@bufbiwh719: I loved this story, so I made an interactive version on Cycle AI where you can step into any character and live it yourself！ Tyler called while I was fixing a loose porch board. Could I check on Penny? He'd be a little longer. I said yes before he finished. Five minutes of ordinary family obligation. I was good at making dangerous things sound manageable. I'd been unfair to her at dinner. I knew that now. She had arrived late, smiling politely, and I'd treated the smile like proof she'd never had a difficult day. At the lake house, her ballet shoes stayed zipped inside a bag she couldn't bear to unpack. She was reaching for an empty glass when I came in. I filled it. She thanked me, then apologized for interrupting, then thanked me again. "It's water, Penny." Her smile vanished so quickly I wished I'd chosen different words. I added, "You're allowed to need it." After that, five minutes became checking the steps, moving a chair, remembering when the ice pack needed changing. She argued with me when I was blunt. I began looking forward to the arguments. At least then she wasn't pretending everything suited her. One afternoon she laughed at a terrible repair I'd made. I turned toward the sound too quickly. She noticed. So did I. I had spent years keeping my attention on what mattered; now I knew the exact difference between her polite laugh and the one she couldn't help. Tyler came home and kissed her. I went outside before anyone could read my face. He hadn't asked me to want her. He'd asked me for a favor. Whatever he was getting wrong, it didn't give me permission to turn her loneliness into an invitation. That evening I apologized for the way I'd spoken at our first dinner. No joke, no excuse about my job. She said my name softly, and I wanted to cross the room. I stayed by the door. For once, doing the decent thing meant admitting I wanted something I couldn't ask for. #cycleai #BookTok #BoyfriendsBrother #ForbiddenRomance #SlowBurnRomance

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