Falling for my boyfriend’s Navy brother
Chapter 45: Penny
T’es midway through another bite when the hont door wines open with a corak and a gust of cooler air.
Footsteps.
Laughter.
Tyler’s voice, muffled, cheerful, as he talks into his phone about something that makes him laugh again,
and bright.
I stiffen slightly, pushing my plate away as Ashel’s gaze flicks larily toward the doopway.
Tyler rounds the corner into the kitchen, still grinning –
and then stops dead in his ti
tracks..
His eyes go wide, the phone dropping from his ear to dangle forgotten in his hand as he stares at me like he’s seen a ghost
⠀ “Pen?” he blarts out, voice high and cracking slightly.
“What are you
are you – what are you doing here?”
I set my codfer down carefully, hands steady even though my heart isn’t.
My house last power during the storm.” I say simply, keeping my voice ever, casual,
Like there’s nothing strange
about any of this.
Like it’s totally normal to find your girlfriend wearing your brother’s clothes, sitting at your parents kitchen table, drinking coffee while you walk in like you weren’t expecting her to exist this morning.
Tyler’s face does a weird dance between panic and casualness before he clears his throat, shoves his phone into his back pocket, and tries to smile.
“Right, right, duh. Crazy storm,” he says, waving a hand vaguely
“Yeah, uh = sorry I didn’t tell you where I was yesterday”
He glances at Asher, who’s just sitting back in his chair, arms croad, expression unreadable,
I just… I didn’t want to worry you, Tyler says, aiming a crooked grin at me like it’ll fix everything.
1 tilt my head slightly, studying
Where were you?
There’s a beat
The air goes thinner tomchase, the kitchen too small for how loud my heart suddenly feels
Tyler scratches the back of his neck, eyes darting away before he answers.
game, and then when the storm hit it was so had I decided not to drive back
“Jonathan’s house,” he says. “He asked me to come over to watch the football game, Thought it’d be safer to just stay pui.”
He shrugs like it’s no big deal.
Like it makes perfect sense.
And maybe it does.
Maybe it’s fine.
But something deep inside me knots Tighter, uncond–stable and dow.
Maybe fex a good reason,
Maybe not.
But he still lied.
I nod because I don’t know what else in do–beruse fighting about it here, now, feels like lighting a match I’m not ready to deal with.
Tyler beams like he’s relieved, crossing the room to pepper quick kisses along my fourhead, my thrcks, the side of my mouth.
“Sorry, babe,” he marmurs against my temple. “I just didn’t want you to worry.”
“It’s okay,” I hear myself say, even though it feels like the words float up from somewhere that isn’t fully mine.
He grins and beam back, tugging his shirt over his head as he heads for the stairs.
“Gonna shower real quick but hey, you wanna go out for dinner tonight? Just the two of us?
I blink, pulling the shirt tighter around me.
parents actually invited me over,” I say.
He pauses on the second step, then smiles, easy and unaffected
“Cool, even better.” he says. “See you in a bit
He jogs up the stairs, whistling low under his breath.
The second he’s gone.
the kitchen feels heavier–like someone threw a weighted blanket over the whole house.
I glance at Asher –
and find him already watching me, yes dark and unreadable, arms still crossed over his chest like he’s holding something in
The silence stretches tight
Then he says,
low and steady,
“Why do you stay with him?
1 flinch like he slapped
Straighten my spine like it’ll protect me.
That’s none of your
He doesn’t move.
Doesn’t look away.
business,” I say stiffly, gathering the plates into a messy stack just to have something to do with my hand.
Chapter 45: Penny
“He doesn’t treat you right, Asher says, voles
I slam the plates a little harder into the sink then neremary,
The’s familiar,” I snap.
“He’s comfortable. He’s kind. That i ennoch.”
The lie tastes bitter as soon as it leaves my mouth
Asher’s jaw ticks ence.
the semide are dražgina..
inmething he derin’i ment to thow
The mutters something under his breath–to lose for me to catch the whole thing but
“Stupid… deserve more.”
My throat tightens so fast it hurts, and I don’t trust styself to answer,
I grab the too–big sagging pants from where I abandoned them earlier, tugging them back on over my bare legi, panking the drawstring tight migh to hund
‘I should get back home,” I say, voice high and brittle.
Asher just watches me.
The kind of look that feels like he’s seeing things I don’t even know about myself yet.
Footsteps on the stairs, lighter this time. –
Tyler reappears, hair damp, shirt clean
He grins when he sees me wrestling with the oversized pants,
“Hey
me and Asher should walk you back,” he says brightly
sure nothing’s broken at your place or whatever
“You know, make su
I open my mouth to protest
to say I’ll be fine, that I don’t need babysitters-
but Asher cuts in smoothly.
“He’s right,” he says.
a storm like this? You don’t know what kind of damage could’ve happened.”
I bite the inside of my cheek until it stings
Because he’s not wrong.
Because I’m tired.
Because somNE
smuli, stupid part of me wants his to come with me
me even though it’ll only make everything more confusing.
“Okay,” I say finally.
And just like that
Chapter 45: Penny
the three of us step out into the gray morning, the world washed clear but still maked in something head
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