Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card (Jessie and Luke)

CHAPTER 56 JESSICA

I sat in my Jeep, the silence between Luke and me growing thicker with every passing second. It was a never-

ending void of things I wanted to tell him but was too scared to say. I wanted to tell him I hated him, but that wasn't entirely true. I hated him for asking Tiffany to prom, but at the same time, would I have said yes if he had asked me?

I gripped the steering wheel hard enough to cut off the blood supply to my fingers, my breathing the only thing filling the void between us. Luke hovered, hand on the door. I didn't mean to blurt out that last bit. I was thinking it, but then it spilled over.

I watched Luke, jaw clenched, hand gripping the door. He filled my entire Jeep; he was that big. His scent invaded me, uniquely him, something that made my heart race. I wished it didn't. I wished Luke did not affect me, but that wasn't the case. Luke always made me feel "Jessica," he finally said, his voice low and husky. Just hearing him say my name made hope flutter in my chest, but it was futile. It would be extinguished soon enough, so I swallowed it back down.

Luke wouldn't tell me what was really going on; who was I kidding? For a second, I wondered if he would tell Tiffany. 0.00%

I

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288 Voucher

I sighed. "It's fine. Don't bother," gritted out through clenched teeth and looked out the window.

"You can get out now," I said with a bite intended to hurt.

Luke started to say something, but then Josh walked out of the house, and Luke froze. Anything he was about to say died as he climbed out and slammed the door behind him. Josh put a hand on Luke's chest as if trying to calm a wild beast, and Luke shook. his head.

It was raining too hard for me to hear anything. It frustrated me that he wouldn't tell me. That Josh and Luke had this secret, a secret that split us. Luke and Josh were more family than Josh and I ever were. A knot formed in my throat, and my eyes burned. How pathetic- I wanted to cry. It wasn't like anything had changed.

It was still the same: Josh and Luke, and then me, on the outside, looking in and wondering what happened to forge their friendship but break the one I had with them.

...d

I wiped at my face furiously, got out in the rain, not looking over my shoulder at them, and stalked into the house. I half Laura to be here, but the house was quiet. My parents le it seems so did Luke's. Our parents were best friends from college, and somehow, they made th they were inseparable. Business partners but also family. Maybe that's why it was no problem for them to leave us behind.

Because children were an inconvenience to them, they had family, and they didn't need anything more. We just happened to come along and ruin their plans.

For a second, I wondered if Luke felt the same about his

CHAPTERT

parents-did he also feel left behind? A nuisance?

I stood in the kitchen, getting lost in the rhythmic sound of the spoon clinking against the pot as I stirred the hot cocoa filling the room. The front door opened and closed, and I heard familiar footsteps entering.

Josh walked in, his presence heavy and silent. "So, guess Mom and Dad are in Paris," I said, more to myself than to him.

"Yeah," was all he said as he sat down at the table.

"What happened with Luke?" I asked, still stirring the pot of milk and cocoa powder. Josh kept quiet, his eyes downcast, and I didn't push it. I took out two cups and poured the warm chocolate liquid into them, turning to give one to Josh. He seemed surprised but took the cup from me. "Thanks," he grunted.

I only nodded, passing him to go up to my room. "Jess," Josh called, stopping me in my tracks. I turned only a little, my back still partially facing him. "Yeah?"

Josh shifted in his seat awkwardly. "Nothing. Thanks he said, lifting his cup in a gesture of appreciation.noveldrama

I smirked - wondering how twin siblings could drift so far apart when, historically, they were supposed to be best friends. I should have told him that if he hurt Laura, I'd ruin his life, but I figured I wouldn't ruin this one moment of peace between us.

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CHAPTER

LUKE

The cool water of the pool felt like a soothing salve against my heated skin as I swam lap after lap. Each stroke was an effort. to drown out the frustration and anger that had been simmering inside me all night. My muscles burned with effort, bu