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19. The Lingering Shadows
Last Updated:
2025-01-28 05:14:01
Sam Shelly Hi, so I know I took a little long to update. The next update will be on 1st Feb. I promise the updates are going to be very constant in the month of feb because I was busy drafting a lot of chapters for this book!
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Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 20. The Past
"Where are you? You promised you'd be home by now," I had said, my voice laced with evident annoyance. "You might as well not come." That was what I had said. In those last moments with them, when I could have said anything to them, this was what I had chosen to tell them. Like they had promised, they would fulfill any wish I made that day, but they did not come back. I have hated myself ever since. Had I known that was the last time I would be hearing their beautiful voices, I would have just listened to them talk. I would have told them how much I loved them. They were the most important people in the world to me.It had taken me years to not think about it every single day. To move on with life and not blame myself every time I looked at myself. But today had been especially good. In the midst of my tears, I did not hear the door creak open. I only noticed when a warm body was sitting right next to my crouched body, hugging me from behind. His familiar scent and touch made it a lit
Last Updated : 2025-01-31Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 21. The Beach Trip
Brain’s PovThe school had organized a trip to the beach. The bus ride to the beach was supposed to be fun, but nothing about this trip felt remotely enjoyable. Why?Because of that one woman whom my mind just cannot take a break thinking about. Steph. She was sitting with Cole. And me? I was right at the back with Simon. Gosh, I hated this feeling too much. I clenched my jaw as I watched her laugh at something Cole said. Her head tipped back slightly, her smile lighting up her face. She was stunning, but the sight made my stomach twist painfully. Why hadn’t I seen her in the same light that I see her in now before Lyla? WHy hadn’t I realized it was not Lyla who was the one for me. But…"Why are you glaring at Cole like he just stole your lunch?" Simon asked without even looking up from his phone.I forced my hands to relax on the seat in front of me. "I’m not glaring."Simon smirked. "Sure, keep telling yourself that."The ride dragged on, every second punctuated by the sight
Last Updated : 2025-02-01Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 22. Hidden truths
Steph’s povThe weekend had finally arrived, but instead of relief, I felt an odd weight in my chest. Ever since the beach trip, Simon had been hovering, checking on me every few hours. I knew he was worried after what happened, but his overprotectiveness felt like a constant reminder of the incident I wanted to forget. The weekend had finally arrived, but instead of relief, I felt an odd weight in my chest. Ever since the beach trip, I caught cold and felt like shit, burning in fever all day long. Simon had been hovering, checking on me every few hours. I knew he was worried after what happened, but his overprotectiveness felt like a constant reminder of the incident I wanted to forget.It had all happened so fast. I had gone to the water with Kylie and Nick, their laughter filling the air as they splashed around. I tried to join in, but my heart wasn’t in it. My mind was elsewhere—on him. On Brian.I couldn’t stop replaying the day in my head. The way he had laughed and joked with e
Last Updated : 2025-02-02Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 23. Confronting the Truth
Steph's PovI called Brian's number and both times, it took me to the voicemail. I didn't like this sickening feeling in my chest. Yes, I had agreed on not giving official tags to our relationship, but I did think, we were close enough that I deserved to know if he was going away for six months. Or had that been his plan all along, to just completely ghost me? To use me, when he needed. I could not believe I had been this blind and stupid. He really did not give a single fuck about me. Kylie had been right all along; I should've just listened to her. But I had been in denial. In that moment, it was fun lying to myself, but now when I could feel my heart sinking, I didn't think it was worth it. No one should get to treat me like this. Yes, he was hurt then, but I had sacrificed enough of my own happiness to take his pain away. I was not going to make a fool of myself anymore.***Brian's voice called out as the door creaked open. “Do you want to join us for a game of Mo
Last Updated : 2025-02-04Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 24. Tangled Hearts
Brian’s PovI despised myself in that moment. Every muffled sob that came from the other side of her bedroom door pierced my chest like a blade. Steph’s tears always broke me in ways I couldn’t describe, and the fact that I had caused them made me loathe myself even more.Leaning against her door, I clenched my fists, willing myself to stay put, to not burst in and hold her. But I was a coward. A coward who had ruined the one person who trusted me without question. I pressed my forehead against the cool wood, each wail behind it twisting my insides tighter. I couldn’t stay. I needed to be away—away from everyone, especially from her. But most of all, away from myself.By the time I reached my room, I was barely holding it together, the rawness of my emotions clawing at me. I slammed the door shut behind me, but it didn't stop the chaos swirling inside my mind. My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, my back pressed against the cold wood, my breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
Last Updated : 2025-02-06Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 25. New Life
3 years laterSteph’s Pov “Steph, are you done with Mitchell's worksheet?” Stella, one of my housemates, popped her head through my bedroom door frame. “I'm working on it; let's tally whatever we have done.” I said and fifteen minutes later we were huddled together at my desk even more frustrated than before. “I swear to God, he does all of this deliberately. That sadistic man gets pleasure out of torturing and failing us.” I said with irritation. “Please don't say that. I can't afford to fail even one test this semester. It's our last semester. This is the time the GPA needs to be maintained the most.” Stella said, looking horrified. I rubbed my hands over her shoulder. I remembered last semester, we sat on the university steps trying to calm Stella down as she bawled her eyes out after Mitchell's had just shattered her dreams into pieces. “You might as well just throw away your dreams of setting foot in the hospital ever, if you're plan
Last Updated : 2025-02-07Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 26. The Club
I pulled out my red dress with sequins embedded into it. Seeing him waving at his fans and smiling so bright that it had his eyes all crinkled had me all riled up. I wanted to look and feel the best. “I'll make you regret it, Brian Lockwood; I'll make you regret leaving me.” I said to myself in the mirror. Gosh, why was it still about him? Man, I really needed to get some drinks into my system to wash him out of it. My phone began to ring and it took me a while to find it under the pile of clothes heaped onto my bed. By the time I found it, it had stopped ringing. It was Simon. Brian and Simon had both qualified for the nationals together but played for different teams. Simon was part of the Inferno. I didn't really follow the game but I knew that both Omega and Inferno had been at the top of the board this year. Simon and I spoke from time to time. He had called me drunk, crying when the coach had threatened to kick him off the team. “I'm su
Last Updated : 2025-02-07Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 27. The Aftermath
Steph's Pov “Bro, it's midday. Do you think we should wake her up?” “No, she's never slept in; maybe she needs it.” “How drunk do you think she—oh, oh, I think she's waking up!” I could hear the whispers next to me when I tried to flutter my eyes open, but the bright light sent a shot of pain through, forcing me to shut them up just as quickly. I groaned, “Man, my head hurts,” I said, holding my head with both my palms. When my eyes adjusted, I slowly opened them to find Stella, Lucy and Sarah standing around my bed staring into my soul. They looked like they'd start performing a ritual on me. “Well, who asked you to take off with a random guy you had just met?” Stella scolded me and I looked at Lucy and Sarah squinting my eyes, and they stood there with two hands joined together, mouthing me to not throw them under the bus. “Girl, you were busy flirting and dancing with some other guy, so I decided to have a little bit of fun on my own. W
Last Updated : 2025-02-08
Latest chapter
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 28. The Surprise Encounter
Steph's Pov “Man, does Mitchell never get bored of listening to his own voice? He drones on and on, giving me a fucking migraine every time. Lucy complained, slouching in her seat. We had just taken Mitchell's solid three-hour lecture. With Mitchell's, three hours meant three hours, not a minute less or more. “Who's up for some crispy fried chicken?” Stella proposed, nudging my shoulder. I was busy completing and compiling my notes. “Yes, me. I'm starving; my stomach has been rumbling throughout the class.” I chimed in. “Oh my God, guys, Meghan and Jack broke up.” Sarah began with her daily dose of gossip. “What? No way!” “Yeah, I used to think they looked sweet together. What happened?” We all leaned in, eager to hear the juicy news. “Apparently, Jack got drunk and hooked up with someone at the club.” Sarah continued, her voice barely above a whisper as if she were sharing a big secret. “I always thought Meghan deserved better; good riddance.” I
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 27. The Aftermath
Steph's Pov “Bro, it's midday. Do you think we should wake her up?” “No, she's never slept in; maybe she needs it.” “How drunk do you think she—oh, oh, I think she's waking up!” I could hear the whispers next to me when I tried to flutter my eyes open, but the bright light sent a shot of pain through, forcing me to shut them up just as quickly. I groaned, “Man, my head hurts,” I said, holding my head with both my palms. When my eyes adjusted, I slowly opened them to find Stella, Lucy and Sarah standing around my bed staring into my soul. They looked like they'd start performing a ritual on me. “Well, who asked you to take off with a random guy you had just met?” Stella scolded me and I looked at Lucy and Sarah squinting my eyes, and they stood there with two hands joined together, mouthing me to not throw them under the bus. “Girl, you were busy flirting and dancing with some other guy, so I decided to have a little bit of fun on my own. W
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 26. The Club
I pulled out my red dress with sequins embedded into it. Seeing him waving at his fans and smiling so bright that it had his eyes all crinkled had me all riled up. I wanted to look and feel the best. “I'll make you regret it, Brian Lockwood; I'll make you regret leaving me.” I said to myself in the mirror. Gosh, why was it still about him? Man, I really needed to get some drinks into my system to wash him out of it. My phone began to ring and it took me a while to find it under the pile of clothes heaped onto my bed. By the time I found it, it had stopped ringing. It was Simon. Brian and Simon had both qualified for the nationals together but played for different teams. Simon was part of the Inferno. I didn't really follow the game but I knew that both Omega and Inferno had been at the top of the board this year. Simon and I spoke from time to time. He had called me drunk, crying when the coach had threatened to kick him off the team. “I'm su
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 25. New Life
3 years laterSteph’s Pov “Steph, are you done with Mitchell's worksheet?” Stella, one of my housemates, popped her head through my bedroom door frame. “I'm working on it; let's tally whatever we have done.” I said and fifteen minutes later we were huddled together at my desk even more frustrated than before. “I swear to God, he does all of this deliberately. That sadistic man gets pleasure out of torturing and failing us.” I said with irritation. “Please don't say that. I can't afford to fail even one test this semester. It's our last semester. This is the time the GPA needs to be maintained the most.” Stella said, looking horrified. I rubbed my hands over her shoulder. I remembered last semester, we sat on the university steps trying to calm Stella down as she bawled her eyes out after Mitchell's had just shattered her dreams into pieces. “You might as well just throw away your dreams of setting foot in the hospital ever, if you're plan
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 24. Tangled Hearts
Brian’s PovI despised myself in that moment. Every muffled sob that came from the other side of her bedroom door pierced my chest like a blade. Steph’s tears always broke me in ways I couldn’t describe, and the fact that I had caused them made me loathe myself even more.Leaning against her door, I clenched my fists, willing myself to stay put, to not burst in and hold her. But I was a coward. A coward who had ruined the one person who trusted me without question. I pressed my forehead against the cool wood, each wail behind it twisting my insides tighter. I couldn’t stay. I needed to be away—away from everyone, especially from her. But most of all, away from myself.By the time I reached my room, I was barely holding it together, the rawness of my emotions clawing at me. I slammed the door shut behind me, but it didn't stop the chaos swirling inside my mind. My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, my back pressed against the cold wood, my breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 23. Confronting the Truth
Steph's PovI called Brian's number and both times, it took me to the voicemail. I didn't like this sickening feeling in my chest. Yes, I had agreed on not giving official tags to our relationship, but I did think, we were close enough that I deserved to know if he was going away for six months. Or had that been his plan all along, to just completely ghost me? To use me, when he needed. I could not believe I had been this blind and stupid. He really did not give a single fuck about me. Kylie had been right all along; I should've just listened to her. But I had been in denial. In that moment, it was fun lying to myself, but now when I could feel my heart sinking, I didn't think it was worth it. No one should get to treat me like this. Yes, he was hurt then, but I had sacrificed enough of my own happiness to take his pain away. I was not going to make a fool of myself anymore.***Brian's voice called out as the door creaked open. “Do you want to join us for a game of Mo
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 22. Hidden truths
Steph’s povThe weekend had finally arrived, but instead of relief, I felt an odd weight in my chest. Ever since the beach trip, Simon had been hovering, checking on me every few hours. I knew he was worried after what happened, but his overprotectiveness felt like a constant reminder of the incident I wanted to forget. The weekend had finally arrived, but instead of relief, I felt an odd weight in my chest. Ever since the beach trip, I caught cold and felt like shit, burning in fever all day long. Simon had been hovering, checking on me every few hours. I knew he was worried after what happened, but his overprotectiveness felt like a constant reminder of the incident I wanted to forget.It had all happened so fast. I had gone to the water with Kylie and Nick, their laughter filling the air as they splashed around. I tried to join in, but my heart wasn’t in it. My mind was elsewhere—on him. On Brian.I couldn’t stop replaying the day in my head. The way he had laughed and joked with e
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 21. The Beach Trip
Brain’s PovThe school had organized a trip to the beach. The bus ride to the beach was supposed to be fun, but nothing about this trip felt remotely enjoyable. Why?Because of that one woman whom my mind just cannot take a break thinking about. Steph. She was sitting with Cole. And me? I was right at the back with Simon. Gosh, I hated this feeling too much. I clenched my jaw as I watched her laugh at something Cole said. Her head tipped back slightly, her smile lighting up her face. She was stunning, but the sight made my stomach twist painfully. Why hadn’t I seen her in the same light that I see her in now before Lyla? WHy hadn’t I realized it was not Lyla who was the one for me. But…"Why are you glaring at Cole like he just stole your lunch?" Simon asked without even looking up from his phone.I forced my hands to relax on the seat in front of me. "I’m not glaring."Simon smirked. "Sure, keep telling yourself that."The ride dragged on, every second punctuated by the sight
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 20. The Past
"Where are you? You promised you'd be home by now," I had said, my voice laced with evident annoyance. "You might as well not come." That was what I had said. In those last moments with them, when I could have said anything to them, this was what I had chosen to tell them. Like they had promised, they would fulfill any wish I made that day, but they did not come back. I have hated myself ever since. Had I known that was the last time I would be hearing their beautiful voices, I would have just listened to them talk. I would have told them how much I loved them. They were the most important people in the world to me.It had taken me years to not think about it every single day. To move on with life and not blame myself every time I looked at myself. But today had been especially good. In the midst of my tears, I did not hear the door creak open. I only noticed when a warm body was sitting right next to my crouched body, hugging me from behind. His familiar scent and touch made it a lit
