Dating Aaron & Other Forbidden Things (Garcia Brothers Book 2) Read online

  Dating Aaron & Other Forbidden Things

  The Garcia Brothers, Book 2

  Yesenia Vargas

  Copyright © 2020 by Yesenia Vargas

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  This one’s for all of the awesome friends I’ve made in the past year. From my classmates at the Life Coach School to my accountability partner, Tonya, to all of the incredible mentors I’ve gained. You’ve changed my life.

  And as always, thank you to my amazing readers. As my kids would say: you’re my favorite ;)

  Contents

  Book Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Yesenia Vargas

  Book Description

  1

  Ever since the winter dance, I could hardly look at Aaron.

  That dance was over a month ago, but it stung like it had just happened yesterday.

  It hurt to think about how excited I’d been getting ready that night, zipping up my dress with Mom’s help.

  Making sure every strand of hair was in place.

  Patiently putting on make-up, applying my new lipstick, all in anticipation of dancing with Aaron.

  He hadn’t asked me to go with him.

  But I thought he would for sure ask me to dance.

  That everything would change for us that night.

  It had been foolish to think so in the first place.

  Just as Scarlett and Ben had fallen for each other, Aaron and I had gotten closer than ever last semester.

  Stolen glances had turned into a squeeze of his hand or mine.

  I went from crushing on him for years to realizing that he undoubtedly felt the same way about me.

  He’d texted me on my way to the dance, and my heart had practically leaped out of my chest.

  Aaron: Can I make a confession? I wish you were my date tonight…

  All of that had made me sure he was finally going to make a move. Ask me to dance, at least.

  I would’ve been so happy with a single dance with Aaron.

  Maybe that’s all it would take for everything to change.

  It didn’t happen.

  I’d gone home utterly disappointed, heartbroken that he’d pretty much ignored me the entire night.

  Then he’d sent a single message the next day, saying sorry because he should’ve known better.

  It wasn’t until later that I’d begun to realize then what I fully knew now.

  It was never going to happen, not then and not ever.

  The reason he hadn’t asked me to dance was because he had seen that before me.

  So I’d stayed away from him since then, knowing Aaron and I just weren’t meant to be.

  I headed past his house and towards the woods. One of my favorite things to do, especially on the weekends, was to go for a long walk through our neighborhood and then the woods until I reached the creek.

  I’d always loved the creek.

  As kids, the Garcia brothers had often played there. It had been their playground, their fortress, a portal for all of their adventures.

  I’d usually play the princess that needed to be saved or, if I was lucky, join them as a warrior against whatever monster they were fighting that day. Sometimes, I’d just be somewhere nearby, making mud pies or jumping from rock to rock, collecting interesting things.

  These days, the only person who still came here was me.

  I liked the solitude, which was the exact opposite of cheerleading and the environment at my house.

  I loved cheerleading, the chanting and the stunts and how loud it got. I loved my family and never having a dull moment. But sometimes I just needed to get away from the noise of it all so I could hear my own thoughts.

  For a while, I sat at the creek and watched the river flow by. It always amazed me to think that the water was never the same. It was always running, moving, and changing.

  Sometimes I just watched it go by and wondered where in the world it got to go.

  It was all very unlike my life.

  While the water got to explore new places, I felt stuck in the same spot.

  Stagnant.

  There was always school and then cheer, and then coming home to help with chores or watching my younger brothers.

  The Garcia brothers were usually around. They lived across the street.

  Aaron was almost always nearby because he was best friends with my older brother, David. So he was both close and out of reach.

  I watched the river in silence for a while.

  The sun began to set, and the cold began to creep in. That was my signal to go.

  I got up and made my way back home.

  Now that the second semester of the school year had started, basketball season was well underway.

  Which meant more cheering.

  Football during the fall under the bright stadium lights was amazing. It couldn’t quite compare to anything else.

  But fast-paced basketball games and loud thundering crowds were something else too.

  This season, Ben wasn’t playing. His main thing was football, and he’d decided to increase his hours at the diner instead now that the season was over. He’d be heading to college in the fall, and he wanted to save as much money as possible.

  Aaron, though, was playing basketball again along with my brother. They had both made varsity. It was also David’s last season since he was graduating this spring.

  Aaron and David had been best friends for a long time, but what almost no one knew was that Aaron and I had been friends first.

  Ironic, huh?

  When we were kids, David would play with us down at the creek once in a while, but he usually played with another boy who had lived down the street at the time.

  When that kid moved away, he and Aaron got closer while I began hanging out more with actual girls. I got into make-up, clothes, and cheer.

  These days, Aaron and I talked or texted sometimes. We were in the same grade so we were often in the same classes. There was also definitely a pull between us, but that was as far as it went.

  I think we both knew that David would not be happy if we acted on our feelings for each other.

  Aaron was his best friend.

  And I was David’s little sister.

  The fact was he was protective, and he didn’t like it when any guy hit on me. He had already decided that no guy at Jefferson High was good enough for me.

  If Aaron ever made a move, I was pretty sure their friendship would blow up, no matter w
hat Aaron and I said.

  David always said that he knew what guys his age were thinking, and he wasn’t about to let one of them hurt me.

  So, according to him (and my traditional Puerto Rican dad), boys were a hard no for like… ever.

  According to them, I’d always abided by their wishes of not dating, but the truth was that there was only one boy that I would ever be interested in.

  I sighed and walked up our driveway.

  In the time I’d gone out for a walk, Dad had gotten home from work. He was working on a car as usual.

  He was a mechanic and ran his own shop. He also fixed up and sold old and messed up cars on the side for some extra cash.

  When it came to cars, he lived and breathed them.

  I walked up to him as he took some kind of wrench thing and loosened something.

  “I was about to call you,” he mumbled. He didn’t like it when I went out for walks on my own. That’s how traditional and conservative he was.

  I stopped for a minute. “I’m fine, Dad.”

  The car he was working on had a few dents here and there and could have used a serious paint job. Most people would automatically think it wasn’t worth buying or fixing, but I knew what Dad could do. This car had a lot of potential.

  Kinda like when I helped Scarlett with her make-up. The beauty was there. She just didn’t see it.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said, hopeful all of a sudden.

  He grunted in response.

  “Did I tell you that I passed my driver’s test?” I hinted.

  He didn’t look up from his work. His look of concentration hardly wavered. “Yes, I was there.”

  The slight tone of annoyance only made me want to laugh, but I held it in. Instead, I gave him my best smile. “You know, David is gonna be leaving for college in a few months. I bet this would be a great starter car for me to get to school and stuff.”

  He grunted again. Skeptically.

  “Come on, Dad,” I said, my voice sounding a little whiny despite my best efforts. “For all the babysitting I do…” He didn’t seem to budge, though, so I tried a different approach. “I get good grades, and I’d make sure to keep them up.” He didn’t bite. “I’d even be willing to get a part-time job on the weekends and stuff and help pay for the repairs.”

  Dad was the kind of person who valued self-motivation and hard work and all that. He didn’t always like cheer, especially the uniforms, but the fact of the matter was that I was more like him than he thought. I wasn’t afraid to get my hands dirty.

  He finally looked up at me. Grease and sweat stained his forehead. “I already have someone who’s interested in this car. Besides, you don’t need a car just yet. David takes you to school.”

  He went back to loosening or tightening or whatever in silence.

  I exhaled. He had a point.

  But was I doomed to ride to school with my brother forever?

  “Yeah, but he’s gonna leave for college this summer. Can I have a car then?” I asked, biting the inside of my lip and trying to stay hopeful.

  Dad stood back and analyzed the engine situation or whatever. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

  I could tell I wasn’t going to get anywhere else with him. Oh well. Dad was like that. Pretty closed off and stubborn. He wasn’t one to talk much, just lecture as needed.

  By the fall, Mom and Dad would have no choice but to get me a car, though. David wouldn’t be around to take me to school anymore.

  I’d just have to be patient until then, even if I did ache to have the freedom that David did. Like going out with his friends. I was only allowed to do that sometimes or if he was there to keep me safe.

  Just then, my brother came out of the house, a basketball in hand. “Hey, sis.”

  I turned and looked up at him. Even though we were only a year or so apart, he stood a broad and wide six feet tall compared to my curvy but much smaller five foot six. “Off to practice free throws? Your first away game is coming up, right?”

  “That’s right,” he said, walking past me with a wink. “Gotta practice if I’m gonna make MVP this year.”

  I smirked, letting my gaze follow. Then I saw Aaron walking towards us from his house.

  David waved at him. They headed towards the basketball hoop they had set up down at the cul-de-sac.

  Before following my brother, Aaron gave me a small wave. I did the same and turned away, hardly looking at him.

  Both David and Aaron had been on the football team last season, both of them on the defensive team.

  They did a lot together. Aaron even rode with us to school and then back home after cheer and basketball practice since Ben wasn’t on the team this year.

  So I was around Aaron. A lot. One way or another.

  Last semester, I’d love it. This semester, not so much.

  Ever since the winter dance, it didn’t make my crush on him any easier to push away.

  But it was something I had to do, no matter how much I saw him.

  Even if he still made my heart race, Aaron Garcia was the one guy I could not have.

  2

  Several days later, I ran around the neighborhood, determined to sweat and work out despite cheer practice being canceled last minute.

  It wasn’t just discipline.

  Just like doing backflips, I loved running.

  I loved feeling the power in my leg muscles.

  As humans, we’d never have the ability to fly, but we could come kind of close through running.

  Sprinting, hitting the pavement, and using your entire body to power you forward.

  There was nothing else like it.

  This was also the reason I almost crashed into Aaron just as I was running past his house.

  Because of the sun having set, the sky getting darker, and my own deep concentration, I completely missed him.

  He stepped out from the other side of the trash can he had apparently just rolled out.

  I screamed, managing to come to a stop just before crashing into his chest.

  My hand came right up to it, ready to soften the blow of my body hitting his. His chest was firm and warm. I pulled back my hand and took a small step back.

  Slowly, I looked up at him while taking out an earbud. My chest rose and fell quickly, more from adrenaline than anything.

  He looked down at me too, also taking out an earbud. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” Aaron said, voice etched with concern.

  I shook my head. “It was my fault. I didn’t even see you.”

  Normally, the sun made his hazel eyes shine like honey, but it was getting darker outside by the minute.

  This was what I got for waiting so long to go on this run.

  I took a step back and glanced away, still working on catching my breath. “Well, I’ll see ya.”

  Aaron didn’t make a move to leave. “It’s not safe to run out here by yourself,” he told me.

  I shrugged. “I can take care of myself.”

  He smiled. “I know. All the same, though, maybe I’ll come with you.”

  I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, unable to meet his eyes. “It’s okay. I’m just about done. I bet you have stuff to do.” I hated how uncomfortable I felt around him. That had never been the case.

  Now he shrugged. “Not really. Besides, it wouldn’t feel right leaving you out here by yourself when it’s getting dark.”

  He turned so he was facing the direction I’d been going. I began walking alongside him. At least he was already in gym shorts and a t-shirt with cut-off sleeves. And even though my brain refused to admit that I was secretly happy at having Aaron next to me, my heart expanded a little at his presence.

  Aaron began jogging, and I did the same, noticing how awkward I felt around him. All because of the winter dance.

  Things had been so effortless between us before then. Even my friends had noticed a spark.

  Now it was gone.

  Or at least tampered down by my own disappointment and unmet expe
ctations.

  Silly expectations I’d been wrong to have in the first place.

  Aaron began running a little faster. I increased my pace and ran a little bit ahead of him, desperate to get this run over with. Just one lap through the neighborhood and back would be enough.

  In no time, he caught up, his long legs doing half the work mine were.

  He wasn’t quite as tall as my brother, but he was up there. “So how come you didn’t ride home with us today?” he asked.

  I kept my elbows bent, using them to help me power forward. “Practice got canceled,” I huffed. “Coach Collins went home sick so Scarlett dropped me off on her way home.”

  He nodded. “Oh.”

  It was then that I realized that this was our first real conversation other than hi and bye and small talk since the winter dance.

  I pushed my legs to carry me faster through the neighborhood. Aaron kept up easily, just a pace or two behind me.

  We passed house after house. Once in a while, a car would pass us by. I glanced at Aaron beside me. He’d been right. It was nice to not be out alone.

  I continued pushing my legs and running.

  All signs of daylight disappeared as the sky settled into a shade of navy blue, only a few stars scattered here and there.

  My playlist came to an end, and all I could hear was the sound of our feet hitting the pavement. I loved it.

  The silence but not being alone.

  As we neared my house, I checked the time on my phone. By the time we finished and got back home, I’d be at three miles. Definitely enough of a workout for today.

  As we approached my driveway, I slowed down to a power walk.