𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲

𝐘/𝐍'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

"Dude, I low-key don't want to go anymore. It's going to be so awkward," I groaned, rummaging through my closet for something to wear.

Tonight was my oldest brother Chris's housewarming party at the new home he and Alba had bought together. They'd been married for about two years now and had finally found a house they both loved.

Before this, they were splitting their time between Chris's old place and his house in Los Angeles.

"You're making this a bigger deal than it needs to be," Dylan said with a shrug, his face grinning through FaceTime. "Plus, you've hooked up with plenty of people and seen them again later. Was it ever awkward? Nope."

"Okay, but this is different. She's... well, you know who she is," I muttered, pulling a shirt out of my closet and inspecting it.

"Jesus, Y/n, if you were going to spiral this hard about hooking up with Scarlett, why'd you even stick your dick in her?" Anna teased as she emerged from my bathroom, smirking.

I glared at her, but she and Dylan burst into laughter, clearly enjoying my misery.

"It wasn't like I planned for it to happen," I grumbled, yanking the shirt over my head.

"Look, the fact that she hasn't said anything to Chris is a good sign," Anna said, crossing her arms.

"Or," Dylan cut in with a sly grin, "it means the sex was trash. Weak game, Y/n."

I flipped him off through the screen. "Shut up, O'Brien."

"No need to shut up when you've got receipts," Dylan shot back. "And by receipts, I mean the mental trauma of walking in on you two once. Nightmares, dude. Nightmares."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh, go suck a dick."

"Nah, I prefer titties, thanks," Dylan retorted, his grin widening.

"Focus, you two," I said, grabbing a pair of shoes. "Worst-case scenario, Scarlett tells Chris. He gets mad, but honestly, he'd probably blame her more than me."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, Chris is way too protective over you. He'd probably think she took advantage of his precious baby sister."

That wasn't entirely far-fetched. Chris and I have always been close. Growing up, I jokingly called him "Dad" because of how much he doted on me. Being the youngest in the family, and with such a big age gap between me and my siblings, I'd always been spoiled by Chris.

He's been my rock since I was a kid, and even now, we're still incredibly tight.

Anna and Dylan stayed quiet for a moment while I finished getting ready. "Are you done spiraling now?" Anna asked, slipping on her earrings.

"Yeah," I sighed, tying my shoes. "Let's just get this over with."

We said our goodbyes to Dylan, who made one last obnoxious comment about my "Scarlett panic," and headed out to my car. The drive to Chris and Alba's new place took about fifteen minutes, but the nervous energy made it feel much longer.

.  .  .

I walked in with Anna by my side, I was nervous to say the least because today would be the first time I've seen her since what happened.

We haven't talked, I debated messaging her at least 100 times, I couldn't do it though. Maybe it was just a one-night thing and I don't want to be one of those clingy lesbians. Part of me though, wanted to be sure.

The way we were talking, more so flirting that night, I don't know, it was just different than how things usually are between Scarlett and I.

Her being my brother's best friend, we've always had interactions, seen each other at events, family dinners and things of that sort but now, it's different. Now, I've seen her naked, I've kissed her. I've done things with her that I know Chris wouldn't approve of.

"Don't think too hard about it." Anna whispered to me, trying to calm my anxiety. I looked over at her, shaking my head as we walked fully into my brother's home. 

I walked straight over to my parents greeting them both and hugging my sisters before Scott came over to us. "There's my girl!" He exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around me.

"I almost thought you weren't coming, Chris would've cried like a baby." Scott smiled as he kept his arm dangling over my shoulder.

"You know I like to make an entrance." I joked as we all engaged in conversation. My mom of course, looking over every inch of me to make sure I was well. "I hate that you live so far away sometimes, when are you going to move back to Sudbury?" my mom asked with her hand on my cheek.

"Well most of my business is done in LA mama, you know that." I said knowing we were about to repeat the same conversation we've had since I made the decision to move to LA a few years ago.

Chris and Alba finally made their way over, Alba squealing out of excitement. "There she is!" Alba squealed as she ran over, wrapping her arms around me.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming," she said, playfully swatting my arm.

"You know me. Gotta make an entrance," I teased.

"She's lying," Anna interjected with a smirk. "She was freaking out about, you know who being here."

Alba's face softened with understanding. Of course, she already knew about the whole situation since she walked into the aftermath. I'd sworn her to secrecy—no way Chris could find out.

She found the whole ordeal to be pretty funny but, she was also a great person to talk to after it happened. Alba and I are pretty close, I was super excited when she and Chris started dating because of how much we clicked.

He'd brought her around a few times before they officially got together and we couldn't be separated, I mean, given how close we are in age, it just fit.

"You two still haven't talked about it?" Alba asked, lowering her voice.

"Nope. And I'm not planning to. I just don't want things to be awkward," I admitted.

"Stop overthinking it," Alba said, squeezing my arm. "Come on, let's have fun. Maybe find someone else to... keep your mind off things."

Anna and Alba exchanged knowing laughs, leaving me to shake my head and head to the kitchen for a drink. As I was walking back, I heard Chris's familiar voice behind me.

"There you are! I thought I heard Alba scream, so I knew it had to be you," he said with a grin, pulling me into a bear hug and kissing my forehead.

I practically held onto the man before my mom came over snapping a picture of us. She loved to do this when she finally had us all in the same room again.

Chris grabbed my hand, wanting me to hang out with him and Alba. "Come on, we're all in the den having a good laugh." Chris said as he had his hands on my shoulders, guiding me to the den.

Laughter could be heard as we approached the room and then I heard her voice followed by her infectious laugh.

Just as we made it into the doorway, her eyes locked on mine. We both didn't say a word before we broke eye contact. "Oh, booger, Scar's here!" Chris smiled as he pulled me over to where Scarlett was standing.

"Hey," Scarlett said with a small smile as she and I exchanged a quick hug. Chris's attention was quickly drawn away as he left me standing with Scarlett.

We looked on at everyone talking and laughing in the room, neither of us saying a word to one another. She took a sip of wine from her glass, I wanted to say something but, I didn't know where to start.

I looked over to my left seeing Alba and Anna giggling to each other. Anna mouthed "Talk to her" as she pointed, trying to not make it look obviously but horribly failed. I cleared my throat, keeping my eyes straight ahead.

I snuck a glance at her, I couldn't help but to notice how tight her dress was, the way it smoothed out over her curves. She looked amazing and it sort of bothered me because if I'm being real, I kind of want to pin her to a wall right now.

"So... it's nice to see you," I managed, gripping my drink tighter than necessary.

"You too," she replied, her gaze fixed on the crowd. Her voice was even, but the way her fingers nervously tapped against her wine glass betrayed her.

The silence stretched, heavy and charged. I caught her stealing a glance at me out of the corner of my eye, but she quickly looked away, her jaw tightening.

"I wasn't sure you'd be here," she said quietly, swirling her wine glass.

"Same," I admitted, my voice softer now. "Chris basically guilt-tripped me into coming." Scarlett grinned slightly.

That earned a faint smile from both of us, but it faded almost as quickly as it appeared. "He does have a way of doing that." I nodded, unsure how to steer the conversation.

My heart raced in the quiet that followed, and I could feel her hesitation like a physical weight. Finally, she took a small step closer, her voice dropping just enough to send a chill down my spine.

"About that night..." she began, her words careful, deliberate. "I think we should talk."

My breath caught, and I tightened my grip on the glass in my hand, bracing myself. "Okay," I said carefully, trying to keep my tone neutral.

Scarlett's eyes flickered to mine before darting away again, as if she couldn't hold my gaze for too long. "It's just... complicated," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Chris—"

"Doesn't know," I finished for her, my voice firmer than I expected. "And he doesn't need to."

Her green eyes searched my hazel ones, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw something raw in them—regret, maybe, or longing. But then her expression hardened, and she shook her head slightly, like she was trying to snap herself out of it.

"It can't happen again, Y/n," she said, her tone firm but not unkind.

I tilted my head, letting a teasing smirk play on my lips. "It can't happen again," I echoed, lowering my voice. "But you want it to."

Her lips parted slightly, her composure faltering. "I—what?"

"Let's not act like you didn't enjoy that night as much as I did," I said, stepping closer. "You can say it was a mistake, but we both know that's not true."

Scarlett's breath hitched, and for a moment, her eyes softened, like she was on the verge of admitting it. But then she squared her shoulders, her walls snapping back into place.

She bit her lip, hesitating, and I saw a crack in her composure. "It's not that I didn't—" She stopped abruptly, glancing around as if someone might overhear.

I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice. "Not that you didn't what?"

Scarlett's eyes widened just a fraction, and she looked away quickly, the faintest hint of color rising in her cheeks. "Nothing. Forget it."

"No, I won't forget it," I said, my frustration slipping through. "Just say whatever it is you're trying not to."

"It doesn't matter. It can't happen again."

"Why not?" I asked, my tone playful but laced with sincerity.

"Because it's wrong," she said, though her voice wavered.

"Wrong," I repeated, letting the word hang between us. "It didn't feel wrong when you kissed me. Or when you let me—"

"Y/n," she interrupted sharply, a faint blush creeping up her neck.

I chuckled, leaning in slightly. "See? Even now, you can't help but think about it."

"Stop," she whispered, but there was no force behind the word.

I took another step closer, our bodies now separated by mere inches. "Tell me to stop, and I will," I said softly, my voice dropping lower.

She looked up at me, her green eyes wide and conflicted. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Instead, her gaze flickered to my lips, lingering there longer than she probably realized.

She let out a soft sigh, glancing around the room before muttering, "Not here."

Before I could stop myself, I took her hand, guiding her toward a quiet corner of the house where the noise from the party faded into the background. She didn't resist, but when we stopped, she crossed her arms, putting up a defensive wall.

"This doesn't have to be a big deal, Scar," I said softly, stepping closer.

Her eyes flicked to mine, conflicted. "It already is."

"It doesn't have to be," I repeated, my voice dropping to a whisper as I leaned in slightly. "You're overthinking it."

Her breath hitched as I closed the gap between us. "Y/n..."

I smirked, leaning even closer until my lips brushed hers—just barely, just enough to send a jolt of electricity through the air between us. Her breath mingled with mine, and for a moment, it felt like the world had stopped.

Her hand came up, resting lightly against my chest as if to push me away, but she didn't. Not yet.

"You're impossible," she whispered, her voice shaky.

I tilted my head, my lips hovering dangerously close to hers. "Am I?"

Her eyes darted to my mouth, and for a split second, I thought she might close the distance.

And then she did, kind of.

Scarlett leaned in, her lips brushing against mine in a tentative, almost hesitant kiss. It was feather-light but charged with enough intensity to make my heart race.

Just as quickly, she pulled back, her hand now firmly on my chest, creating distance between us.

"We can't do this," she said firmly, stepping back.

"Why not?" I asked, keeping my voice steady even as frustration bubbled under the surface.

"Because it's wrong," she said, her tone sharp now, like she was trying to convince herself as much as me.

"Wrong?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "It didn't feel wrong to me."

Her cheeks flushed, and she shook her head, avoiding my gaze. "Y/n, you're Chris's sister. This would... ruin everything."

"Only if you let it," I countered. She opened her mouth to respond but stopped, pressing her lips into a thin line. "This can't happen again," she said finally, her voice quieter now.

Her words hung between us like a heavy weight, and I knew she meant them, even if a part of her didn't want to. Before I could say anything else, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with the ghost of her touch lingering on my skin.

This wasn't over. Not even close.