Staring into each other’s eyes, we both suck in a deep breath and let it out. I make the first move and step back from Mia, shaking her hands free from the buttons on my shirt.
She turns on her heels, a blush creeping up to her cheeks. Looking over her shoulder at me, she tips her head in the direction of the laundry room. Does she want me to follow her?
“I have to change my shirt,” I tell Will. “Give me a few minutes, and then we’ll eat.”
He nods, his head down and fingers scrolling across the keypad of his phone. “Sounds good, man.”
The room feels even smaller when both Mia and Will are in it. I can breathe easier without Will here to judge me. He critiques every move I make with his sister. Sometimes, I act on instinct when it comes to Mia. I have no idea what I’m doing mos
t of the time. And the same goes for her.
I know she still cares about me, even though she pretends to hate me. She should hate me for acting like a coward. Back then, I owed her a goodbye, at the very least. I should convince Will to rent a suite with me until our apartment is fixed. But I don’t want to leave. It’s taken me years to gain her attention again. I’m not about to leave now.
I find Mia in the laundry room. With her back to me, she reaches up on her tippy toes to grab a bottle of stain remover from the shelf. After I take off my shirt, I move behind Mia and press my hip into hers, causing her to gasp.
I set the shirt on the washing machine in front of her. “It’s all yours.”
She spins around. “Are you going to do this to me every chance you get?”
“I’m not doing anything,” I lie.
Her breath hitches when I lean in, and she doesn’t pull away from me. Our mouths are only a few inches apart, our eyes locked and aware of the sexual tension between us. Panic scrolls across her face. She’s unsure of how to handle this situation. Neither of us can deny the connection we share. I think Mia wants me to kiss her. But I can’t. Not with Will in the other room.
I move my hands to her sides, pinning her in place with my body. She leans back against the washing machine as I grow harder against her thigh. Mia closes her eyes and wets her lips, practically inviting me to kiss her. She wants this as much as I do.
When I brush my lips against hers, she lets out a soft moan. It’s nothing more than a light touch to tease her. To test the waters. A tiny smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth. Having this kind of power over Mia gets my blood pumping, giving me a high unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
“Ethan, what are you doing?” Mia chokes out, her breathing erratic. “Will could walk in here any minute.”
“But he didn’t,” I point out.
Frustrated, she sighs. “You should put dinner on the table before Will comes looking for us. You know how he gets when he’s hungry. I’ll be there in a few.”
“Right. I’ll leave you to it, then. Thanks, Mia.”
“You’re welcome,” she mutters. “Thanks for making me dinner. Most of the time, you’re an ass, but sometimes, I see a glimmer of the boy I once knew in there.”
I move away from her, hanging in the doorway for a few seconds. She rubs detergent into the fabric, oblivious I’m watching her. Thinking over her words, I channel the person I once was with Mia.
“Tell me something good,” I say.
She drops the stain remover in her hand and glances over her shoulder at me. “What if I want to start with my something bad?”
I smile at her. “Tonight, I only want to hear your something good.”
She grins so wide it illuminates her beautiful face. “It just happened a minute ago. You were always my something good.”
It takes every ounce of energy I have inside me not to close the distance between us and give Mia the kiss I’ve wanted to give her for ten years. Instead, I decide to leave her with something better.
“You were mine, too,” I admit.
It’s the truth.
Mia was my ray of sunshine during the darkest days with my father. I wish I didn’t have to walk away and act as if this never happened. It’s hard to act normal around Will when every feeling I ever had for Mia comes to the surface when we’re in the same room.
We need distance.
So, I do the right thing and walk away without another word wishing Mia wasn’t my best friend’s little sister.