Ethan Brooks leaned back in his office chair, staring at his phone screen for the third time that hour. Noah had sent a simple message earlier: Finished my exam. Survived. Coffee later? He hadn’t replied yet.
It had been six weeks since their first coffee as “just friends,” and Ethan couldn’t deny the truth anymore. He enjoyed Noah’s company far more than he should. The younger man had become a bright spot in his days—quiet conversations that flowed effortlessly, shared laughs over bad movies, the way Noah listened without judgment. It felt easy. Natural.
Dangerous.
Ethan rubbed his temples, trying to push the thoughts away. Noah was twenty-one. He was thirty-one. More importantly, Noah was Chloe’s brother. The guilt should have been enough to stop this, whatever “this” was. But every t
