(Sebastian's POV)
Gabriel. I'd spent ten years making sure no one touched him. I was his shield, his best friend, and—secretly—the one who had been hopelessly in love with him since I don't remember when it really started that I look at him differently.
To hide it, I went out with anyone who looked at me twice, trying to drown out the feeling of wanting someone I could never have.
But as I stood at the back of our family's club, kissing a random guy to forget my guilt, I felt more hollow than ever. I was a bit drunk, but who cared?
"We should book a room. Let's go," the guy muttered against my neck.
"Nah. I can't leave my friend," I said, pulling away to fix the top buttons of my polo.
He grabbed my wrist, his grip tightening. "You can't just stop now. It won't take long."
"No. I said stop. You should go."
He looked angry, his face twisting as he tried to pull me back toward him.
"Hey!" I shouted, but he didn't listen. He tried to force a kiss on me, but a sudden, dry cough cut through the air.
"Ehem."
We both froze. Leaning against the brick wall, a cigarette between his lips and his eyes as cold as ice, was the one person I didn't want to see.
Callum.
"Sh*t! Big Bro Callum!" I pushed the guy away, stumbling as I tried to straighten my clothes.
"Brother?" the guy asked, confused. Callum didn't answer with words. He just gave the man a look so predatory and dark that the guy turned pale and bolted into the shadows.
Callum exhaled a cloud of smoke, his aura heavy and dangerous. He didn't even have to raise his voice to command a room. He pushed off the wall and walked toward me.
"Hey, kid."
"Big Bro... since when did you—" I couldn't finish. My heart was thundering. Did he know I was supposed to be at the condo with Gaby?
"Since you two showed up. I've been right here."
"Hey! You should have said something! So you saw... that?" I asked, feeling a wave of heat hit my face. It was awkward. The Moondays treated me like a brother, and catching me like this felt like a betrayal.
"You should be careful who you hang out with," he said, patting my head with a rough hand. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"This is my family's club, so I—"
"Oh? I didn't know that," he said, casting a glance toward the entrance.
Panicked that he might find Gabriel, I grabbed his arm, physically turning him away. "Wait! Big Bro... I want to drink more. Can I go with you? Please?"
He searched my face for a long beat. "Are you sure? I'm with my work friends at the bar next door. But you can come."
"Let's go."
I followed him into the neighboring bar, my mind a mess of guilt and nerves.
"Oi, Cal! Who's the kid?" one of his friends shouted. "You only went out for a smoke and you already found someone?"
Callum hit the back of his friend's head. "Idiot. He's my brother."
"Really? Is this Gaby?" The friend reached out, turning my face side to side. "Can a face change this much?"
Callum slapped his hand away. "Don't touch him! He's Sebastian, Gaby's best friend."
"Oh. So he's not your brother."
"Whatever. Sit here, Seb. I'll take you home when we're done."
I sat beside him, nursing a beer. Every time I looked at Callum, I saw a shadow of Gabriel's features, and it made my heart ache.
By the time the night was winding down, I'd had way too many drinks. My head was spinning, so I let it drop onto Callum's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low and vibrating through my chest.
I just nodded, leaning into his warmth. I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep until I felt him shaking me gently. "Seb. Let's go. I'm taking you back."
He supported my weight as we walked to his car. By the time we reached my condo, the alcohol had turned my blood into liquid fire. As he leaned over to unbuckle my seatbelt, his face was inches from mine.
I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was the ten years of unrequited love for a Moonday. Maybe it was the whiskey. But I reached out, cupping his face.
"Seb. What are you doing?" he asked, his voice a low warning.
I didn't answer. I pulled his face down and pressed my lips to his in a quick, desperate kiss. He froze, shocked into a deafening silence.
I pulled back just an inch, my heart hammering against my ribs as I searched his eyes. We stayed like that for a heartbeat, breathing the same air, reading the unspoken questions between us.
When he didn't push me away, I leaned in again, more slowly this time. I pressed my lips to his, lingering, waiting. And that's when his restraint snapped.
He didn't just respond; he took over.
He pulled me onto his lap, his hands sliding under my shirt as our kisses turned aggressive. When he started to caress my legs, I felt the undeniable heat between us.
"Should we go up?" I whispered, biting my lip.
He didn't need to be asked twice.
We barely made it through the door of my bedroom. The air was thick with the scent of his cologne and the salt of our skin.
"Wait," he panted. "I'm not doing this to someone drunk. Are you sober?"
I looked into his dark eyes, my pulse racing. I'd never seen him like this. I smiled at him and pushed him back against the pillows. "I am sober," I whispered, pulling my shirt over my head and throwing it aside.
I crawled on top of him, slowly unbuttoning his shirt while locking eyes with him. As the fabric fell away, I could see his build—he was lean, muscular, and looking at me like he wanted to devour me. I traced the line of his chest and abs with my fingertips, feeling the heat radiating off him.
"If you're sober now... then let me," he growled. He flipped me over, his body heavy and hot against mine. He pulled my leg over his shoulder, his hands sliding inside my pants.
"Ahh. Callum... just like that," I blurted out.
"F*ck," he breathed, reaching for a condom in his bag. "Put this on me."
I did as he said, my hands trembling. When he entered me, the world vanished. There was no club, no Gabriel, no guilt—only the rhythm of his body and the sound of my own voice gasping his name.
"Ah... Callum... you're so good at this."
He grabbed my hair, pulling my head back to look at him. "So you're calling me Callum now? Where's the 'Brother'? Say my name again."
"Are you teasing me?"
"Then should I stop?" He moved deeper, hitting a spot that made my toes curl.
"No... please... don't stop."
He moved faster, his movements intense and demanding until we both shattered. He collapsed against me, burying his face in my neck.
As he wiped the moisture from my face afterward, our eyes met. Reality hit me like a bucket of ice water. I had spent a decade in love with Gabriel, and I had just spent the night in the arms of his brother.
I turned away, pulling the blanket tight.
"Hmm. You should rest. I'll take a bath," he said, tapping my shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom.
The next morning, the smell of breakfast filled the air. I walked into the kitchen to find Callum flipping eggs, looking like he did this every day.
"Oh, you're awake. Sit down, I made breakfast."
"Thanks," I mumbled. I couldn't even look him in the eye but he was acting like nothing happened. Was it just a one-time thing for him?
Then, his phone rang. "Hello? Big Bro Bram?"
My heart stopped.
"Gaby stayed at Seb's?" Callum asked, his eyes snapping to mine. They were no longer the warm eyes from the bedroom. They were lethal.
Oh, fck.* Gabriel.
I scrambled for my phone. Twenty missed calls. I'd been so distracted by the "Scary Brother" that I'd left my Innocent friend all alone in a room full of trouble.
"Sebastian Laurent!"
I froze at the sound of my full name.
"Where. Is. Gaby?"