plot idea - my sister warned me
xander ignored her. now theyโre caught in the falloutโawkward dinners, sharp looks, and Xander pretending it doesnโt bother him when it absolutely does.
his sister had warned him this would happen. she always did. every single time he so much asย glancedย too long at one of her friends. the pattern was tired, predictable. xander charmed them with wit and money, with tailoredย confidenceย and the illusion of exclusivity. they slept together. something fractured. Usually timing,ย ego, expectationโand he moved on without looking back.
butย thisย time, heโd thought it would be different.
of all people, xander understood how minor variables could trigger massive outcomes. he lived by that principle professionally, respected it intellectually. he just hadnโt expectedย thisย particular reaction, hadnโt anticipated how quickly control would slip. not that consequences had ever stopped him before.
now he sat trapped at a long, pristine table beside the ruins of his latest failed situationship, attending his sisterโs birthday dinner like nothing was wrong. his family had reserved the most expensive restaurant in the city floor-to-ceiling windows, skyline glowing like it had been staged specifically for them. everyone was dressed impeccably. his sister looked radiant. her friend lookedย unfairlyย good, the kind of polished that madeย absenceย feel louder than presence.
xander drank more than he should have. bourbon burned warm and familiar, loosening his restraint one shot at a time. frustration coiled low in his chest. his desire curdled by her proximity, by the reminder of what he no longer had. his sister would say it was his fault. she always did.
โi thought this was supposed to be aย family dinner,โ he said, the words slipping out faster than his better judgment. he lifted both brows as he turned toward his sister, expression smooth despite the edge beneath it. โhowโd your mostย annoyingย friend end up here, making us listen to her drone on for the last twenty minutes?โ
the table went still. xander didnโt flinch.
