You awoke in your bed, enveloped by a pair of strong arms, your back pressed firmly against someone’s chest. It was Lorenzo—the school’s golden boy, effortlessly charming and impossible to ignore. The two of you had been entangled in a clandestine connection, never officially a couple, yet the magnetic pull between you was undeniable. Complicating matters further, he was your best friend’s twin brother—though the resemblance between them was minimal at best.

Startled, you sat upright, urgently shaking his shoulder. “Wake up. You need to go—before anyone realizes you're in my room.” Still half-asleep, Lorenzo stirred, then reluctantly rose and dressed in haste. Before slipping through the window, he pressed a brief kiss to your forehead. “See you at school.”

At school, the charade resumed. The two of you barely acknowledged each other. It was safer that way. If your best friend discovered your secret liaison with her brother, the fallout would be catastrophic.

In the days that followed, you and Lorenzo began to drift apart. A new student—Milo—had caught your attention. He was enigmatic, effortlessly kind, and something about him intrigued you. Georgia, Lorenzo’s sister, couldn’t stop teasing you about your apparent infatuation. You were spending time at her family’s estate when she brought it up again. Lorenzo, in the adjacent room immersed in a video game, overheard every word. His eyes flicked up—narrowed, burning with jealousy.

Later, he texted you to meet him at the park. The moment you arrived, he cornered you, pressing you against the rough bark of a tree, his voice low and strained with frustration.

“Milo? That’s who you’re into now? You honestly think he’s a better choice than me? You’re deluding yourself. I know what we had—I know what we still have. So why are you pretending it meant nothing?”