Breaking the Bro Code (Breakin' in the 80s, Book 1)

A few minutes later, after drying her hands on a paper towel, Molly opened the door and tossed the paper in the trash by the door. She walked through the hall, looking for Trevor—and jerked to a stop.

Trevor stood with his back against the brick wall under a sign that read Restrooms, a brilliant smile on his face. But it wasn’t for Molly. Another girl stood with him, playing with the edges of his jean jacket. Andrea, a girl from their school—the one Molly consistently beat in every cross-country race. She said something to Trevor, and he laughed touching the tip of her nose with his fingertip.

Heat scorched Molly’s face and chest. She narrowed her eyes and stalked over to them. Trevor looked up as she approached and raised his eyebrows for a second. Then he pushed off the wall and reached for Molly.

“Hey.” He gestured to Andrea. “Look who I ran into.”

Molly met Andrea’s gaze and nodded. “Hi, Andrea.”

Andrea cocked her eyebrow, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder and looked at Trevor. “I’ll see you later.” She glanced at Molly and grinned, then walked away through the crowd.

Biting her tongue, Molly glared at Trevor. “What the hell?”

A wrinkle formed between his eyes. “What?”

“What do you mean what? What was that all about?” She waved a hand in the direction Andrea had walked.

“Jeez, relax. We were just talking.” He took her hand in his and pulled her toward the food court.

Molly yanked her hand away and planted her feet. “No, you were flirting with her.”

“I was not flirting.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re overreacting.”

“She had her hands all over you and you touched her. That’s not just talking.” Molly clenched her hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

Trevor huffed a breath. “Great. You think I’d do that? Nice.”

“What am I supposed to think?”

“You’re supposed to trust me.” He pushed out his bottom lip. “I guess I haven’t earned that from you.”

Molly stared at him, her mouth opened slightly, and eyebrows drawn into a deep V. She remembered the way he smiled at the other girls today and considered that in the light of this new information. Her stomach clenched.

“You’ve been smiling at other girls all day and I thought you were just being friendly. But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”

“No.” He crossed his arms. “Look, you know I think you’re beautiful, but it’s human nature to look at people. You aren’t the most beautiful girl out there just like I’m not the cutest guy. You look at other guys, too, and I never give you a hard time.”

Molly gasped. “I do not.” How had this turned into her fault?

“I’ve seen it. And you talk to them, too. But I trust you, so I don’t let it bother me.”

“I… I haven’t.” But that wasn’t true. She talked to the guys on the cross team. And Hayden, Trevor’s best friend. Did Trevor think she was flirting, too?

Trevor drew a deep breath and dropped his gaze to the floor. He raised his eyes and tears glimmered on his lashes. “I love you, Molly. But how can we move forward if you don’t trust me?”

Molly caught her breath, her heart pounding against her ribs. She sighed and took his hands in hers. “It just looked like you were enjoying her attention.”

“I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.” He pulled Molly to his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Please, don’t worry about her. She’s not the one I want.”

Laying her cheek against his soft shirt, Molly hugged his waist, too. “I guess I was just jealous. Sorry.” Let down number ten thousand.

His laugh rumbled under her ear. “That’s okay. I’d feel the same way if I saw you with another guy.” He lifted her chin with a finger and kissed her softly on the lips.

Molly relaxed into him for a moment then smiled. “Alright, now that the drama is over, let’s eat.”

“You got it. Anything for my girl.” He caressed her cheek with his fingertips and smiled,

Molly did too and turned toward the circle of food counters and tables. As they walked, she sighed, pushing Andrea and any residual hurt from her mind. Trevor loved her, and that was all that mattered.

Besides, I’ll take care of Andrea myself tomorrow.