I feel like I’m doing something wrong

Becky’s pov 

"Stop," I said, my voice breaking through the silence. The car slowed to a halt. I pressed my palm against my forehead and closed my eyes, willing the ache behind them to go away.

"Please... take me back to where you picked me up."

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Knew you’d change your mind,” he muttered, not unkindly.

I didn’t answer. My silence was louder than words. I wasn’t returning because I wanted to, I was going back because I didn’t know how to leave for good. Not yet.

Within minutes, we pulled up outside Sebastian’s house. The curtain in the living room twitched, then dropped. He’d been watching for me.

I stepped inside quietly and sank into the nearest seat, my eyes fixed on the floor. I couldn’t look at him.

“We’re meant to be together. This is when I need you the most,” Sebastian began, his tone rehearsed. “Do you want to embarrass me? What if my twin brother shows up with a stunning woman, and I’m alone at the anniversary? Don’t you think people will talk?”

Still, I said nothing. And that silence said everything. His brother again. Of course. That unspoken rivalry. That explained the sudden gym obsession, the protein shakes, the late-night workout videos he’d been sending me unsolicited. I’d thought he was trying to better himself for us. Now I saw it differently, he was competing.

What I needed was change. What he offered was guilt wrapped in favours I never asked for.

“I’ll pick your brother up,” I said at last, “but on one condition, you’re not coming with me.”

His voice faltered. “Has it really come to this? You don’t even want me there?”

I didn’t answer. If he couldn’t see what he was doing to me, I wasn’t going to explain it anymore.

He wheeled himself closer and rested his hand on my lap, stroking it gently. I resisted the urge to pull away. His palm was cold, like all the warmth between us had slowly drained away.

“Please,” he whispered, “don’t do this to me. Not now. Not with everything going on. Let’s talk after the anniversary, okay? Just… be there for me.”

“But you’re not coming to the airport,” I replied, firm. “I need some space. Quiet time. To clear my head.”

“If that’s what it takes to make you happy…” he said with a soft sigh. “Fine. Just, can you prepare something for Kenneth to eat? He’ll be tired after the flight.”

I didn’t respond. Just stood up and walked to the kitchen. I stayed there longer than necessary, moving slowly, wiping already-clean surfaces, opening cupboards I didn’t need. He knew I was stalling. Avoiding him. Two hours passed before he came to find me again.

“Have you changed your mind?” he asked gently. “Can I come?”

“No. Just give me the details. I’ll bring him.”

“Are you still mad at me?”

“No,” I said, though we both knew it wasn’t the truth. “I just need some time.”

If I’d said yes, the conversation would never end. I was too tired to fight anymore.

He handed me a slip of paper with Kenneth’s name and number. I took the car keys without another word and left.

I couldn't help but blush at the compliment. I turned to head toward the driver’s seat when he suddenly stopped me.

“No, no, no. You’re not driving me. I should be the one driving you,” he said, grinning.

I chuckled, heat rising to my cheeks again. The way he said driving you, my mind couldn’t help interpreting it in ways I probably shouldn’t.

We got into the car. As he adjusted his seat and started the engine, he glanced over with a sheepish smile.

“I didn’t even ask your name. That’s rude of me. I apologise.”

“I’m Becky,” I said, my voice softer than I intended.

“Becky…” he repeated, drawing it out with a playful lilt, like the name itself intrigued him.

There were so many things I wanted to say in that moment, especially the one thing that mattered: I’m Sebastian’s girlfriend. But I didn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to taint this moment, this fleeting bubble of lightness I hadn’t felt in so long. I decided I’d enjoy it, for as long as it lasted.

As we exited the airport’s main gate, Kenneth casually draped one hand over the steering wheel. The other reached behind me, resting lightly on the headrest of my seat.

“Hope this doesn’t bother you,” he said, glancing sideways. “I have this weird habit of stroking the headrest while I drive.”

“No,” I replied with a smile. But if only you knew what my imagination just did with that image. I pictured his hand not on the headrest, but on the back of my neck, fingertips grazing the skin there. I blinked the thought away.

For a few minutes, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the steady hum of the engine. I wanted to say something, anything, but the words tangled in my throat. Then he spoke, almost to himself.

“I feel like I’m doing something wrong.”

My head turned slightly. He hadn’t looked at me when he said it. His eyes stayed on the road, his jaw tense.

“What do you think you’re doing wrong?” I asked, careful not to sound too curious.

He didn’t respond. The silence returned, heavier now. Was he referring to me? Did he already know who I was to Sebastian?

I took a slow breath and opened my mouth to speak, to tell him the truth before he drew his own conclusions. But just as the words reached the edge of my lips, he pulled the car over and got out without a word. I stared after him as he disappeared into a nearby supermarket.

What’s he buying now?

Minutes ticked by. I looked away from the shop and down at the dashboard, thinking about the performance I’d have to put on once we got home. I’d act as though nothing had happened. As though Sebastian hadn’t hurt me. As though Kenneth hadn’t made me feel something I hadn’t felt in ages.

And I’d tell him. I would tell Kenneth who I was to his brother. I had to.

The passenger door opened suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. Kenneth leaned in, placed something gently on my lap, and closed the door again.

A rose. A single, deep red rose.

“For you,” he said, sliding back into the driver’s seat. “That’s what I wasn’t doing right. You deserve a rose.”

I stared down at it, stunned. Before I could find my voice, he added, “No strings attached. I just wanted you to know, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

The words hit me like soft thunder. And in their wake came dread. What would Sebastian think when he saw the rose? I didn’t even realise how close we were to home until the car slowed.

“Why did you stop?” I asked, almost breathless.

Kenneth smiled faintly. “We’re here. This is my brother’s house.”

I turned toward the window, and there it was. The street I knew too well. The same driveway. The same cold pit that formed in my stomach every time I walked through that door. The rose, once soft and romantic, now felt like a blade in my hand. And then I saw him. Sebastian. Standing at the entrance with crutches tucked under his arm, eyes locked on the car with a wide, excited grin on his face.

He was thrilled to see his brother again. He had no idea what I held in my lap, or what it meant. My pulse pounded. I could hear it in my ears, louder than the engine, louder than anything. What was I supposed to do now?