CHAPTER 4

CARTER 

I sat with my hands folded neatly on the table. The glass of red wine in front of me remained untouched. My father was talking about stock portfolios again. My mother kept nodding politely, her hand resting lightly on the armrest of her chair. The dining room was warm. Too warm. I could feel the heat crawling under my collar.

“So, Liam,” my father said, turning slightly. “How’s criminology going?”

Liam grinned. “Good. I’m taking a forensic psychology class this semester. Pretty cool stuff.”

My father gave a small nod. “You’re not planning on becoming one of those criminal profilers, are you?”

Liam laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe. I might go into policy work.”

My father hummed, clearly unimpressed.

He looked at me next. “And your first week at the university?”

“Fine,” I said, slicing into my steak.

“Settling in?”

“Yes.”

He waited. I didn’t say more.

My mother stepped in, smiling gently. “You always liked teaching, Carter.”

I nodded once. 

She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

There was a girl next to Liam. Pretty. Curly hair. Long lashes. She hadn’t said much since we sat down, just smiled and listened. I watched her for a moment. The way she leaned toward him. The way her hand brushed his arm when he said something dumb.

I looked at her again. Then at him.

He caught me staring.

“This is Zara,” Liam said casually. “My girlfriend.”

I froze.

Only for a second.

My knife kept moving.

My face stayed blank.

But my head was suddenly louder than before.

“She’s really sweet,” my mother said, smiling warmly. 

“Yeah,” Liam said, beaming. “She’s been amazing.”

I sipped my wine. Slowly.

“Girlfriend?” my father repeated.

“Yep.”

There was a pause.

“What happened to Eli though?” my mother asked softly.

I didn’t look up.

Liam shrugged. “We broke up.”

The words dropped into the room like cold water.

My chest tightened.

I chewed slowly.

“You were with Eli for what—a year?” my father asked.

“More like two,” Liam said.

“And now you’re just… done?”

Liam glanced at Zara, then looked back. “It wasn’t working. He’s been going through a lot. I couldn’t be everything he needed.”

I stared at my plate.

My hands didn’t shake.

My face didn’t move.

But in my head, I remembered exactly what I said to Eli after class. About special treatment. About sleeping with my brother.

I swallowed hard and set my fork down.

Excused myself quietly.

In the bathroom, I closed the door, leaned over the sink, and stared at the porcelain.

Then I pressed my palm to my face and stayed like that.

What a mess.

I walked back out, buttoning my sleeve.

And stopped.

She was waiting in the hallway.

Zara.

Liam’s girlfriend.

She looked up when I approached.

“Hey,” she said again, stepping a little closer. “Do you have a minute?”

I didn’t answer right away. Just looked at her.

She looked back toward the dining room. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of everyone… but I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “From Liam?”

She smiled, like that wasn’t the question she wanted me to ask. “From everyone, actually. You’re kind of a legend.”

I said nothing.

Zara took a step closer. “You’re even hotter in person.”

I blinked once. Slowly.

She kept going. “You don’t talk much, which is… hot. And you look like you don’t take shit from anyone.” Her voice dipped, a little softer. “I like that.”

Still, I said nothing.

Then she reached out and touched my chest. Lightly. Fingertips barely pressing into the fabric of my shirt.

That’s when I moved.

Not much.

Just enough to grab her wrist and pull it off me.

I looked her straight in the eye.

“Get your fucking hands off me,” I said calmly.

She laughed like I was joking. “Come on, Carter. Don’t act like you haven’t noticed me—”

“I noticed,” I said coldly. “I’m just not interested.”

She blinked, still trying. “Why not?”

I looked at her like she was beneath me. “Because I don’t do trash.”

Her smile finally dropped.

She stepped back a little. “Excuse me?”

I didn’t flinch. “You’re sleeping with my brother while still staring at other men across the table. That’s pathetic.”

She crossed her arms, but her hands were shaking. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough,” I said flatly.

She tried to speak again, but the way I stared at her shut her up.

Eventually, she flinched. Just slightly. But I saw it.

I stepped around her without another word.

I didn’t go back to the dining room.

I texted my parents that I had work to finish and left.

Outside, the air was thick with rain. The wind was loud, but I welcomed the noise.

I got in my car and sat there for a minute.

I could’ve gone home. Put on a movie. Had a drink. Slept like usual.

But I kept seeing his face.

Eli.

The way he looked at me after class. The way he tried to speak. The way I shut him down like I had every right to.

He was just some boy.

A student.

But something about him stayed in my chest. That hollow look. That tired voice.

And now Liam had dumped him.

I closed my eyes for a second.

I didn’t owe him anything. He wasn’t my problem.

But still…

I found myself driving.

Not home.

To his apartment.

I’d only been there once, maybe twice. Dropping Liam off months ago. But I remembered the street. I remembered the red door. I remembered the old cracked steps leading up to the second floor.

I parked.

Got out.

Rain hit hard. I pulled my coat tighter, walked up the steps, and stood in front of his door.

I knocked.

Waited.

A few seconds passed.

Then the door opened.

And there he was.

Eli.

Soaked from head to toe, almost shirtless, raindrops running down his cheeks like tears. His hair was wet and pushed back, his lashes dark and heavy. He looked surprised. Small. And somehow still beautiful.

He looked up at me.

I stared back.