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

AM I DREAMING?

LUKE

Then, the sharp ding of the oxygen masks deployed, dropping from the panel above with a mechanical clatter.

My eyes widened, and my hands went clammy as I reached up to grab the mask hanging in front of me. My fingers fumbled with it, the cold plastic foreign against my skin. I took a deep breath, feeling the rubber band stretch tight against my face.

Beside me, Josh stared in shock, his face pale, the panic plain in his eyes. "This... can't be good," he stammered, voice breaking for the first time. I signaled for him to get the fucking mask on and watched as he fumbled with the straps.

Before I could respond, a flight attendant rushed down the aisle, clutching at the overhead compartments as the jet dipped again, this time harder, jostling us in our seats. The alarms blared-

a frantic, piercing noise that cut through the cabin like a knife. Passengers around us started murmuring, their voices trembling with fear, their wide eyes mirroring the terror that I felt pulsing in my chest.

I closed my eyes, fighting against the waves of panic and trying to steady my breathing. Images flashed through my mind in a chaotic swirl-my family, the locker room, the early morning sun on the field. But then, one image rose above all the rest, steady and clear: Jess. I could see her perfectly in my mind, her soft and light laugh

ears, drowning out the alarms and the chaos around me. I pictured her curled up beside me in bed, the morning light spilling across her Blonde hair, her hand tracing lazy circles on my chest as she smiled up at me, her eyes bright and full of warmth. It was a those simple, quiet

it as if it were a lifeline. But then the jet jolted sharply, my

my voice cracking with a panic I couldn't hide. Josh's hand shot out, grabbing the armrest between us in

groaned as it fought against the wind, the engines straining like they were about to die. The alarms wailed louder and louder, the din almost

clenching the seat so hard my fingers went numb. "It can't end like this," I muttered under my breath, desperation clawing at my chest.

we hadn't even had a chance to build. The thought of never holding

couldn't bear. And suddenly, in the middle of that chaos, my

Sure, we'd said "I love you" a hundred times, but I'd never really let her in, never let her see all the parts of myself that I

AMTDELAMING?

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be with her,

tighter to my face as if saying her name could somehow pull me through this storm. It was the only thing grounding me the only thing keeping

then the plane dropped again, a sickening

around me. Josh's hand clenched tighter, and his breathing was harsh, matching my own. I