CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ANTHONY’S POV

I tried my best to not think about how sad and heartbroken I was by the fact that Blake didn’t remember being an active participant in the best night of my life. As I stared up at the dark ceiling in the living room, feeling very uncomfortable being wedged between the arm rest of the ridiculously short couch, I tried in vain to not also think of how Crystal has been calling me ‘Anthony’ and not ‘Tony’ since she saw Blake on top of me yesterday. I think she was mad at me and I couldn’t blame her. I did make out with her boyfriend in my bedroom when she had given me the task of keeping an eye on him.

The hickey on my neck was a sure sign of the incident that happened between Blake and I, yet he couldn’t recall it. I had thought that seeing it would jog his memory, but that didn’t happen. Even if it did though, what was I expecting? For him to break up with my sister and date me instead? As if Blake Lindell will ever be gay!

I had decided to tag the incident as a drunken mistake made by him and that it was a good thing he couldn’t remember it. This was a sign that he and I would never be together and that I should focus on someone more obtainable.

Someone like Michael.

I sighed and turned in my feeble attempt to find a comfortable position, thinking of what I was going to tell Michael. I knew we weren’t dating, but it still felt like I cheated on him, and with his enemy which was way worse. I didn’t want to be the bad guy, although that ship sailed the moment I started fantasizing about my little sister’s boyfriend. Michael didn’t deserve this. Contrary to what Blake thought, he wasn’t such a bad guy. He’s sweet and charming and he makes me laugh by saying and doing the most ridiculous things ever. But despite all his good qualities, he still wasn’t the one I wanted. Not because he wasn’t good enough, but because he wasn’t Blake Lindell. One thing was for sure though, I wasn’t going to keep seeing Michael especially now that I know I don’t like him that much. The problem now was how I was going to break it to him.



He had arranged for us to meet at Citrus Park close to North Central. I waited by the bench close to the big citrus tree that Blake supposedly saw us at. A few moments later, Michael arrived with his handsome face aglow and he came with the best gift ever!

This was going to be harder than I thought!

“Two tickets to see the greatest pottery show of all time. Your all-time favourite’s gonna be there.”

I stared at the tickets longingly, tempted to snatch them up and kiss him and tell him all the things that I didn’t mean. Those tickets were sold out long before I even knew about the show and I knew about the show before the date was even announced! I had no idea how many people liked pottery as much as I did. I guess even if I did know about it, I still wouldn’t have been able to get one because they cost a fortune.

“How on earth did you get not one, but two tickets to the Kiln Fest?” He flashed me his pearly whites and ruffled my hair.

“Nothing’s that hard to get for the guy that I fancy.” Just because I blushed so hard, the red flowers around us were jealous of me and I let him kiss me, doesn’t mean I was going to deter from my plans to end things with him. I was standing firm on my decision and I wasn’t going to let anything sway me even if they were Michael’s amazing blue eyes that seemed to sparkle each time he looked at me.

“You know the show’s a week to your birthday, right?” Michael said. He was still smiling and he had scooted closer to me than I thought was possible.  His hand was in my hair, his favourite thing about me, and his fingers were gently combing each strand aside. The effect was soothing and it kind of impaired my thought process.

“Yeah, I know.”

“So, I was thinking, maybe after the show, you’d like to come with me to get your early birthday present.”

That made me sit alert.

“You already got me a present? But we aren’t even...”

I was about to say “But we aren’t even dating” but closed my mouth when I saw the puppy dog eyes he sent my way. I swear, Michael was cunning and he was such an expert at pretending like he didn’t know what he was doing. He knew I was a sucker for that look and that when he looked like that, I wouldn’t be able to object to whatever plans he had. But it was weird, right? I mean, already planning for an event that was to take place a month away when you weren’t even in an official relationship with someone. I wonder what the surprise could be.

“It’s nothing major. Just a little token of my appreciation for your agreeing to go on a date with me despite my relationship with your...is friend the right word to describe your relationship with Blake Lindell?”

At the mention of Blake, I felt all the weight of the guilt I felt wash over me. My hand instinctively went to the spot my hickey was on, which was hiding underneath a turtle neck shirt. I was supposed to end it with him, but instead I was agreeing to go to a festival for sculptors alike and also a sort of birthday surprise afterwards. I was thinking of his enemy and all the different naughty ways I could do to him what I pleased, while I sat in front of him, accepting his tickets, his smiles and his kisses. It was official – I was a horrible, terrible person.

But as I looked at the handsome, joy-filled face of Michael who only wanted to kiss me and make me feel good and happy, I couldn’t help but think that I was doing the right thing not telling him. I was protecting his heart from heartbreak, while also guarding mine and Crystal’s and Blake’s.

Yes. I was doing that; killing four birds with one stone.

If I put it that way, it wouldn’t seem as bad as what I was actually doing.

I opened my mouth and said, “Yeah. You could call us friends. But at the same time, we’re not that close either.”