𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐖

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879 words

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The engagement party was the kind of event Darrian usually loved—loud music, warm lighting, people laughing in clusters, clinking glasses, the air smelling faintly of champagne and expensive cologne. But tonight, none of it touched him.

Because David was here.

David, leaning against the kitchen counter like a man who had nothing better to do than sip beer and ruin Darrian's night. His black dress shirt clung just right, sleeves rolled to his forearms, and that same infuriating calm was etched into his face. But his eyes—his eyes hadn't left Darrian once since he'd walked in.

Darrian hated how it made his stomach knot.

He plastered on a smile that could pass for polite charm and tipped his champagne flute toward him. "Enjoying yourself, future brother-in-law?"

The words were dipped in honey, but the poison underneath was intentional.

David's jaw flexed once. "Don't call me that."

"Why not?" Darrian tilted his head, tone airy. "It's true. Soon enough, you'll be—"

"Stop." One word. Flat. But it landed heavy, cutting straight through the act.

Darrian raised a brow, pretending not to notice the heat in David's voice. "Touchy, touchy. I'm just being accurate."

David's gaze didn't waver. "You're being a coward."

Three Years Ago

It had been raining so hard the streets were glossy black mirrors. Darrian stood under a flickering streetlamp, coat soaked through, hands shoved deep into his pockets to keep them from shaking.

Then headlights cut through the storm, and David's old car rolled up.

The window slid down. "Get in."

It wasn't a question.

Darrian slid into the passenger seat, dripping water onto the upholstery. David reached over and turned up the heat without a word. The smell of rain mixed with that clean, warm scent David always carried.

They'd been friends for years—laughing in group settings, texting late at night about nothing, lingering in each other's spaces longer than necessary. But that night felt different.

Instead of driving him home, David took a left turn.

Darrian glanced at him. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

The "you'll see" turned out to be David's apartment.

One shared look in the hallway—Darrian's hair plastered to his forehead, David's jaw tight—and it happened. The first kiss was messy, teeth clicking, breathless and desperate. They didn't stop. Shirts hit the floor. They moved like they'd been waiting years for an excuse.

And afterward, lying tangled in warm sheets, David looked at him like Darrian was something rare, something precious. It was the kind of look that made your chest ache.


Back to Now

Darrian set his glass down on the counter, turning so his hip rested against it. "You're acting like we... what? Like we have some big history?"

David pushed off his counter and stepped closer. The movement was slow, deliberate. "We do have history."

Two and a Half Years Ago

Morning light spilled across David's bed, painting his skin in gold. Darrian lay with his head on David's chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. David's fingers idly traced circles into Darrian's hair.

"I think I—" David started, but Darrian leaned up and kissed him before he could finish.

He didn't want to hear it. Didn't want the L-word hanging in the air like a loaded gun. Because if David said it, Darrian would believe it. And then he'd never leave.

They had their first fight two weeks later. David wanted him to stay the night. Darrian said he couldn't. David accused him of running. Darrian accused him of wanting too much.

They didn't talk for a month after that.

Back to Now

David stopped just short of touching him. "I'm not your brother-in-law, Darrian."

"Mm." Darrian's voice was sharp-sweet. "Pretty sure you're about to be."

David's eyes darkened. "No. I've been inside you. More than once. You can pretend that doesn't matter, but we both know it does."

One and a Half Years Ago

They'd gotten back together without really talking about it. A late-night call from David. "Can you come over?" A knock on his door at midnight. Darrian stepping inside without thinking.

It was supposed to be just that night.

It wasn't.

For months, they found each other in quiet, stolen hours. Darrian would pretend it was casual, but he'd still wake up to find David watching him sleep.

Then, abruptly, Darrian ended it. No explanation. Just a text: We can't do this anymore.

He'd met David's brother at a mutual friend's dinner party two weeks later.

Back to Now

David's smirk was slow, dangerous. "You can play house with him all you want, Darrian. But I know how you sound when you can't breathe. I know how you shake when you're close. I know every—"

"Enough," Darrian cut in, but it came out weaker than he wanted.

David stepped in anyway, closing that last inch. His mouth crashed into Darrian's—rough, desperate, unrelenting.

Darrian's hands fisted into the back of his shirt before he even thought to stop himself. The taste of him, the way he fit against him—it was a hurricane swallowing up three years of denial.

And then—

The sharp sound of the front door swinging open.

Darrian shoved David back, chest heaving. In one smooth motion, he straightened his shirt, fixed his hair, and summoned that perfect, dazzling smile.

"Babe!" he called out, voice warm and bright.

He crossed the living room in seconds, arms sliding around his fiancé—David's older brother—like he'd been waiting all night for this.

From the kitchen doorway, David watched, jaw tight, beer in hand.

Darrian didn't look back.

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guys ive been watching too tsitp and people's comments on it....

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