Christmas’s Eve arrived.
I was curled up on the couch watching the boring annual TV special when Maddox pulled me up, insisting we go set off fireworks.
Though generally prohibited in our gated community, management relaxed the rules for major holidays.
Last year, I’d witnessed a magnificent fireworks display here.
We strolled to the community lake where a large group had already gathered.
“Jade, how old are you now? Still ordering your big brothers around like when we were kids?”
Jade grinned mischievously, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight.
“Watching fireworks beats any TV special, doesn’t it?”
She rubbed her hands together, looking cold.
Raine smiled and unwrapped his scarf, beginning to place it around her neck when he caught sight of Maddox and me. His movement faltered mid–gesture.
The scene was painfully familiar.
Last year, Raine had texted me to secretly meet him by the lake. He’d wrapped a scarf around my neck, put gloves on my hands, and watched the fireworks he’d specially prepared.
He’d said: “May every year be like this one.”
Some promise that turned out to be.
The wind stung my face as I tried to burrow deeper into my sweater collar.
I crouched down, watching them joke and play.
Brilliant light exploded across the night sky as Jade pulled out her camera and handed it to me:
“Lyra, men are terrible photographers. Can you take one of me and Rai?”
Even her nickname for him had become more intimate.
Raine stood frozen momentarily but didn’t refuse. He gently placed his arm around Jade’s shoulders, forcing an unnatural smile.
I raised the camera, but Raine wasn’t looking at the lens. He seemed to be looking at me, oddly intense.
The shutter clicked, capturing the moment.
10:30
Secretly Dating My Brother’s BFF… Until His Hotter Rival Stole the Spotlight
6.5%
Chapter 11
Behind them blazed fireworks, while both subjects wore smiles.
In two years, Raine never took a single photo with me, yet here I was, personally photographing him with someone else.
In the corner of the frame, I caught Julian’s profile.
Only then did I realize he was there too, standing at a distance, watching like a parent observes children’s antics–a spectator, not a participant.
Satisfied with the photos, Jade called everyone for a group shot.
Maddox reached for the camera, wanting me to join. But seeing his casted hand, I shook my head and declined.
I wasn’t much for photos anyway. And I certainly didn’t want to be in the same frame as Raine.
Julian was pulled to the center. He looked relaxed, eyeing me curiously.
Just before I pressed the shutter, he suddenly called out:
“Lyra, come over here.”
I held the camera, confused. With the camera in my hands, how could I be in the photo?
Someone quickly volunteered: “I’ll take it! Go join them!”
I automatically moved to the far edge of the group, burying my head deeper in my collar.
But Julian called me again: “Come here.”
Someone pushed me toward him. I ended up beside him, with Jade on his other side. And Raine stood behind us.
I could feel his burning gaze on my back like a physical weight.
“Ready to take the picture! Three, two, one!”
As the shutter clicked, Julian put his arm around my shoulders.
“Merry Christmas, Lyra,” he said.
That photo turned out hilariously awkward.
Years later, everyone’s expressions in it would be worth analyzing.
I stood very close to Julian, my mouth open in surprise. The normally serious Julian had his eyes crinkled in a youthful, mischievous smile.
While behind us, Raine stared intensely at the hand on my shoulder, his features almost distorted.
Of course, that’s how I remember his expression.
10:30
Secretly Dating My Brother’s BFF… Until His Hotter Rival Stole the Spotlight
6.7%
Chapter 11
In reality, his face in that photo had already been scratched out by Julian.
1- the Cnotlight
6.9%
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.