I’m In Love With My Brother’s Best Friend?! – Episode 26
Kaitlyn remained at the bar after Cole left, but victory felt hollow. Mikey handed her another drink and tried to recover the easy mood they shared before Brent arrived. Cole’s absence occupied more space than his presence had.
Mikey asked whether she and Cole were hooking up. Kaitlyn answered no, then corrected herself with bitter honesty: not anymore. Whatever existed between them had never been given a name.
He asked if she intended to go home with Cole. Kaitlyn said she did not. Mikey’s satisfaction arrived too quickly.
He warned her that Cole had a reputation and suggested a good girl should avoid a man without morals. The judgment sounded less like concern than an attempt to make himself the obvious alternative.
Kaitlyn thought of Amber’s lies, Cole’s patience, and the way he stopped whenever she asked. Reputation had been used to wound him just as her virginity had been used to wound her.
She challenged Mikey’s right to judge. Minutes earlier, he had failed to protect her when Brent threatened her. Cole had crossed the room without hesitation.
Mikey claimed he had been trying to de-escalate the situation. Kaitlyn said passivity became cowardice when someone was in danger. Cole was twice the man he would ever be.
The words surprised them both. Kaitlyn was furious with Cole, yet anger could not make her deny his character. Loving someone did not require approving every choice.
She told Mikey she deserved someone good, but that person was not him. Then she left before he could turn rejection into another argument.
Outside, the night air cleared the alcohol from her thoughts. The sidewalk appeared empty. Kaitlyn told herself she was relieved Cole had gone home.
His voice called her name from the shadows near the building. He had not left. He had been waiting to make certain she emerged safely.
Kaitlyn approached cautiously and asked whether he was still angry. Cole said he was furious. Honesty tightened every line of his face.
He had been angry because another man’s arms were near her. He had been angry because Brent nearly hurt her again. Beneath both reactions lay fear.
Cole said she could push him aside for a dozen fraternity idiots and he would still protect her. Whatever happened between them, he would always make sure she was safe.
Kaitlyn wanted more than safety. She wanted him beside her before danger appeared, not waiting at a distance until rescue gave him permission to care. Yet exhaustion softened her argument.
She asked him to take her home. The word home no longer meant Ryan’s apartment or Cole’s bedroom alone; it meant the fragile space they occupied together.
Cole searched her face, checking that she truly wanted to leave with him. Kaitlyn repeated the request quietly. He opened the car door without claiming victory.
During the drive, neither spoke. Streetlights crossed Cole’s profile while Kaitlyn considered the confession hidden inside his jealousy. He had said he would always be there, but not whether he would ever be hers.
Cole glanced toward her at every stoplight. He wanted to apologize, to promise more, and to ask whether she had meant what she said to Mikey. Fear kept the questions behind his teeth.
They reached the apartment still carrying every unresolved feeling from the bar. When Cole asked if she was all right, Kaitlyn turned toward him. This time she refused to let the night end with another silence.