“I miss you! When are you coming home?” Jade groaned into the phone. I had taken some time out while Sebastian was recording to call home and be grounded. Being here was amazing, but at times it felt like a dream that I was still waiting to wake up from.

“My plane leaves bright and early Sunday morning.” I tried sounding enthusiastic, but my voice betrayed me.

“Gee, nice to know how I rate. ‘Oh wow, I miss you too Jade’ would have been a nice response.”

“I’m sorry. I do miss you. I’m just a little mixed up.”

“What’s wrong?” Her playfulness was gone as she immediately picked up on my distress. Best friends can do that, well, best friends and twins. From the moment we met, I knew Jade and I were meant to be friends. We clicked instantly. Our personalities were very similar, but she was far more outgoing than I had ever been. She had graduated with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management and currently worked as a manager at a local hotel.

“Things are happening,” I stammered.

“What kind of things?”

“He told me that he thinks he’s falling in love with me.”

“What!” she shrieked loudly. “Tell me everything!”

I gave her a brief synopsis of what had occurred since my arrival, paying careful attention to leave out a few details that I felt were far too personal to share. When I finished, she gave a long sigh, and I swear I heard muffled crying.

“Are you okay over there?” I chuckled.

“No. My Brooke has fallen in love again, and I’m not there to share it with you. Well, that and I am insanely jealous of you right now. Tell me that you haven’t met Dek.”

“I have,” I gulped. “He’s really nice too.” She mumbled a few expletives, and I laughed silently. “I got you an autograph, though.”

“Really?” she perked up.

“Yeah, I promise you’re going to love it.”

“That’s cool,” she sniffed quietly. “Brooke?”

“Yeah?”

“I really am happy for you, sweetie. If anyone deserves to find love, it’s you.” We spent the next thirty minutes talking about her work and what we would do when I got back home to reality.

* * *

SEBASTIAN

Having Brooke with me at the recording studio gave me a renewed sense of purpose. Knowing she was here, watching me through the glass partition, spurred me on to keep the rehearsal going a lot longer than I had originally anticipated. At one point I looked out and saw her chatting with Natalie. Her jaw was set firmly and I could tell that something hadn’t sat well with her. Don’t ask me how I knew this after only one week with her, but based on her body language that I had observed this week, she looked mildly uncomfortable. She made eye contact with me, and I could tell she was trying to reassure me with her sweet smile, almost as if she sensed my concern. I had found that we were deeply connected in that way. She seemed to be able to read me, like she knew what I needed without even asking.

When we finally wrapped up, I went out into the lounge and found it empty. I searched up and down the hall, but she and Natalie weren’t anywhere in sight. I pulled out my phone and saw that she had sent me a text.

Natalie seemed to think your session would go longer than expected, so we went out to grab lunch. She will drop me off at the house when we finish up. Can’t wait to hear all about your morning. Xoxo

The mere sight of her girlie sign off made me warm all over. After our kissing session this morning, I could understand why. Just thinking of her arms around me, hands tucked firmly into the back pocket of my jeans, yeah, I couldn’t wait until she came back home.

I walked through the front door, and the house suddenly felt cold and empty. It was funny. I’d lived here alone for a year, and now, after one week of living with a woman, it felt suddenly warm and inviting. Although I knew she needed some time with other women, I found myself wishing she were here with me. I had grown accustomed to her presence in my house. I hated the thought of her leaving, despised it even. If there were any way possible to keep her here with me, I would try. The thought that I had grown attached too quickly never crossed my mind.

An hour later, they walked in, Travis following closely behind, and all I heard was laughter. I looked up from my seat on the sofa and saw her standing there, smiling in that sweet and gentle way that tugged on my heart.

“Hey,” I welcomed, returning her smile. “Did you have a nice time, honey?” When the endearment passed my lips, I couldn’t help but notice the rise in Travis’ eyebrows and the look of surprise that passed over his face. He had never seen me like this with a woman. While Charlotte and I were dating, we had spent some time with Travis and Natalie, choosing to hang out at their house while Natalie was pregnant with Olivia. But during that relationship I had been young, and truth be told, a little naïve about what a woman needed in a relationship. I didn’t intend to make the same mistake twice. Besides, if I was being honest, Charlotte had never stirred in me the kind of thoughts and feelings that Brooke had, even though the amount of time I spent with her had far surpassed what I had logged with Brooke.

“Yes, I had a wonderful time, thank you.” She crossed the room and fell into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and planting a kiss on my waiting lips, a connection I had craved during our time apart. I heard a low moan escape my mouth as her lips left a trail of kisses along my jaw, stopping just below my ear. “I missed you today,” she whispered. Since our confession this morning, neither of us had held back on the affection.

“I missed you too,” I whispered back, not loosening my hold on her waist.

“Ahem,” I heard Travis clear his throat. “We’re still here, guys.” He chuckled softly, placing an arm around his wife before bending to give her a kiss of her own.

“I like this game,” Natalie giggled. “Sebastian gets kisses and so do I. Kiss him again, Brooke!” she encouraged.

“Yeah, kiss me again, Brooke,” I teased playfully.

“No.” She shook her head slowly. “You kiss me.” She didn’t have to ask twice. I covered her lips with mine and got lost in her once again. Getting lost in Brooke was like finding Nirvana, where everything fit together perfectly and time stood still. I never wanted to leave. Our mouths moved together effortlessly, tongues sliding over each other as we gave in to the pleasure of the kiss. When we pulled apart, her lips were still parted, the tip of her pink tongue pressed against her teeth, her breathing slightly elevated. I looked down at her, and she cast a downward glance, suddenly shy, a crimson blush spreading across her cheekbones.

“You’re so cute when you get shy.”

“I don’t mind blushing when you’re the reason for it,” she muttered breathlessly.

“Then let’s make sure we keep that blush going all day,” I replied, covering her face with tiny kisses. When I stopped torturing her with my lips, I turned around and found that Travis and Natalie had sat down across from us on the adjoining couch, watching us closely. I had a feeling an inquisition was soon coming our way.

* * *

BROOKE

The serious look on Travis and Natalie’s faces had me slightly concerned. I suddenly felt like I was back in school and about to receive a lecture, and although I had truly loved being in school, I could honestly say that I had never enjoyed the lectures. If we were lucky, maybe all they wanted to do was talk about how I was planning to spend the rest of my time here in L.A.

So much for wishful thinking…

“So, what’s going on here between you two?” Travis started. Never mind the small talk, just go ahead and jump right in.

“Uh, what do you mean, Travis?” Sebastian’s voice sounded off as if guarded.

“Well, you two have only known each other for a week, and now I see you cuddled up together on the sofa as if you were two people in love. Isn’t that a little fast?”

I felt Sebastian’s body tense beneath me and tried to wriggle free of his hold, but he only latched on firmer, effectively trapping me against him, as if trying to shield himself or protect me.

“What the he—” I cut him off by pressing a finger softly over his lips. He grumbled in protest.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay,” I murmured. “Travis, I know that this seems sudden. It does to us as well, but there is something between us that is hard to explain. I feel like I’ve known him a lot longer than a week.” I slipped a hand into Sebastian’s, intertwining our fingers and giving a gentle squeeze. “It’s almost as if I’ve been waiting for him my whole life.” I leaned my head against his chest. His heart thundered beneath my cheek, and I heard a soft sigh escape his breath.

“I know you’re concerned about me, Travis, and based on what I’ve just come through I can’t say that I blame you, but believe me when I tell you that she is the one I’ve been searching for. She completes me. For the first time in my life I feel alive. I don’t want to let that go just because we’ve only known each other a short time.” He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. “Just be happy for me.”

“If you’re happy, then I am happy for you, little brother. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to find what Natalie and I have been blessed with. I sincerely hope that is what you two have.”

They both smiled at us, Natalie’s eyes spilling over with big tears before she came over and wrapped her arms around us in a group hug, pushing me further into Sebastian’s body. At that moment I felt all of him, firm and unyielding beneath me, and a warm sensation circulated my entire body, reminding me how long it had been since I had any physical connection with a man, other than kissing. I recognized it for what it was and cautioned myself to slow things down. I was okay with the kissing and fondling, to a certain extent, but I would draw the line at anything beyond that. It was too soon. Even though four years was a long time, I still felt like I would be rushing things this early on. Besides that, I wasn’t emotionally ready, no matter how hard the physical side argued.