From Brother To Lover

I held Carl's leash and smiled at Alex. "Can I borrow Carl for a bit? My tent is leaking, so sleeping with him should be warm."

Alex shook his head and I hesitated. Since entering university, I had been dating Benjamin. Although I occasionally met Alex during club activities, we hardly talked anymore. Our relationship was probably not what it used to be. Asking him to borrow his dog might be overstepping boundaries.

"Sorry, it was my …" I apologized.

"My tent is spacious. How about the three of us sleep together tonight?" Alex interrupted, bending down to pat Carl's head before looking at me.

I was left speechless, swallowing back the apology that was on the tip of my tongue, trying to digest what he had just said.

"What did you say, Alex?" Benjamin and a few classmates around us were even more surprised than I was, thinking they had misheard.

Alex ignored their reactions, grabbing my hand and leading me towards his tent. "You and Carl go in first and rest. I'll help you move your things from your tent."

By the time I came back to my senses, Carl and I were already sitting in Alex's tent, staring at each other in bewilderment.

"Alex, this isn't right. What's the deal with you letting Jessica stay in your tent?" Benjamin questioned, his tone incredulous.

"Brothers taking care of sisters, isn't that natural?" Alex replied casually, but his words hit Benjamin's heart deeply.

"You two are just childhood friends, not siblings," Benjamin retorted, to which Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, not siblings. That's great," Alex said with a smile.

"You!" Then came Benjamin's muttered curse.

Carl and I, one human and one dog, huddled at the edge of the tent, listening intently. However, I didn't quite understand the meaning behind Alex's last words, nor did I catch what Benjamin said at the end. His tone, however, sounded very angry.

I felt grateful to Alex for making my ex-boyfriend so upset. Anyway, I was feeling relieved now. I lay down comfortably, closed my eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

In a daze, I felt the warmth of another presence beside me. I thought it was Carl, so I reached out with my eyes still closed. When I felt something, I hugged it with both arms and drifted off to sleep happily.

In my dream, it seemed like someone was pacing back and forth around me. But it was pitch black all around and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see where the footsteps were coming from. The footsteps came and went, their rhythm haunting.

Suddenly, it felt like the owner of those footsteps had stopped behind me, filling me with utter fear. Just as I felt their touch, I jolted awake. Panicked, I buried my head into the warmth in front of me, gasping for breath.

A large hand gently patted my back. Alex's voice was incredibly gentle and comforting, "Jessica, Jessica, I'm here, don't be afraid." Under his soothing words, I gradually emerged from the nightmare, realizing the ambiguous position between Alex and me.

His broad shoulders and slender waist almost enveloped me entirely. I was somewhat relieved that it was pitch black around us, hiding my flushed cheeks from his view.

I tried to push away from his chest to escape, but Alex tightened his arm around me, pulling us closer again. Suddenly, my lips felt warm and I found myself kissing Alex's neck. Quickly, I tried to pull away.

"Don't retreat, there's someone behind your tent," Alex's warm breath brushed against my ear.

The fear from my nightmare washed over me once again. Clutching Alex's shirt tightly, I buried my face in his neck, whimpering, "Why did the ghost from my dream come to life? Alex, can you ward off ghosts?"

Alex remained silent, his breath noticeably heavier.