Mine for a Moment

I frown when my phone alerts me that my best friend’s silent alarm system was triggered, and for a moment I’m certain that can’t be right. Ezra’s penthouse and mine take up the entire top floor of this building, and just getting past the receptionist is a challenge.

I sigh as I push off my sofa and head to the hallway, irritated. It’s most likely just one of the building attendants delivering his mail for him, but once the alarm is triggered, no one but Ezra or me can turn it off.

My temper instantly dissipates when I pull my door open to find Ezra’s little sister standing in front of his door, just a few steps away. She turns, her long, dark, curly hair swaying, and I freeze when I see tears in her eyes.

I take a step forward without thinking, and then another, until I’m cupping her face, my thumbs swiping at her tears. “Archer,” she says, her voice breaking as a sob tears through her throat.

“What happened, Serenity?” I ask, my voice harsher than intended. I study her face, taking in her red eyes and the pure despair in her gaze. “Who did this to you?”

She shakes her head, and it fucking guts me to see my best friend’s little sister like that. I wordlessly pull her into my arms, holding her tightly, and she begins to cry in earnest.

I push my fingers through her hair in response, cradling her head as she presses her forehead to my chest, hiding herself away as her small body rocks from the force of her sobs. “Please,” I whisper, my heart aching. “Tell me why you’re crying, sweetheart. Tell me how to make this right.”

Serenity shakes her head again, and I pull away just a touch to lift her into my arms. She gasps, her tear-filled eyes finding mine for a moment as I carry her into my home. Her arms wrap around my neck, her nose brushing against my throat as she holds on to me like she wants consolation but doesn’t want me to witness her sorrow, and fuck, I’m all too familiar with that need.

I kick the door closed and carry her to the sofa, sitting down with her in my lap. She tightens her grip on me, almost like she’s scared I’ll let go, and I hold her a little tighter, my hand roaming over her back soothingly as she tries her hardest to inhale through her sobs, her breathing ragged. The sounds she makes fucking devastate me, and my own eyes fall closed as I bury a hand in her hair.

“Was it Theo?”

She flinches, and my blood runs cold. Neither Ezra nor I ever liked her best friend, and if he hurt her, I’ll hold him down myself while Ezra makes him pay for each and every tear Serenity has shed—before taking a turn of my own.

“A-Are my f-feelings t-that obvious?”

I tense and shake my head slightly. “No,” I murmur, even though Ezra and I have both known for years. I always hated standing back as Theo seemed to take Serenity for granted. “The way you looked just now is near identical to the way my little sister has looked for years. You look heartbroken.”

She clutches at me and holds me tighter, her face pressing against my neck. I sigh and push my hand deeper into her hair, my other hand settling on her lower back. No one should have the power to devastate her like this. “He didn’t touch you anywhere, did he?” I ask with barely controlled rage. “Are you hurt?”

She shakes her head, and I relax a fraction. “It’s not like that,” she reassures me, her breathing evening out just a touch. “I’m not physically hurt.”

I sigh and lean back on the sofa, moving both of us into a more comfortable position. “You wanna know what I used to tell my sister each time she’d cry over a broken heart?”

She nods and balls her hands into my T-shirt.

“You’ll find someone who will see your worth, Serenity. You’ll occupy his every thought, and you’ll be everything to him. The kind of love you’re after is out there, and you’ll find it—with the right person.”

She raises her head to look at me, not quite realizing the position we’re in as she sits in my lap, her arms still wrapped around me. “Has your sister found that kind of person?” she whispers, her voice tinged with hope. She looks at me like the mere thought of ever loving someone that isn’t Theo, and being loved the way I just described, is preposterous.

“She’s getting married next week,” I tell her, the words bittersweet. “It’s an arranged marriage, but that marriage will fix what time couldn’t.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asks, sounding skeptical. I grin at her, relieved to find some luster back in her voice. It’s ridiculous how beautiful she still is despite the tears that stain her face. Her pain hasn’t dulled her gorgeous hazel eyes at all.

“Because the man she’s marrying truly loves her as much as she loves him, even though they both claim to hate each other. Someday, you’ll find someone who loves you the same way—unconditionally, despite the odds, despite the obstacles life might throw your way.” What I don’t tell her is that the man Celeste is marrying is also the one that broke her heart in the first place. The last thing I want to do is encourage Serenity to keep waiting for Theo, like she’s so obviously been doing.

“If she’s getting married next week, you’ll have to see your grandfather, won’t you?” she asks, concern for me crossing her face, despite her own devastation. I’ve always loved this about her—the way she cares so deeply. Not even her own pain is enough to push aside her instant concern for me. She’s so fucking precious, and she doesn’t even seem to realize it.

“Yeah,” I whisper, my heart aching at the thought of having to face the man that disowned me nearly a decade ago purely because I refused to follow in his footsteps and pursued a career that didn’t involve me becoming a hotelier like he expected me to. I’ve barely spoken to him in years, and my parents have done all they could to ensure I wouldn’t have to see him, but there’s no getting out of it this time.

Serenity’s hand wraps around the back of my neck, and a thrill runs down my spine. She has no idea how long it’s been since I last had someone in my arms like this. I didn’t even realize how badly I’d been craving that kind of connection. “It’ll be fine, Sera. More than anything, I’m looking forward to seeing my sister walk down that aisle. Someday, that’ll be you too, you know? Someday, you’ll meet someone that’ll make you see how wrong Theo would’ve been for you.”

“Someday,” she repeats, her hands sliding to my shoulders as she sits up, balancing her weight on my thighs. “I used to think that someday, Theo and I would be like my parents. They were best friends before they got together. I’m not sure if anyone ever told you, but Mom divorced Ezra’s dad because he cheated on her, and personally I always thought that was fate. I thought that Ezra was meant to be my brother and that everything happens for a reason. I thought I’d just have to wait for Theo to realize that I’m the one for him, just like Dad waited for Mom, loving her quietly.”

I sigh and push one of her curls out of her face, unsure what to say to that. I don’t have it in me to discourage her, to break her heart any further. Her eyes fall closed as she draws a shaky breath. “I think I’m tired of waiting for someday, Archer,” she whispers. “For years I’ve been trying to suppress my feelings for someone who never even saw me the same way, and all the while, I let life pass me by. There’s so much I never experienced simply because the idea of him was always better than any man I met in real life. I want everything I missed out on—coffee dates, talking until the sun rises, making out in the backseat of a car, being truly wanted, all of it. I can’t keep waiting for the right person when I should be living. I never should’ve put my happiness in the hands of someone else.”

The thought of her doing any of that with anyone doesn’t sit particularly well with me, and I can’t quite figure out why. “Does it have to be the backseat of a car?” I ask, my gaze roaming over her face. Her eyes widen a fraction, like she’s suddenly aware of how close her face is to mine. “I rate it one out of ten. It’s cramped and uncomfortable, and you’ll probably get elbowed at some point.”

A startled laugh leaves her lips, and I grin at her, glad I was able to ease some of her dejection. Her eyes trail over my face, settling on my mouth for a moment, and all of a sudden I find myself wondering what she’s thinking when she looks at me that way. That expression…it’s not one I’ve ever seen on her before.

I bite down on my lip and move my hands to her waist, knowing I should move her off me and entirely unable to. I tear my eyes away and take a steadying breath. “I agree that you shouldn’t let anyone hold you back, Serenity. You don’t want to look back someday and regret not doing things because of someone who never deserved your devotion, someone who never returned it. If you feel like there are things you’re missing out on, you should take control of your life and your own experiences.” I pause, struggling to find the right words. “However, don’t let him be the reason you rush into something you aren’t ready for.”

“But I am,” she says, her voice tinged with desperation. “I’m ready, Archer. I’m twenty-two, and I’ve never—” Serenity shakes her head, her expression conveying sudden shyness. “I’m tired of feeling like I can’t control my feelings, of letting them deprive me of a chance at something real of my own, when the person I’d been waiting for never wanted me and never will.”

“I get it,” I murmur, my heart squeezing painfully. I haven’t quite been living my life either. Guilt keeps me trapped in the past, tied to someone who’s no longer here. “Just promise me you won’t do anything risky or impulsive, okay?”

She pushes off me and rises to her feet. Even with her hair a mess and red eyes, she looks like a fucking goddess. She’s effortlessly beautiful, and I’m not sure why I never noticed it before. “I won’t do anything risky, Arch,” she promises, crossing her arms. “On the contrary.”

I raise a brow, and she grins at me, her smile finally fully restored. Her eyes twinkle as she stares at me for a moment, seemingly making up her mind about something.

“I’m going to make a list.”