Ethan is five years older than me, but I never called him "brother." I watched him go through girlfriend after girlfriend. With every single one, I’d politely call them "sister-in-law." On my twenty-second birthday, I waited all day. Ethan never showed up. I made a wish: to never, ever like him again. After my birthday ended, I went downstairs to throw out the trash and saw a familiar silhouette. It was Ethan’s best friend, Liam. "Liam? What are you doing here?" "Ethan couldn't get away. He asked me to drop off his present for you." "Oh. Thanks. Where’s yours?" He smiled. "I brought two. I’ll decide which one to give you after you answer my question." "Autumn, liking him must be exhausting, right? How about you try someone else? Be my girlfriend." 1 I stared at Liam in shock. When did he find out I liked Ethan? I thought I had hidden it perfectly. I never showed a hint of jealousy in front of Ethan. "Liam, I don't know what you're talking about." He pressed his lips together. He was smiling, but there was a visible tension in his eyes. "Let me rephrase that, then." "Autumn Miller, I like you." "I wanted to ask... would you give me a chance? Will you go out with me?" But he was Ethan’s best friend. When I first met Ethan at five years old, Liam was standing right next to him. Thinking about it, I had known Liam for seventeen years, too. I stared at his face, suddenly remembering the wish I had made tonight. Liam chuckled under my intense gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Do you think I'm causing trouble for you?" I shook my head. It wasn't trouble, just... surprising. Liam was different from Ethan. In all the time I’d known him, I don't think I’d ever seen him date anyone. For a brief, confusing period, I had even considered him a romantic rival for Ethan's attention. Meanwhile, Ethan always had a woman by his side. Thinking of that felt like a needle pricking my heart. After the sharp sting faded, I looked up at him and said: "It just so happens I wished for a boyfriend tonight, and here you are, delivering yourself to my doorstep." "Liam, you must have been sent by fate." "So, I'll go along with the universe. Yes, let's date!" Liam froze. He clearly hadn't expected me to actually say yes. He studied me for a moment, then a slow smile broke across his face. He turned and pulled a beautifully wrapped gift box from his car, handing it to me. "This one is for my girlfriend." 2 I opened it right in front of him. It was a delicate necklace studded with crushed diamonds. It looked incredibly expensive. "Isn't this a bit too much?" I knew his family was wealthy, but his past birthday gifts had always been on par with Ethan’s. And I always got him something similar for his birthday. Liam stepped closer and gently ruffled my hair. "For you? It's not expensive." As he leaned in, a faint scent of cologne drifted into my nose. It was different from Ethan’s. His was cooler, crisper—like bitter lemon packed with ice. I took a subtle step back, creating some distance. Just as I was trying to figure out how to politely decline the gift, Liam's phone rang. "Liam, did you drop off the gift?" The night was quiet, so Ethan's voice carried clearly from the receiver. Along with the unmistakable sound of a girl laughing in the background. "Yeah, delivered." Liam kept his eyes fixed on me as he spoke. I suddenly felt incredibly awkward. I looked away, but my ears were still glued to the conversation. "Good. I tried calling Autumn earlier but she didn't pick up. Thought she might be mad at me." Liam let out a low chuckle. "She's not. She went downstairs to take out the trash and forgot her phone." "Makes sense. She's too soft; she never gets mad at me." "Wait a minute. How do you know she doesn't have her phone? Is she right there with you? Put her on." I snapped my head back, terrified Liam would hand me the phone. I had just agreed to be his girlfriend. Talking to Ethan right now... the thought alone made me cringe. To my surprise, Liam turned slightly away, lowering his voice. "It's not a good time for her. Just tell me what you want to say, I'll pass it on." "Just tell her happy birthday, and that she needs to find a boyfriend this year. Every time I take her out to eat, I have to waste breath explaining she's not my girlfriend so people don't get the wrong idea." Ethan's teasing, flippant tone laid my humiliation bare. I curled my hands into tight fists, my nails digging into my palms. Liam lowered his voice even further and gave a soft, dry laugh. "You won't have to worry about that anymore." Ethan paused for two seconds, his tone turning cold. "What do you mean? Is she seeing someone?" Liam stepped forward, using his free hand to grab mine. I froze, instinctively trying to pull away, but he intertwined his fingers tightly with mine. Liam looked down, locking eyes with me, and said into the phone: "Yeah. She's with me now. She's my girlfriend. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up." 3 He hung up, but Liam didn't let go of my hand. "Do you have any plans tomorrow?" I stared at the pavement and mumbled, "No." "Then I'll pick you up tomorrow and we'll go out. It's getting cold, you should head back up." I nodded. The second he released my hand, I practically sprinted toward my building. Liam called out from behind me: "Autumn, you aren't going to back out, right?" I stopped but didn't dare turn around. "I won't." "Good. Because if you do, I'm going to become a very persistent stalker." My face burned. I walked into the elevator without looking back. Once inside my apartment, I saw several missed calls from Ethan. And a barrage of text messages. [Happy birthday, Autumn.] [I got tied up with work. Liam was passing by your area on a business trip, so I asked him to drop off your gift.] [Are you and him together?] [Since when?!] [Why didn't you tell me?] [I never even see you two talk. How are you suddenly dating?] [Did he pressure you and you were too scared to say no? Don't worry, I'll talk to him for you.] I stared at the messages. My chest felt tight. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what I was feeling. The thrill of petty revenge? Guilt toward Liam? Or was it lingering resentment and grievance? After deliberating for a long time, I just replied with a simple "Yeah." Ethan immediately tried to call me. I didn't want to talk to him. I hit decline. Another text popped up. [Autumn, have you really thought this through?] I have. I've thought through the fact that I don't want to like you anymore. Another message arrived. [Do you even like him?] I didn't know. The Liam I knew always maintained a polite, distant aura at our gatherings. But with his striking face and cool demeanor, he constantly attracted attention. Tonight, he was the one who confessed to me. Alongside the surprise, I felt a little panicked. Now that I was calm, I realized agreeing to date him had been impulsive. But Liam might not be a bad choice. When I didn't reply, Ethan called again. I accidentally answered it. "Autumn, are you really with Liam?" Ethan's voice was laced with panic. So he can panic too? I gave a low "Mhm." I heard him curse in frustration. "He forced you, didn't he? That bastard knows you're basically my sister, and he still made a move!" "Autumn, you don't need to be afraid of him. I'll go talk to him—" I cut him off. "I'm not afraid of him. He said he liked me, so I said yes." And you have never once said you liked me. So, why are you so angry? Ethan's tirade stopped abruptly. Followed by the sound of something shattering. Then, a woman's startled scream in the background, asking him what was wrong. Suddenly, all the complicated emotions swirling inside me just... vanished. Ethan could belong to any woman. But he would never belong to me. I should have seen that clearly a long time ago. I looked down at the necklace Liam had given me. I spoke softly into the phone: "Ethan, I thought you would be happy for me." I used to call him by his full name, Ethan. And he would scold me for being disrespectful. He complained about why I called Liam "Liam" but just called him "Ethan." But now that I was finally addressing him properly, he was still unhappy. There was rustling on the other end, and Ethan's voice was strained. "Autumn, wait for me. I'm driving back right now. We'll talk face to face." Right as the call ended, a text from Liam arrived. [Autumn, if Ethan comes looking for you, don't go soft on him, okay?] [Do me a favor. Just date me for a week, at least.] I imagined the expression on Liam's face as he typed that. Probably a mix of helpless exasperation and a faint, indulgent fondness. I couldn't help but smile. I typed back a single word: [Okay.] 4 The next morning, around nine, Liam called to ask if I was awake. I was still half-asleep. "What's up, Liam?" I heard a soft chuckle through the speaker. "You slept and forgot everything already?" The memory of agreeing to our date hit me like a ton of bricks. I shot up in bed. "Ah! I didn't forget. I'm getting up right now!" Liam's laugh deepened. "It's okay, no rush. Just let me know when you're ready." After hanging up, my heart was racing. I covered my face, groaning in regret. Every other time I had seen Liam, Ethan had been there. Oh right. Ethan. He said he was coming back to see me today. The more I thought about it, the more chaotic my brain felt. I didn't know what had possessed him to react so violently to the news of me dating Liam. It wasn't like he liked me. Why did he care who I was with? Especially when I clearly heard another woman's voice next to him on the phone last night. I took a deep breath, adjusted my mindset, and muted Ethan's notifications. I forced myself to stop thinking about him. Since I had agreed to date Liam, I needed to focus on Liam. When I finally got dressed and went downstairs, I saw Liam's car parked out front. He was leaning casually against the door frame. Wearing a tailored cashmere coat, his posture was relaxed and elegant. His typically stoic face broke into a warm smile the second he saw me. He walked toward me. "Liam, I'm so sorry. I overslept." He gave a noncommittal hum. "So, how are you going to make it up to me?" I definitely hadn't expected him to say that. I froze. "Uh... I'll buy you lunch?" He smiled and reached out to take my hand. "Sure. But I'd rather you agree to another condition." I had no idea what condition he was going to propose. But showing up late to our very first date was incredibly rude. I braced myself and agreed. "Alright, tell me. As long as it's something I can do." "Change how you address me. Stop calling me like we're just friends." "Huh? What should I call you then?" "Liam." (In a more intimate, affectionate tone) After he said it, he looked down at me. His face held a faint, eager anticipation. I repeated his name in my head. But when it came time to say it out loud, it felt like the word was burning my tongue. "L-Liam." My voice was barely a whisper. But he heard it. The smile on his lips grew wider, and he responded with utmost seriousness. "Yeah. I'm here." Putting our new "relationship" aside for a second... Liam's smile was lethally attractive. Especially when you knew he was smiling because of you. It made me incredibly shy. My face flushed, and I quickly changed the subject. "Let's go eat. I'm starving." Without another word, Liam took my hand. He seemed to really like intertwining our fingers. He had held my hand the exact same way last night when I agreed to date him. I still wasn't quite used to it. After lunch, Liam took me to an art exhibition. "Liam, aren't you here on a business trip? If you're busy with the company, we don't have to do this. You can head back." His family wanted him to take over their corporation. But he had insisted on starting his own business first, before he turned thirty. At past gatherings, he would always just drop in for a bit and leave early. Even while he was there, he was constantly replying to emails and taking calls. In my mind, he was a CEO who worked harder than a pack mule. But during lunch today, he hadn't checked his phone once. And now he was taking me to an art gallery. To my surprise, Liam casually mentioned that he had finished all his work last night. His time today belonged entirely to me. I blushed, pretending to be unbothered. "Liam, I'm not a kid. You don't have to babysit me." "Oh. Well, I am a kid. And I need you to babysit me." God, my face is on fire.
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