For the first time in my life, I feel relieved. I told Mia about Erik, the accident, and now my addiction. And the world didn’t end. Nothing happened. After taking Mia twice in her bed, she passed out from all the orgasms I gave her. Too bad I wasn’t tired. It’s kind of hard to sleep after confessing my darkest secrets to Mia over one of the best blowjobs I’ve ever had.

Mia rolls over and onto my chest. I sit up, with my back against the headboard, and hook my arm around her. Her chest rises and falls with each breath she takes. In sleep, she’s even more beautiful. I push a strand of hair from her cheek and smile.

My entire body is still on fire from the adrenaline that coursed through my veins all night. Lying next to Mia, I touch her hair as I watch her sleep. This simple gesture produces a feeling inside the pit of my stomach, an ache that burns like acid. I bared myself to Mia, something I have never done with anyone. Not even Will.

My eyes flutter, slowly closing as I continue playing with Mia’s hair. I fight sleep, even though I need it. The image of Mia in my arms, curled about against my naked body, burns into my brain. A permanent memory. One that I will never forget. Just like the darkness, sleep wins out. I stop fighting exhaustion, and myself, giving in to the dream of us. Of Mia and me.

* * *

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound wakes me from my slumber, piercing into my skull. 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 was the cause of the noise.

I rub the sleep from 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 are in my sister’s bed naked. And she’s naked, too.”

Mia pulls the sheet up to her chin and peels herself from my chest, leaving me with nothing to cover myself. Not like I care about me.

She holds out her hand, her eyes wide with surprise. “Will, don’t freak out, okay? Just give us a second to explain.”

“Explain what? How you two are sneaking around with each other behind my back?” He folds his arms over his chest. His jaw clenches in anger. “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 her 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 from the floor and swing my feet off the side of the bed to put them on. I’d rather not argue with Will naked.

“I never intended for anything to happen with us,” I tell Will. “It just did.”

Will covers his face with his hands and sighs. “I don’t even know what to say. To either of you. I am so fucking disgusted.”

“At least he’s not some random guy I picked up at a bar,” Mia says. “I have 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 fit of rage and spins around to face us. “I can’t…I can’t even talk to either of you.”

I follow behind Will as he storms out of Mia’s bedroom. “Will, C'mon, man. Let me explain everything. You know I would never hurt your sister.”

Once we reach the kitchen, I lean back against the countertop. Will grips the top of the refrigerator, staring at me with more hatred than I have ever seen from him. We have never fought. Not even once. The few times we got into it, we worked out our aggression with either a hockey stick or our fists.

“How long has this been going on? I want the truth.”

“On and off since right after we moved in here. 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 are not good enough for her.” His words burn like salt on a 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 have seen you do.” He shakes his head. “Things I did with you. Mia is not like us. She’s pure and innocent and…Fuck, why did you have to touch her? You have your pick of girls; you didn’t need my sister.” He closes his eyes for a second and wrinkles his nose in disgust. “You did those things with my sister. I know you. I know what you like. I like that shit, too.”

“I will take care of Mia. You know I will.”

“Do you love her?”

“What kind of question is that?”

He steps closer to me, with his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. “Because you better not have ruined our friendship over pussy. You better fucking be in love with her.”

“Nothing is ruined, Will. You are overreacting.”

He walks away from me and 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 in a silky black robe tied at her waist, her feet bare and blonde hair over her shoulder. She makes a beeline for Will with her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Will, stop it. Please. Don’t be mad at Ethan. You are not throwing out your best friend and teammate because of me. I am 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 to Will, something I am unable to 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 can calm both of us down.

“Are you two serious?” Will grits his teeth as he awaits Mia’s response.

Mia looks to me for confirmation. “Are we?”

I have no idea what to say. We were supposed to test out our relationship before Will picks up on my uncertainty and shakes his head at me with a smirk on his face.

“You fucking prick,” Will shouts. “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 is like this, so I ignore him. Let him be mad. He’s still in shock.

Mia steps forward to take Will’s hand in hers, forcing him to look at her. “Don’t talk about 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 the fact that we have been sneaking around behind your back. I am sorry.”

“So am I,” I mutter. “I wanted to tell you, but I had no idea how you would react. Well, I knew you would be pissed, which is why I wanted to wait until we knew what we were doing.”

He laughs. “Oh, so you thought you would fuck my sister until you grew tired of her so that you never had to come clean with me. Was that your plan, E?”

“No, of course not. It’s not like that with Mia.”

“You are just another girl to him,” Will says to Mia, irritated. “Ethan does not date. Whatever the two of you have going on will not end well. I won’t be around every morning to bring you breakfast or rock you back to sleep when you need someone to piece you back together because he broke your heart.”

Right now, Will is an asshole. But he’s a good brother, always has been. He’d help her with her homework, make jokes when she needed a laugh, and even sang her to sleep a few times. He’s a horrible singer, but it was the thought that counted.

“He won’t break my heart,” Mia tells Will. “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 are in love with Ethan.”

Mia pushes her hand onto her hips, causing the silky fabric of her robe to slide further up her bare thighs. “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 have looked at him that way for years.”

“Yes!” Mia throws her hands in the air. “Yes, I am in love with him. I have loved Ethan since I was a kid. What is so wrong with that?”

Bile rises from the back of my throat, choking me. Mia loves me. A small part of me had always known that, but hearing the words aloud makes this real. She loves me. Do I love her back? I have never been in love before.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Will says, his tone softening.

“Sleep on it, okay? Maybe spend some time apart. Give this time to process 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 glances over at me with a hard stare. “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 gives Will a tiny smile.

Then, he removes his keys from his pocket, slamming the door behind as he exits the apartment.