The house felt different when we got back. Ryan’s parents were away for the weekend, so it was just the three of us in their big family home on the edge of town. I smiled and laughed at all the right moments while Ryan showed me pictures from his finals week and asked a hundred questions about the cabin. Ethan sat across the dinner table, quiet like always, but every time our eyes met, heat rushed through me. I kept my voice steady. Told Ryan the storm was wild but we managed. Never mentioned the fire, the rug, or the way his brother had come inside me at dawn.
By bedtime, I was exhausted and wired at the same time. Ryan pulled me into his old room, the one with the twin bed we always shared when I stayed over. He kissed me soft and sweet, the way he always did. I kissed him back, feeling
