Todos los capítulos de Tempting My Brother’s Best Friend: Capítulo 41 - Capítulo 50

Mia woke up to the sound of birds and the distant hum of a boat engine. No slamming doors. No Jake blasting music. No Mom hovering with worried eyes. Just quiet.She went through her morning online classes at the desk facing the lake. The professor’s voice droned on about economics while she doodled in her notebook. When the last class ended, she closed her laptop and stretched.Aunt Lisa was in the kitchen making a sandwich. “You done with school stuff?”“Yeah. For today.”“Good. I need coffee beans from town. And maybe some fresh bread if they have any. You mind walking down? It’s a nice day.”Mia shrugged. “Sure. I’ll go now.”Lisa tossed her the keys to the old bike in the garage. “Faster than walking. And say hi to people. They don’t bite. Much.”Mia rode the creaky bike into town, the wind cool on her face. The main street was busy in that slow, small-town way. She locked the bike outside the café and stepped insid

Mia woke up before her alarm the next morning. She lay in bed listening to the lake birds and the soft creak of the old wooden house settling. For the first time in months, her first thought wasn’t about Ethan or the scandal or what people at school were saying.It was just… quiet.She got up, made coffee the way Aunt Lisa liked it, and sat on the porch with her laptop for online classes. While the professor talked about statistical models, Mia found herself taking notes differently. Not rushing. Not distracted by waiting for Ethan’s text. She actually listened.After classes, she changed into shorts and a tank top and went for a run along the lakeside path. The air smelled like pine and water. Halfway through, she stopped at a small dock, breathing hard, and just stood there looking out.Back home she was always “Jake’s little sister.” Then she became “the girl who stole Ethan.” The homewrecker. The slut in the group chat. Here, no one knew that

Mia sat on the porch steps the next afternoon, sketchbook closed beside her. The lake was calm, but her mind wasn’t. Aunt Lisa came out with two glasses of lemonade and sat next to her without asking.“You’ve been quiet today,” Lisa said, handing her a glass. “Not the usual ‘I’m enjoying the peace’ quiet. Something else.”Mia took a sip. “I don’t know. Everything feels… in between. Ethan’s trying back home. He talked to my dad. Worked out with Jake. But our calls are getting shorter. And I’m out here laughing with new people, drawing again, actually sleeping well. It feels good. But it also feels like I’m doing something wrong.”Lisa nodded slowly, looking out at the water. “You want my real story?”Mia turned toward her. “Yeah. I do.”Lisa leaned back. “I was twenty-one. Head over heels for this guy named Marcus. Charming, funny, came from a good family. My parents loved him. We were together three years. Then his best friend — my cousin

The gym was loud. Shoes squeaking, Coach yelling plays, the ball echoing off the floor. They were running scrimmages — full court, game speed. Ethan and Jake ended up on the same team for the first time in weeks.At first it was awkward. Passes were stiff. Eye contact minimal. But then the game took over.Jake cut hard to the basket. Ethan saw it instantly and fired a no-look bounce pass. Jake caught it mid-stride and laid it in clean. A few plays later, Jake kicked it back out when he got doubled. Ethan drained the open three. They started reading each other again, the way they used to — no words needed.For almost twenty straight minutes, it felt like old times. Jake hit Ethan on the chest after a good screen. Ethan high-fived him hard after a fast break dunk. They even trash-talked the other team together, laughing when one of the freshmen got crossed over badly.Then the whistle blew for a water break. The moment snapped.Jake’s smile faded. He took his water

Mia was sketching on the porch when her phone rang. Jake’s name popped up. She stared at it for a second, surprised. They hadn’t spoken much since she left.She answered. “Hey.”“Hey,” Jake said. His voice sounded tired. “You good over there?”“Yeah. I’m okay. How’s home?”“Same.” There was a pause. “Saw some pictures from the lake. You look like you’re having fun.”Mia sat up straighter. “You’ve been checking my stories?”“Sometimes.” Jake cleared his throat. “Look, I’m not calling to fight. I just… I don’t know. I had a decent practice with Ethan today. First time in a while it didn’t feel like shit. But then I saw you out there with new people and… I don’t want you getting hurt. Or making things more complicated.”Mia frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”“It means be careful. Ethan’s actually trying to fix stuff here. With me. With Dad. Don’t make it harder for him. Or for you.”She felt irritati