Chapter 2

I sat on the sofa, staring at the photo I'd just taken.

Zoomed in, then out.

Out, then in again.

My heartbeat was unnervingly loud in the quiet living room.

Then — a loud thud from the bathroom.

Followed immediately by Ethan's pained cry.

I shot to my feet and rushed over.

"Ethan? Are you okay?"

I pounded on the door. No answer from inside.

Afraid he'd hurt himself, I turned the handle and barged in.

Ethan was sitting on the floor.

He'd clearly taken a fall, because pain was written all over his face.

When he saw me, he scrambled to pull his robe closed around him — but his fingers, clumsy with the alcohol, couldn't manage to tie the belt, no matter how many attempts he made.

"Let me help."

I helped him up, pretending to be composed while my hands were actually trembling.

Once I was sure he was alright, I steadied him out of the bathroom and slowly guided him upstairs.

Ethan smelled wonderful.

I walked a half-step behind him and secretly breathed him in.

It was the same shower gel we both used, and yet on him it was something else entirely.

Suddenly, a drop of water fell from his damp hair and landed on my fingertips.

Ice cold. And yet it burned like wildfire.

I froze for several seconds before quietly rubbing it away.

Since Ethan had already taken hangover pills, he couldn't have anything else. He fell asleep quickly that night.

In the darkness, I watched him for a long time before I finally slipped away.

On the weekend, Lily dragged me out.

She was the only person who knew every last one of my secrets.

The moment we met up, she started in on me: "Well, well — why does our Zoe Harrington have dark circles? Don't tell me you were sneaking into your brother's room again last night?"

I said nothing.

She took that as a yes.

A sly grin spread across her face. She nudged my shoulder. "Did you actually—"

"No."

We looked at each other — one glance, and we both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

I'd denied it too fast. Lily clicked her tongue and gave my shoulder a pat.

"You're a real piece of work. Call you normal and you're sneaking into the man's room every other night. Call you twisted and you can't even go through with it — you drug the guy over and over just to sleep next to him. That's it. That's all you do."

I looked down. "If I actually did something, it would leave traces. Knowing him, if he figured it out, he'd probably lose his mind... We'd lose whatever we have — even the friendship."

"Fair enough. He does look like the upstanding type."

Lily propped her chin in her hand.

"You've basically been his little sister for years. He'd be genuinely terrified if he knew what was going on in your head."

"Yeah."

A heavy, suffocating disappointment welled up. Even my breathing felt thick.

Lily saw it. She pulled me into a hug.

"Look, honestly? Just get over him. Loving one person too hard makes you miserable. Love ten people at once and you won't have time to be."

She said it with a mysterious gleam in her eye. She had a surprise for me, she said. I'd love it.

Half an hour later, in a private room at an upscale karaoke lounge.

I met Lily's "surprise."

A male model who looked maybe sixty or seventy percent like Ethan.

Lily pulled him over and settled him beside me, telling him to keep me company.

He draped his arm loosely over my shoulder.

I'll admit — I was thrown for a second or two.

But the moment he opened his mouth, all that simpering flattery made the feeling evaporate instantly.

Ethan would never talk to me like that. Not in a million years.

He was the kind of person who seemed warm and easy to be around — and yet he kept everyone at exactly the right distance, like there was a layer of frosted glass between them. Even after all our years together, I couldn't tell what he was really thinking.

"Zoe?"

The model noticed I'd zoned out. He waved a hand in front of my face.

I came back to myself, told him to sit farther away and not to bother with me.

Then I leaned against the armrest and pulled out my phone.

That was when the notification from the location sharing app came through.

I tapped it.

The next second, I stared in disbelief — Ethan's coordinates were overlapping with mine.