Chapter 24
Ethan
Fast asleep, Mia rolls over and onto my chest. With my back against the headboard, I sit up and hook my arm around her. Moving a strand of blonde hair away from her face, I smile.
I told Mia about Erik, the accident, and my past addiction.
And the world didn’t end.
Nothing happened.
Curling next to Mia, I stroke her hair and watch her breathe. This simple gesture produces a feeling in the pit of my stomach, an ache that burns like acid. I bared myself to Mia, something I’ve never done with any woman.
Fighting exhaustion, my eyes flutter. Like the darkness, sleep wins out, my eyes closing as I dream of Mia.
Thump, thump, thump. The sound wakes me from my slumber. When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is… Will. Fuck. He’s hovering over my side of the bed with his hand on the headboard. Will’s the cause of the noise.
I rub my eyes and sit up. “What are you doing?”
He grinds his teeth together, his face twisted in anger. “I should ask you the same thing, seeing as you’re in my sister’s bed, and both of you are naked.”
Mia pulls the sheet up to her chin, her eyes wide with surprise. “Will, don’t freak out, okay? Just give us a second to explain.”
“Explain what? How are you two sneaking around with each other behind my back?” He folds his arms over his chest, his jaw clenched.
“Yeah, I would love to hear how my best friend ended up in my little sister’s bed.
” Will sits at the edge of the bed, his weight dipping the mattress on my side.
“I’m sure it’s a great fucking story. Let’s hear it. ”
Mia lets out an exaggerated groan, blowing hair in her face. “Don’t be an ass, Will. Please. It’s too early in the morning to get into a fight.”
“How long has this been going on?” Will looks at me and shakes his head. “I flat out asked you if you liked my sister, and you said no, even though I knew you were fucking lying to my face. Of all people, I trusted you the most with Mia.”
Shifting my weight, I roll over to grab my boxer briefs and swing my feet off the side of the bed to slip into them. I’m arguing with Will naked.
“I never intended for anything to happen with us,” I admit. “It just did.”
Will covers his face with his hands and sighs. “I don’t even know what to say. To either of you.”
“At least he’s not some random guy I picked up at a bar,” Mia says. “I’ve known Ethan for years. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”
“Because you were fucking him behind my back! My best fucking friend. My little sister. What the actual fuck?” He gets up from the bed in a rage and spins around to face us. “I can’t even look at either of you.”
Will storms out of Mia’s bedroom, and I follow behind. “Will, come on, man. Let me explain. You know I would never hurt your sister.”
In the kitchen, I lean against the countertop. Will grips the top of the refrigerator, staring at me with hatred in his eyes. We never fight. The few times we’ve gotten into it, we worked out our aggression with either a hockey stick or our fists.
“How long has this been going on?” He crosses his arms over his chest, pinning me with a heated look. “I want the truth.”
“About three weeks. I kissed Mia the night we went to The Sixth Floor. You almost caught us together when you came home early. Mia was the reason I rented the room at the Ritz. I couldn’t stand living here with both of you, all while I wanted to be with your sister when I damn well knew I couldn’t have her. ”
“You’re not good enough for her.” His words burn like salt on an open wound.
“I know. I tell Mia that all the time, but she doesn’t care. She wants to be with me anyway.”
“Some of the things I’ve seen you do.” He shakes his head.
“Things I did with you. Mia is not like us. She’s pure and innocent and…
” He runs his hand through his hair. “Fuck! Why did you have to touch her? You have your pick of girls. You didn’t need to fuck my sister.
” He closes his eyes for a second and wrinkles his nose in disgust.
“I’ll take care of Mia. You know I will.”
He blows out a puff of air. “Do you love her?”
“What kind of question is that?”
He closes the distance and shoves his hands into his jeans pockets. “Because you better not have ruined our friendship over pussy. You better fucking love her.”
“Will, you’re overreacting.”
He moves into the small living room. “Don’t even bother coming back to the condo.”
“I live there, dick.”
“Lived,” he spits back. “You lived there. Past tense. Move the fuck out. Either you leave, or I will. I don’t give a fuck.”
Mia comes out from the bedroom barefoot and in a silky black robe tied at her waist. She makes a beeline for Will, her hands balled into fists at her sides.
“Will, stop it. Please. Don’t be mad at Ethan.
You’re not throwing out your best friend and teammate because of me.
I’m a big girl. I decided to sleep with Ethan. ”
When it comes to Mia, Will softens, but not much. She tugs at the more sensitive side of Will, something I can’t do. Both of us are arrogant hotheads who would rather beat the shit out of each to solve a problem. Mia is always the voice of reason—the one person who calms us.
“Are you two serious?” Will grits his teeth as he awaits Mia’s response.
Mia looks to me for confirmation. “Are we?”
“You fucking prick,” Will shouts when I don’t answer immediately. “You can’t even give her an answer.” He turns to Mia, scratching the stubble along his jaw. “Fuck him. You deserve so much better.”
There’s no reasoning with Will when he’s like this, so I ignore him. Let him be mad. He’s still in shock.
Mia takes Will’s hand, forcing him to look at her. “Don’t talk to your best friend like that.” She strokes his skin with her fingers in an attempt to soothe him. “Nothing we say or do will change that we’ve been sneaking behind your back. I’m sorry.”
“So am I,” I mutter. “I wanted to tell you, but I had no idea how you would react. I knew you would be pissed, so I wanted to wait until we knew what we were doing.”
He laughs. “Oh, you thought you would fuck my sister until you grew tired of her, so you never have to come clean with me. Was that your plan, E?”
“No, of course not. It’s not like that with Mia.”
“You’re just another girl to him,” Will says to Mia. “Ethan doesn’t date. He fucks. This won’t end well for you, baby sis. I won’t be around every morning to bring you breakfast or rock you back to sleep when you need someone to mend your broken heart. And he definitely won’t be there for you.”
Will’s acting like an asshole, but he’s a good brother. I would do the same if Mia were my sister.
“He won’t break my heart,” Mia says. “Not again, not after last time.”
“Mia, open your eyes. Do you see him fighting for you? No. He hasn’t said more than two words. This relationship is one-sided. I know you well enough to know that you love Ethan.”
Mia pushes her hand to her hips. “You know nothing about our relationship, Will.”
“Am I wrong? Are you… not in love with him? I can see it in your eyes when you look at him. You’ve looked at him this way for years.”
“Yes!” Mia throws her hands in the air. “Yes, I’m in love with him. I’ve loved Ethan since I was in high school. What’s wrong with that?”
Bile rises from the back of my throat. Mia loves me. A small part of me had always known that, but hearing the words aloud makes this real.
She loves me.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Will says, his tone softening.
“Sleep on it, okay?” Mia squeezes his bicep. “Maybe spend some time apart from Ethan. Give it time to process this before you throw Ethan out of your apartment. You guys are teammates, roommates, and best friends. Hear him out. Don’t dismiss him. If not for Ethan, then do it for me.”
Will sucks in a deep breath and lets it out. “Fine. For you.” He levels me with his hardened gaze. “Meet me at Ollie’s tonight. I need to get out of here before I smash your fucking face in.”
“I would deserve it,” I admit.
“Yeah, you would, asshole.”
Will kisses Mia on the top of her head. “I probably won’t stay here tonight. Don’t wait up for me.”
She forces a smile. Then, he removes his keys from his pocket, slamming the door behind him as he exits the apartment.