Did the lines of hate blur into more all these years, only to explode from one weekend together? Did my dislike stem from jealousy of him always having a different girl on his arm?
God, I wasn’t sure.
I checked out and found a rideshare to my brother’s apartment. My heart pounded as nerves danced along my spine. My stomach churned, and I wished I had eaten breakfast. The urge to throw up always got worse without food, and I fumbled in my bag for my bottle of water. I took a long sip and checked my phone, hoping that Cooper texted me or reached out or something. But it was blank.
Totally blank.
“We’re here, ma’am.”
I thanked the driver and got out. The sun beat down on me, and I took a deep breath before I pressed the buzzer to my brother’s unit. “Hey, it’s me.”
“Yeah, come up,” he growled and let me in. I took the elevator to his floor, hating the unease in my gut. He sounded pissed, and he should be. Cooper was a womanizer and his best friend. The two of us sleeping together broke all the rules.
He had the door cracked, and I let myself in. When I caught him and Juliet sitting on the couch staring at me, I tensed. Her face seemed relaxed, amused almost, and I shut the door and leaned on it.
“I’m sorry, okay?” I said. “Don’t hate me or him.”
“Do you have feelings for him?” Sam asked, his tone neutral. “It’s okay if you do, just… tell me.”
“I might, yeah.”
He took a breath. “I trust you, and while I don’t love this...it makes sense.”
“How?”
“He’s always been protective of you.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Juliet grinned and patted my brother’s leg before saying, “I’ve always thought you two were real shit at hiding your feelings. The past two years you’ve been dancing around each other.”
“Wait, really? I hated him though.” I frowned, my mind spinning at her words. “Well, maybe not.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking not.” He gave me a tight smile and blew out a long breath. “You fit with each other, and while I don’t love it because I know way too much about him… if you want this and he makes you happy, I’m on board.”
“She doesn’t need your permission,” Juliet snapped, her gaze softening at me.
“I don’t,” I said, butterflies exploding in my stomach as what-if scenarios took root. What if it worked with Cooper? What if this could be a thing?
I swallowed and played with the hem of my dress. “But I’m glad I have it. I think I was using you as an excuse to avoid dating him.”
“You can use me as an excuse all you want. If you want this,reallyneed to try dating him, then do it. But if you don’t, you can also let it be what you said. Just a weekend fling.” The lines around his eyes relaxed, and he smiled for real this time. “He’ll kill me for telling you this, but he knew about the room mix-up before we got there.”
My mouth fell open.
“Yeah, he pretended to be all pissed off, but I figured you’d say no if it was really a big deal.” He smirked when Juliet pinched his side. “My fiancé seems to think she was right. I hate it when she’s smug.”
“I gotta go.” I chewed my lip and clutched my phone to my chest. “I need to see him.”
“Just don't tell me too many details, all right? I can handle the basics.”
“Thank you. I love you guys,” I said, already yanking the door open and typing on my phone.
Daniella: Can I see you?
Cooper: Depends on why
Daniella: To make this right
