Blind Side Of Love by Beth Rinyu Page A

brother was the one that let him down time and time again. Yet, I was the one getting the silent treatment from him all because I finally had a guy in my life.
    I got up from the table to clear my plate. “Becca, where are you going? You didn’t even touch your food,” my mother said.
    “I lost my appetite,” I said, rinsing off my plate as my father’s eyes finally locked with mine before he looked away without saying a word.
    I walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to my bedroom, throwing myself down on my bed. As I checked my messages, there was a missed call from Krista and a text from Lynn Barrett, letting me know that she needed me to run back to Long Island tomorrow morning. I hadn’t heard from Drew since I had left his house that morning which was only adding to my anxiety, especially since I knew who he was with. I grabbed my phone to call Krista back, hoping that would help me temporarily forget Drew’s silence.
    “Hey, chickie. What’s going on?” she answered.
    “Not much.”
    “I hope I didn’t get you in trouble with your dad this morning. I was half asleep when he called.”
    “It’s okay.”
    “Well, where were you?” There was a brief moment of silence. “Really, Becca, you’re going to hold out on me?”
    “I ended up falling asleep over at Drew’s,” I blurted out.
    She gasped and giggled. “Becca? Were you finally being a naughty girl?”
    Leave it to Krista to make me smile when I didn’t think it was possible. “No,” I said half-heartedly.
    “Liar!” She laughed. “Well, I can’t say I blame you, girl, he is a total hottie! I saw him today without a shirt ……wow!”
    The smile that was on my face instantly disappeared. “When did you see him today?” I asked.
    “Ashton had a little beach party when he and the guys got done kayaking. He asked me to come and then got totally wasted, so I left. You know he’s so hot but he’s always drunk or high and that’s such a turn-off.” That was his biggest turnoff to her ? If you asked me, everything about Ashton Barrett was a turnoff but I wasn’t going to go there with her right now.
    “So what other girls were there?”
    Krista picked up on my insecurities right away.
    “No one worthwhile. Just all of Ashton’s little groupies that fall at his feet.” Great, just what I wanted to hear. I knew that all of those girls that Ashton associated with had sex with guys like it was nothing. “Don’t worry, Drew was behaving himself,” she said with a hint of sarcasm to her voice. I pretended to be into the rest of the conversation but my thoughts were totally consumed by Drew and what he was doing, who he was with, and if he was missing me as much as I was missing him.

The sun streaming through my bedroom window and the birds singing their morning tune would normally be enough to put a smile on my face first thing in the morning. But as I picked up my phone and saw the text that had come through from Drew last night, after I had fallen asleep, I was fairly certain that I was grinning from ear to ear:
    Sorry for not calling you earlier. My battery died and I had to wait till I got home to charge it. I missed your gorgeous face all day. Talk to you tomorrow.
    I loved the butterflies that I got in my stomach whenever I got a text from him, heard his voice, or felt his touch. This was all so new to me. I had never been under the spell of a guy like this before. I just wished that my dad would come around and be happy for me so I could enjoy the feelings I was having without feeling guilty.
    I got up, showered, and dressed. I called Lynn as I chugged a cup of coffee down and was on my way out the door to pick up her deliveries for the day. My phone began to ring as I was backing out of the driveway.  A smile instantly shrouded my face when I saw that it was Drew.
    “Hey!” I answered, switching it to speaker.
    “What’s goin’ on, gorgeous?” he asked, still sounding half asleep.
    “Oh, just on my way to play gopher