"I wasn't crying!"
"—and little Becky Miller standing there with her mouth hanging open." Sarah leans forward. "And you know what this idiot says? He looks up at her and says, 'That was just the warm-up.'"
I burst out laughing, and Bash's mock outrage melts into a reluctant smile.
"It worked, though," he points out. "She was my first kiss two weeks later."
"Only because she felt sorry for you," Sarah retorts.
I'm still laughing, imagining the scene. "Were you always this reckless?"
"Always," Sarah confirms before Bash can defend himself. "One time—"
Bash's phone rings, cutting her off. He glances at the screen and frowns slightly. "Sorry, I need to take this." He turns and I hear him say "Hey Ty" as he steps into the house, sliding the door close behind him.
A comfortable silence settles between Sarah and me as we watch the last of the sunrise. The mountains are fully illuminated now, majestic and eternal against the brightening sky.
"I'm really glad I got to meet you," Sarah says after a moment.
I smile, warming at the approval in her voice. "Me too."
She sets her coffee down on a side table and turns to face me more fully. "Charlie, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
Her expression shifts, becoming more serious. "I know about your... arrangement with my brother."
My heart drops into my stomach. "What do you mean?"
"The fake relationship," she says gently. "I know all this started as pretend."
I open my mouth, but no words come out. Part of me wants to deny it, to keep up the charade, but something in her eyes tells me she already knows everything.
"How did you..." I trail off, not even sure what I'm asking.
"Bash told me," she says simply. "He's never been good at keeping things from me."
I stare into my coffee, mortified. "I'm sorry we lied to you."
"Don't be." She reaches across and touches my hand briefly. "I'm not judging either of you. I just..." She pauses, choosing her words carefully. "I wanted you to know something about my brother."
I look up, meeting her gaze.
"After his injury," she continues, "Bash wasn't the same person. He'd built his entire identity around snowboarding, and when that was taken away..." She shakes her head. "He was depressed. Wouldn't talk to anyone, not even me. For months, he just... disappeared into himself."
My chest tightens as I picture the man I've come to know, the vibrant, confident man, hollowed out by loss.
"Eventually, he pulled himself together enough to function. Got into marketing, started talking to his friends and family again, all the outward signs of moving on." She looks toward the mountains. "But there was always something missing. Like he was going through the motions but not really feeling any of it."
I think about the night by the fire pit, when he told me about his injury and the loss of his career. The raw vulnerability in his voice, the way he'd admitted to being afraid.
"These last two days," Sarah continues, "seeing him with you... it's the first time in years I've seen my brother truly happy. Truly himself." Her eyes meet mine, intense and sincere. "It's given me hope that he's finally going to be okay."
I swallow hard, not knowing what to say. Part of me wants to confess that I'm falling for him too, that whatever started as pretend doesn't feel fake anymore. But the words stick in my throat, too fragile to voice aloud.
"I don't know what's real between you two now," she continues. "That's not my business. But I can see how he looks at you, Charlie. And whatever this is or isn't, just..." She takes a breath. "Just be careful with him. He might seem invincible, but he's not."
"I would never intentionally hurt him," I say quietly.
