Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card (Jessie and Luke)

CONCERN

JESS

"Shit! Ow!" Laura squicked as she tugged off the casserole lid we put in the oven an hour ago. It smelled good but if it tasted good - I had no idea.

I leaned against the counter, wiping my hands on a dish towel,

grinning at Laura as she stirred the sauce with a determined look on her face.

"You look very domesticated. Housewife suits you." I chirped and Laura gave me a glare.

"I paint - you know that. You are more domesticated than I am - all housewifey and mama bear." Laura teased and I laughed, looking down at my very pregnant belly.

"Can you believe this is us now?" Laura teased, tossing her hair back with a laugh. "Seriously, Jess! Remember when we thought cooking meant microwaving frozen pizza?"

I snorted, shaking my head. "And I could barely boil water without nearly setting off the smoke alarm. Who knew we'd turn into these domestic goddesses?" This-us, together-felt so good. Living next to my best friend felt good. "You know, I love this. I love us, cooking and laughing in here pretending everything's normal." Laura's face softened, but then her expression shifted, shadows creeping back in. "I love it too. But I'm worried about Josh." She

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12:

ONCERN

I glanced out the window, where Josh and Luke were sitting on the porch, beer bottles in hand, both staring into the fading light like they were searching for answers buried in the distance. It had

been a week since the crash, and it felt like the world was moving on while they were stuck in some never-ending loop of trauma.

"What's going on with him?" I asked, keeping my voice light despite the weight in my chest.

"He keeps having these nightmares," Laura admitted, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Like, really bad ones. I hear him tossing and turning at night. Sometimes, he calls out something about a journal and a boat. Sometimes, he doesn't even remember what he drean My breath caught; I could feel the pain of her worry. "Luke hardly talks about it either. It's like he thinks if he ignores it, it'll just

disappear. But it's not that easy."

"Exactly! It's like they're pretending everything's fine when it's really not. I mean, tomorrow? The interview? Everyone's expecting a happy ending, but what if they're not ready?" Her voice trembled, and an edge of panic slipped into her words.

"I can't imagine how they feel, coming back like this. It's one thing to survive, but dealing with the aftermath? That's huge. They're two football players trying to live up to this heroic image, but what if they can't?"

Laura's shoulders slumped as she stared at the floor, her insecurity matching my own. "What if they break down on camera? Just... what if?"

She nodded slowly, her brow furrowed. "I just hate seeing him like this. I wish I could take it all away for him."

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CONCERN

788 Hour her

The worry hung heavy in the air. I wanted to reach out to Luke, to tell him it was okay to feel, to break, that he wouldn't be alone in it. Instead, I turned away from the window, pushing back the tidal wave. of thoughts threatening to drown me. "Let's focus on right now." I straightened up, trying to shake off the tension. "We've got tonight, and we can't dwell on what's beyond our control. Let's just enjoy this-us, together, before everything else hits."

Laura sighed but managed a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. Let's enjoy it while we can."

"When is your check-up?" Laura asked, and I looked up. Shit. I forgot about that.

"I uhm, I think it's tomorrow after the interview. Luke is meeting me there - the offices are a few blocks from where he is having the interview." I mumbled just as the boys walked in.

"This smells a whole lot better than frozen pizza..." Josh muttered, walking over to Laura and pulling her in for a kiss, which made me blush and turn away. I didn't want to see my brother make out with my best friend - even if they were married. I bit my lip and looked up at Luke, who was grinning at me!

"Are you Excited about tomorrow?" he asked, and I nodded. I want to start thinking about colors for the baby's room.