NEXT LIFETIMEÂł
â ď¸: jealousy, unresolved tension, emotionally loaded sibling dynamics, passive aggression, emotionally confusing friendships, angst, barely masked feelings,
1 | 2 prev chapters
đď¸|| you grew up across the street from the thompson twinsâyour built-in best friends. but childhood closeness doesnât protect you from grown-up confusion. Ausar kissed you once and never talked about it, and Amen watched you fall in love with someone who looks just like him. All while being in love with you.
âYour energy feels so damn good to me.It picks me up, don't wanna come down. You got me spinning all aroundâ
It had been a while since youâd been over to the twinsâ house.
And not by accident.
You told yourself it was just a phase, a breather. Told them you were just busy with work, school, life. But the truth sat heavier than that. You were distancing yourselfâon purpose. From both of them.
It had stopped feeling innocent. You started feeling like a barrier between them, the tension obviously thick.Â
It was easier, once upon a time. Easier when your thing with Ausar was just flirty banter and harmless late-night convos. He was magnetic, and he knew it. Always had something slick to say, always tried to get you to smile, to look at him a little too long. You played along because⌠well, you liked the attention. Who wouldnât? It never went past that. And deep down, you knew why. Convenience always was a killer of young girls belief in love.Â
You used to think you were equally close to both of them. But when you really thought about it, it was always Amen who really felt like your best friend. Amen who you texted late at night when you couldnât sleep. Amen who showed up when you didnât ask, just because he knew you needed company without having to say it.
Of course Ausar did the same but as you got older the intentions behind it changed, it wasnât brotherly love it was lust.
And when that realization finally hitâwhen it clicked that the feeling in your chest wasnât friendship anymoreâyou panicked.
You stopped texting. Stopped calling. Made up excuses. Skipped game nights.
You didnât want to be that girl. The one who ruined a whole friendship by catching feelings.
But Ausar noticed. Of course he did. He was a whore but he was a thoughtful one.
He called one night out the blue, voice already tight. Told you he felt like something was off. Like you were pulling away from Amen, and especially him, and that didnât feel fair.
âI just feel left out,â he said, direct like always. âLike yâall got some whole other thing goinâ on that Iâm not part of.â
You promised him that wasnât true. Told him it wasnât personal.
But it was.
It was personal as hell.
You didnât know how to be around them both anymore without feeling horribly. Without letting something slip in a look, a laugh, a little too much silence where your body leaned toward the wrong twin.
So you stopped seeing either of them. You stopped going over to their place. Stopped replying. No big blow-up, no dramatic exitâjust silence. A slow fade. You figured that was gentler. Cleaner. Let them cool off, maybe figure it out without you being the spark every time they flared up.
At least, that was the plan.
Until Amen pulled up to your house.
He couldnât take the hint.
At first, it was texts. Just a âyou good?â here and there. Then calls. Short ones. Late ones. He left a voicemail onceâsomething quiet and irritated like he was trying not to sound like he cared too much:Â âYou could at least tell me why. I ainât do shit to you, you know that.â
You didnât respond.
You couldnât. Not without risking the same cycle.
But Amen didnât do space well. And one night, he just⌠showed up.
You heard the knock. Not a knock, actually. Just the rattle of your front door handle like someone already knew you were home.
âAmen?â you called through the door, already annoyed.
âOpen the damn door.â
You didnât. âWhat do you want?â
âI want you to stop acting like I did something.â
You opened the door halfway, enough to see the irritation pinched between his brows. Hoodie on. Chain visible. That quiet frustration swimming in his eyes.
âYou can't just pop up here.â
âYou can just go ghost?â he shot back, brushing past you before you could stop him.
âAmenâseriouslyâwhat are you doing?â
He was already pacing in your living room, hands in his pockets, like he was searching for calm. âYou really think thatâs fair? That you get to vanish and Iâwe just gotta eat that?â
You leaned against the wall, arms crossed. âI didnât vanish. I pulled back. For both of yâall.â
âYou ainât do it for both of us,â he muttered. âYou did it for you and  that wouldâve been coolâif you actually told me.â
You looked away.
âI asked you if I did something wrong, and you said âno.â You disappear out my life after 22 years, and Iâm just supposed to respect that?â
âYes,â you snapped. âYou are.â
He scoffed. âI know why you stopped coming around. Itâs not even about me, but Iâm the one standing here while you treat me like I messed up.â
âYou didnât mess up,â you said, voice softening. âThatâs the whole point. I justâI didnât wanna keep being the reason you two go into it. I thought backing up would let you figure yâall shit out without me in the middle.â
Amen stared at you, face unreadable for a moment.
Then quietly, like he hated even asking, âSo why you leaving made shit so much worse?â
You didnât have an answer for that. Not one you could say out loud.
He never let you go, you wanted him to come, even ignoring his messages didnât stop you from checking your phone every night. You just shook your head and turned away.Â
He stepped closer.
âYou can give me the silent treatment all you want. I wouldâve never told you about us arguing if I knew this would be your solution.â
âIon want nothing else Y/N I just want you to stay.â
You swallowed hard.
âI didnât think youâd keep trying.â
âWhy the fuck wouldnât I?â
It was a Fridayâstill light out but late enough to feel like the weekendâand you were halfway through a skincare routine when the knock hit your door.
You werenât expecting anyone, but the second you peeked out the window and saw two familiar heads of hair and plastic bags in hand, your stomach dropped.
You opened the door slow, towel still wrapped around your head, face dewy and confused.
âWhat the hellâŚâ
âWe come bearing gifts,â Amen said coolly, PlayStation tucked under his arm, bags full of snacks in the other. âYouâre not gonna make us stand out here, right?â
âI told him youâd be mad,â Ausar added, shouldering his way past you like he still had full access. âBut somebody said you needed cheering up.â
You blinked at them.
Amen gave you that calm, unreadable look. Not quite smiling, but soft. âWe miss you.â
You tried to hide the way your chest clenched at that.
Ausar was already flopped across your couch like it was his own. âIf your floorâs dirty, Iâm playing on the counter.â
You stood there for a second too long, towel slipping slightly, heart doing laps in your chest.
Amen stepped inside with quiet ease, brushing past you with a scent you knew too well. Fresh soap, something warm beneath it. Familiar and safe.
You didnât stop him.
The air had been tense since the second controller passed to you. The banter was too sharp, Ausarâs ego too loud. Amen, as usual, had kept his mouth shut and his body closeâsitting low on your bed with his arms stretched behind him like he wasnât fully tuned in. But you knew better. You felt him watching you. Clocking every shift in your tone, every change in your body language.
You were mid-game when Ausar said it, again.
âYou really gonâ pick his team every time, huh?â
You paused, not even blinking. âWe winning, arenât we?â
âThat why you stopped coming around?â Ausar scoffed, sitting forward. âYâall must have been practicing a lot without me?â
Amen sighed. âMan whatâŚâ
âNo, let him talk,â you said, setting the controller down. âClearly he got somethinâ to say.â
Ausar leaned back on his elbows. âI already said it. You ghosted both of usâbut somehow Amen still ends up in your house. So whatâs up with that?â
âI told you I needed distance.â
âYou said it wasnât personal.â
âAnd I didnât lie,â you snapped.
Amen sat up straighter. âY/NâŚâ
âNah, donât stop her now,â Ausar cut in. âSheâs finally being honest.â
âYou want honesty?â you barked. âOkay. You played with me. Thatâs why I stopped coming around.â
Ausarâs mouth dropped open. âPlayed with you how?â
âYou flirted with me for years, let the lines blur, and every time I got close, you reminded me that I was just the friend. You messed with my head.â
âOh, so Iâm a manipulator now?â
âUm yeah?,â you said flatly.
And then Amen spoke.
âSheâs not wrong.â
You both turned.
Amen was leaned forward now, hands clasped, finally looking up like he couldnât stand being silent anymore.
âYou knew exactly what you were doing, Ausar. You just mad now 'cause she saw through it.â
Ausar blinked. âWow. Thatâs crazy coming from you.â
Amen tilted his head. âWhatâs crazy?â
âYou think you innocent?â Ausar barked. âNigga you been playing the long game since jumpâsittinâ quiet, beinâ her âsafe spaceâ, like that donât count as manipulation too.â
Amenâs voice dropped. âI donât do that shit cause I want her, thatâs just want friends do? Do you hear yourself?â
You raised your eyebrows. âAmenâŚâ
But Ausar was already on ten. âNah, fuck that. You been in love with her, bro. Donât even lie. You played the patient card hoping Iâd fumble. And now what? You her savior?â
Amen stood up. âPatient card? Good God, do you even know what platonic means?â
Ausar scoffed. âYou think she respects you? Youâre just convenient You think she want you?â
âAusar, shut the fuck up,â you said, stepping between them.
âOh, but Iâm the problem, right?â He pointed at you now. âYou really sittinâ here acting holy like you wasnât playing us both. Like you wasnât eatinâ up the attention.â
You rolled your eyes. âPlease. If I wanted both of yâall, I couldâve had both.â
âWow,â he said. âWhat a way to be a slut as per usual Y/Nâ
âSay it again,â you warned.
He held your stare. âYouâre. A. Slut.â
You were in his face now. âWeâre bestfriends. If anybody know my body, itâs yâall. Be the same ones out here fuckinâ every girl in the world and then reporting back like itâs ESPN.â
Amen didnât flinch. âDonât bring me into that.â
You snapped toward him. âI didnât say you. You think I donât know the difference?â
Ausar raised his hands. âYou choosing now, Iâm just the bad guy?â
âIâm choosing me. Yâall been beefing and using me as ammo. Fuck that, if Iâm coming between yâall, I donât need to be here.â
âYou never answered the question,â Ausar pressed, now petty as hell. âYou want him?â
You turned your back on him. âGrow up.â
He laughed bitterly. âCool. Take Amen home then.â
Youâd seen them fight a thousand times over the years. Over toys, over basketball, over video games, over other girls, but you never thought it would be you.Â














