Both backing away, I started to fix my clothes and hair to look more presentable and tried to ignore what just happened.
"Shit, it's my mom. I'll be right back." Dev said right before walking out the kitchen to probably greet his mom.
Holy shit! We were about to kiss and his mom could have walked in us! Oh my God!
Pressing the tops of my hair smooth, I made my way to the entrance of the kitchen and waited. In the hallway, Dev was helping his mom with her things while she was removing her crocs and putting it aside.
The corners of my lips turned upwards when I noticed she was wearing cute purple scrubs with little silly emojis printed on it.
She shot her head up and saw me standing. "Oh, hello there." She offered me a smile. "Dev mentioned his friend would come over."
I let out a sheepish laugh. "I'm Cambria, but everyone calls me Bri." I walked closer and shot my hand forward for a handshake. "Nice to meet you."
She smiled, taking my hand. "Violet. Nice to meet you, too. Hope you two didn't make too much of a mess in the kitchen. You know how your momma gets worked up about it." She chuckled, looking over to Dev.
"Don't worry, we cleaned up after ourselves." Dev snickered playfully. "Don't want to face the wrath of Momma. Where is she anyway?"
"She just got off work and is now picking up Harper from daycare and Oscar from his soccer practice." His mom answered. "I'm gonna go freshen up for a while. Why don't you two entertain yourself in the living room. Bri, why don't you join us for dinner tonight?"
"It's okay. Thank you for the offer." I declined her invitation. I don't think I could stay here any longer over what happened only a minute ago. "I have. . . dinner plans! Yes, dinner plans with my dad." I managed to save myself.
Technically, I wasn't lying. Dad did ask if I wanted to eat out for dinner after he's done teaching his last class at university.
"Well, I'll leave you two to it," Violet said with a warm smile before heading down the hallway.
The second she was out of sight, I exhaled, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart was still racing from earlier, and Dev's presence wasn't helping.
"You okay?" Dev asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his expression laced with amusement.
I nodded too quickly. "Yeah, fine! Totally fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
He raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Right. Totally fine."
"Stop looking at me like that," I muttered, grabbing my bag.
"Like what?" His smirk grew.
"Like you know something I don't." I tried to sound annoyed, but my voice betrayed me with its shaky edge. "I'm gonna go ahead now. Tell your mom goodbye for me."
He chuckled and straightened up. "Alright, Bri. Let's get you home. No way am I letting you wait for the bus this late."
"You don't have to do that," I said quickly, but he was already grabbing his keys from the kitchen counter.
"I'm driving you," he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
---
The car ride started in comfortable silence, the low hum of the engine and the soft tunes of a pop playlist filling the air. I stared out the window, my thoughts swirling with everything that had happened in the last hour. The almost-kiss. The interruption. The fact that we were now alone in his car.
"You're awfully quiet," Dev said, breaking the silence.
"Just tired," I lied, keeping my gaze fixed on the passing streetlights.
He glanced at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road. "Liar."
I turned to him, my brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"
"You're not tired. You're overthinking." He smirked. "I can practically hear the gears turning in your head."
I groaned and sank further into the seat. "Maybe I am, but can you blame me? Today's been... a lot."
"Yeah," he said softly, his tone shifting. "It has."
The way he said it made my chest tighten, like he was admitting something without actually saying it.
"About earlier," he started, his grip tightening slightly on the steering wheel.
My stomach flipped. "What about it?"
He hesitated, his jaw working as if he was deciding what to say. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"You didn't," I said quickly, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.
He glanced at me again, his expression unreadable. "Good."
Silence settled between us again, but this time it was heavier, charged with unsaid words and unspoken feelings.
When we pulled up in front of my house, Dev turned off the engine but didn't move to open his door. He just sat there, his hands resting on the wheel, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
"Thanks for the ride," I said softly, reaching for the door handle.
"Bri," he said, stopping me in my tracks.
I turned to him, my hand frozen mid-reach. "Yeah?"
He finally looked at me, his gaze intense in the dim glow of the dashboard lights. "I know today was... a lot. But I don't regret it. Not a single second. I wish it happened instead."
My breath caught, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say. His words hung in the air between us, heavy with meaning.
"Goodnight, Dev," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.
I stepped out of the car before he could say anything else, my heart pounding as I walked up to my front door. When I glanced back, his car was still parked there, his silhouette illuminated by the glow of his phone.
As I slipped inside, I couldn't shake the feeling that something between us had shiftedâand there was no going back.
I need to call the girls.
---
A/N: hehe sorry for leaving you guys ð forgive me. i swear i will finish this book. thanks for being patient. there might be some inconsistency bc it's been awhile lol. i will fix that later. ok bye, mwah!!!