I wake up before my alarm.
Not because I slept well.
Because I didn't.
My eyes open to a ceiling I've stared at too many times in the last twenty-four hours, and for a second I forget why my chest feels tight.
Then I remember.
His forehead against mine.
His voice in the dark.
We tell him tomorrow.
Today.
My stomach flips.
The apartment is quiet, but there's movement down the hall. Low voices. A cupboard shutting. The normal sounds of mornings.
Like nothing is about to shift.
I sit up slowly, pressing my palms to my face. This was my idea too. I don't get to panic now.
I asked for this.
I swing my legs off the bed and open my door.
Logan is already in the kitchen.
Of course he is.
He's leaning against the counter, coffee in hand, jaw tight. He looks up when he hears me.
For a second, the world narrows.
Not in the charged, breathless way from before.
In a steady way.
Like we're standing on the edge of something solid.
"You ready?" he asks quietly.
Straight to it.
No pretending.
I nod. "Yeah."
Daniel's bedroom door opens at that exact moment.
Perfect timing.
He walks out stretching, oblivious. "Why do you two look like you're about to confess to a crime?"
My heart starts pounding immediately.
Logan doesn't look away from Daniel.
"We need to talk," he says.
Daniel freezes mid-stretch. "That sounds ominous."
"It's not," I say quickly.
Logan glances at me briefly.
It kind of is.
Daniel looks between us slowly.
"Okay…" he says carefully. "What's going on?"
The air feels too thin.
Logan sets his coffee down.
"I'm just going to say it," he says. "Before I overthink it."
My pulse spikes.
"I have feelings for her."
Silence.
Like actual, ringing silence.
Daniel blinks.
Then laughs.
A short, confused sound.
"Okay. And?"
Logan doesn't laugh.
"I'm serious."
The laughter dies immediately.
Daniel looks at me now.
And suddenly this feels very real.
"Is this a joke?" he asks.
"No," I say softly.
Another long pause.
Daniel runs a hand through his hair. "Since when?"
Logan exhales. "A while."
"How long is a while?"
He hesitates.
"Long enough."
Daniel stares at him.
Then at me.
Then back at him.
"You live in my room," Daniel says flatly.
"I know."
"You're my best friend."
"I know."
"And you're telling me you've had feelings for my little sister for… what? Months?"
Logan's jaw tightens. "I didn't plan it."
"That's not an answer."
I step in before this turns into something worse.
"It's not like we've been sneaking around," I say. "Nothing happened."
Daniel's eyes narrow slightly. "Nothing?"
I swallow.
"Almost," Logan says.
My heart jumps at the honesty.
Daniel's gaze snaps to him. "Almost what?"
Logan doesn't look away.
"I almost kissed her."
Silence again.
Daniel inhales slowly through his nose.
"And?"
"And I didn't."
"Why not?"
"Because I wasn't going to do it without telling you first."
That lands.
I see it.
Daniel's shoulders shift slightly.
Not relaxed.
But not as rigid.
"You were going to tell me?" Daniel asks.
"Yes."
"Even if I said no?"
Logan doesn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Daniel looks at me now.
"What about you?"
My throat feels dry.
"I like him," I say simply.
It feels bigger than that.
But that's the truth at its core.
Daniel studies my face carefully.
Searching for pressure.
For hesitation or doubt.
He doesn't find any.
"You're serious," he says.
"Yes."
Another long pause.
Then Daniel exhales heavily and drops onto a kitchen chair.
"This is so weird," he mutters.
A tiny, nervous laugh escapes me.
Logan doesn't move.
He's still standing like he's waiting for a verdict.
Daniel looks up at him.
"If you hurt her…"
"I won't."
"That's what everyone says."
"I won't," Logan repeats.
Daniel studies him for a long moment.
Then he looks at me again.
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
He leans back in the chair, rubbing his face.
"This is going to be awkward."
"Probably," I admit.
"But you're not going to lie to me?"
"No," Logan says immediately.
"Ever?"
"No."
Daniel sighs.
"God. I hate that I'm not completely surprised."
That makes me blink.
"You're not?"
He points between us. "You two have been weird for like a year."
Heat floods my face.
Logan looks almost offended. "We have not."
"You absolutely have."
I can't help it I laugh.
The tension cracks just a little.
Daniel stands again.
"I need a minute," he says. "Not because I'm mad. Just because this is… a lot."
"That's fair," I say softly.
He looks at Logan one more time.
"You mess this up, I'm moving out."
Logan almost smiles. "Noted."
Daniel shakes his head, but there's no real anger in it.
Just adjustment.
He walks back toward his room, closing the door behind him.
The apartment goes quiet again.
But this silence feels different.
Not heavy.
Just new.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
Logan runs a hand through his hair.
"That went better than I expected," he admits.
"You expected him to punch you?"
"Considered it."
I step closer.
"So… we're alive."
"Barely."
A small smile tugs at my mouth.
He looks at me carefully.
"We did it the right way," he says.
"Yeah."
"No sneaking."
"No almosts?"
His eyes darken slightly at that.
"No almosts."
The word hangs there.
Not as a threat but as a promise.
I move a little closer.
This time, there's no wall.
No interruption.
No guilt hovering in the background.
Just us.
"Can I?" he asks quietly.
The question makes my heart flip.
Not because I don't know what he means.
But because he's asking.
"Yes," I whisper.
His hand lifts to my cheek again.
Gentle ans intentional.
He leans in slowly.
Giving me time.
Giving me space to step back.
I don't.
Our lips meet softly. Not desperate but calm
Like something that's been waiting patiently for the right moment.
He pulls back first.
Resting his forehead against mine like last night.
But this time ...
There's no line between us anymore.
"We're doing this," he murmurs.
"We're doing this," I agree.
And for the first time, it doesn't feel like almost.
It feels like the beginning.