Chapter 1

I was calling my bestie, Sophie Sutton, to vent about my bra being too small, but her brother Alex Sutton ended up picking up instead.

Still thinking it was Sophie, I kept going, "Did you see the pic I sent you? It's leaving lines on me!"

He was silent for a few seconds, then hung up.

When I called back, Sophie shrieked, "Alex says you're totally nuts!"

I first met Alex in my junior year of college, when he was bringing food over for Sophie.

With those broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, my mouth practically watered as I watched him.

For the next six years, I quietly dug up everything I could about him.

He stayed single the whole time.

I figured it was because I hid my crush so well.

That was, until today's totally embarrassing phone call blew my cover.

I went over to his place to apologize, but Alex pinned me against the wall.

Alex smirked, "Yeah, I saw the pic. Why don't you let me check for myself, just how tight is it, really?"

*****

I never imagined Alex would pick up the call.

Nor did I imagine a single phone call could humiliate me so badly.

Here was how it all went down.

On Sunday afternoon, I was holed up in my apartment trying on a new bra, and I felt like crap afterward.

The size was totally wrong, squeezing me so tight I could barely breathe. When I finally took it off, there were two red marks across my chest. It looked like someone had roughed me up.

I was so annoyed, I grabbed my phone and called Sophie.

It rang twice, then someone picked up.

I started ranting right away, "Babe, that bra I bought last time is way too tight again. When are you free? Can we go swap it? Didn't we go to that store together? Do you still have the receipt?"

There was no response on the other end.

Thinking she was busy, I kept going, glancing down at the red marks on my chest. "Hello? Are you there? Did you see the pic I sent you? The black ones. It's so tight I can barely catch my breath."

There was a couple seconds of dead silence on the other end.

Then the line went dead.

I stood there, phone in hand. What the heck was up with Sophie today? Did her signal drop or something?

No way, that couldn't be it.

So I called her again.

This time, someone picked up right away, but it was a different voice on the line.

"Are you out of your mind?" Sophie's scream blasted through the phone, nearly bursting my eardrums.

"What's wrong?" I asked, still totally clueless.

"That call you made," she practically shrieked. "My brother answered!"

"Who?"

"My brother. Alex. He was checking the time on my phone, and when you called, he answered it!"

My brain short-circuited for a solid three seconds.

Alex.

Sophie's brother.

The guy I'd been secretly crushing on since junior year.

The one with those broad shoulders, narrow waist, and killer long legs. He oozed sexual tension from every inch.

Wait, what did I say to him?

"Did you see the pic I sent you?

"The black one.

"It's so tight."

Oh, crap, I remembered.

I really did send Sophie those photos the other night. I took them while trying on the bra, front, side, back, the whole nine yards, then sent them over asking, [Does this one look good?]

What did Sophie say back? Something like "It's okay" or "Not bad?" I couldn't remember.

But Alex definitely saw them.

Turned out, Alex was checking the time on Sophie's phone.

So he didn't overhear me ranting about my bra, and he also saw those pics of me in that bra I sent Sophie the other night.

Three shots.

Crystal clear.

I was literally dying of embarrassment.

"Sophie," I stammered, my voice trembling, "so... what did he do?"

Sophie paused, sounding kind of weird. "He said you're crazy."

"And then?"

"He handed me the phone and walked out. And I swear he was... smiling?"

I closed my eyes.

Alex was actually smiling.

What was so funny to him?

Was he laughing at how much of an idiot I was?

Or was he entertained by my epic embarrassment?

Or was he laughing because...

I didn't dare let my mind go there.

"Emily," Sophie's voice suddenly got all sly, "do you... secretly have a crush on my brother?"

"No!" I shot back so fast, it was obvious I was caught red-handed. "Me? Crushing on him? No way. I was curious."

"Curious, huh? Then why are you freaking out so much?"

"I'm not freaking out!"

"Your voice totally cracked now."

I hung up.

Then I flopped face-first onto my bed, buried my head in a pillow, and let out a long, agonized groan.

It was over.

I was totally doomed.

Six years.

I'd been hopelessly into Alex for six years straight.

Ever since I first saw him outside the dorm back in junior year, through three years of college and three years of work, I watched girl after girl try their luck with him, but not a single one ever became his girlfriend.

I was secretly glad about it.

Maybe the universe was throwing me a bone.

But then what happened?

Turned out, I screwed it up all by myself.