My fingers brushed her back gently

Becky's POV

"What? What happened to my brother's leg?" Kenneth asked, sounding both shocked and curious. He quickly jumped out of the car to meet Sebastian. I stayed behind for a moment, frozen by the rose I was still holding. In his rush, Kenneth had left the car door partly open, which meant I could hear everything they were saying.

"What happened?" Kenneth asked again, hugging Sebastian tightly.

"It was just an accident at work," Sebastian replied casually, and I nearly laughed at the lie. I sat there in silence, stunned. They hugged again, like they had not seen each other in years. Then Sebastian glanced towards the car, probably wondering why I had not come out yet.

"If not for the queen of my life…" he stretched out his hand towards me.

I quickly hid the rose under the seat and stepped out, trying not to show what I was really feeling. I walked over to them, and Sebastian smiled warmly.

"Kenneth, please help me thank my love, Becky," he said.

I smiled back, though my heart was beating faster than I wanted to admit.

"When people talk about good women, she is one of them. When life gets hard, that is when you know who really cares. This is Becky, my girlfriend."

Kenneth stepped forward and offered his hand. I took it and we shook hands.

"Thank you so much for being there for my twin brother," he said, looking at me kindly.

I nodded and gave a small smile. "Of course."

"Come on, let us go inside and have a few glasses of wine," Sebastian said cheerfully, then kissed my forehead. I tried to relax as we walked in.

The two of them sat close together, catching up, while I went to the wine bar to get a bottle. As I poured the drinks, I could feel Kenneth's eyes on me. What was he thinking? I had no idea, but something about his look made me wonder if he already sensed that something was not quite right.

*******************

Kenneth's POV

I was in a difficult spot. I never imagined Becky would turn out to be my brother’s girlfriend. She never mentioned anything about it during the journey. And to make matters worse, her beauty had nearly landed me in trouble. When Sebastian introduced her as his girlfriend, I felt panic rising in my chest. I started thinking of how to explain the rose I had bought for her. Thank goodness she got out of the car without it. If she had brought it with her, it could have stirred up old arguments between Sebastian and me.

Strangely, she did not seem to suspect anything either. That was a relief, but it also made me wish she was not with my brother. I wished she could have been by my side at the anniversary instead. From the moment I saw her at the airport, I was drawn to her. It felt like I had met the perfect woman. I almost wanted to ask her if scientists had designed her in a lab, she looked that flawless. Why did Sebastian get to meet her first? Why not me?

But now she belonged to him, and all I could do was admire her from afar.

Back inside the car, I had almost reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face before jumping out in shock at the sight of Sebastian’s injured leg. That moment stayed with me.

When she came to us holding the wine bottle, I caught myself staring again. My mind wandered, thinking about how she would look without anything on. It would not take much for me to want her.

I noticed she was struggling to open the wine, so I offered quickly, "Let me open it for you."

"Thank you so much," she replied with that lovely voice of hers.

I took the bottle and deliberately placed my hand over hers. I just wanted to feel her skin, and for a second, she looked at me while I stared at the bottle. I opened it smoothly, and we began to drink while she sat across from us. Everything seemed fine, until Sebastian asked a question that changed the mood.

"Where is your girlfriend? Why didn’t you bring her?"

The room went quiet. I could feel the pride in Sebastian’s tone. His face almost said, “Look at my beautiful girlfriend. What about you?” That same old competition between us had returned without warning. I took a breath and thought about how to answer.

"It is a long story, and I do not want to talk about her right now," I said calmly.

"So, when are you heading back to London?" he asked next.

"After the anniversary. I will leave then," I replied, feeling a little of sadness.

Becky stood up with a polite smile and said, "Can I leave you both to talk? I’m sure you have plenty to catch up on." She gave a small shrug and walked out. I made sure not to meet her eyes, though I wanted to. Sebastian watched her leave, as always. I had to be careful not to show anything on my face. Sebastian could read people like a book, and he had always known when something was off.

Once it was just the two of us in the room, Sebastian leaned closer and spoke in a quiet voice.

"I need a favour from you."

I thought it was going to be about helping him out because of his leg.

"I want you to keep an eye on Becky during the anniversary," he said. "Because of my leg, I might have to sit most of the time, and I need someone I trust to look out for her."

I raised a brow. "Is everything okay between you two?"

"Yes, we’re fine. She’s just… so beautiful. If she stands alone or dances by herself, she’ll attract attention. I have always been careful about that. I cannot let her slip away. I love her more than I can explain. In fact, I’m planning to propose to her a few weeks after the anniversary. But please, keep this between us."

"Can I ask you something?" I said before he could go on.

"Of course," Sebastian nodded.

"Do you think Becky really loves you?"

His smile dropped. "Why do you ask? Did she say anything to you in the car?"

"No, not at all. We barely spoke. But if she loves you, she’ll stay loyal, even when you’re not around."

"You are right," he replied, but he looked worried. "Still, with women like her, it is not always that simple. You need to do more than just trust them, you need to be smart."

Before he could say more, the door opened and Becky walked in. Sebastian quickly changed the subject.

"Please, just do what I asked. And I hope that when my plan comes together, you’ll bring your own girlfriend next time."

"Sure," I said with a smile. Becky looked at us, trying to figure out what we had been discussing.

"Aren’t you both hungry?" she asked. "Kenneth, especially you, after that long trip."

I looked at her again, and I could not help thinking, how did my brother manage to win over someone like her? Sebastian was not exactly the kindest man. Maybe beautiful girls are drawn to the ones who hurt them the most. Maybe men like Sebastian know exactly how to pull them in.

***************

Kenneth's POV

The next morning, Becky was the first person on my mind. I told myself it was nothing. After all, we had spent the evening together, Becky, Sebastian, and I. When Sebastian went to take a bath, Becky showed me some funny videos online, and I laughed more than I expected. At that moment, I thought Sebastian was really lucky to have someone like her.

Sebastian and I were already dressed and waiting in the sitting room when Becky finally came out. She looked stunning. Her red gown hugged her figure perfectly. I had not noticed her curves before because she wore loose clothes the previous day, but now, I saw everything. The neckline of her dress dipped low, showing a bit of her cleavage. I could not look away. Even Sebastian looked surprised at first. His smile came later, and it did not look real.

Around noon, we left Sebastian’s house. I was the one driving us to the hotel where our parents' silver jubilee anniversary was being held. The journey took almost an hour. Before the party began, there were lots of photo sessions. I saw old friends and family members I had not seen in years. I stayed close to Becky, just like Sebastian had asked me to. But that only led to one question from nearly everyone we met:

“Is she your fiancée?”

I only smiled and shook my head. A part of me wanted to say yes. The party was lively and well-planned. I danced with our mum, and I could see how happy she was to have us all together again. Sebastian, however, had to stay in one place because of his leg. That gave me more time beside Becky, and honestly, I think she liked it that way too.

By 7 p.m., the music changed, and the lights in the hall became softer. The floor was open for everyone. I stood near Becky as she started dancing. She was good, too good. At one point, she turned around and moved her hips in a way that made it hard for me to think straight. Without meaning to, I placed my hands on her waist. Her body felt so soft, and I could not stop myself from imagining more.

Then she began to twerk gently against me. I gave in. I pulled her close and held her as we danced. We drank, laughed, and moved to the beat like we were the only ones in the room.

As the music stopped, she leaned close, looked into my eyes, and quietly told me her room number. I thought she was joking. She smiled, said goodnight, and left.

Later, I found Sebastian and helped him into his wheelchair. I told him Becky had gone to her room, half-expecting him to ask me to take him there. But he said something that caught me off guard.

“Take me to my room,  room 19.”

I paused for a second. Becky had said her room was 45. Why were they staying in different rooms?

Sebastian must have seen the question in my face, because halfway to his room, he said, “Because of my leg, the doctor told me not to do anything that might delay healing. That includes sex.”

That answered everything. I nodded and helped him to his door. He thanked me, and I returned to my own room,  number 40.

After taking a bath, I tried to sleep, but it was useless. No matter how hard I tried, I kept thinking about Becky. Her voice, her body, that dance. Then her room number. Why did she tell me? Did she expect me to come? I was leaving for London the next day. I would not see her again.

Maybe she had already fallen asleep. Maybe the alcohol had made her act differently. Still, I could not stop thinking. After an hour of tossing in bed, I stood up and left the room.

I walked down the quiet corridor to room 45 and knocked. No one answered. I was about to knock again when the door opened. She turned and walked back to the bed without saying anything.

I stood there, thinking I should turn back. But my legs moved me inside, and I gently closed the door behind me.

The room was dim, and she lay on her stomach in a short white nightgown. Her back was bare, and her body looked even softer in the low light. My eyes moved to her curves as she rested without a word. I slowly climbed the bed and lay beside her. I waited to see if she would move, but she did not.

I leaned close to her ear and said softly, “Why not give me this night in place of my brother? I have not been myself since you danced on me.”

My fingers brushed her back gently. I waited for her answer.