Friends With Benefits by Alaina Marks Read Free Book Online Page B

mean, I shouldn’t be crying because you called me your ex’s name! Apparently something’s going wrong here.” She put on her jeans, a tank top with no bra, and her sneakers. She picked up her duffle bag, purse, and keys and headed for the front door.

“Brandi.” She jerked away from his grip. “Please, where are you going?  Let’s talk. What do you mean something’s wrong here?” He followed behind her.

“Neal…” Brandi bit down on her trembling lip and closed her eyes. She held onto the door knob with a vice grip. “I need some time to myself to think. I’m going to Chloe’s house. Don’t contact me. I will come back when I clear my head.” She didn’t even look at him.

“But Brandi…” The door slammed in his face.
     

Chapter 11 Two days had passed since Brandi walked out on Neal.  

“Go ahead Chloe, say I told you so.” Brandi looked at her friend as she sat across the bed, reading a magazine.

“Nope, I’m not going to say that. I’m not happy you’re hurting, Brandi.”

“I miss him Chloe. I really do and it sucks. I thought it would be an easy thing to do, this no strings attached relationship but, I ended up falling for him. I’m so stupid.” She covered her face with Chloe’s pillow.

“Brandi, look at me. Don’t beat yourself up for it sweetie, you’re human and a woman, it’s not as easy for us to separate our feelings like it is with for guys. I’m sure the fact that you guys lived together didn’t make it any easier.”

“The more time I spent with him the more I liked him, beyond sex. I knew going in that we weren’t going to be a couple or anything but, when he called me Tori, his ex, the one girl that he said broke his heart to the point that he never wanted to be in a relationship again, my heart stopped. I knew then that I had broken the number one rule, I got my emotions involved.” Chloe leaned over the bed and hugged her. “I don’t even know why I’m crying, Chloe. It must be my period. I do get extra emotional when I’m on. Fucking mother nature.” They looked at each other and burst into laughter. ~oOo~ Neal couldn’t get Brandi off his mind. He respected her wish and hadn’t contacted her. There was only one person he could call and talk to about this.

“Hey Em, what’s up? You have a minute to talk?”

“Hey big bro, what’s wrong?”

He blew out a long breath. “I fucked up, royally this time. You know I told you about Brandi, well, I got upset with her and acted like a total ass. I called her Tori while we were having sex.” Neal waited on Emily’s wrath but the only thing that came through the phone was silence. “Emily? Why are you so quiet, did you hear what I said?”

“I heard you, Neal. What do you want me say? I can tell you’ve already beaten yourself up a thousand times over this so there’s no need for me to add a few more bruises to the mix. Where is Brandi now?”

Neal rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. “She left right afterwards, she’s staying at her best friend’s house until she clears her head. She told me not to contact her. So, I don’t know what she’s going to do. I mean, as soon as I did it, I wanted to take it back but I was so angry, and a little jealous, because she had gone out with her ex-boyfriend and she didn’t get in until like, after one in the morning. You can understand that, right?”

“Neal, what I understand is that you have gotten yourself into a situation where you thought it was going to be one way and now it’s going in a whole other direction. You thought that Brandi was going to be another Yoanna and she’s not. You’re actually falling for this girl and you don’t know what in the hell to do about it. You have to tell her how you feel.”

“I don’t know sis, I’m the one that made the rules, what do I look like breaking my own freaking rules. How am I going to be the one that asked for a no strings attached relationship and now I’m the one attached?