Her Brother’s Best Friend

An Awkward Entrance

Riley:

The music had gotten louder.

Bass thrummed through the walls, glasses clinked, and laughter spilled out of the kitchen like smoke. I’d forgotten how chaotic Logan’s house could get when his friends showed up—it was like stepping into one of those nights from high school, except I wasn’t the kid trying to sneak sodas from the fridge anymore.

I wasn’t the kid at all.

I was supposed to feel grown, steady, immune to their nonsense. Instead, I found myself glued to the corner of the couch with a drink in my hand, pulse tripping in my throat as my eyes kept landing where I didn’t want them to.

On him.

Cade leaned against the counter, dark head bent close to Julie’s. Her laugh carried easily across the room—light, flirty, designed to be noticed. And Cade noticed.

Of course he did.

He tilted his beer bottle toward her as if whispering the world’s funniest joke. She touched his arm when she laughed again, nails painted a sharp red that caught the dim light. His smile in response was sharp enough to make my stomach twist.

It shouldn’t matter. It wasn’t supposed to matter.

I forced my eyes away and sipped my drink. The liquor burned hot down my throat, but not nearly enough to dull the jagged edge digging under my skin. Julie was gorgeous, no denying it. Dark hair, perfect smile, curves she knew how to use. And the worst part? She looked just enough like me that it stung.

Maybe that’s why he picked her.

I shifted on the couch, pretending to scroll through my phone, pretending I wasn’t cataloging every brush of Julie’s hand against his arm, every low chuckle Cade gave her, every stolen glance I swore I saw in my direction.

I hated it.

The more they laughed together, the tighter my chest pulled. I told myself to ignore it, to let him be the arrogant player he always was. But the truth was, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way his gaze had lingered earlier, like I was the only person in the room. Like he wanted me, no matter how much he tried to cover it up.

So why Julie? Why now?

By the time the night edged toward midnight, my patience was shredded thin. The music was lower, and people drifted home or upstairs to crash. I’d started gathering empty bottles just to have something to do when I saw it—Cade, hand brushing the small of Julie’s back as he leaned in, murmuring something too quiet for me to hear.

Her smile widened. She looped her arm through his.

And then he led her up the stairs.

The sight punched me square in the chest. My stomach dropped, hot jealousy boiling up, ugly and sharp. I froze in the middle of the living room, bottles dangling from my fingers like proof of my stupidity.

He wasn’t mine. He’d never been mine. But watching him walk away with her felt like losing something I never should have wanted in the first place.

The sound of their footsteps on the stairs echoed long after they disappeared. I tried to breathe, tried to convince myself to sit back down, to let it go. But my body wouldn’t listen. My feet moved before my brain could catch up.

I followed.

Heart pounding, breath shallow, I climbed each step like I was walking into a fire I had no business touching. Every rational part of me screamed to stop, to turn back. But jealousy was louder. Curiosity sharper.

By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I already knew: tonight, I wouldn’t be able to pretend anymore.

I kicked the last stair more forcefully than necessary and barreled into the bedroom like a hurricane in heels.

“Whoa—woooahhh!” I slurred, staggering violently, arms flailing like I was auditioning for a slapstick comedy. “Cade! Julie! I think I… I think I—uh—lost my balance!”

I pitched forward dramatically, landing across the edge of the bed with a graceless thud. Bottles clattered off the dresser in my wake, and my hair fell in a wild halo around my face.

Julie shrieked, squealing like a startled cat, and leapt upright, half-draped in sheets that had been doing a terrible job covering her. Cade’s eyes went wide, almost cartoonishly so, as he scrambled to grab a shirt that had been abandoned on the floor.

“Riley! What the hell—?” he started, voice rising with panic.

“I’m fine! Totally fine! Just… practicing my floor technique,” I slurred, flopping onto my back and pointing at the ceiling like I was auditioning for a silent movie role. “Nailed it, right?”

Julie’s laugh burst out, helpless and bright, but there was a sharp note of embarrassment in it. She yanked the sheet tighter around herself, muttering, “Seriously, Riley? Right now?”

“Absolutely,” I said, squinting through my ‘drunken haze,’ voice dropping conspiratorially. “Perfect timing!

You know what they say: nothing says ‘party’ like falling into people’s bedrooms at midnight. It’s tradition.”

Cade froze mid-button, caught between mortification and the urge to laugh. “Riley… you—uh…”

“Oh, don’t mind me!” I waved one hand grandly toward them. “Just testing the gravity. Very scientific. Yep. Solid as a rock… or at least, as solid as me!”

Julie shrieked again, more from laughing than fear this time, and Cade finally managed to throw a shirt over his shoulders. “I can’t… I can’t believe you just—” he started, voice tight with disbelief.

“Believe me?” I said, rolling over dramatically. “You should! I’m spectacular in motion! Look! I can even do… this!”

I attempted a mock somersault and ended up tangled in the blankets, flailing like an octopus. The room shook with our combined chaos. Julie laughed so hard that she doubled over, and Cade muttered curses that made me grin like a villain in a silent movie.

“You’re ridiculous,” Cade said, a breathless mix of anger and amusement.

“Ridiculously fabulous, thank you very much,” I corrected, sitting up and giving him a dramatic wink.

“Now, if you two don’t mind, I need—what’s the phrase?—to recover my… dignity? Yes. Definitely that.”

Julie’s cheeks flushed red, partly from laughter, partly from mortification. “I’m never letting you live this down,” she said, clutching the sheet around her like a shield.

“Good!” I said, rolling onto my side and pointing at her with a crooked finger. “Because this is officially my masterpiece. You’re welcome, world!”

Cade groaned, and Julie shot me a glare that somehow made me feel both guilty and smug at the same time. Perfect chaos. Exactly what I needed.

And as I collapsed back onto the bed with a triumphant flourish, I realized: tonight, at least, I’d reminded Cade and Julie who the real star of the show was.

Julie dove for her dress on the floor, tripping over the sheet still knotted around her waist. Cade grabbed his jeans from a chair, hopping on one foot like a frantic flamingo.

I propped myself up on my elbows, chin resting in my hand, and grinned like I’d just been handed the best entertainment of the night.

“Oh my God,” I gasped in mock horror, eyes wide. “It’s a nature documentary! Look at them in their natural habitat—half-dressed, panicked, desperately trying to avoid eye contact. National Geographic would love this.”

Julie glared at me, tugging the zipper of her dress halfway up. “Riley, seriously—”

“Seriously, what?” I cut her off, wobbling my head like I couldn’t quite focus. “Seriously stunning? Seriously scandalous? Seriously… predictable?” I dragged out the last word, letting it drip with enough venom to make Cade’s shoulders stiffen.

He yanked his jeans up and muttered, “You’re out of your mind.”

“Correction,” I said, holding up one finger like I was delivering a lecture. “I’m out of wine. Totally different problem.” I mimed checking a glass, frowning at its emptiness. “Very tragic. Someone should fix that.”

Julie was stuffing her arms through her sleeves, cheeks flushed crimson. Cade raked a hand through his hair, already irritated.

“Wow,” I said with a slow, exaggerated clap. “What a performance. Ten out of ten for speed. Wardrobe changes that fast should qualify for the Olympics.”

Julie gave a breathless, awkward laugh, trying to smooth her hair down. Cade’s jaw ticked like he was fighting between yelling and laughing himself.

“Oh! Oh, wait—” I snapped my fingers, feigning sudden realization. “This was totally a rehearsal, wasn’t it? Practicing for the next big rom-com. Title: She Looked Like Riley, So I Settled. Coming to theaters near you!”

Julie made a strangled sound and turned away, fussing with her zipper like it had suddenly become a life-or-death mission. Cade’s eyes shot to me, sharp, unreadable, but I plowed on, drunk-act dialed to maximum.

“You two are just adorable,” I gushed, clutching my chest dramatically. “Really. Warms my cold, dead heart. Boy meets girl. The girl looks suspiciously like the girl he’s been staring at all night, but hey, copy-paste works fine. Beautiful love story.”

Julie froze for half a second, unsure if I’d meant it as a joke or a jab. Cade’s gaze darkened, and I knew I’d hit home.

I toppled sideways onto the bed again, laughing too loudly. “Don’t mind me, don’t mind me,” I sang. “Just the drunk girl ruining the mood! Carry on! Pretend I’m not here.”

Julie huffed, finally managing to zip her dress. Cade grabbed his shirt, yanking it over his head with jerky movements.

I peeked through my fingers, stage-whispering, “Ooooh, the walk of shame in reverse. Incredible. Never thought I’d get a front row seat.”

Julie turned on her heel, muttering something about needing water, and bolted out the door. Cade stayed behind, arms crossed, staring me down like I was the problem, not him.

I smiled up at him sweetly, still sprawled across the bed. “What?” I asked innocently. “Did I interrupt your little… cardio session?”

His nostrils flared, but he didn’t answer. For the first time all night, I felt like maybe—just maybe—I’d won something.