A night with my best friend's arrogant brother

The next morning started peacefully enough. I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and the smell of coffee drifting up from downstairs. Sarah was already up, moving through the kitchen with the kind of competence she brought to everything. Marcus was nowhere to be seen—probably still asleep or out taking a morning walk or doing something else that kept him away from me.

Perfect.

"Good morning," Sarah chirped, handing me a mug. "How's your head?"

"Better than expected," I admitted, accepting the coffee gratefully. "The wine hit harder than I thought."

"That's what happens when you drink on an empty stomach," she said, setting down a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. "Eat something."

"You talk like you didn't drink too" I mumbled inhaling the coffee and sighing in satisfaction before taking a sip

"I handle alcohol better than you do" she countered taking a sit and digging into her food

"That's true"

I watched her wash the plates after we were done eating, then looked around, Marcus was still nowhere to be seen.

"And where's the pettifogger?" I asked

"Marcus?" Sarah turned to me drying her hands on a napkin "he left for his morning run after making breakfast"

"He made breakfast?"

"Yes, he likes eating before his morning run, says he can run on an empty belly"

"But isn't that the purpose of a morning exercise?"

Sarah shrugged her shoulders

"He's always so weird" I said finally, closing the subject.

We spent the morning on the porch, reading and occasionally talking about nothing in particular. It was exactly the kind of relaxed, easy time I'd been craving. No drama, no tension, just the simple pleasure of being with my best friend in a beautiful place.

At around eleven o'clock, my phone buzzed.

Then it buzzed again.

And again.

I ignored it at first, but after the fifth buzz, I checked it. Five missed calls from Derek, each one with an increasingly aggressive series of texts.

Where are you?

Why aren't you answering?

Are you with him?

Call me back. NOW.

I felt my stomach tighten. This wasn't unusual—Derek often called multiple times if I didn't answer immediately—but it still made my anger spike.

"Don't answer," Sarah said, noticing my expression.

"I have to," I said, already standing up. "He'll just keep calling."

I walked down to the edge of the porch, away from Sarah, and dialed Derek back. He answered on the first ring.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded.

"I was on the porch reading," I said calmly. "We just got here yesterday. I'm allowed to not answer my phone immediately."

"You weren't responding to texts—"

"Because I was reading, Derek. Not everything is a crisis."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, and there was that manipulative softness to his voice that made me want to scream. "You could have just answered."

"I'm answering now," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I'm fine. Sarah's fine. Everything is fine."

"What about Marcus?" The way he said the name was loaded with accusation.

"What about him?" I asked, hearing my voice getting sharper.

"Where is he? What's he doing right now?"

"I don't know, Derek. I don't track his movements. He's probably sleeping or hiking or literally anything that isn't my responsibility."

"You're defensive," he said, as if pointing out my tone was the same as proving his suspicions.

"I'm not defensive. I'm annoyed. There's a difference."

"Annoyed at me?"

"Yes," I said, gesturing even though he couldn't see me. "At this conversation. You call constantly, you ask me these questions like I'm doing something wrong, like I'm not allowed to have a life outside you"

"I'm not—"

"Yes, you are," I said quietly. "You're checking up on me, asking where I am, who I'm with, what I'm doing. That's not normal."

There was a pause. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, more vulnerable. "I just don't want to lose you."

And there it was—the thing that always made me cave, the thing that made me feel guilty for being angry.

"You're not going to lose me," I said, my anger deflating.

"I'm serious," he continued. "You're out there with some guy, and I'm here worried that—"

"Nothing is going to happen," I said firmly. "Marcus is Sarah's brother. He's not interested in me, and I'm certainly not interested in him. You have to trust me."

"I do trust you," he said. "It's him I don't trust."

"Well, you're going to have to figure it out, because I'm not leaving the trip." I said it with finality. If he wasn't ok with it, he could go suck his dick

I hung up and went back inside, Sarah took one look at my face and didn't ask. She just pulled me into a hug, and I let myself stay there for a moment, accepting the comfort without having to explain.

"I'm getting scared," Sarah said quietly.

"It's nothing," I replied, "it's always been like this, nothing new"

"That doesn't mean it's okay," Sarah said. "That doesn't mean you have to accept it."

"It's nothing really, you know me, I won't ever allow myself to suffer a loss. I'd have him five feet below the ground before he even thinks of doing anything to me." I replied "Alright, let's not spend our first day mopping over Derek, he's not worth it, let's go get out bikinis, it's beach time... I need to get a proper tan before we go back"

Sarah smiled, following obediently as I dragged her back to our rooms.

"Let's show off these sexy ass and boobs"

Sarah gasped, slapping my hands, but I caught the smile tugging at her face.