Owned By My Brother’s Bestfriend

The words blur together as I turned another page, then another, my eyes dutifully scanning every sentence while my mind remained hopelessly elsewhere. The novel lay open in my hands, yet I couldn’t have recalled a single word I’d read if someone had asked me.

With a quiet sigh, I let the book fall shut against my lap. Hours had passed, hours since I’d walked past the guest bedroom and caught sight of Christian with a woman I’d never seen before.

And somehow, that single moment refused to leave me alone

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the memory away, but It didn’t. Instead, it lingered, taunting me, replaying itself whenever my thoughts drifted for even a second.

“This is ridiculous,” I whispered into the empty room, It wasn’t even my fault.

How was I supposed to know the bedroom door would be left partially open? anyone walking past could have looked, I just happened to be the unfortunate soul.

A frustrated breath escaped me, what if Christian told Lucas? The thought alone twisted my stomach into knots.

I doubted he would, Christian wasn’t exactly the type to run around tattling over something so insignificant. If anything, he probably found the entire situation beneath him.

Still..the possibility lingered

Lucas was fiercely protective of me, If Christian twisted what had happened, or simply mentioned he’d caught me standing outside the guest room, how was I supposed to explain myself without sounding guilty?

‘I wasn’t spying.’ I could already hear how unbelievable it sounded. I hadn’t expected to see..my thoughts halted before they could finish the sentence.

Heat crept into my cheeks as my hands flew to my face, pressing against the warmth spreading across my skin. I shook my head once.

“It happened, It’s over, stop thinking about it,” except my mind had apparently decided to betray me, the memory surfaced again, vivid and unwelcome, refusing to be buried no matter how hard I tried.

The woman’s moans echoed in my ears and Christian’s grunts followed close behind. I groaned softly, dropping my face into my hands.

“La..la..la..” my own voice sounded ridiculous, but I didn’t care as if drowning out my thoughts would somehow erase them.

I lowered my hands with another weary sigh and stared at the ceiling when a knock on my bedroom door made me yelp.

Freezing up, my heart jumping at the sudden sound before quickly runing my fingers through my hair, trying to compose myself and erase any evidence that I had been sitting alone in my room overthinking everything for the past several hours.

“Come in,” I called softly and watched the doorknob twist as the door slowly opened.

Lucas stepped into view, his tall, broad-shoulder rested against the edge of the door, his dark hair that always looked slightly messy no matter how much effort he put into fixing it, falls to his face.

His sharp features and confident presence made him intimidating to most people, but to me, he was still just my older brother.

“Hey,” he said, and a small smile tugged at my lips.

“Hey.”

His eyes moved around my room before landing back on me, “You’ve been in here all day,” I bit the inside of my cheek.

Yeah..because I was trying to avoid a certain someone.

“How would you know?” I asked, keeping my tone light, “you’ve been out all day.”

The corner of his lips lifted. “Because I know you,” narrowing my eyes slightly and his smile grew, “you’re the type to disappear into your room and forget the rest of the world exists.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but quickly closed it because, unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong. “And without your best friend around,” he added, “there’s usually no getting you out.”

Rolling my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the small smile that appeared,

“Go wash your hands and come downstairs,” he said, “dinner’s ready.”

My smile faded slightly, “Can I just eat in my room?” the look he gave me answered before he even said anything, the one that reminded me he wasn’t going to let me get away with something.

Letting out a sigh, “Fine.”

Lucas smiled softly, clearly satisfied. Growing up, he had always had this one rule. Whenever we were together, meals were family time. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were meant to be shared.

“See you in a minute,” Lucas said.

I nodded. “Okay,” watching as he stepped back out, closing the door behind him.

The second I was sure he was out of listening distance, I released a long sigh and sank back into my chair, before pressing my lips together, biting the inside of my cheek again as I stared at the closed door.

I couldn’t hide forever, eventually, I would have to face him. I just have to walk downstairs, sit at that table, and pretend everything was normal.

Pushing myself to my feet, with a quick trip to the bathroom later, my hands were washed, and there was officially no reason left for me to delay.

I made my way toward the door, my hand rested on the handle for a second, I just stood there. Long enough that I almost convinced myself to turn around but I didn’t and instead pulled the door open to a quiet hallway.

Pausing, I listened carefully for any voices or footsteps before slowly stepping out, making my way toward the stairs, my fingers nervously playing with the edge of my hoodie.

I glanced around as I descended, half expecting to see him somewhere but there was no sign of him. The sound of movement coming from the kitchen pulled my attention towards it.

Still playing nervously with the edge of my hoodie sleeve, I made my way toward the kitchen and when I stepped inside, I found only Lucas. Relief washed over me before I could stop it.

He was standing by the counter, placing plates on the table, his back turned toward me. As if he sensed my presence, his head lifted and a smirk immediately appeared on his face.

“You sure did take your precious little time.”

I scoffed, walking farther into the kitchen without saying anything and instead let my eyes move around, the tantalizing smell engulf me.

“Okay, whatever you’re making smells really good.”

His smirk stretched into a genuine smile. “Because I made your favorite.”

My expression softened as I looked toward the table, my eyes immediately landed on the two plates waiting there which meant no unexpected company or awkward dinner conversation, just Lucas and me.

That simple fact made my shoulders relax as I walked over and took my seat. A moment later, Lucas placed my plate in front of me before taking the seat beside me.

I didn’t hesitate before taking my first bite and second the food hit my tongue, my eyes closed. Lucas could cook like he had spent years training for it, while I could barely manage a meal without somehow finding a way to ruin it.

Taking another bite, enjoying the food while Lucas’s phone suddenly pinged. He picked it up, his attention shifting toward the screen. I continued eating, but after a moment, I noticed the way his expression changed slightly.

My brows pulled together. “Is something wrong?”

His eyes stayed on his phone for another second before he lowered it onto the table. “Nothing that can’t be handled,” then he looked over at me, “So, what’s your plan? Are you still refusing to work for me?”

Lucas had offered me a position at his company months ago, and while I was grateful..more grateful than he probably realized, I couldn’t bring myself to accept it.

His gaming company wasn’t some small hobby anymore, he had built it with a few of his friends nearly four years ago, and despite the struggles, setbacks, and moments where things could have fallen apart, they had kept going.

Now it was finally starting to grow and I was proud of him, I really was. But working under my brother felt too much like taking the easy way out, and I didn’t want every opportunity in my life to come from him.

I wanted to build something that was mine, something I could look at and know I earned myself.

“I wouldn’t say refusing,” I said carefully and he gave me a look.

“That’s exactly what refusing means.”

“Okay, maybe it is,” I looked down at my plate, knowing exactly what he was going to say next and knowing I probably wouldn’t change my mind, “we’ve already had this conversation,” I said, cutting into my food, “my answer is still the same.”

He leaned back in his chair, studying me for a moment. “I still think my offer is better than you working at a café,” I opened my mouth to argue, but he continued before I could, “But..” He shrugged slightly, “I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. “I know,” he could be annoyingly persistent, especially when it came to me, but he had never once tried to control my choices, “It’s just temporary, untill I find something more stable.”

He nodded, accepting my answer even if I knew he still didn’t completely agree with it. Picking up his fork, he takes another bite of his food before speaking.

“Just remember, I’m always going to be here when you need me.”

My expression softened. “I know.”

A small smile appeared on his face. “When the world feels heavy and when it feels light..”

My lips pushes up to the side as I shake my head softly, “you’ll always be there..”