I tilt my head, waiting for him to continue, but he doesn’t. Instead, he looks at me, and I can see the walls going up. The distance growing.

“You don’t have to tell me the details,” I say, my voice softer now.

“But I miss our talks, Nate. And I just... I don’t know. I feel like maybe I’ve done something wrong?”

His eyes snap to mine, and for a moment, I see something flash in them—guilt, maybe?

“No, Liz. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

There is a sincerity in his voice that I wasn’t expecting, and it catches me off guard.

“Then why are you pushing me away?”

Quiet for a moment, his gaze fixes on mine, and I can feel the air between us growing heavier. There is something unspoken here. There's something we’ve been dancing around for weeks now, and it’s all bubbling to the surface.

“I’m not pushing you away,” he says, but his voice is tight, like he is holding something back.

I meet his gaze, refusing to back down.

“Could’ve fooled me.”

The tension crackles in the air between us, and before I know it, Nate reaches across the table, his thumb brushing the corner of my mouth.

“You’ve got a little something...”

His touch is warm, gentle, and for a moment, everything around us fades away. I freeze, my breath catching in my throat as his thumb lingers on my lips, his eyes locked on mine.

Everything slows down. The sounds of the office fade, the only thing I can hear is the rush of my own heartbeat in my ears. I should pull away. I should laugh it off and make some joke to break the tension, but I can’t. I can’t move, I can’t breathe, because all I can think about is how close he is. About how his eyes are darkening with something I’ve never seen before.

I see his gaze flick down to my lips, his thumb still brushing softly against my skin, and my pulse spikes. Every nerve in my body is on high alert. Every inch of me is hyper-aware of his presence, of the way his breathing has shifted, just like mine.

“Nate...” I whisper, my voice barely audible.

His eyes meet mine again, and for a split second, I think he’s going to kiss me. I can feel it, the tension between us crackling like static, pulling us together like magnets. My heart is racing, my skin tingling with anticipation.

But just as his lips start to move closer, reality snaps back in, and I jerk away, the spell breaking in an instant.

“I... I should go,” I stammer, pushing back from the table, my pulse still racing as I stand.

“I just remembered I have... something...”

I can’t even finish my sentence. My head is spinning, my heart pounding, and all I can think about is how close we just came to crossing a line I’m not sure either of us is ready for.

Nate doesn’t say anything, but I can feel his eyes on me as I hurry out of his office. My cheeks burn and my skin still tingles where he touched me.

What just happened?

***

It’s the weekend and the sun is high, warming the beach. Waves crash in the distance. The air is salty, filled with children's laughter and seagull calls. Max runs ahead, his excitement infectious as he clutches Boomer' leash.

“Come on, Liz! Let’s race before the water gets too far!”

I can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, even though my mind is still stuck. That almost-kiss with Nate has been replaying in my head over and over. I’ve been trying desperately to shake it off. Nothing happened, but we came so close to breaking the unspoken rules—rules I need to keep reminding myself about.

I glance over at Nate, who's carrying the beach chairs. He’s wearing navy-blue swim trunks, his tanned skin gleaming in the sunlight. It takes everything in me to keep my eyes from lingering too long on his abs. Perfectly toned, every muscle flexes with each step he takes, and I feel a flutter in my stomach.Get a grip, Liz.

He catches me staring, and his smoldering gaze meets mine for a fraction of a second before he looks away. It sends my heart into overdrive. I need to focus on something else, anything else, because my brain is doing things I’d rather it not. I’m notsupposed to be here, swooning over my brother’s best friend, no matter how ridiculously attractive he is.