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I blow out a breath, trying to think of how to start this conversation. No matter how I word it, I lied to Linc. For over a year. He’s bound to be hurt by that. But I can’t keep it to myself anymore. I need advice and my big brother is the one I’ve always been able to count on when it comes to advice. So, I need to tell him.
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” I say, meeting his gaze.
“So, tell me,” he says.
“Layna and I have been fooling around,” I say, ripping the bandaid off quickly.
To his credit, Linc doesn’t show much reaction to this news beyond a slight widening of his eyes. He also doesn’t interrupt with any questions, so I keep talking.
“Well, we were fooling around,” I amend. “Until a few weeks ago when she broke things off and said she needed to get serious about her future and try to find Mr. Right.” I let the disgust in my voice tell him how I feel about that.
I stand, beginning to pace now as my words come faster. Now that I’ve started talking, it’s like I can’t stop. The dam holding it all in has broken and words just come rushing out.
“Because we always agreed it was just friends with benefits, you know? Just fun. Neither of us was ready to settle down, so we were just having a good time in the meantime. Right? Only now, she’s dating again. At first, I wasn’t bothered by it. Well, not too bothered by it. But now? Now, she’s dating this guy and I think it’s getting serious. He’s a lawyer. Wears fancy suits. Comes from money. He’s probably the exact kind of guy she’s looking for to settle down with.”
“Cole, stop pacing and sit still,” Linc says. “You’re making me dizzy.”
I sigh and sit back down on the couch. He eyes me for a moment before speaking.
“Why does Layna having a boyfriend bother you so much?”
“He’s not her boyfriend,” I say, automatically rejecting the idea. “They’re barely even dating.”
“They’ve been on three dates, and she’s kissed him,” he says. “And it sounds like date number four is on the way. If he’s not her boyfriend yet, he will be soon.”
I grumble audibly. He’s right, I know. But I don’t want to think about that right now. I wave a hand, dismissing his words.
“The title doesn’t matter,” I say. “I need to know what to do now.”
“What do you mean?” he asks.
I roll my eyes. “About Layna. What am I going to do.”
“Why do you need to do anything? You said you were just fooling around, right?”
I meet my brother’s gaze, unable to answer his question. He looks at me for a long moment and I watch as the confusion clears in his eyes and realization dawns.
"Oh, shit,” he whispers.
I nod. “Exactly.”
He blinks and gives another shake of his head. “I mean, I always thought maybe you had a crush on her. And now you’re telling me you two were fooling around, but I didn't realize it was serious."
I hate the dismissive tone in his voice. As if what I feel for Layna is some childish crush that could be pushed aside or forgotten.
"It's serious," I say. “It started out as just a fling. Friends with benefits. But somewhere along the way, I think I started to fall for her.”
“Fall for her?” he repeats. “Like,fallfor her?”
“Yes,” I say, without hesitation.
I don’t know when or how it happened, but I can see it so clearly now. I’ve completely fallen for Layna Brooks. And she doesn’t want me.
Linc eyes me for a long, silent moment before dipping his head in a single nod. That’s the thing about my brother and me. We might tease one another and sometimes I know I drive him crazy, but he’s always there for me when I need him. And right now, I can tell that he’s trying to think of the right thing to say.
“How long has this thing between you two been going on?” he asks.
“Since the night we met,” I say, feeling a little guilty at the shocked expression on my brother’s face.
