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Home / Romance / Tempting My Brother’s Best Friend / Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

All Chapters of Tempting My Brother’s Best Friend: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

132 Chapters

80

Mia sat frozen, sheet pooled around her waist, the glow from her phone casting harsh shadows across the bed. The screenshot stared back at her — Ethan’s words from just days before she returned from the lake: I still think about us sometimes. This thing with Mia is complicated. I don’t know if I’m ready to let go completely.Ethan’s hand landed gently on her shoulder. “Mia? You look like you saw a ghost.”She handed him the phone without a word. He read the message, his body going rigid beside her. The silence stretched, thick and uncomfortable in the quiet apartment. Jake was still out, leaving only the low hum of the fridge and distant traffic outside.“This is edited,” Ethan said finally, voice tight. “I never sent anything like that. Sarah and I had one last conversation when I went to close things properly. I told her it was over. Someone’s splicing old messages again.”Mia searched his face, looking for any flicker of dou

81

Ethan stepped through the apartment door, gym bag slung over one shoulder, his practice hoodie damp with sweat. The easy smile on his face faltered the moment he saw Mia curled on the couch, phone in hand, her expression pale.“Mia? What happened?” He dropped the bag by the door and crossed the room in three long strides, kneeling in front of her. His hands rested on her knees, warm and grounding. “You look like someone kicked your dog. Talk to me.”Mia’s heart hammered. The photo on her screen — her laughing with Robin’s hand on her arm — burned in her mind, along with Sarah’s taunting message. But showing it to Ethan right now, after their beautiful night and the public stand they’d taken, felt like handing ammunition to the very people trying to tear them apart. She needed to handle this herself.She locked the phone quickly and set it face-down on the couch cushion. “It’s nothing serious,” she said, forcing a small smile. “Just another anonymous message. Same old garbage — someone

82

Mia and Ethan stood frozen on the campus pathway, hands still linked. Alex walked toward them with that familiar calm stride, portfolio case in hand, looking every bit the artist in his button-up and dark jeans. “Alex?” Mia repeated, voice laced with genuine surprise. “What are you doing here?” Alex stopped a respectful distance away, offering a small, warm smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes when he glanced at Ethan. “Hey, Mia. Ethan. Didn’t expect to run into you two this fast.” He shifted his bag. “I transferred in. Last minute decision. The art program here has a much stronger digital media and illustration track than my old school. Plus, they offered me a partial scholarship for a project I submitted over the summer. I was going to take a gap year and travel like I told you at the lake, but… opportunities like this don’t come often. Figured it was smarter to take it now rather than regret it later.” Mia nodded slowly, processing. “That makes sense. The program here is reall

83

Mia stared at the photo on Ethan’s phone, the anonymous caption burning into her mind: Captain moved on already? Poor Mia.Her stomach twisted sharply. Sophia — the fiery redhead from his minor class — sat far too close to Ethan, smiling up at him with that dangerous, confident grin. Their arms nearly touched. It looked intimate. It looked fresh.Ethan watched her reaction carefully, jaw tight. “It’s nothing,” he said quickly. “She’s new. Sat next to me in class today. That’s it.”Mia handed the phone back, forcing her voice steady. “She’s very… friendly.”They stood on the balcony, the city lights flickering below. The earlier warmth from their weekend together felt distant now. Ethan pulled her into a hug, but his body was tense. “I am for you, Mia”Mia nodded against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. She wanted to believe him. After everything they’d promised — honesty, trust, no shielding — she had to. “I know. Just… be careful. People are watching everything we do.”The

84

Mia sat on the edge of her bed in the apartment, staring at her phone. Another photo had come in anonymously an hour ago — Ethan and Sophia walking across campus again, heads close as they talked. This was the third one this week. She deleted it immediately, the same way she’d deleted the others. He’s allowed to have friends, she told herself for the hundredth time. Sophia was harmless. Just a new student in his class. Ethan had said so himself.But the reassurance felt thinner every day.Ethan had been drifting. Their texts were shorter. Their evenings together quieter. He still kissed her goodbye and held her at night, but the easy laughter from their date night felt like a distant memory. Alex’s arrival had cracked something in him, and Sophia’s constant presence seemed to widen it.Mia sighed and stood up. She needed air. Grabbing her bag, she headed toward the quad for a walk before her next class.She hadn’t planned to run into Alex, but there he was near the fountain, sketchin

85

The pre-season game was supposed to be a celebration. The arena buzzed with energy under bright lights — the squeak of sneakers on polished wood, the roar of the small but enthusiastic crowd, the rhythmic cheers from the sidelines. Ethan started strong, dominating the court with focused intensity. Mia sat in the stands with Nora on one side and Lena on the other, wearing Ethan’s spare jersey. Jake was on the bench, ready to sub in.Sophia was there too — newly added to the cheer squad, her fiery red hair tied in a high ponytail, uniform fitted perfectly. She moved with bold energy, her smiles bright and frequent, especially whenever Ethan was near the sideline.Mia tried not to let it bother her. He’s allowed to have friends. She’s just doing her thing.The team won by twelve points. The crowd cheered as the players jogged off the court. Mia stood with Nora, waiting near the tunnel exit.“That was intense,” Nora said, nudging her. “Your boy played like he had something to prove.”Mia

86

Mia had decided, after walking out of the apartment, on space. Real space. She stayed with Lena for the next few days, replying to Ethan’s texts with short, polite answers but avoiding any in-person meetings. No apartment visits. No late-night talks on the balcony. She needed clarity, and being around him only muddled everything.The pre-season game that Friday night was impossible to skip entirely. Nora and Lena dragged her to the arena, insisting she needed normalcy. Mia sat high in the stands, far from the usual spot near the tunnel. Ethan played well — aggressive, focused — but she kept her cheers quiet. Sophia, in her cheer uniform, performed with extra energy, her eyes frequently drifting toward the court.After the win, the big victory party at the off-campus house was unavoidable. The entire basketball circle would be there, and skipping it would only feed more rumors.Mia arrived late with Nora and Lena, wearing a simple black top and jeans. She stayed near the edges of the c

87

Mia didn’t go back to the apartment that night. She crashed at Lena’s dorm again, staring at the ceiling until the early hours, replaying the party fights in her head. The next day passed in a fog of classes and avoidance. Ethan texted her multiple times — We need to talk. Please. — but she left them on read. Space. She needed real space.By evening, she decided to go home to her parents’ house. The familiar white siding and basketball hoop in the driveway felt like a safe harbor after weeks of chaos.Her mom opened the door and froze mid-greeting. “Mia? Honey, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?”Her dad appeared behind her, newspaper in hand, equally surprised. “We thought you were staying at the apartment most nights now.”Mia forced a tired smile, stepping inside and kicking off her shoes. “I just… needed to be home tonight. I don’t want to talk about it. Please.”Her mom’s eyes softened with worry, but she respected the boundary, pulling Mia into a quick, tight hug. “Oka

88

Five days had passed since Mia walked out of Ethan’s apartment and declared it over.The campus had moved on to midterm buzz and weekend plans, but the undercurrents remained. Mia stayed at her parents’ house, avoiding the apartment and most group chats. Ethan threw himself into extra practices. Robin and Sophia were seen together more often. And Alex had not stopped shadowing Sarah.Sarah found him irritating as hell.It was a Thursday night, well past 10 p.m., when she slipped into the nearly empty Fine Arts building to work on a group project in one of the private critique rooms. She thought she’d finally lost him.She was wrong.The door clicked open behind her twenty minutes later. Alex stepped in, portfolio bag over his shoulder, looking annoyingly calm.Sarah spun around, eyes flashing. “Are you serious right now? It’s almost eleven. Go home, Alex.”Alex closed the door and leaned against it, arms crossed. “I saw you talking to one of the cheer captains earlier. The one close t

89

Jake found Ethan in the apartment living room two days after the breakup, sprawled on the couch with a basketball in his lap, staring at the ceiling. The place felt too quiet without Mia’s things scattered around or her laughter echoing from the kitchen.“You look like shit,” Jake said bluntly, dropping into the armchair across from him. “Talk to me, man. My sister’s been at our parents’ house crying and avoiding everyone. What the hell happened?”Ethan rubbed his face, exhausted. “Everything. Sophia, Alex, the constant rumors… I saw her with Robin at the party, smiling like I didn’t exist. Then the thing with Sophia’s ankle. Mia pushed her, Jake. In front of people. I just… snapped. Brought up, Alex. Told her I was tired of feeling second place.”Jake sighed, leaning back. He’d seen this coming for days. “Look, you’re my best friend. But she’s my little sister. I warned you both this wouldn’t be easy. The drama from last summer never really died — it just went underground. And now yo

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