Craving my Best Friend's Brother

Mia

"That's creepy," I said, standing up from the bed.

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Good morning to you too."

I groaned.

"You were hovering over my face while I slept. That's not normal."

"I just want my charger, " he said, nodding toward the nightstand behind me. The black cord was still plugged into the wall. "You're lying on it, by the way. Under your pillow."

I groaned, looking back. Sure enough, a corner of the cord peeked out from beneath the pillowcase. Heat rushed to my cheeks. "You could have asked. "

I stood from the bed to open the curtains.

He shrugged.

"Where's the fun in that?" He pushed off the wall and walked toward the door. His shoulder brushed mine. Deliberately, I thought or maybe I was imagining things.

He unplugged the charger and held it up. "See? Not a burglar."

"I still think you're creepy."

His lips curved up.

"And I think you're dramatic," he pocketed the charger and turned to face me. The morning light came through the window, turning his messy blonde hair almost golden.

His eyes found mine. "You're gonna stand there glaring at me all day, or are you coming down for breakfast?"

I crossed my arms. "I'm not hungry."

"Liar. You haven't eaten since yesterday. Chloe said you skipped dinner."

I bit my lower lip.

"She cares about you," he stated. "So do I, unfortunately. Now move your feet."

I laughed for the first time in a while.

He pushed the door open and walked out. I followed him. Not because he told me to but because my stomach growled loud enough to betray me.

The kitchen smelled like bacon. I could hear Chloe humming, the clatter of plates but at the bottom of the stairs, Liam stopped, blocking my path.

"What?" I asked, my heart racing at how close we were.

He studied my face for a long moment. I hated when he did that... Looked at me like he was reading a book I hadn't agreed to lend him.

"Derek," he whispered. "He never deserved you."

The words hit softly in my chest. I didn't know what to do with them.

Compliments from Liam always felt like traps, sincere enough to hurt and vague enough to leave me guessing.

"You don't know anything about my relationship," I said and walked away from him. My shoulder hit his chest harder than necessary. He didn't move. He just laughed under his breath and the sound followed me to the kitchen.

After helping Chloe in the kitchen, I went back to my room to take a bath. I stared at myself in the mirror.

I splashed cold water on my face. Borrowed Chloe's brush from the counter. Pulled my hair into a ponytail. The woman staring back at me was still tired, still broken, but at least she looked human.

I took a breath. Then another.

You survived worse, I told myself. You survived three years of Derek. You can survive breakfast with Liam.

I opened the door and walked to the dining room.

The table was set for four.Chloe sat at the head, already piling eggs onto her plate. She smiled when she saw me. "There she is! I was about to send a search party."

"Sorry. I needed a minute."

"Sit, sit." She waved at the chair next to her. I moved toward it. My heart seized when I saw the fourth person.

She was beautiful.

Tall. Long legs in white jeans. Hair like black silk pulled over one shoulder. She held a coffee mug with both hands and smiled at me like she already knew who I was.

"Hey," she said. Her voice was warm. "You must be Mia. I've heard so much about you."

I looked at Chloe. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've..."

"That's Vanessa," Liam said. He was already seated across from me, buttering a piece of toast like this was nothing. "She's staying for breakfast."

Vanessa. The name shoved the air out of my lungs. Liam's girlfriend.

Chloe had mentioned her. Once. Maybe twice. I'd not taken her seriously because there was no way Liam could get a girlfriend. But here she was.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Vanessa mumbled, flashing her white teeth at me. "Chloe talks about you all the time. I feel like I already know you."

My chest tightened.

"Thanks." My voice came out strange. I cleared my throat and sat down. "You too. I mean... Chloe's mentioned you. A few times."

Liam didn't look up from his toast. Chloe, oblivious as always, launched into a story about a delivery driver who'd left a package in the bushes. I laughed when everyone else laughed. I nodded when everyone else nodded. But my eyes kept drifting to Vanessa's hand on the table. Her long fingers wrapped around the mug. No ring. Not that that meant anything.

"So, Mia," Vanessa said, turning to me with those warm brown eyes. "Chloe tells me you just got out of a relationship. I'm sorry. That's awful."

I felt Liam's gaze lift. His eyes met mine across the table. I looked away first.

"It's fine," I said. "It was a long time coming."

"Still. Breakups are brutal." Vanessa reached over and squeezed my wrist. Her touch was friendly. It made my skin crawl.

"Derek was a jerk anyway," Chloe added, waving her fork. "You're better off."

"Agreed," Liam said, biting into his toast. It was the first thing he had said since Vanessa started the discussion.

Then the conversation shifted, which I appreciated. Chloe asked Vanessa about her work. She talked about a pitch she'd won. Chloe laughed at something she had said but I wasn't listening. The only thing I could focus on was how Liam watched her with a look that pierced needles in my heart.

I pushed eggs around my plate. My appetite had vanished.

"This is fun," Chloe said, leaning back in her chair. "We should do this more often. All four of us."

Hell no.

I forced a smile on my face.

"Mia's welcome anytime," Vanessa added. "You're practically family."