I’m In Love With My Brother’s Best Friend?! – Episode 36
Cole assured Ryan he would never reunite with Amber. He claimed he was focused on school, repeating the identity everyone found easiest to believe: disciplined, unattached, and perfect.
Ryan accepted the answer and teased him for never making mistakes. Kaitlyn remained quiet. Less than twelve hours after choosing each other, Cole had denied their relationship without hesitation.
Ryan thanked him for allowing Kaitlyn to stay in the apartment. Knowing someone watched over her gave him peace while he was abroad. The gratitude deepened Cole’s guilt.
He specifically thanked Cole for protecting her from men who might take advantage. Kaitlyn objected that she could protect herself. Ryan barely heard her.
To him, Kaitlyn remained a good girl who required guarding. Cole understood the phrase now carried assumptions about innocence, youth, and male ownership. He had repeated some of them himself.
Cole said she had grown a great deal. His gaze lingered a fraction too long. Ryan noticed.
Suspicion entered his expression. He told Cole it seemed as though he was hiding something. The question instantly silenced the table.
Kaitlyn watched Cole struggle between loyalty and fear. Telling Ryan here could destroy the reunion; lying would deepen the eventual betrayal.
Ryan pressed him. What was he not saying? Cole began twice and failed to form the confession.
He finally offered a different secret: he was graduating early. Once his teaching-assistant obligation ended, he would begin work at McKenzie Law Firm.
Ryan’s suspicion became excitement. The firm was located in their hometown, which meant Cole would remain close to the Sinclair family.
He congratulated his friend and said their parents would be thrilled. They already considered Cole a son. The words should have comforted him.
Instead, they sharpened the risk. A son could be forgiven many things, but Cole did not know whether secretly sleeping with their daughter was one of them.
Kaitlyn shared the excitement over his career. The news offered a possible future in which distance after graduation would not separate them. Yet Cole had not mentioned the plan to her.
Ryan continued celebrating while Cole and Kaitlyn exchanged guarded looks. Their lives were becoming intertwined, but secrecy prevented them from discussing even hopeful changes.
After lunch, Ryan left to make arrangements for his break. The apartment felt quieter once the door closed.
Kaitlyn confronted Cole about denying that he was seeing anyone. He reminded her they had almost been caught naked in bed hours earlier. Panic, not shame, had shaped the answer.
She accepted the fear but warned that repeated lies would turn their relationship into something neither could respect. They needed a plan for telling Ryan.
Cole promised they would find one after his teaching position ended. Until then, professional exposure could ruin both their futures. Kaitlyn agreed reluctantly.
The next class would test that promise sooner than either expected. As they entered Business Ethics separately, Maddy watched them from across the room with the satisfaction of someone who had found a new weapon.