Page 52

BLAISE

I t’s amazing what you can hear when the rest of the world comes to a stop.

Or that’s what it feels like after Knox found Willow and me kissing just seconds ago.

The words echo in my ears like they're coming from underwater.

Knox's voice. Three simple words that shatter everything we've been building in secret.

My hand is still cupped against Willow's cheek. Her breath is warm against my mouth. The taste of her kiss lingers on my lips, but now Knox is here, watching us, and I can feel the careful walls we've built around this thing between us crumbling in real time.

I don't pull away from her. Not yet. But when I do, I don’t go far. I know it’s time to defend this relationship.

"Knox," I say as I turn to face him. "We need to talk."

"Yeah." His eyes move between us, taking in how we're standing. "We really fucking do."

I've been preparing for this moment since Puerto Rico, maybe since the first time I realized what Willow meant to me years ago.

The knowledge that I might lose my best friend has been sitting in my gut for what feels like weeks, but standing here now, with her still close enough that I can smell her shampoo, I know exactly where my priorities lie.

I'd rather lose Knox than lose her. The thought should terrify me more than it does.

"Knox." I keep my voice steady, meeting his eyes directly. "I'm not going to apologize for this."

His jaw tightens. "For what, exactly? For going behind my back?"

"For falling in love with your sister."

I watch Knox's face change, cycling through surprise, anger, and potentially hurt. But I don't take back a single word I said. Nor will I ever.

"In love?" Knox's voice is flat. "You're in love with her?"

"Yes." I don't hesitate. "I'm in love with Willow, and she's in love with me. This isn't some casual thing, Knox. This isn't me messing around with your sister."

Willow steps closer to me, her hand finding mine. The gesture is small but deliberate and effective. She's choosing to stand with me, even knowing what it might cost us.

"Knox," she says quietly, "we didn't plan this. It just happened."

"When?" His eyes dart between us again. "How long has this been going on?"

I could lie. Could minimize it, make it sound newer than it is. But I'm done with half-truths and careful omissions. "Since Puerto Rico. We made it official a few days ago."

"Puerto Rico." Knox runs a hand through his hair. "Fuckin’ A Blaise. You've been lying to my face for weeks."

"I haven't been lying?—"

"Bullshit." His voice rises slightly. "You’ve been the best of friends and talking to me about all types of shit and yet you couldn’t tell me that you're fucking my sister."

Willow flinches at the crude words, and something protective flares in my chest. "Don't talk about her like that."

"Like what? Like she's my sister? Because she is." Knox takes a step closer. "She's my sister, and you're supposed to be my best friend."

"I am your best friend. That hasn't changed."

"Everything's changed." Knox shakes his head. "You think I don't know what this means? You think I'm stupid? This is going to fuck everything up.”

I know he’s right that everything has changed, but it doesn't change anything. If anything, it crystallizes what I already know. I'm not backing down. Not from this. Not from her.

"Maybe it will fuck things up," I say. "But I'd rather have that than pretend this doesn't matter."

Knox stares at me like I've grown a second head. "Are you serious right now?"

"Dead serious." I squeeze Willow's hand tighter. "I know what I'm risking here, Knox. I know what this could cost me. But I'm not walking away from her. I can't."

"You can't?" He stares me down with his mouth slightly open as if he’s seeing me for the first time. "Holy hell, you are serious.”

Willow steps forward then, placing herself between Knox and me. I watch her shoulders straighten, see her chin lift the same way she did when she faced Leo. When she didn’t realize I was standing there on the sidelines watching her taking on that asshole.

"Knox, stop. Just...stop."

Knox's attention shifts to her completely. "Willow?—"

"No, let me talk." She takes another step toward her brother, closing the distance between them. "You want to know why we didn't tell you? You want to know why we kept this secret?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Because I was scared." The words come out in a rush, like she's been holding them back for weeks.

"I was terrified, Knox. Everything in my life was already falling apart.

The Leo situation, the harassment, feeling like I couldn't trust anyone.

And then there was this thing with Blaise that felt.

..real. Important. And I didn't know how to tell you. "

Knox's expression softens slightly, but his jaw is still tight. "You could have?—"

"Could have what? Come to you and said, 'Hey Knox, I'm falling for your best friend while my ex is trying to destroy my life online'?" She laughs, but there's no humor in it. "You would have lost your mind."

"Maybe I would have," Knox admits. "But that's not your call to make."

"Isn't it?" Willow's voice rises slightly. "It's my life, Knox. My relationship. My choice about when and how to tell the people I care about."

I watch this exchange and quickly realize I’m torn between pride at how she's standing up for herself and concern about where this is heading.

“Does that include not telling me about what was going on with Leo?” Knox asks.

“To be fair, she didn’t tell me the full story either and—” But I stop talking when Knox glares at me.

"You want to know about Leo?" Willow sighs before she continues.

"Fine. I didn't tell you because I was already drowning, Knox.

The harassment, the threats, watching Lilly get torn apart online…

it was all too much. I was barely keeping my head above water.

And then there was this." She gestures between herself and me.

"This beautiful, terrifying thing that made me feel like maybe I wasn't completely broken. "

Knox's expression shifts into something that doesn’t resemble anger, but I’m not sure what to call it.

"I was scared," she continues. "Scared that if I told you about Blaise, you'd make me choose.

Scared that you'd hate him for caring about me.

Scared that I'd lose both of you in different ways.

I didn't know how to tell the person I love most in the world and the brother I'm terrified of disappointing that I'd found something good in the middle of all that chaos. "

"You think you could disappoint me?" Knox looks as confused as I feel. “How?”

"Knox." Willow's laugh is shaky. "I've been disappointing you for years. The Leo thing in high school, dropping out of pre-med, changing my major three times?—"

"That's not—" Knox starts, but she cuts him off.

"It is. And I couldn't handle the thought of adding this to the list. Of watching you look at me like I'd made another mistake." Her voice drops to barely above a whisper. "Especially when this doesn't feel like a mistake. This feels like the first thing I've gotten right in my love life in years."

Knox looks at me then, really looks at me, and I see the exact moment something clicks for him. "You really love her," he says. It's not a question.

"More than I've ever loved anyone," I answer without hesitation.

"And you?" Knox turns back to Willow. "You love him?"

"Yes. I love him, Knox. I love how he makes me feel strong and safe at the same time. I love that he sees me and doesn't try to fix me or change me. I love him enough that I'd rather have you hate me than give him up."

Knox runs both hands through his hair, looking between us like he's solving some impossible equation. Finally, he lets out a long breath. "Fuck."

"Knox—" Willow starts.

"No, just...fuck." He shakes his head. "You should have told me."

"I know," she says quietly.

"But I get it." Knox's eyes meet mine. "I get why you didn't. And I get why you'd risk our friendship for her."

The admission surprises me. "Knox..."

"She's worth it," he says. "She's always been worth it. I just wish you'd trusted me enough to tell me."

"I know. And I’m sorry.” She looks back at me before returning her attention to her brother. “We both are.”

Knox looks down at his sister with a small smile on his face. It would be funny to point out how easily she was able to get past his bad boy persona and hit his heart, but now isn’t the time. "You're happy?" he asks her.

"Yeah," she says. "I'm really happy."

Knox nods slowly, then turns to me. "You hurt her, and best friend or not, I'll end you."

"I know," I say. "But I won't."

"Good." Knox extends his hand. "Then I guess we're okay."

I step toward him and shake his hand. "We're okay?" I ask again to be doubly sure.

"We're okay." Knox grins suddenly. "But next time you want to date my sister, maybe give me a heads up? This whole dramatic revelation thing is exhausting."

Willow laughs and the sound is bright, free, and music to my ears. "There won't be a next time, because there won't be anyone after Blaise."

"Damn right there won't be," I murmur, pulling her closer.

Knox makes a gagging sound. "Okay, that's enough. I may be okay with this, but I don't need to watch you two be gross about it. Also, if I had to choose who I’d want to date my sister out of the fuckers behind me, it would be you."

“Thanks?” I’m not sure if that’s a compliment, but I decide to take it as such.

Before Knox can offer a rebuttal, there’s a loud crash from somewhere behind us.

We all turn to see Wilder standing over near a concession stand, but thankfully there doesn’t seem to be any injuries nor does anything look out of place.

What’s strange is that Wilder doesn’t have his usual smile on his face and he’s not trying to rile anyone up with his jokes.

He looks like he's about two seconds away from doing something incredibly stupid.

Following his gaze, I spot Jade, Levi, and Hailey near the team merchandise table, laughing at something a tall guy in a Crestwood basketball hoodie is saying. The guy seems to have his attention mostly on Jade, and it doesn’t take an astrophysicist to determine what’s going on here.

"Oh shit," Willow mutters under her breath.

"What's wrong with Wilder?" Knox asks, but even as he says it, his eyes track to where Wilder is looking. "Oh. Oh no."

I watch as Wilder takes a step forward, then stops himself. His whole body is tense, like he's fighting something deep within himself. The guy with Jade says something that makes her throw her head back and laugh, and Wilder's face darkens even more.

"He looks like he's about to commit a felony," Willow says.

"Probably because he is," Knox says. "Someone should do something."

But that something seems to have happened without any of us having to do a thing.

The guy in the basketball hoodie gives Jade a small wave and he leaves the group.

Jade’s eyes drift around the room until they land on Wilder.

The biggest grin appears on her face and she runs up to him and gives him a big hug.

“What is going on there?”

Willow’s question makes both Knox and me look at her, but I answer first. “Wilder’s in love with her.”

"And Jade?" Willow asks, watching as Jade practically bounces on her toes while talking to Wilder, who still looks like he's been hit by a truck.

"Has absolutely no clue," Knox finishes. "It's painful to watch."

I study the interaction across the arena.

Jade is talking about something that has her extremely excited while Wilder nods along with the expression of someone trying very hard to act normal when their entire world just shifted.

The contrast between her obvious excitement and his barely controlled tension is almost comical.

"How long has this been going on?" Willow asks.

"Since sophomore year," I say. "Maybe longer. Wilder's never said anything directly, but it's pretty obvious if you know what to look for."

"And she really doesn't know?"

Knox shakes his head. "Jade thinks they're just friends. Best friends, and he’s dated other girls while they’ve been friends, so I don’t blame her.”

"That's..." Willow pauses, watching as Jade grabs Wilder's arm to pull him toward the photo booth. "Actually kind of heartbreaking."

"Yeah, well, welcome to Wilder's life," Knox says. "Guy's got it bad, but he's convinced she's out of his league."

“I mean she is technically…as most women are. Present company included.” That earns me a swat on the chest from Willow.

Surprisingly, Knox agrees with me. “You’re not wrong. Speaking of, where’s my woman?”

He walks away from both of us before we can respond to him, and all I can do is chuckle. I can’t say I’m not happy to be alone with Willow again.

"So," she says, turning to face me fully. "That went better than expected."

"Did it?" I raise an eyebrow. "Because for a minute there I thought your brother was going to punch me in the face."

"He still might, if you're not careful." But she's smiling as she says it. "I can't believe we just did that."

"Which part? You taking down Leo or us finally telling Knox the truth?"

"Both. All of it." She runs a hand through her hair and lets out a deep breath. “I feel like I've been holding my breath for weeks."

I reach for her hand and her fingers thread through mine. I bring our joined hands up to my lips. "So we're doing this?" I ask quietly, my mouth still close to her skin.

Her eyes meet mine. "We're doing this."

"Good," I say, lowering our hands but not letting go. "Because I'm not letting go ever. I love you."

"I love you too."

I’ll never get tired of hearing those words come from her lips.