Rival Lovers

| 021 |

Lucas

It was Jays birthday tomorrow. And fuck, I had no clue what to get the guy.

Yeah, we were brothers, but we weren't exactly the closest growing up. We were just different.

Jay was always up to no good, doing shit he shouldn't. I can't remember a time he wasn't locked up when we were younger.

The number of times I had to drag him away from beating the living shit out of someone—while he was also under the influence of alcohol, might I add—was too many to count.

I remember one night when we were kids. I was about ten, Jay twelve. Mom had sent us to bed, but Jay snuck out, convincing me to follow him to the old train tracks behind our neighborhood.

He had this wild look in his eyes, the kind that promised trouble. We ended up throwing rocks at abandoned train cars until one of them shattered a window. The sound was deafening, and I was terrified. But Jay? He laughed, a sound full of reckless abandon. That was Jay—fearless, impulsive, always chasing the next thrill.

As we got older, our paths diverged even more. I focused on school, sports, trying to be the good son. Jay? He dove headfirst into street racing, underground fights, anything that gave him a rush. I tried to reach out, to pull him back, but it was like trying to catch smoke with bare hands.

Now, here I was, standing in my dorm room, staring at the calendar. Jay's birthday. And I had no idea what to get him.

I racked my brain, thinking of his interests. Cars, adrenaline, maybe some new gear for his races? But nothing felt right. I needed help. And there was only one person I could think of.

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to Zaara's bedroom door and knocked.

"Yeah?" came her voice from the other side.

"Hey, it's Lucas. Can I come in?"

There was a brief pause before she replied, "Sure."

I opened the door to find her sitting cross-legged on her bed, a textbook in her lap. She looked up, eyebrows raised. "What's up?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling awkward. "I, uh, need your help."

Her eyes widened in mock surprise. "Lucas Reed, asking for help? This must be serious."

I rolled my eyes. "It's about Jay. His birthday's tomorrow, and I have no idea what to get him."

Zaara's expression softened slightly. "You want my help picking out a gift for your brother?"

"Yeah. I mean, you know him, right? Maybe you have some ideas."

She closed her textbook and set it aside. "Alright. Let's go shopping."

The mall was bustling, a cacophony of voices, footsteps, and the distant hum of music. Zaara and I walked side by side, the silence between us filled with unspoken words.

"So," she began, breaking the tension, "what does Jay like?"

I shrugged. "Cars, mostly. Racing. Anything that gets his adrenaline pumping."