Chapter 28
“Distressed,” I repeat, and I can’t help the bitter laugh that escapes. If only he knew. If only he understood that the distress isn’t from
the dream itself, but from waking up and losing it.
I push my hair back from my face, trying to gather my composure, but my hands are shaking slightly. The dream felt so real, his
touch, his words, the way he looked at me like I was everything he’d ever wanted.
“No, not distressed. Just… weird dreams, you know? Nightmares about….. London”
The lie tastes bitter on my tongue, but it’s easier than the truth. Easier than admitting I was dreaming about him in ways that would
make him see me as pathetic. Again.
Tristan’s expression immediately shifts to one of concern, and I hate myself for using my trauma as a shield. But I can’t tell him the
truth.
I can’t handle seeing that look of uncomfortable pity in his eyes, the same look he gave me five years ago when he realized what I
thought was happening between us.
“Are you okay?” His voice is gentle, brotherly. Exactly what I don’t want but exactly what I expected. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m fine,” I say quickly, pulling the blanket tighter around myself. “Really. Just… give me a few minutes to get dressed?”
He nods, standing up from the bed. “Take your time. I’ll make some coffee.”
After he leaves, I bury my face in my pillow and let out a muffled scream of frustration. My body is still humming from the dream, still aching for touches that will never come. Not from him. Not the way I want them.
I need to get control of myself. I came back here to rebuild my life, not to pine after a man who sees me as nothing more than his
best friend’s broken little sister.
By the time I make it downstairs, showered and dressed in jeans and an oversized sweater, Tristan has coffee waiting and is already
on his phone canceling something.
“You don’t have to stay home because of me,” I tell him, though part of me is secretly relieved he’s not leaving. I don’t want to be
alone with my thoughts today.
‘I want to,” he says simply, tucking his phone away. “Besides, I think we both could use a quiet day.”
The way he says it makes me wonder if he’s struggling with something too, but I don’t ask. I can’t handle learning about whatever woman has him looking tired and stressed.
We settle into an easy routine. He makes breakfast while I pretend to read the newspaper. We eat in comfortable silence, though I’m hyperaware of every movement he makes, every casual touch when he reaches across me for the salt.
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Chapter 28
“I was thinking we could just relax today,” he says as he clears the dishes. “Maybe watch some movies? Order takeout later?”
I nod, not trusting my voice. A whole day of pretending to be normal around him while my body still remembers every detail of my
dream.
Every two hours, like clockwork, he checks on me.
“You doing okay?” he asks, appearing in the living room doorway while I’m curled up with a book I’m not actually reading.
“I’m fine, Tristan. You don’t have to keep checking on me.”
But he does it anyway. When I’m in the kitchen getting water, he materializes to ask if I need anything. When I’m upstairs changing into more comfortable clothes, he calls up to make sure I’m alright.
It’s sweet. Protective. Exactly the kind of thing a caring older brother figure would do for someone he’s worried about. Same way
Orion would react.
And it’s driving me insane.
I don’t want him to treat me like his little sister, not today, not after that hot steamy dream.
.Around noon, he appears with a bag from my favorite deli.
“Thought you might be hungry,” he says, unpacking sandwiches and chips onto the coffee table.
“You didn’t have to…..” I start, but he cuts me off with a look.
“Let me take care of you, Athena. Just for today.”
The words send a shiver through me that I desperately try to hide. He means it in the most innocent way possible, but my traitorous body responds like he’s promising something entirely different.
I can feel my fold twitching with his words. He has no idea what he’s doing to me.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
