Page 100 of I'm Gonna Get You Back
“We didn’t—”
But I stop. Because wealmostand, god, I wish we had. I feel my cheeks heat at the thought.
“Ewww.” Mitchell grimaces and playfully covers my face with his hand. I shove it off as I stand up.
“Where’s Kenji?” I ask in an effort to change the subject.
The humor drains from him instantly. “He left last night when it was clearyouweren’t coming out.”
I frown at his tone. “What does that mean?”
Mitchell turns. “It’s too early for boy talk. C’mon.”
When we get to my house, Mitchell not only invites himself in but also immediately helps himself to a massive bowl of ice cream. For breakfast.
I was hoping to crawl back into bed for a few more hours, or get ahead on editing footage before the brunch, but Mitchell flops on the couch with his giant bowl of feelings and I can tell—early or not—we need to talk about the boy.
“What happened?” I ask, perching on the couch across from him.
“It’s nothing. Or it’s Logan. I dunno. I’m fine,” he grumbles, before shoving a large bite in his mouth.
I narrow my eyes. I’m so tired of these brothers and their “fine.”Through my interviews, I’ve noticed Mitchell responds better to a challenge than to direct questions. I nudge him with my foot. “What do you care? Logan was an asshole to you, but you have Kenji.”
His spoon clatters loudly against the bowl as he eyes me like I wounded him. “Bite your tongue. I don’t have Kenji. There is nohavingof Kenji.”
“I was there when he put his arm around you,” I say.
“AndIwas there when he told you that you looked hot.”
My face screws up. “Mitchell, it’sKenji. He tells everyone they look hot. You can’t seriously think he’s into me.”
Even saying the words makes me want to laugh. It’s only Mitchell’s serious expression that keeps it in.
“How would I know?” he asks. “He’s such a fucking flirt I have no idea who he’s into. He’s off at college happily slutting it up and I’m here pining like a Bridgerton brother just desperate for him to look at me.”
He aggressively shoves more rocky road into his mouth.
After the way Logan treated him, I don’t blame him for feeling insecure. Even though I’ve caught more longing stares on my camera between Mitch and Kenji in the past twenty-four hours than I know what to do with, it still wouldn’t be enough to convince Mitchell. Logan had watched him longingly, too, but always wanted to keep their relationship a secret. He said it was about securing Legacy, but he’s only ever openly dated girls after they broke up, too. Mitchell has every right to be confused.
“Kenji isn’t Logan,” I say gently.
“True. Logan was terrified of standing out, whereas Kenji relishes it.”
Mitchell polishes off the bowl, then pushes both his hands through his hair like he does when he’s upset. The small huff of laughter that escapes him is humorless. “God, that guy messed with my head.”
I swallow at his choice of words. The same words Reid said to me when we broke up.
You do nothing but mess with my head.
“Reid said I did the same thing,” I say quietly.
Mitchell’s eyebrows rise in surprise.
I don’t ever talk to him about Reid, which he clearly prefers. But the situation is eerily similar, and my feelings about Reid are becoming so gnarled, I’ll never be able to make sense of them in time if I don’t start untangling them.
“I thought by keeping things low-key that I was protecting both of us from getting hurt,” I say quietly. “Maybe Logan was doing the same thing.”
Mitchell rears back a little. “Are you seriously being a Logan apologist right now?”
