Moving On: The Golden Retriever Wins

Hitting post to announce my new relationship was me shredding nine years of unrequited delusion for my best friend's brother.

Falling for my best friend's brother was the most toxic mistake of my life.

Nine years of desperate chasing got me nothing but his endless, icy indifference.

I was officially sick of this one-sided obsession.

That older man could keep his arrogant, untouchable pedestal.

I turned and pinched the cheek of the young guy sitting next to me.

He was sweet, passionate, and looked at me like I hung the moon.

Who needs an emotional iceberg?

I had my very own golden retriever, and honestly? It felt incredible.

Chapter 1

My notifications blew up the second I went Instagram official with Samuel.

Then I hit Claire's comment.

[You're brave. Did you block my brother?]

I frowned, typing back, [Who does he think he is? Why would I block him? He doesn't own my love life.]

What I didn't know was that poor Claire was sitting right next to him.

Harrison tapped two fingers against the table. "What did she say?" His voice was absolute zero.

Claire shrank into her seat, stealing a quick glance at his stormy expression. "Don't you have your own phone?" she mumbled.

"Read it."

Claire squeezed her eyes shut, stiffened her neck, and read it out loud with theatrical volume. The air pressure in the room instantly plummeted.

Claire's internal monologue: You are so dead, Madeline.

Miles away, I sneezed. Then I stared at my screen in absolute horror.

Harrison had liked my post.

Holy shit. Pigs were officially flying. Harrison actually hit the like button? I took a moment to reflect on my life choices.

Apparently, my decade of pathetic pining was the wrong strategy entirely. You had to trigger a man's toxic possessiveness to get a crumb of his attention.

The whole "I don't love you, but you can't love anyone else" toxic red flag energy. That was exactly what this was. An epiphany hit me. One double-tap, and my brain was already scripting a whole enemies-to-lovers arc.

According to the classic romance tropes, this was the exact moment Harrison should start his groveling era. I was absolutely seated for it.

Sure, we had never actually dated, but details didn't matter. From now on, I was strictly leaning into the second-male-lead-wins narrative.

Too bad reality didn't get the script.

Harrison went right back to ignoring my existence.

Whatever. I wasn't the old Madeline who would spend a whole day spiraling over left-on-read messages. Besides, I had Samuel now.

For our first date, Samuel took me to the movies. We stood in the lobby. I pointed at the poster for a new psychological thriller. "Let's watch that."

Samuel looked at me, completely bewildered, and pointed at a generic high school rom-com. "Isn't this one better?"

I shook my head. Hard pass.

Fifteen minutes later, I regretted everything. I had severely underestimated how easily spooked Samuel was. He was practically curled into a ball inside my jacket.

I patted his shoulder. "It's all fake. You're fine."

Samuel tilted his head up. His big, damp puppy-dog eyes crashed straight into mine.

The air between us suddenly thickened. I swallowed hard, blindly grabbing a handful of popcorn and shoving it toward his mouth. "Eat. Food helps with the fear. Be a good boy."

Samuel elegantly chewed the popcorn, never breaking eye contact. Damn it, he was insanely pretty. Every angle was flawless. I mentally kicked myself for being so dismissive earlier.

I was just figuring out how to dial up the tension when a voice sliced through the dark. It was colder and far more terrifying than the movie's sound effects.

"Sit up straight if you're watching a movie."

Harrison.

My spine snapped straight on pure reflex. I even gave Samuel a tiny shove away from me.

Samuel looked completely lost.

I offered a painfully brief introduction. "My neighbor."

Samuel nodded politely. "Nice to meet you." Then his eyes went wide with pure fanboy recognition. "Wait, you're Harrison!"

Claire popped her head around the seat, flashing a stiff, tortured smile. "Hi, Maddie. Hi, Samuel. What a coincidence."

Samuel was practically glowing over this random encounter.

I furiously texted Claire:

[Traitor!]

Claire instantly replied with a sobbing emoji:

[He made me!]

Chapter 2

My vision mentally flatlined. I had barely survived the agonizing length of that movie. I grabbed Samuel's hand and prepared to bolt for the exit.

"Stop."

I stared down at my traitorous legs as they instantly rooted to the spot. For the millionth time, I absolutely hated my pathetic reflexes.

"It's way too late. Madeline needs to go home. She has a curfew."

"I absolutely don't have a curfew!"

"I set one. Just now. Got a problem with that?" Harrison offered a leisurely, dangerously calm smile and casually hooked his fingers around my arm.

Samuel looked at him with pure, unadulterated worship. "Okay, Harrison. I'll just ask Maddie out again tomorrow." Then, the kid flashed a shy, bashful smile. "Actually, you've always been my idol and role model. Can I get your number?"

My eye gave a sluggish, delayed twitch.

Harrison reached out and gave my head a condescending pat. "Of course. Madeline can send my contact to you later."

With that settled, he dragged both me and Claire out into the cold and shoved us into his car.

"That kid is tolerable."

Ha. He was only tolerable because he treated Harrison like a literal god. I mentally cursed his massive ego.

"Madeline, exactly how far have you two gone?"

Excuse me?

Claire was currently playing dead in the backseat.

I ground my teeth together. "We've done everything couples naturally do!"

The corner of Harrison's mouth flattened into a grim, hard line. "Think very carefully before you speak."

"Wow, you're policing my sex life too now?"

"I don't care if you date, but don't cross the line. At this stage, your studies and your future come first."

I let out a completely deadpan 'oh'. "It must be so exhausting playing both my mom and my dad."

Absolute control freak.

That last line actually pissed him off. His hands gripped the steering wheel. The muscles in his forearms strained against his sleeves, popping with veins and vibrating with barely contained tension.

I didn't dare push him any further. I fully committed to joining Claire in playing dead.

It wasn't that I was a coward. Harrison just played way too many monumental roles in my life.

Harrison was nine years older than Claire and me. When I was nine, he was a freshman in college.

Every time he packed up to leave for a new semester, Claire and I would each latch onto one of his legs. We wailed like the world was ending, begging him not to go.

By the time we started middle school, Harrison came back to the city for an internship. Claire and I were thrilled, but also completely doomed.

We had spent years praying for our older brother to come home. He bought us snacks, clothes, and toys. We were living the absolute dream.

That honeymoon phase didn't last. Within days, this absolute tyrant started forcing us to study.

He was an academic god. We were utterly hopeless causes.

Fifteen years old. A time when a teenage girl's heart is just waiting to trip over a romantic fantasy.

Chapter 3

That day, Claire was out at a class party. I was home alone, curled up on the couch watching a movie. Just as the leads locked into a passionate, heavy kiss on screen, Harrison materialized behind me.

He crouched beside the armrest. He plucked the remote from my lap and changed the channel.

Hot breath brushed against the shell of my ear, sending a sudden shiver down my spine. His voice was a low, resonant rumble. "Madeline. Watch less of this garbage and find something educational, okay?"

He patted the top of my head. The gesture was ridiculously, devastatingly gentle.

I turned to look at him. A soft, amused smile broke across his face. He lifted a hand, his rough thumb brushing the corner of my lips to wipe away a stray potato chip crumb.

"Such a greedy little cat. Turn off the TV and go read for a bit. Think about what you want for dinner, and I'll make it."

I froze.

In that split second, my pulse scrambled into absolute chaos. Heat flooded my cheeks. I suddenly understood what it meant to fall for someone.

I was in love with the older guy next door, a man nine years my senior.

The realization sent a wave of pure panic crashing through me.

From that day on, I couldn't act normal around him. I spent weeks overthinking every single move I made.

Claire finally lost it. "Maddie, are you possessed? Since when do you willingly clean the house?"

My hand stopped mid-wipe across the coffee table. I leaned in close to her. "Claire, do you think Harrison is dating anyone?"

Her eyes went wide, her round cheeks giving a tiny shake of shock. "Look at you getting bold. You aren't even calling him by his formal title anymore."

They say all lovers eventually end up feeling like siblings. I absolutely refused to let that happen. I refused to get stuck in the permanent little sister zone.

Becoming her sister-in-law had to start with dropping the platonic formalities. Obviously, I kept that logic to myself.

Claire actually thought about it. "I'm not sure. But I did see a really pretty girl come over to the house a few days ago."

I didn't even get the chance to interrogate her. Harrison walked through the front door, bringing the girl right into the living room.

"Hell must have frozen over. Our Madeline is actually doing chores."

I followed his voice. They looked like a picture-perfect power couple. I threw the cleaning rag onto the table in pure irritation, completely done with playing the diligent roommate.

I had been putting on this act for weeks without a single word of praise, and now he was dragging a rival right into my territory.

Claire, completely blind to the room's tension and my raging jealousy, smiled and waved at the woman. Then again, what right did I even have to be jealous?

"Maddie, that's the pretty girl I told you about," Claire whispered loudly.

I looked up, colliding instantly with the woman's amused, appraising gaze. She laughed, turning to Harrison. "Harrison, your two little sisters are so funny. One is completely oblivious, and the other is just fiercely glaring at me."

I was absolutely livid.

You're the oblivious one, I cursed silently, sick of playing the perfect roommate.

That very night. I packed my duffel bag and marched straight for the front door.

Harrison caught my arm in an iron grip before I could touch the doorknob. "Madeline. What kind of tantrum is this?"

"I'm moving out," I glared at him like a cornered animal, fighting the crack in my voice. "Giving you and your new girlfriend the space you clearly want!"

His sharp brows pulled together in a tight frown. His free hand reached up, lightly pinching my cheek. "What nonsense are you talking about? Stop acting out and go to bed."

I was so pathetic. A few soft words from Harrison were always enough to pacify me. But slowly, that wasn't enough anymore.

I didn't just want his gentle head pats. I wanted his absolute attention.

I didn't dare confess my feelings. In his eyes, I was still just a kid. Yet ironically, I had plenty of guys chasing me at school.

During one parent-teacher night, he found a love letter some boy had slipped into my locker. He waved the pale blue envelope at me, teasing.

"Look at all these little boys crushing on our Madeline. But you can't date yet. You have to wait until you're a legal adult."

"Wait until I'm an adult."

I burned those words into my brain. Eighteen meant I could finally tell him the truth.

Chapter 4

"If you don't actually like him, end it now."

The car pulled up to our apartment building. Claire, the absolute traitor, bolted out the second the engine cut. I moved to follow her, but a heavy arm blocked the door.

Harrison's dark eyes locked onto mine. Completely unreadable. Dead calm.

I swallowed hard, forcing a bright, careless smile. "I'm serious this time, big brother."

The air instantly shattered.

Before I could blink, his rough fingers clamped around my jaw. He jerked my face up, forcing my gaze to collide with his.

"What did you just call me?"

My vocal cords paralyzed.

"Madeline. What did you call me?"

I called him brother. For nine agonizing years, from fifteen to twenty-four, I stubbornly refused to use that word. I didn't want him to be my brother. But we were impossible.

He made that crystal clear. I couldn't bear to cut him out of my life completely, so retreating back to the safety of family was my only survival tactic.

The pad of his thumb dragged slowly across my skin. The friction sent a violent shiver down my spine. I tilted my head back, trying to escape the heat of his touch. "Brother."

His grip snapped tight. His free hand curled around the back of my neck, tangling in my hair, pulling me flush against him. The negative space between us vanished. I could feel the jagged edge of his breathing against my lips.

"You're hurting me."

The muscles in his jaw ticked. He abruptly let me go. In a fraction of a second, the dangerous tension evaporated, replaced by his usual, suffocatingly composed guardian persona.

"Apologies. It's been a long time since you called me that. I reacted poorly."

Sure. Totally understandable. If someone who had been obsessively stalking me for a decade finally backed off, I'd probably lose it too. But did he have to express his relief by nearly snapping my neck? Major red flag behavior.

After that night, Harrison completely vanished. He wasn't at the apartment. He wasn't at his office.

My chest felt hollowed out. A twisted mix of pure relief and crushing suffocation. I stared at the ceiling, my throat tight.

Nine years of suffocating obsession, reduced to dust in seconds. It was pathetic.

What I thought was this grand, tragic romance was just a massive inconvenience to him. I had weaponized my own dignity for nothing. In the past, all he had to do was stand in the same room, and I would throw myself at his feet, begging for a scrap of validation.

Now, I just packed my boxes. I dragged a heavy breath into my lungs. It was time to detox and move on.

I dialed Claire's number. "My stuff is mostly boxed up. My parents are flying back together in a few days. I'm moving back home."

Absolute madness. My parents spent over a decade tearing each other apart, and now they were suddenly getting remarried.

A screech of pure panic erupted from the speaker. "Maddie! You can't! My brother will actually murder me when he gets back!"

"Gets back? Where did he even go?"

"He flew out to Chicago. He's stationed there for three months. Did he seriously not tell you?"

He didn't. And honestly, that was for the best. I ignored Claire's desperate pleading and hit end on the call.

My screen lit up with a text from Samuel. He was asking what I was up to.

[Packing. Moving out.] I typed back.

Samuel replied with a cute, overly enthusiastic sticker. I left him on read. Once the last box was taped shut, I ordered a moving van on my app.

The doorbell suddenly chimed. I blinked. Did the movers really get here that fast?

I swung the door open. Instead of a moving crew, I found Claire looking like she was headed to an execution, standing right next to a completely radiant Samuel.

Chapter 5

"Why did you ring the doorbell instead of just walking in?"

Claire looked up at me with pathetic, watery eyes. She shakily held up her index finger.

"I sliced it during a lab experiment. When I walked out, I bumped into Samuel. I told him you were moving, and he absolutely insisted on coming with me. Maddie, it hurts so bad."

I rubbed my temples.

After disinfecting Claire's cut and slapping a bandage on it, I turned my attention to Samuel. "I don't have time for a date today. You should go home."

His eyes literally sparkled. "It's not a date. I'm here to carry boxes."

Without another word, he threw himself into helping the movers haul my luggage into the truck.

Claire tugged at my sleeve. "I severely regret letting you two meet."

I patted her arm. "What's wrong with you? We're doing great."

Her face crumpled. "If you guys actually become a thing, what happens to my brother?"

I stared at her in utter silence.

Samuel and Claire shared the same academic advisor.

Claire had always been a massive crybaby. Knowing her personality, I had spent years habitually playing the role of her future sister-in-law. Well, just an older sister now.

She was incredibly dependent on me, so I used to visit her on campus all the time.

That was how Samuel and I ended up crossing paths.

The kid was paralyzingly shy at first. His ears would burn beet red just from me saying hello. I still had no idea where he found the nerve to confess his feelings.

The memory pulled a soft smile to my lips.

I pulled a tissue from the box and handed it to Samuel as he walked past. "You're sweating. Wipe your face."

He looked at me with absolute adoration. "I'm not tired at all."

Claire watched our sickeningly sweet exchange with her jaw practically on the floor. She dragged me into the hallway. "Maddie, are you actually serious about him? Are you just doing this to make Harrison jealous?"

I flicked her forehead. "I don't play games with people's feelings."

I believed in love that built over time way more than love at first sight. Since there was absolutely nothing to hate about Samuel, I was confident I could make this relationship work.

Harrison came back the night of Claire's birthday. It had been four entire months. Summer had bled into late autumn.

The front door clicked open. He stepped inside wearing a tailored black overcoat, the sharp cut making the harsh lines of his face look even colder.

"Harrison! How are you back so early? Wasn't your flight tomorrow?" Claire shrieked with surprise, crossing the room in three steps to throw her arms around him.

Harrison swept his gaze over the room.

It was Claire's birthday, and her lab mates had insisted on celebrating. After some debate, they decided to throw a small house party at the apartment. Nobody expected Harrison to walk in the middle of it.

It was past ten o'clock. A heavy shadow of exhaustion clung to his features. Yet, the sheer weight of his presence instantly silenced the loud, buzzing room, pulling every pair of eyes straight to him.

I hadn't heard a single word from him in months. Seeing him this drained caught me off guard. In my head, he had always been untouchable, always radiating control. Turns out, he was human too.

"Carry on." His voice was a low, cool rumble. Steady and suffocatingly calm. He handed a shopping bag to Claire. "Happy birthday."

I caught a quick glimpse of the inside. There were two gift boxes.

Chapter 6

"Harrison! We are just about to start a game. You should join us!"

"Yeah, come play!"

Before I could even grab Samuel's sleeve to stop him, he had already become the most enthusiastic cheerleader in the room.

Samuel flashed a blindingly bright smile. "Come on. Everyone here practically worships you. Grant us the wish of hanging out with our idol for a bit."

Claire beamed, hooking her arm through Harrison's and dragging him over. "He makes a good point. My brother definitely needs to unwind."

Harrison didn't push her away. He gave in to the crowd and took a seat.

We were all sitting in a circle on the floor, gearing up for a painfully clich game of spin the bottle for Truth or Dare. Originally, I was wedged safely between Claire and Samuel.

I didn't know if the girl did it on purpose, but suddenly Harrison was sitting directly on my right, with Claire taking the spot on his other side.

I got incredibly lucky for the first few rounds. The bottle never landed on me, and I happily tortured the others with brutal dares. We had all been friends for years, so the atmosphere was loud, chaotic, and completely relaxed.

Then, my luck violently flatlined.

The second the glass neck pointed directly at my chest, the entire room erupted into cheers. It was payback time.

My brain raced. The unattainable obsession of my past and my current boyfriend were sitting literal inches away from me. Truth was absolute suicide.

I chose Dare.

"Choose the person on your left or right, and kiss them for one full minute!"

When Claire's lab mate, Piper, excitedly read the slip of paper out loud, my soul left my body.

A spike of pure adrenaline hit my bloodstream. Heat violently flushed down my neck.

"Whoa! Do it! Do it!"

"Samuel, you had better thank us for this!"

Samuel turned to look at me, a soft, teasing smile playing on his lips as he winked.

I dropped my head. There was no way out of this, not after how ruthlessly I had targeted everyone else. Karma was a massive bitch, and I wanted to cry.

But making out with Samuel right in front of Harrison? It felt suffocatingly, impossibly wrong.

"Ah, this is too much, isn't it?"

Hearing Claire try to bail me out, I snapped my head up and shot her a look of pure, desperate gratitude.

Instead, my gaze collided directly with a pair of eyes frozen to absolute zero. He was smiling. The heating in the apartment was cranked up, yet a violently cold chill washed over my skin.

My brain didn't have time to process it.

My chin was gently guided to the left. Then came the clean scent of Samuel, followed immediately by the warm, soft press of his lips against mine. It was fleeting. A feather-light touch.

"That's enough. My Maddie gets shy easily. I will take her penalty drinks later."

The room let out a collective groan, accusing us of weaponizing the game just to show off.

I let out a massive, shaky exhale. I absolutely refused to look to my right.

What I didn't know was that Claire was vastly more terrified than I was.

Hidden in the dim lighting, the poor girl had watched her older brother the exact second I was kissed. His right hand was clenched so brutally into a fist that the veins corded against the back of his skin, ready to snap.

In that split second, Claire was paralyzed with fear. She was terrified he was going to flip the entire table or completely snap and beat someone to a pulp.

Honestly, it was only the second time in her life she had ever seen this expression on his face. It was like a dead calm ocean surface hiding a violently destructive undertow.

The first time was back when she and Madeline were sophomores in high school.

Chapter 7