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

BEHIND THE SCENES LUKE

I shifted uncomfortably in the stiff studio seat, my back sticky against the faux leather. The lights overhead blazed like a furnace, and I could feel the

sweat pooling at the nape of my neck. The host's sugary voice droned on, but it barely registered. I kept glancing at Josh, who looked ready to snap.

When the host cheerfully announced a commercial break, Josh shot up like a spring. "I need a drink. It's Satan's kitchen under these lights," he muttered, striding off toward the nearest exit.

I cleared my throat, trying to loosen the knot in my chest. Beside me, Sarah shifted slightly, her delicate perfume cutting through the sterile air of the studio. She glanced at me, offering a hesitant smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Strange seeing you here, right?" she said softly. "I mean, we

technically lived together for five months, and then I didn't see you at all." Her words trailed off, and she looked away, but not before I caught the flicker of sadness in her eyes.

"You look good," I blurted, the words tumbling out awkwardly. "Better, I mean. You're eating?"

What the actual fuck was that? My brain screamed at me. You're eating? Seriously?

Sarah laughed, the sound breaking the tension. It was light, almost musical, and it eased the tightness in my chest. "Yeah, Luke, I'm eating," she teased, shaking her head. 0.00%

125

AEMPO THE

I exhaled, relieved she wasn't offended by my idiocy. "We owe you our

lives,

before I could stop them,

eyes quickly. "They'd kill me if I cried

muttered, my

in, his sharp gaze immediately clocking the change in atmosphere.

was more exasperated than anything. "Please, we need to seem like we've got our shit together, or they'll

plopped back into his seat, the energy in the room shifting with

her voice soft but insistent. "Luke-do you

up my spine. "I, uh, actually have somewhere I need to be,"

and the disappointment was so clear it felt like a punch to the gut. Damn it, Luke. I knew I owed her more than a brush-off. She had, after all, kept us alive out there. She deserved five minutes.

Γ

12

BEHIND THE SCENES

forcing the words out. "I have a

Josh, seated next

plastered on, her voice overly chipper as she shifted gears. "Now, being

an experience." She leaned forward, the intensity in her gaze like a predator

studio shifted instantly. My jaw tightened as I

said flatly, his tone

chuckled nervously, waving her hands. "Oh, no offense meant! Just wondering if, given the circumstances, there was... a deeper connection between you all. After all, it's not uncommon in such extreme situations for

added, his tone equally curt. "And we're both married, in case you

mask. "Just now, during the break, there seemed to be some real