Between Us Was My Brother

Chapter 5

Lila woke up smiling.

The moment she realized it, she buried her face in her pillow.

"This is embarrassing," she muttered.

Unfortunately, it was true.

Ever since the trip into town yesterday, she had been replaying certain moments in her head.

Not because anything special had happened.

Nothing special had happened.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

Ryder had caught her when she almost fell.

That was it.

A normal thing.

A decent thing.

The kind of thing anyone would have done.

So why did she keep thinking about it?

With a groan, she sat up.

The answer was obvious.

Because it was Ryder.

And that was exactly the problem.

Half an hour later, she made her way downstairs.

The smell of coffee greeted her immediately.

The kitchen was already occupied.

Of course it was.

Ryder sat at the counter eating cereal.

Her cereal.

Lila stopped in the doorway.

"Are you serious?"

Ryder glanced up.

"Morning, Princess."

"That's my cereal."

"No, it's my cereal now."

She walked over and grabbed the box.

"You didn't buy this."

"You didn't label it."

"Who labels cereal?"

"People who live with thieves."

Ryder laughed.

The sound was annoyingly attractive.

Lila hated that.

Ethan entered the kitchen at that exact moment.

One look at the cereal box between them and he sighed.

"You're fighting over breakfast?"

"He's stealing."

"I'm surviving."

"You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

Ethan poured himself coffee.

"You two sound like an old married couple."

Lila nearly dropped the cereal.

Ryder choked on his coffee.

Ethan immediately looked pleased with himself.

"Oh, that's funny."

"Shut up, Ethan."

"Didn't say anything."

"You literally just said something."

"I regret nothing."

The rest of breakfast passed in the usual chaos.

By the end of it, Lila found herself laughing despite her best efforts.

Which was becoming a dangerous habit.

Because every day Ryder spent in the house felt easier than the day before.

And that was not good.

Not for her heart.

---

The afternoon sun hung high in the sky.

Most of Ethan's friends had wandered over again.

Apparently their backyard had become the unofficial meeting place for half the town.

Lila sat beneath the shade of the large oak tree near the fence.

A book rested in her lap.

Unfortunately, she had been staring at the same page for ten minutes.

Her eyes kept drifting toward the patio.

Toward Ryder.

He was sitting with Ethan and a few others.

Laughing.

Talking.

Looking completely at home.

The strange thing was how natural it felt.

As though he had never left.

As though the last two years had never happened.

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You're staring."

Lila jumped.

Rebecca dropped into the empty chair beside her.

"I am not."

"You absolutely are."

"I was reading."

Rebecca looked at the unopened page.

"Sure."

Lila narrowed her eyes.

Rebecca laughed.

Today, Rebecca looked stunning.

A fitted yellow sundress hugged her figure perfectly.

Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose ponytail.

As always, she carried herself with effortless confidence.

People noticed Rebecca when she entered a room.

They always had.

Lila glanced away.

"Why are you here?"

Rebecca gasped dramatically.

"Wow."

"I wasn't trying to be rude, i just asked."

"I came to see my friends."

Lila followed Rebecca's gaze.

Straight toward Ryder.

"Right."

Rebecca smiled.

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"Alright."

Before Lila could answer, Ethan called Rebecca's name.

Rebecca stood.

"That's my cue."

Then she headed directly toward Ryder.

Lila watched her go.

Watched Rebecca slide effortlessly into the conversation.

Watched everyone make room for her.

Watched Ryder smile when she said something.

The uncomfortable feeling in Lila's chest returned.

It wasn't fair.

Rebecca hadn't done anything wrong.

Neither had Ryder.

But every time they stood beside each other, they looked like they belonged.

And Lila hated herself for noticing.

---

The evening passed quickly.

Music played.

People came and went.

Food disappeared.

Laughter filled the backyard.

For everyone else, it was a normal summer evening.

For Lila, it felt strangely exhausting.

By the time the last guests started leaving, she was relieved.

Rebecca was one of the last people still there.

She and Ryder stood near the gate talking quietly.

Lila looked away before she could hear what they were saying.

It wasn't her business.

She repeated that several times.

It still didn't help.

Eventually, she escaped upstairs.

A shower helped.

A movie helped.

For a little while, she managed not to think about Ryder at all.

That lasted approximately twenty minutes.

By ten o'clock, the house had finally fallen silent.

Ethan had gone to bed.

The lights downstairs were mostly off.

Everything felt peaceful.

Lila curled beneath her blanket and opened her book.

A chapter later, she realized she was thirsty.

With a sigh, she climbed out of bed.

The hallway was quiet.

The stairs creaked softly beneath her feet.

She headed toward the kitchen.

The closer she got, the more she realized she wasn't alone.

Voices drifted through the darkness.

One of them belonged to Rebecca.

Lila slowed.

Confused.

She thought Rebecca had gone home.

The second voice belonged to Ryder.

Her stomach tightened slightly.

They were probably saying goodbye.

That was all.

Nothing unusual.

Nothing important.

Lila stepped into the kitchen.

And froze.

Rebecca was standing very close to Ryder.

Much closer than before.

For a second, Lila couldn't understand what she was seeing.

Then Rebecca lifted her hand.

Touched Ryder's jaw.

And kissed him.

Lila's breath caught.

The world seemed to stop.

Everything became strangely quiet.

Strangely distant.

Rebecca was kissing Ryder.

And Ryder wasn't pulling away.

He wasn't stopping her.

He wasn't stepping back.

He was kissing her back.

The glass slipped from Lila's fingers.

The sharp sound shattered the silence.

Ryder's head snapped up.

Their eyes met.

And in that single horrible second, Lila knew.

Her heart had just broken right in front of him.