Page 49 of Sweet Twins For My Brother's Best Friend

As I turn around, my gaze locks onto a scene I wasn’t expecting, something that hadn’t ended up in any of the iterations I’d daydreamed about.

I see Chris stepping out of a sleek, silver car. I see him before he sees me. I also happen to see Julie before she sees me, in the driver’s seat, her smile radiant and her tan glowing.

I freeze, suddenly unsure of what I should do next. I wish desperately for a tree to magically appear in front of me just so that I can hide behind it.

The sight of them together, Julie waving, seemingly carefree, and Chris comfortable enough to get a ride with her, so at ease with each other, feels like a cold splash of reality.

They seem…right together, somehow, a perfect match, the right age and the right world.

My mind races with every possible reason they could be together, but one possibility screams louder than the rest: they were on a date.

Panic claws at my throat as Julie leans out of the car and says something to Chris that makes him nod.

Without fully realizing what I’m doing, I pull on Lucy’s leash, hurrying back to my car.

Suddenly, we’re practically jogging, Lucy’s ears back as she runs with me, always my partner-in-crime, happily my partner-in-crime.

As I usher her into the backseat, I meet Chris’s eyes, his expression shifting to utter confusion, then to a dawning concern as he recognizes the turmoil in my gaze.

He looks back at Julie as she pulls out of her space, then back at me again, his head shaking wildly.

"Hannah!" His voice reaches me faintly, the name floating across the wind to me, urging me to stop.

He starts toward me, his hands outstretched, but the distance might as well be miles, there might as well be a world between us.

I can’t do it. I can’t face it, listen to the excuses, hear him tell me that I was right, that he wants Julie back, that they want to give it another try, that they’re going to get it right this time.

Meanwhile, he has my virginity in his pocket, something precious I can’t ever get back.

With a shaky breath, I turn the key and the engine hums to life. I drive off, the rearview mirror briefly capturing Chris’ figure, looking at me with a mix of hurt, bewilderment, and concern.

The drive home is a blur, tears threatening to spill over as I navigate the streets back the way I came.

When I arrive home it’s quiet, a stark contrast to the turmoil inside me. I sink into the couch, Lucy curling up beside me, her head resting on my lap as if she senses my distress.

The softness of her fur under my fingers brings a momentary relief, while the image of Chris and Julie haunts the back of my mind.

I bury my face into Lucy’s back and inhale, smelling the warm scent of a dog who’s had a good day.

How could I have been so wrong about everythingng? About his feelings, for Julie and for me and for us?

Had I been wrong about the potential of something real blossoming between us? Had it all been just a joke to him? Was I just a Chris Stephens conquest?

Why had he told me he chose me when he could have just kept quiet?

I would have never pursued him if he hadn’t made me feel like it was possible, this thing between us, this heat I feel when I see him.

The thought of confronting Chris now, of explaining why I had fled without a word, seems impossible.

The weight of the unspoken truth about Lucy – about Noodle – lingers heavily on my shoulders.

It’s not just about a dog. It’s about closure, about the past, and about the complex web I’m now caught in.

I consider calling and telling him what I saw, telling him what I know, and asking why he fucked me if he never intended for it to go any further.

But I decide instead that tonight is a night of mourning for the possibility of what might have been, my heart heavy with words left unsaid and paths not taken.

Chapter Twenty Two

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