I Choose You by Lopez, Bethany (best fiction novels to read .txt) 📗

              He felt bad about offending her, and he really did want to get to know her better, but was he sending the wrong message by showing up on her doorstep, with daisies, to ask her on a date? Was he really interested in dating right now?

              An image of Nicole flashed in his mind.

              Yes, she was blonde, beautiful, and had a killer body, but she also had a wonderful innocence about her. A sweetness… And when she smiled, his heart seemed to shift in his chest.

              That image alone should have sent warning bells off in his head; but instead, he raised his hand and knocked loudly.

              “Where’s the fire?” Roni asked when she opened the door. “Jeez, Kent, it sounded like you were bustin’ down the door.”

              “Is Nic here?” Kent asked quickly, hoping to bypass his sister and get the groveling over with.

              He should have known better.

              Roni leaned against the doorjamb and grinned up at him, leaving him no choice but to continue to stand there awkwardly in the hall.

              “Oh, you’re here to see, Nic, huh?” Roni teased. “Did you get my texts?”

              Kent rolled his eyes at her and said, “Yeah, all nine-hundred of them.” Then he put his hand up and easily moved her out of his way.

              He walked inside and looked around their living space.

              “Is she here?” He asked Roni, turning back to her as she closed the door.

              “Yeah,” Roni replied as she went back to the couch and turned the volume on the TV up. “She’s in her room. Don’t disappoint me, Bro.”

              Kent decided to ignore her taunt, instead walking over to the closed door and raising his fist to knock again.

              “Come in,” Nicole called from inside her room.

              Kent took a deep breath and opened the door. He stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind him, watching Nicole with every move he made.

              She sat in the corner of her room at a small wooden desk. She was facing her laptop and typing furiously. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she had on running shorts and a Nike t-shirt.

              She looked amazing.

              Kent cleared his throat loudly, hoping to get her attention, but Nicole seemed oblivious to anything except whatever she was working on.

              He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and whip her head towards him.

              Her mouth formed a pretty O, and Kent noticed that she was wearing pink glasses.

              It took her a moment to process what was happening, and he could tell the moment that it registered.

              She flung her glasses onto the desk and rose quickly, hitting her hip on the desk as she did.

              “Shoot.” She yelled, rubbing her hip and looking at him warily. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was you at the door.”

              “That’s alright,” Kent chuckled. “You okay?”

              Nicole nodded and took a step back, suddenly all too aware of the fact that she was alone, with Kent, in her bedroom.

              “What’s up?” She asked nervously.

              Kent gestured to the reading chair she had next to the window. “Do you mind if I sit?”

              Nicole shook her head no, then sat back down in her desk chair, seeking safety from the desk that stood between them.

              Kent started to sit, then realized that he was still holding the flowers.

              “Oh, I um… got these for you,” He said awkwardly as he thrust the bouquet towards her. He cursed himself for acting like a freaking schoolboy, but couldn’t help but feel happy at the look of pure pleasure that crossed her face as she accepted the daisies.

              “Thank you,” Nicole said softly, burying her face in the happy blossoms.

              “Sure,” Kent said absently, his body tightening swiftly as he looked at her. He backed up to grab a seat and told himself to just spit it out already.

              “Look,” he began, “the last couple times we’ve met up I’ve really made an ass of myself. First, that night at the bar when I man-handled you in front of Bree, then last night. I acted the way I always act with girls I’m interested in, but I know that I need to treat you differently.”

              “What?” Nicole tried to deny what he was saying, while in the back of her mind, the fact that he’d said he was “interested” in her was making her insides go haywire. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. You don’t have to treat me differently.”

              “I do, Nic. You aren’t just one of the girls that I usually pick up in the bar. I know you, I like you, and you’re my sister’s roommate. I should have treated you with more respect, and I apologize.”

              “I like you too, Kent, just the way you are. I don’t want you to think you have to act differently around me. I’m nothing special, honest.” Nicole said worried that he was already putting her in the friend zone, and that she would never get a chance with him.

              Kent stood abruptly and walked over to her, bending down and lifting her chin so that he was looking directly in her eyes.

              He wanted her to see that he was telling her the truth, and to make sure that she heard him.

              “You are special, Nic. You aren’t just looking for a good time, and you don’t deserve to be treated like you are. I swear that when I asked you to come to my place, I wasn’t expecting you to hop into my bed; I just wanted to get to know you better. I approached it totally wrong, and I don’t want to make that mistake again. I came by today to make amends, and to ask if you’d like to go out on a date with me.”

              Nicole blinked slowly, her brain working hard to catch up with her pounding heart.

              “Yes,” She