Another knock, more insistent this time.
I took a breath and opened the door, keeping it only partially open, my body blocking the view into the apartment. “Trevor. Hey. What are you doing here?”
He looked good. He always looked good. His hair was styled, he was wearing a fitted henley that showed off those muscles he worked so hard for, and his expression was earnest and hopeful in a way that made guilt twist in my gut.
“I know it’s late,” he said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “And I know we left things kind of weird the other night. But I’ve been thinking about you a lot, James. About us. And I couldn’t stop myself from coming over here.”
“Trevor—”
“Just hear me out, okay?” He took a step closer, and I instinctively moved to block him from entering. “I know you said you needed to figure some stuff out. And I respect that, I do. But I can’t stop thinking that maybe I gave up too easily. That I should fight for this. For you.”
My heart sank. This was exactly what I’d been afraid of when I’d broken things off with him. Trevor was a good guy. Too good. The kind of guy who believed in romance and second chances and fighting for what you wanted. He probably watched Hallmark movies on repeat.
And I was standing here with my stepbrother’s saliva still on my tongue.
“This isn’t a good time,” I said, trying to keep my voice gentle but firm.
“I know, I know. I should’ve called first. But I was worried you wouldn’t answer, or that you’d tell me not to come.” His eyes searched mine, pleading. “I just need five minutes. Please.”
Behind me, I heard movement. Kent had stepped closer. I could feel his presence even though I couldn’t see him, could sense the tension radiating off him.
“Trevor, I appreciate you coming here, but nothing’s changed since we talked. I still need?—”
“Is someone here?” Trevor asked, craning his neck to try to see past me. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Just my stepbrother,” I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. “He lives here, remember?”
“Oh. Right.” Trevor’s expression darkened slightly. He knew Kent was the thing on my mind the most and the reason I’d called things off. “Can I come in? Just for a few minutes? I promise I won’t take up much of your time.”
Every instinct I had was screaming at me to say no, to shut this down before it got messy. But Trevor was looking at me with those puppy dog eyes, and I could feel Kent’s gaze burning into my back, and I didn’t know how to navigate this without hurting someone.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I started, but Trevor was already stepping forward.
“Please, James. Just give me a chance to say what I need to say.”
I hesitated, my hand still on the door, caught between the man in front of me who wanted to fight for something we’d never really had, and the man behind me who’d somehow become everything I didn’t know I needed.
“Just let him in,” I heard Kent say behind me, no small amount of jealousy in his voice. “Let him say his piece.”
I turned to look at Kent, searching his face for any sign that he was serious. His jaw was tight, his arms crossed over his chest, but there was something else in his eyes. A challenge, maybe. Or a test.
“You sure?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah.” His voice was flat, controlled. “Let him in.”
I stepped back, opening the door wider. Trevor’s face brightened immediately, and he stepped inside, his eyessweeping the apartment before landing on Kent standing near the couch.
“Hey, man,” Trevor said, offering a friendly wave. “Sorry to intrude. I just needed to talk to James for a minute.”
Kent didn’t respond, just gave a curt nod. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, and I wondered if Trevor could feel it or if he was too focused on whatever speech he’d prepared to notice.
“So,” I said, closing the door and leaning against it. “What did you want to say?”
Trevor ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture I’d seen before. “Right. Okay. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation after the movie. About how you said you needed to figure things out. And I get it, I do. But the thing is, James, I think we have something really special. The chemistry we have, the way we connect… That doesn’t come around every day.”
I could feel Kent’s eyes on me, could sense him watching every micro-expression on my face. My hands felt clammy.
“Trevor—”
