Chapter 1

I stepped out of the car with my pink suitcase in one hand, the late afternoon sun warm on my face. Before I could even set it down, strong arms wrapped around me.

“Finally,” Caleb said, pulling me into a tight hug. “You made it.”

I laughed against his chest, but the sound felt thinner than it should have. “Missed you too, big brother.”

He held on a second longer than usual, then stepped back. Behind him stood Thad.

Thaddeus Berg. Six-foot-two of quiet intensity, dark hair still damp from practice, gray eyes that lingered on me just a moment too long. The same eyes that used to glance at me across the dinner table when he came over during high school. Something tight and familiar twisted low in my stomach. My pulse jumped once, hard.

“Hey, Soso,” he said, voice low.

“Thad.” I managed a small smile that felt fragile. “You didn’t have to come.”

“Caleb asked.” He took my suitcase without waiting for permission, the muscles in his forearm flexing as he lifted it. “Come on. I’ll show you the place.”

Caleb walked beside us toward the apartment building near campus. “You’re in the unit next to his,” he explained. “I paid the first three months. Don’t argue.”

“I wasn’t going to.” The words came out steady, but my fingers tightened around the empty space where the suitcase had been.

Inside the elevator, the silence felt heavier than it should have. Caleb cleared his throat.

“Thad.”

“Yeah.”

“Look after her.” Caleb’s tone left no room for jokes. “No parties at her place. No random guys hanging around. And …” He glanced at me, then back at Thad. “Don’t you get any ideas either.”

Thad’s jaw tightened. “I know.”

“I’m serious.”

“I said I know.”

I stared at the elevator buttons. Heat crept up my neck and settled behind my ears. Every protective word from Caleb landed like a quiet reminder of how long I had wanted the one person I was never supposed to want. The crush I had carried for years sat heavy in my chest, sharp and restless. My breathing stayed carefully even.

The elevator doors opened. Thad unlocked the door to unit 4B and set my suitcase inside. The apartment was clean, simple with white walls, a gray couch, a small kitchen. A spare key sat on the counter.

Caleb pulled me into another hug. “I have to catch my flight. Text me every day.”

“I will.”

He turned to Thad one last time. “I’m trusting you with the only family I have left here. Don’t make me regret it.”

Thad’s voice dropped. “I’ve got her. You know I do.”

The door closed behind Caleb. Suddenly the apartment felt smaller. The air seemed to press against my skin. My shoulders stayed tight.

Thad rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s food in the fridge. Towels in the bathroom. Wi-Fi password is on the router.” He paused. “If you need anything—”

“I’ll ask,” I finished, hating how soft the words sounded.

He looked at me for a second longer than necessary, then stepped toward the door. “Lock up after me.”

I did. The click of the lock echoed louder than it should have. Alone, I pressed my palm against the closed door and let out a slow breath that shook on the way out. The longing I usually kept buried rose too easily here—close enough to touch him, yet still ordered to stay away. My hands felt unsteady.

That night I showered longer than usual, letting the hot water ease the travel stiffness from my shoulders. When I stepped out, I realized I’d left my clothes on the bed. The only thing within reach was a thin white towel.

I wrapped it around myself, the fabric stopping mid-thigh. My heart was already beating too fast, a hard, uneven rhythm against my ribs. I walked into the living room, the cool air raising a faint shiver along my arms.

Thad was there. He must have come back for something—his wallet, maybe. He stood by the kitchen counter, freezing the moment he saw me.

His eyes dropped to the edge of the towel, then snapped back up to my face. His throat moved as he swallowed. I watched the exact second his posture locked.

“Soso.” My name came out strained, almost broken.

“I forgot my clothes,” I said. My fingers curled tighter in the towel. “Didn’t think you’d still be here.”

He set his keys down with a sharp click that cut through the silence. “Put something on. Right now.”

“I will.” I stayed where I was. The boldness felt thin, stretched over something more fragile. Heat gathered low in my stomach. “You look like you’re about to snap in half.”

“I’m fine.” The lie was paper-thin. A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Go. Get dressed. Before this gets worse.”

I took one deliberate step closer. The air between us thickened until it felt hard to breathe. Underneath the challenge I was throwing at him lived a quieter fear: that he would keep choosing the promise over me. My pulse hammered so hard I felt it in my wrists. “Worse how? You’ve been staring since the parking lot. Don’t insult us both by denying it.”

“I’m not staring.”

“You are.” Another step. My legs felt less steady than they should have. “Your eyes keep falling, Thad. Even while you’re ordering me to leave. Even while your hands are clenched like that.”

He dragged a hand through his hair, breath controlled but tight, the muscle in his jaw jumping again. I saw the way his shoulders tensed under his shirt. “You’re Caleb’s little sister.”

“I’m eighteen. Stop hiding behind that.” The words came out sharper. Years of watching him from the edges of rooms had left me tired of careful distance. A fine tremor ran through my fingers. “I’m tired of being treated like a problem you have to solve.”

“It isn’t hiding.” His voice dropped lower. “It’s the only thing keeping me on this side of the line.”

I tilted my head, voice soft and dangerous. The ache in my chest made the next question feel like stepping off a ledge. My throat felt tight. “What happens if you cross it?”