Talan

Brightness meets Amalia's large, dark caramel eyes as she casually strolls outside, making me inhale and stare uncontrollably.

The sun gives her complexion an attractive glow and highlights her hair with copper tones. Try as I might, I can't stop myself from taking in her curves, desperate to go out with her. She's only wearing a regular t-shirt, faded calf-length jeans, and flip-flops, with a thin woven chain draped around her petite ankle, but she's everything to look at. The little crush I developed on her had magnified tenfold ever since the day I helped her up from the ground when she slipped off the porch.

Though she's the forbidden fruit, her being off limits isn't the attraction. Just a flip of her hair, a friendly little smile, or an innocent tilt of her head produces feelings in me I can't ignore anymore. It's safe to say I have it bad. Sometimes, I pay attention to her while she does the simplest things, like reading a book, rinsing the dishes, or brushing her hair. It doesn't matter what she does; she always looks hot doing it.

It's ridiculous how badly I want her for my girlfriend. But I'm unsure if "she and I" is a great idea. I know Jaxon's stance on the matter. No guy in his right mind wants someone messing with his younger sister and trying what guys always try. Least of all, his best friend. But Amalia is unique. Just the way she carries herself shows it. Any guy would have his work cut out if he tried something with her, and she'd also be a major conquest. But—while I don't deny she affects me like that—with how I care about her, I would never mistreat her. Girls like her are hard to find. She's too good for the jokes around here. She's even too good for me.

Jaxon is right about keeping the losers away. A stern glare from him, along with his size, is enough for deterrence. I doubt Amalia knows her jovial but short-tempered bear of a brother scares the guys around town away from her, and me being his best buddy? Well, that's an added threat.

Kade is another problem because he has a crush on her, and I don't blame him, especially if he sees her how I see her. I should have told him the truth when he first asked about her. But no! I keep letting Kade believe I'm rooting for him. Hell, I practically encourage my younger cousin time after time.

When push comes to shove, I've got to accept Kinsley's movie invitation. Jaxon won't be there for once. I can't pass up an opportunity like that.

I use the drive to the theater to convince myself Kade's crush is a mild case of puppy love. It's a tiny thing that doesn't matter. As for Jaxon, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. While I park, I decide to try to get with her.

Amalia looks up at me wonderingly when I orchestrate our seating order, her face lighting up with anticipation. Or, so I think, before Kinsley hogs her attention by locking her in chick conversation and making it impossible for further evaluation.

The theater lights finally turn out, and the curtains roll apart, revealing the screen. So, I brush my hand against hers to see if she'll move it away. A receptive touch of her soft, dainty fingers welcoming more of my hand kicks me into high gear. I do my best to conceal an uncool grin as I weave my fingers through hers, moving close enough to catch a faint smell of coconut from her hair as my nerves relax and happiness takes over.

"Hey, what are you doing?" a gruff voice says in a tone meant to surprise, and it does.

Jaxon! Shit. At the moment, his voice is the most aggravating sound I've ever heard.

Amalia sucks in a short, shallow breath, jerking her hand from me. She and I instantly pull apart, twisting toward each other, and look over our shoulders. Jaxon and Mara are sitting down, Jaxon leaning forward to talk to us.

He appeared right out of thin air and sat directly behind us. Dammit! Talk about timing! I press my clenched fists into my lap and take a deep breath. "Hey, what's up?" I say, trying like hell to hide my irritation. "I stopped by your house, but you weren't home. So, I came with these two."

"Yeah, I forgot you were coming over today. I've been really busy." He tilts his head toward Mara and grins.

"I can see that." I smile and greet Mara with a lift of my chin. She returned a smile and gave me a silent hi with her hand.

Jaxon looks sick with happiness. Good for him. You don't see me trying to keep him from the girl he loves. Jaxon turns to Amalia. "Did we miss much?"

Amalia shakes her head. "It just started."

I smirk at the double meaning.

"Sh..." say some nearby people.

Jaxon drops back into his seat, and Amalia and I glance at each other. Eyes wide, she's nibbling on her lip, rattled. A light slapping sound resonates against the thin carpeted flooring. Kinsley reaches out and puts her hand on Amalia's jittery knee.

The day Jaxon blew up at us pops into my mind.

2 Winters Ago

The house almost shook from the hard bang of the door when Amalia ran back inside. But Jaxon's craziness didn't stop there. "What's going on with you and my sister, Talan?" His eyes screamed murder, and if I didn't know him better, I would have sworn he wanted to fight me.

"What?" The accusation shocked me.

One minute, we were laughing and joking, same old, same old, and next, he was ripping into me.

"I saw that look you gave her!"

"What look? Do you mean the look of relief that she didn't get hurt? She almost hit her head on the cement. People die that way." My blood started boiling, and I pointed at him. "And you did a shitty job scraping the ice from the steps. Someone could get hurt!"

I was sure my words sunk in because his mad-as-hell expression faded, and he took a few deep breaths. "You're right, man. I'm sorry."

Pissed off, I stalked back over to the dirt bike, and we both yanked the jammed plate off, exposing the battery, trying to ignore the heavy tension that gathered around us like a cloud of flammable fumes.

Jaxon sighed loudly, and I wondered if he was about to light a match. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Talan, just tell me one thing. Do you like her?"

I wanted to say that maybe I do. But the unrestrained glower told me he was insanely serious, and that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Of course not. She's your little sister. She's not even my type. Does she look like the girls I go out with?"

That was both the truth and a lie. Amalia was different from the typical girl who caught my attention. She was too short and not curvy. But the truth was, I could totally see myself with her. She grabbed my attention the first time I'd knocked on their door. She looked nervous and sweet, like a timid rabbit you want to cuddle before it runs away. And just the way she stared at me, with long fluttering lashes framing her large, innocent eyes while pink seeped into her cheeks, made me notice her.

Scrutinizing me like he was probing deep into my soul, he seemed satisfied with my answer and then explained. "It's just that she never had a boyfriend before, and you've been out with all kinds of girls."

I knew what he meant. I let him believe I had way more experience than I actually did. Sometimes, I laid it on a little thick. It always seemed harmless, but I wished I didn't insinuate so much to him.

"I get what you're saying, Jaxon, because I could do without you constantly checking Kinsley out!" I snapped to get the focus off me and show him how being accused of something feels. I never saw him checking Kinsley out. Then again, I had never paid attention before.

I must have hit the nail on the head because he didn't deny it. After his shocked eyes sunk back into his skull, he cracked a big grin. "Fair enough. She'll remain off-limits to me, too."

That statement said it all. Amalia was off-limits to me. I decided I could live with that. For now, at least. She seemed a little young for me.

Besides, Jaxon was my boy, and I loved hanging out with him and his family.

My parents got divorced. My sisters moved to San Diego with my mom, and I stayed behind with my dad because someone needed to take care of him. He lost it when Mom left and started drinking a lot. I spent a lot of time with my Aunt Rayna and Uncle Chase because of his drinking. Still, a functional family was a rare commodity in my community.

The Aguirre family was like no family I'd ever known. They did various family activities together, but the simplest things made the biggest impression on me. Like turning the television off during dinner, just so everyone paid attention to one another for at least an hour out of the day. That was new to me. I was used to sitting in the living room in front of the television when I ate. Sometimes, my dad, Dean, was there, but most times, he wasn't.

Mateo and Jasmine treated Kinsley, Kade, and me like their kids. And Uncle Chase and Aunt Rayna loved Jaxon, Amalia, and Erik the same.

I saw his rule as a moot point because Amalia never showed an interest in me. We may have shared a moment from her fall, but I doubted it meant more than that. As far as I could tell, she only liked me as a friend. So, there was no reason to make an enemy of Jaxon, even though he tempted me to beat him up just for picking on her. I offered to do that for her if she ever wanted me to. She just laughed, so I knew she didn't believe me.

I'm brought back to my current predicament when Kinsley leans toward us and whispers, "I'm going to the restroom. Want anything from the concessions?" We both shake our heads.

The casual interaction calms the atmosphere, but the tension between me and Amalia is palpable once she's gone. I let moments pass, unsure of my next move, then decide not to allow Jaxon to hinder what feels mutual between her and me because it's none of his business. I lean over and whisper, "You all right?" She lowers her eyes briefly, then lifts them, responding with just a nod, but the downward curve of her lips speaks of her disappointment.

I don't care if Jaxon's behind us. I'm prepared to deal with it. He'll get mad for a little while, but if he's really my friend, he'll come around. She's who I'm concerned about. I wonder how she feels about him sitting there. I don't know how much his thoughts about "us" matter to her. After I lob that around in my head for a while, I get sick of thinking about it, so I retake her hand, hoping she won't pull it away. She moves closer, and her hand clutches onto mine.

When Jaxon stands up, her grip tightens. We're both ready to face whatever's coming. He walks away, then comes back with popcorn and a drink, and she's hanging on so tightly my palm feels clammy, but oh well.

Hyperaware of what's occurring around us, I wait and listen for some words from him or some whispers to Mara or any reaction that'll show he knows we're holding hands and he's pissed.

I get nothing, so I don't think he notices or suspects something's happening between me and Amalia.

For the rest of the movie, I fight the urge to put my arm around her and maybe kiss her. My time's running out in New Sable. I don't know when I'll get another opportunity, and Jaxon sitting behind us makes me angry as hell.

That's when my mind sways. I wonder what Jaxon will do if I kiss her and end up thinking about how upset Kade will be when he finds out. He isn't just "like" my little brother. In our native way, he "is" my little brother and trusts me.

On top of that, I'm leaving next week. Anything could happen after I leave. Someone else could be with Amalia by the time I come home. Long-distance relationships don't last. Gage and Tarran, my other best friends, had girlfriends before they went to Chemawa last year, and their girlfriends found other guys almost as soon as they left. I watched them do it, though Gage and Tarran claimed it happened the other way around. Maybe it did. But either way, it wasn't good. Everything I talked myself into on the drive over no longer feels right. I wrestle with my thoughts for the rest of the movie and ultimately change my mind at the end.

As soon as the movie's over, Kinsley says she's supposed to go home, but she's not fooling me. I can see she's irritated. So, while Amalia, Mara, and Jaxon are in the restrooms, I pull her aside and ask, "Are you mad at me?"

She shakes her head. “Just don’t talk to me about you and Ama until you tell Kade about you and Ama.” Then she bails. My conscious feels shitty, but it’s too late. What’s done is done.

Jaxon insists I hang out with him, Mara, and Amalia for the rest of the evening.

Delaying asking Amalia to be my girlfriend until our circumstances improve fills me with guilt. She's floating around her house like a butterfly. It's best not to see her again. I don't want to do something stupid because that could ruin us before we even start us. Boxing taught me that timing is crucial and just isn't the right time for us.

I show up at Amalia's house to say goodbye before I leave to school and realize I did three stupid things over the last week: I avoided New Sable until I was leaving, fought a guy egging me on, and worst of all, I pissed Amalia off by not coming over to see her.