Torn Between two brothers

Episode 10

EPISODE 10: The Spark Before the Fire

It was supposed to be another one of Liam’s flawless family dinners.

Perfect table setting, perfect wine, perfect smiles.

Except this time, nothing about it felt perfect.

The dining room felt smaller than usual, the air thick with something unspoken. Liam sat at the head of the table, commanding the space like a king on his throne. Cameron sat directly opposite me, close enough that every time I looked up, I was staring into the eyes of my past.

Liam’s parents were there, chatting politely, completely unaware they were sitting in the middle of a battlefield.

---

The tension started small.

Liam poured me a glass of wine, his hand lingering on my shoulder. “Rory’s got an eye for detail,” he said, smiling at his mother. “She’s been planning every part of the wedding herself.”

I smiled tightly. “Not every part.”

Cameron smirked, leaning back in his chair. “She’s always been good at planning ahead. Even when we were kids, she’d—” He stopped himself, but his eyes stayed locked on mine.

“Kids?” Liam repeated, tilting his head.

Cameron shrugged. “Figure of speech.”

The rest of the table went quiet for a beat too long.

---

Midway through dinner, Liam stood to refill his father’s glass, and Cameron seized the opportunity.

“You look tired,” he said softly, so only I could hear.

“I’m fine,” I whispered.

“You’re not,” he said, his voice low but sharp. “He’s squeezing the life out of you.”

“Stop,” I muttered, glancing toward Liam.

“Make me,” Cameron said, and the challenge in his eyes nearly stopped my heart.

---

Dessert came, but nobody was really eating.

Liam’s mother excused herself to take a phone call, his father wandered to the den—

And suddenly, it was just the three of us.

Liam leaned back in his chair, swirling his wine. “I was thinking,” he said, his tone casual but loaded, “Cameron should give a toast at the wedding.”

Cameron raised an eyebrow. “To what?”

“To the happy couple, of course,” Liam said, smiling like a predator. “You were the first to meet Rory, after all.”

Cameron’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “Yeah. I guess I was.”

The air in the room snapped tight.

“Careful,” Liam said, his smile never faltering. “Wouldn’t want to say something you’ll regret.”

Cameron didn’t look away from him. “I’ve been regretting keeping my mouth shut for years.”

Something shifted in Liam’s expression—subtle, but sharp. “Then by all means,” he said, leaning forward, “open it.”

And just like that, I knew—

One of them was going to break first, and when it happened, the fallout would be catastrophic.

---

The rest of the evening was a blur.

Cameron left without another word.

Liam kissed my cheek like nothing had happened.

But later, in the quiet of the guest room, I found something on my pillow.

A single motorcycle key.

With a note in Cameron’s handwriting:

Midnight. The old quarry. Don’t tell him.

I stared at it, pulse pounding, knowing that if I went, there’d be no coming back.

And somehow, deep down, I already knew I was going.