Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

PART 3 - CHAPTER 162

JESS

The airport felt like a blur of sound and movement, a constant hum in the

background as we made our way through the terminal and out to the car. I barely registered any of it, my mind spinning in a hundred different directions. The moment we were buckled into the car, the silence felt heavier than it should have. Aiden didn't say a word, his jaw t us onto the highway.

The landscape blurred past us. I stared out the window, trying to focus on the passing trees and the distant horizon-anything but the knot growing tighter in my chest.

I could feel Aiden glancing at me every few minutes, his frustration simmering just beneath the surface. I knew it wouldn't take long before he broke the silence. It never did. After what felt like hours

but was probably only ten minutes, Aiden finally sighed loudly and gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles turning white. "What the hell is wrong now?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the tension in the car like a knife. "You've been quiet ever since we got off the pl anything the entire flight. You gonna tell me what's going on, or do I have to guess?"

I shifted in my seat, trying to keep my expression neutral. "It's nothing," I lied, forcing a weak smile that didn't reach my eyes. "I'm just tired."

Aiden's eyes flicked over to me again, narrowing in suspicion. "Right. Just tired." His tone was dripping with disbelief. "Come on, Jess. I'm not an idiot. You've been acting weird for weeks now. What's going on?"

kept my gaze on the road ahead, my pulse quickening. The words I wanted to say were jumbled up in my head. I need space. I'm not happy. I think I need to end this. But instead, what came

how or

of suffocation. Everything between us felt strained and fake. And now I wasn't sure if there was

present. "Is this about Luke?" he asked, his tone sharp and laced with

too quickly. The lie left a bitter taste in my mouth. Luke was always there, wasn't he?

frustration. "You think I don't see the way you get when his name comes up? The way you freeze, like you're

snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. "It's not about him! Why do you always bring

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PART 4 CHAPTER 162

288 Wouchere

thick with unspoken accusations. My chest tightened, anger bubbling up inside me. It wasn't about Luke. It wasn't even about Aiden-at least, not completely. It was about me, about

steering wheel harder, his knuckles pale. "I'm not stupid, Jess. Do you think I don't notice how you've been pulling away? How every

"You're being paranoid. I'm just... figuring things out. It has nothing to

way his jaw clenched and his grip on the wheel tightened made it clear he didn't believe me. He was silent for a few more moments, and for a second, I thought maybe he'd drop it. But then his voice cut through the tension again, low

should just drive you back to the airport," he said, his words dripping with bitterness.