MY BEST FRIENDS SISTER

LILA

ETHAN’S POV

The second my shoe touched the sidewalk, the clouds opened up like someone flipped a switch. At first, I thought it would just be a light sprinkle, nothing to stress about. But before I even had time to think, the rain turned heavy and fast, pounding down on me so hard I felt it in my bones. Cold water ran down my hair, slipped under my collar, soaked through my shirt, and even filled up my shoes. I couldn’t help but wonder why stuff like this always seemed to happen to me. Was I just that unlucky?

I rushed under the nearest shop awning, breathing hard, but the wind kept pushing the rain sideways, so I was still getting wet. My mind was racing, trying to calm myself down. I told myself to get it together, that I wasn’t finished, not by a long shot.

“Come on, man. Your life’s not over,” I said out loud, mostly just talking to myself. “You’ve got some money saved. You can start over. You’ll figure something out.”

For a brief moment, I almost believed it. Maybe it was a silly thought. Maybe I’d lose that feeling as fast as it came. But right then, I needed something to hold onto, anything. So I took a breath, leaned off the wall, and stepped right back into the rain. My socks squished in my shoes as I walked, puddles splashing around my ankles. I kept moving, not really knowing where I was heading, just walking block after block.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Alexa. She was gone now. She’d taken more than she deserved mostly the cash, but losing her still hurt. Love doesn’t just disappear overnight. I felt broken, but I tried to push the feeling away. I didn’t have it in me to handle heartbreak and a rainstorm all at once.

By the time I got to the bank, I was freezing and shaking. People looked at me when I walked in some stepped aside, others pulled their kids closer to them. I went straight to the ATM. Tried to move some money from savings to checking, but it wouldn’t go through. Tried again. Still nothing. My heart dropped, and my hands started to shake even worse.

So I went inside and got in line. When it was finally my turn, I wiped the rain off my face with my sleeve and tried to sound normal. “Hey, I think something’s wrong with my account. I can’t transfer any money.”

The teller frowned at her computer. “Sir… both your accounts are temporarily frozen.”

“Frozen? Why?” I asked, my voice a little too loud.

She spoke in a low voice. “There’s an investigation. Something about your employer, payroll issues, possible misconduct.”

“No. No way. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

She looked sorry for me and said quietly, “You’ll have to wait for the legal team. I can’t help from here.”

I stumbled back outside into the pouring rain. My knees felt weak. My home was gone. My cars were gone. Alexa was gone. My job was gone. And now, even my money was locked up.

I sat down on the curb with my elbows on my knees. I felt empty, l didn’t even have the energy to cry. The rain kept coming, and I just sat there, letting everything inside me spill out.

Then I noticed a shadow fall across the sidewalk in front of me.

“Sir? Excuse me, hey… you’re Ethan Cole, right?”

I looked up and saw a man in a suit holding an umbrella. He looked at me like he’d just seen a ghost.

“…Marcus?”

His eyes went wide. “Holy crap. Ethan.”

For a second, we just stared at each other, two guys who hadn’t talked in six years. Then we hugged, tight, like we were both afraid to let go.

“You’re really here,” he said, squeezing my shoulder. “I almost didn’t believe it. I saw you on the cameras inside.”

“You… you watched from upstairs?” I asked, still surprised.

He nodded. “Yeah. I run this branch now. I saw someone who looked like they’d lost everything. Then I realized, it was you.”

I let out a shaky breath. “You own the place now?”

“CEO, actually,” he said, grinning. “Family business. But that doesn’t matter right now. What happened to you, man? You look terrible.”

I dropped back onto the curb, and he sat down next to me. I told him everything. How someone at work set me up. The accusation that wasn’t true. The mess, the embarrassment, Alexa leaving, my cars gone, my accounts frozen.

Marcus listened.

“Ethan,” he said, his voice low, “none of this is your fault.”

I looked away, not really believing him.

“Hey. Look at me.” I met his eyes.

“If I hadn’t seen you on that camera, you’d still be out here, alone. I’m not letting that happen. You’re coming home with me. No arguments.”

“Marcus, I don’t want to be a burden.."

He shook his head. “No. Enough. You’re my brother. Before all this, before everything, there was us. So you’re coming with me.”

I didn’t argue. I just nodded.

The drive to his house was quiet, but not in an awkward way. He kept glancing at me, like he still couldn’t believe I was really there.

When we got there, he unlocked the front door, but before he could open it, it swung wide open, and she stepped out.

It was Lila.

I froze. Her hair was longer now, falling over her shoulder in soft waves. She looked surprised, her eyes gentle and warm. For a second, we both just stared. She wasn’t the little kid I remembered. She was an adult now.

“Ethan?” she said, with a soft voice.

“Lila.”

She smiled, slowly and a little shy. “You look different.”

I blurted out, “So do you. You grew up.”

She laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Last time you saw me, I was just a kid. You and Marcus used to lock yourselves in the garage and build crazy stuff, then blow it up.”

Marcus groaned. “Please, don’t remind him.”

She stepped back and held the door open for me. As I walked past her, our eyes met, and for a second, something small and electric passed between us. I felt it, but I wasn’t sure what it meant. All I knew was, after the day I had, it felt good to see a friendly face and to know I wasn’t alone anymore.