Rule #3: You Can't Kiss Your Best Friend - Audiobook

It was supposed to be a simple kiss. That was all. Whoops.

My plan was perfect: convince my best friend and school quarterback, Ethan, to be the final prize for my matchmaking test where the proceeds go to sending the band to Paris. Plus, if it matches me with my life-long crush, that's a bonus, right?

What could go wrong?

Apparently, a lot.

First, the test matches me and Ethan. Which is easy to explain. Computers make mistakes all the time, right?

Second, the girl I switch myself for seems perfect for Ethan. Maybe a bit too perfect.

Third, my date with my crush goes horribly wrong and my first kiss tanks.

Now, I'm pretty sure I'm destined to be alone while Ethan rides off into the sunset with his perfect match.

Man, I've screwed up bad—especially when I ask Ethan the secrets to a good kiss.

Big mistake.

Feelings start to change and I'm pretty sure that our friendship isn't going to be enough anymore. Too bad I seem to be the only one in our duo who seems to feel this way.

Some rules are meant to be broken.

I sat at my desk Saturday afternoon, trying to do my physics homework—I really was—but all I could do was stare at the little, folded up piece of paper that I’d tacked to the bulletin board above my desk. 

It was the piece of paper that contained Lachlan’s number.

Lachlan Daniels. The Lachlan. The guy I’d crushed on for the last three years. All six-foot-something-inches of incredibly toned, olive skin covered perfection. And he had given it to me. Just thinking the words sent shivers across my skin.

Granted, it was his number that he gave to me because we had an Economics project that we had to do together with three other people—but I was choosing to push that little factoid from my mind. To me, he had given me his number because he wanted me to have it. 

And right now, those thoughts and dreams were out weighing my very boring homework where I needed to calculate the velocity of a car. 

A tapping on my window drew my attention over. I smiled when I saw Ethan’s face appear. He was the quarterback of the football team, my life long pal, my neighbor, and my confidant. His shaggy blond hair dipped into his eyes as he grinned and pointed toward the lock on the window. 

We’d been next door neighbors since we were five. We’d done everything together—well, until he got popular and I didn’t. But he never made me feel less than him. Any strains put on our relationship from our different social classes were started by me. Ethan always told me, nothing would ever come between our relationship. There were some moments when I doubted it, but all it took was seeing his face to make me realize that I was stupid for ever thinking things would change. 

I waved at him as I stood and walked over. Once my window was open, he climbed inside. 

“Hey, Livi,” he said, pushing his hair from his forehead. 

I narrowed my eyes. “Aren’t you getting a tad too big to be sneaking into my window?”

Ethan was tall. Like stories above my tiny, five-foot-four frame. Growing up, he’d always been my height. Until the summer he went to football camp and came back a sky-scraper. 

Now, at eighteen, he was tall and—according to half the school’s population—hot as heck. 

I wrinkled my nose as I tipped my head to the side. I didn’t see it. 

Well, wait. I’m not blind. I know a perfectly formed nose and a chiseled jaw when I see one. And sure, Ethan has all of those features. But he’s my best friend and I’m pretty sure, not finding the other person attractive is one of the biggest rules written in every How to Get a Best Friend and Keep Them self help books. 

And besides, Ethan’s popular. I’m not. In high school, if you want to survive, you stick to your social class.

Ethan waved his hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced over at him to see his lips tipped up in an amused way. 

“What?” I asked, pushing past him and collapsing onto my desk chair. 

He shrugged, taking that moment to dive-bomb my bed. After throwing a few of my stuffed animals onto the floor—at my protest—he propped himself up on one elbow and studied me. 

I spun a few times in my desk chair and when I picked up my pencil, he groaned. 

“Olivia Williams, it’s a Saturday night. You have all day tomorrow to do homework. Besides, this is the first Saturday in forever where you and I don’t work.” He flopped back on my bed and studied the ceiling. “Let’s go do something.”

“Like what?” I asked. I’d be lying if I said that the thought of getting as far away from my physic’s book didn’t intrigue me.

He shifted on my bed until he was propped up by a few pillows. “Tasha is throwing a party.”

I stuck my pencil into my mouth and pretend to throw up. “No thank you. I’d rather do my physics homework while having pins shoved under my nails.”

Ethan laughed. “Okay. Tasha’s party is a no go.”

I shook my head. There was no way I wanted to spend my Saturday night staring at Miss Popluar and her cheerleading minions. I had enough of that at school. I didn’t need it in my personal life. 

When my gaze made its way over to the little, folded square on the board an idea formulated in my mind. I turned, giving Ethan my biggest smile. The one reserved for the moments when I wanted him to do something crazy but I was going to need to do some convincing first. 

Ethan eyed me. “You have that crazy look in your eye,” he said pointing to my face. 

I feigned a shocked expression. “I do not. This is just the way my face is.”

He rolled his eyes. “Nope. It’s your crazy look. The same one you got when you wanted me to go see that weird French movie.” He shook his head. “Whatever you want me to do, the answer is no.”

I widened my eyes. “What? You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.” I stood and crossed the room as I clasped my hands together. “Please?”

He studied me and then sighed. “What?”

Heat raced across my skin as I took a deep breath. Sure, Ethan knew about my crush. He never really said anything about it. All I got was his raised eyebrows and rolled eyes when I talked about guys so I tried to keep my super girly side to a minimum. But tonight, I really needed his help. 

“So there is this band that I want to go see.” I started slowly, glancing up at him. 

Ethan quirked an eyebrow. “A band?”

I nodded. “Lachlan’s band,” I said but it came out more like a whisper than anything else. 

“Lachlan? Lachlan Daniels?” 

I nodded again, watching his reaction. 

“That guy’s in a band?”

“Yep.” What was he thinking? Why couldn’t I read him?

“And you want me to go with you why?”

I groaned as I tipped my head back and studied the faded stars on my ceiling. Ethan and I had put them up years ago and somehow the glue congealed itself to my sheetrock and the only way to get them down was to remove layers of the stuff. Dad forbid it so I had to live with them. 

“Because, I can’t go by myself. Hannah and Nick can’t go ‘cause they are both working.” I stared down at him. “Please?”

He eyed me before sighing. “You really want me to go? I have to say, Livi, it doesn’t look to good to show up to see a guy you like with another guy as your chaperone.”

I laughed. “I don’t think Lachlan will be threatened by you. You’re like my brother.”

Ethan chuckled, but his normal carefree smile looked strained. “Yeah, that’s what I was going to say. We’re like siblings.”

The air fell awkwardly quiet around us. I glanced over at him, trying to read what he was thinking. Did he really not want to go with me? I didn’t want him to feel like I was forcing him. 

“You can stay back if you want,” I offered, but inside, I hoped he wouldn’t take me up on that. Then I tried to sweeten the pot. “Maybe you’ll meet someone?” 

Lately, Ethan had been perpetually single. I didn’t really know why. He was one of the most sought after guys in school, yet he never seemed to have a girlfriend. When I asked him, he would just shrug and say that he hadn’t found the right girl. 

He grabbed Mr. Bumbles, the stuffed bunny I’d won from a carnival we went to when we were ten, and started pulling at his frayed tie. “When are you going to throw this away?” he asked, holding it up and shaking it. 

My jaw dropped as I grabbed it from him. “You don’t throw away Mr. Bumbles. He’s family.” I stuffed him onto the shelf and turned back to Ethan. 

“So, will you go to Buzzed with me or not?” Buzzed was the local coffee joint that allowed bands to play. 

He sighed and flopped back on the bed. “I guess,” he said, turning his head to stare at me. 

I squealed and pumped my fists in the air. “You won’t regret it,” I said in a sing-song voice as I made my way to the bathroom where I was going to get ready. 

After I agonized over my clothing choice, Ethan flopped back on my bed and commanded that I just pick one. I sighed as I settled on a knee-length floral skirt with a matching solid top. It was dressy but casual. 

I shifted a few times in front of the mirror as I studied my outfit. I pulled my long brown hair in front and then flipping it to the back. Should I put make-up on? Did that mean I was trying too hard? I’d already annoyed Ethan enough tonight. I studied my dark green eyes and then sighed.

“I don’t know,” I said, lifting up my thumb to gnaw on my nail. 

Ethan appeared from behind me. His gaze swept over me. “You look great. He’s an idiot if he doesn’t notice you.”

My body flushed from his compliment and his approving expression. Which was strange. This was Ethan I was looking at. Ethan. We fed each other mud pies when we were kids. 

I sighed, directing my attention back to my reflection where I tucked my curly brown hair behind my ear. “I hope so. He’s amazing.” Butterflies erupted in my stomach at the thought of his dark blue—almost grey eyes and the way his black hair swoop to the side. And the fact that he played guitar and sang? He was the perfect guy for me. If only he’d realize it. 

Ethan scoffed as he walked over and fiddled with my homework. “You barely know the guy, Livi. How can you even know he’s perfect?” He started to doodle something on my homework. 

I tsked him as I rushed over and pulled the pencil from his grasp. “You don’t have to talk to someone to know they are perfect for you,” I said as I started to erase the stick figure he’d begun to draw on the paper. 

“That makes no sense.” He stared at me as he crossed his arms and tapped his forearm. “You can’t know things about a person until you talk to them. See them when they are sick or at their lowest low.” His expression grew soft as he studied me. 

I swallowed, not sure how this conversation got this intense this fast. I shrugged as I fiddled with my skirt. “Well, I can tell by looking at Lachlan that we are perfect for each other. He. . . gets me.”

Ethan quirked an eyebrow and parted his lips as if he was about to say something more. 

To be honest, I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Why was he acting all weird about a guy that I like? Since when did he care?

So I blurted out, “We should get going. We don’t want all the seats taken before we get there.”

Ethan hesitated before closing his mouth and peering down at the watch on his wrist. “Okay.” He glanced up at me. “Want to drive or do you want me to?”

Thankful that he wasn’t going to push this whole Lachlan thing, I grabbed my purse and keys from my dresser and opened the door. “I’ll drive.”

Ethan shrugged as he followed after me. When we got out into the hall, Dad appeared from the bathroom. He shot Ethan a smile. 

“I didn’t know you were here,” he said. 

Ethan smiled. “I came in through the window.”

Dad laughed as he clapped Ethan on the shoulder. He loved Ethan. With two daughters and no sons, Dad idolized him. Ethan could literally do no wrong in the Williams’ house. “We have a front door you know.”

Ethan nodded. “It was faster from our roof to yours.”

Dad continued down the hall, laughing and muttering “Classic” under his breath. 

“I’ll have to show you where my family’s precious stones are hidden,” I said as I headed down the stairs. “I swear, my dad will help you carry them out. That’s how badly he wants you to like him.”

Ethan nodded as he followed after me. “I keep waiting for him to get mad at me, but I swear, it will never happen.”

I shook my head. “It will never happen.”

Once we got to the main level, we walked past the living room where Beatrice, my younger sister by eleven months, was sitting on the couch watching one of her ridiculous reality TV shows. I could see her bleach blonde ponytail poking up from above the pillows. It occasionally bounced as she yelled something at the man in a suit on the screen. 

“Beatrice still watching that stuff?” he asked as I pulled open the front door. 

I shot him a don’t get me started on my sister look and ushered him out of the house. Right before I pulled the door shut behind me, I called “I’m going to Buzzed with Ethan,” to anyone who would listen, and then joined him on the stoop. 

I motioned toward my car and we made our way over. “Beatrice dances to the beat of her own drum,” I said as I unlocked the car door and slipped into the driver’s seat. 

Ethan followed suit.

As he clicked his seatbelt into place, I started the engine. 

I let the car idle for a moment while I gathered my courage. This was it. I was going to see Lachlan outside of school. 

The once calm, floating butterflies started to take nose-dives and assaulting my stomach. I swallowed as I glanced over at Ethan. Boy, was I thankful to have my best friend alongside me. There was no way I could do this without him. 

“Thanks for coming,” I said, putting the car into reverse and backing down the driveway. 

He smiled over at me. “Sure. After all, what are friends for.”

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