Brothers Best Friend [Vinnie Hacker]

Chapter 10

Back to Riley's POV

As everyone else leaves the room after dinner, it's just Vinnie and me sitting there in awkward silence. The air is thick with tension, and I can feel his eyes on me even though I refuse to meet them.

"Riley—" he starts.

"If you even try, I'm gonna kick your ass," I snap, grabbing my plate and walking toward the sink.

"Please," he says softly. "Just... listen to me for a second."

I sigh and cross my arms. "Fine. Be quick."

He stands up, his voice quiet but urgent. "I don't even know what happened between us yesterday. One minute we're laughing, and the next... it was like I didn't even recognize you."

I glance away, unsure how to respond.

"But I swear," he continues, stepping a little closer, "I wasn't trying to mess with you or push anything too far. I just wanted to be close to you. You're not just some girl I flirt with online. You're you. You're Riley."

I finally meet his eyes. He looks exhausted, nervous, vulnerable. "Why do you even care so much?" I ask quietly.

"Because I love you," he says. "Like, actually love you. Not in a joke way or just a crush kind of way. I've never cared about someone the way I care about you. And I'm sorry for everything I said. I hate arguing with you—it wrecks me when we're not okay. You're the best thing that's happened to me, and I never want to be the reason you cry or doubt yourself."

He pauses, running a hand through his hair. "I talked to Ryland yesterday, and... he told me about that guy last year. The one who really hurt you. I get it now—why it's hard for you to trust this kind of stuff. But I swear to you, Riley, I would never do anything to hurt you. Ever. You can trust me."

I feel my eyes sting a little. "I'm not mad," I admit. "I mean... I was, but mostly I was just confused. And kind of embarrassed about how I reacted. I didn't expect to feel so—overwhelmed."

"It's okay," he says gently. "Can we just... try again? But slow. On our own terms. No pressure. No social media nonsense. Just you and me figuring things out."

I nod, smiling a little. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Okay good," he says, visibly relieved. "Also... can we prank them now?"

I raise an eyebrow. "You had a plan this whole time?"

"Always," he grins.

Before I can even ask for details, Mac and Olivia storm into the room.

"Come on! Get your suits on—pool party, now!" Mac announces.

"What?"

"No time for questions. Go, go, go!"

Later, at the pool...

The backyard is buzzing with laughter, floaties, and way too many snacks. The water's warm, music's playing, and for once, no one is filming anything. It's just us being teens.

I jump in with Olivia and Mac, and we start a splash war with Kio and Nick. Vinnie floats nearby, smirking at me every time I look his way. I pretend not to notice. Kind of.

Then slowly, one by one, everyone starts climbing out of the pool. First Nick says he forgot towels. Then Kio claims he has a cramp. Mac and Olivia suddenly "need to make smoothies." Ryland's on the phone. Within two minutes, it's just me and Vinnie in the water.

I raise an eyebrow. "They're being way too obvious."

Vinnie floats closer. "Yeah. Either we're in a cheesy teen rom-com, or they just ditched us."

"They really thought this would force us to talk, huh?"

"Well, joke's on them—we already did," he says.

I chuckle. "What should we do now? Pretend we're still mad?"

"We could... or we could talk about how dramatic they are."

"Olivia faked a leg cramp just to climb out faster."

"Nick said he 'heard a squirrel' and bolted. A squirrel, Riley."

I laugh harder than I mean to, and Vinnie smiles.

"See? Told you I could still make you laugh."

"I guess I missed that too," I say softly.

He swims a little closer. "So... pool party round two next week? Just us?"

"Only if there's a floaty with snacks."

"Done," he grins.

As we sit by the edge of the pool drying off, I rest my head on his shoulder. It's not perfect, but it feels right.

"Can we cuddle when we get home?" he asks, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Sorry, hun, I've got plans," I smirk, pulling away just enough to tease.

"Oh really?"

"Yep. Long night of avoiding you."

He grins, unbothered. "Cool, I'll just cancel my plans and show up anyway."

And just like that, we're okay again. Not perfect. But okay.

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hey guys, wow it's going so fast with readers on this story and im so grateful and happy:)

Q: should Kio date Olivia?

remember to vote and leave a comment, love you guys

<Laura>