kissed me.”

“Cool. Sounds like you guys nailed it. What’s the big deal?”

“And we didn’t stop kissing.”

“Eh?” Both eyebrows lift.

“We just stood there with our lips locked. Diaz called for us to stop. Everyone in the audience laughed. But we were oblivious to all of that. We just continued kissing like we were in our own world or something. Ugh!” I grab a cushion and slam it over my face.

Phoenix plucks it off, grinning down at me. “So I’m guessing your Beast is a good kisser?”

With another moan, I snatch the cushion from her and smack it on my face. “I don’t get it. I’ve done many kiss scenes and none of them have shaken me up so much.”

She once again grabs the cushion and gives me a knowing look. “I think I know what this is about. Why you freaked out the other time and why this time you couldn’t keep your lips off him.”

I frown at her. “I wouldn’t say I couldn’t keep my lips off him—”

“It’s because you have a massive crush on him.”

I freeze for a second. “That’s not true.”

She rolls her eyes. “Deny it all you want, bestie, but the proof is right here. You said yourself that you’ve never been so shaken from a kiss before. And considering the only kisses you’ve had were fake and not real…I think this could be counted as your first kiss!”

“ What ?”

“Come on, Kates, it’s so obvious! You were so shocked and confused by the first kiss because you have a crush on him.”

“That’s not—”

“That’s why you freaked out. Because you’ve never—hey, is this your first real crush?”

“I don’t have a crush on him!”

“And this kiss was even better than the last one because you’re more comfortable with him! And I’m sure his being confident and romantic didn’t hurt, either.”

I give her a look. “Phoenix, how many times do I have to tell you I don’t have a crush on him?”

She puts her hands on her hips, returning the look. “You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t keep anything from me. I know you, Katie, more than anyone else. You don’t just have a crush, you have a crush as tall as Mount Everest.”

I shake my head so fast it nearly catapults off my head.

“It’s not so surprising, you know,” she says thoughtfully.

“You guys spend a lot of time together because of the musical and the band. You have similar interests. He’s super sweet and you’ve got the kindest heart in the world.

You guys are like the most compatible people out there. It’s basic chemistry.”

I fall back on the couch and fold my arms over my chest, my face heating up with embarrassment and denial.

Because it can’t be true. I freaked out the other time because…

well, I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s a reason.

One that has nothing to do with a crush.

And as for the kiss this afternoon? We were just feeling the scene and wanted to give it our all.

Maybe we wanted Belle and Beast to have a long make out session, to show the audience how much this means to them.

Phoenix laughs as she peers over me. “I know what you’re doing. You’re forming all these excuses in your head. Because you don’t want to deal with the truth.”

“There’s no truth,” I grumble as I twist away from her. “You just like romance and drama.”

She scowls. “Right now I don’t. Well, before I didn’t. But now I do, because it involves my bestie!”

I throw my hands up. “How many times do I have to tell you there’s nothing there?”

“How many times do I have to tell you there most definitely is something there?”

I glare at her. But she just holds my gaze, not wavering once.

Eventually, I pull my eyes away and glare at my shoes, as though they’re responsible for my current predicament. The only sound in the room is my huffing and puffing.

“Why is it such a big deal if it’s true?” Phoenix asks in a soft tone.

“It’s not.”

“You’re trying so hard to fight it. Why? Eric’s a good guy. Not like his jerk of a brother.”

I keep my gaze on my shoes.

“Katie?”

With a sigh, I slowly look at her. “You know why.”

She studies me closely. “Is this because of your mom?” she asks gently.

I stare back down at my shoes. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

She’s quiet for a bit, before saying, “She’d want you to be happy, Kates. She’d want you to find love.”

I squeeze my eyes shut as pain engulfs every part of me.

Phoenix wraps an arm around me, pulling me close to her.

“I know it’s hard,” she says. “I mean, no, I’m not going to pretend I know what you’re going through.

Because I can’t possibly understand. But I get that you’re in pain.

That it’s hard for you to open your heart to someone because you don’t want to get hurt.

But you’ve been living the past two months like a shadow.

You’re sad all the time—well, besides for when you do the musical and the band.

Your mother wouldn’t want you to go through life like this. ”

I gently pry myself out of her arm and turn around, tears welling up in my eyes and splashing down so fast it’s like a dam burst open.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Katie,” she says as she hugs me from behind. “I just want you to be happy.”

“I know,” I whisper.

“I want you to live your life to the fullest. Because you’re so amazing.”

“Stop.”

“No, I mean it. You deserve all the happiness in the world.”

I scoff lightly. “And you think Eric Palmer will make me happy?”

“I don’t know, but why not? How will you know what could be if you don’t take a risk?

I mean, look at me. I got burned by that jerk, and it sucks really bad.

But I don’t want that one incident to ruin my life.

Of course that’s nothing compared to what you’ve been through.

I’m just trying to show you that life sucks sometimes.

But that doesn’t mean you should shut down.

Because you’ll miss out on something wonderful. ”

I slowly turn around to face her. “You think Eric likes me?”

“Of course! He wouldn’t have made out with you like that if he didn’t like you.”

“Maybe he was just caught up in the scene.”

She gives me a look.

I hold up my hands. “It’s possible.”

She shakes her head.

I close her in my arms. “Thanks for the talk, Phoenix. You always know the right things to say.”

“Duh, I’m amazing.”

That makes me laugh.