Brandon's POV
I hadn't planned on any of it — not the game, not the fight, and definitely not almost kissing Chloe.
But standing there — just the two of us, the hum of a car engine slicing through the quiet night — all I could think about was the look on her face when I asked that question.
It wasn't fear, but it was something else.
Something I couldn't name.
And maybe that's what scared me the most.
Call it selfish, but I was already too far gone in my feelings for her.
Truth is, I wanted to kiss her — badly. And I almost did when Pete dared me during the game. I was this close.
But it didn't feel right. I couldn't. For too many reasons.
I'd realized, in that moment, that Pete knew. He knew I was into Chloe. And I knew what he was trying to do — prove a point, maybe humiliate her, maybe rile up Casey. Or maybe just push me into exposing what I'd been trying to hide. Whatever it was, I couldn't play along.
But none of that mattered now.
