Part 2The Day I Took It Back

When I went downstairs the next morning, Liam was already busy in the kitchen.

After his parents died in a car accident, my parents took him in. He’s been with us for over ten years.

We share no blood, but our lives are inextricably tied.

Like right now. Despite the awkwardness of the rejected confession, he was still up early making me breakfast.

I couldn’t help it. I’ve been eating his cooking for a decade; it’s a habit.

"I won't be home for lunch or dinner," I said, taking a bite of a sandwich while leaning against the doorframe. "I'm hanging out with friends this afternoon."

He kept his head down, frying an egg. I couldn’t tell if he heard me.

All morning, he seemed to be avoiding me. He stayed in the kitchen, busy with god knows what.

It wasn't until I was changing my shoes in the entryway that he walked out of the living room holding an umbrella.

"The forecast says rain. Take this."

He looked like the perfect, responsible older brother again. As if yesterday’s cold rejection was just my hallucination.

I smiled at him. "Okay."

I pushed the door open, then turned back.

"By the way, Brother."

Meeting his gaze, I kept my tone breezy.

"I thought about it last night before bed. You're right."

"I've never dated anyone, so I probably confused familial love with romance."

"Sorry for making things awkward, Bro."

Liam’s grip on the umbrella handle tightened visibly.

After a long pause, he said flatly, "I'm glad you understand."

I pretended not to notice his tension. I patted his shoulder, leaning in close. My warm breath brushed against his neck.

"I need to clear out my desk at school since we graduated. There are still a few boxes of books. I'll need your help later, okay?"

The Karaoke room was deafening.

Maya sat next to me, handing me a boba tea. "Why did you come today? You usually hate these loud gatherings."

I chewed on the straw, shaking my head with a smile. "Just felt like it."

Liam was strict with me.

Curfews. Reporting my location. If I didn't reply for a few hours, he’d call. If I was late, his car would be waiting down the street.

In my past life, I was afraid of making him angry, so I was obedient.

Now that I think about it... that wasn't brotherly concern. That was possessiveness.

And he had the nerve to play the "sibling card."

You don't know pain until the knife cuts you.

"Won't your brother be mad?" Maya worried. "Last time we stayed out past midnight, his face was terrifying when he picked you up."

I swirled my drink casually.

"Why would he be mad?" I put on a faint smile. "He's not my real brother anyway."

Liam is three years older than me. By the time I turned eighteen, he was already in college.

When we were kids, our parents were always traveling for business. The job of raising me basically fell to him and the nanny.

In a way, Liam raised me.

My feelings for him were obvious to everyone. Yet he insisted on being the untouchable saint.

Seems a bit unfair, doesn't it?