Aria slept peacefully that night, curled up like a baby, with Victoria beside her. Shawn had lingered near his sister’s room for a while, checking in silently before finally turning in for the night.

By morning, Aria was the first to wake. She quietly freshened up, straightened the sheets, and sighed ... they had talked so much about having a proper night out, but life had other plans.

As she moved toward the kitchen, she froze .....Shawn was standing right there in front of her. She quickly averted her gaze and stepped aside to give him space. The silence between them was heavy, not awkward exactly, but loaded...something unspoken threading the air.

While Victoria still slept soundly, Aria busied herself with breakfast. The faint sizzle of butter filled the room when, out of nowhere, Shawn walked out of the shower....water still glistening on his skin, a white towel loosely knotted around his waist, hair damp and tousled.

Her breath hitched. She spun around immediately, cheeks warming. Why on earth am I reacting like this? she scolded herself silently. He’s my best friend’s brother ...and younger, at that!

Trying to shake off the sudden rush of nerves, she focused on the pan again, the sound of frying eggs doing little to drown out the wild rhythm of her heartbeat.