After Becoming an Orphan, My Childhood Crush Who I’d Loved Secretly for a Decade Became My Brother
I’ve been in love with my childhood friend for ten years, and he’s been annoyed with me for just as long.
Finally, one day, I slept with him and left two hundred dollars on the nightstand.
My childhood friend felt utterly humiliated and “hunted” me down everywhere.
But he couldn’t find me anywhere.
I avoided him for three years, until my father passed away, leaving me an orphan.
His parents said, “From now on, our home is your home, and this boy is your brother.”
I looked at my childhood friend’s face, flushed with anger and embarrassment at the sight of me,
And cheerfully called out, “Hello, big brother!”
01
I had been avoiding Ethan Collins for exactly three years.
The reason I remember it so clearly is because the night I seduced him was New Year’s Eve during my freshman year winter break.
And today is New Year’s Eve of my senior year winter break.
I was dragging my suitcase, planning to buy some fruit before going upstairs.
Unexpectedly, I ran into Ethan Collins.
He hadn’t changed much, still fair–skinned and unforgettably handsome.
-You couldn’t tell at all that he was a bit of a player.
A beautiful player.
The moment he entered the store, I instinctively turned away, lowering the brim of my cap.
“Ethan, buying fruit again?” The young male shopkeeper’s eyes lit up at the sight of Ethan Collins.
“We’ve got some great new pomelos. Why don’t you take a couple home for your parents to try?”
Ethan said, “I don’t like sour things.”
“Then how about some cherries? They’re guaranteed sweet.”
“I hate sweet things even more.
…I wanted to tell him, eat it or don’t, just get lost.
But the shopkeeper’s enthusiasm didn’t wane.
When Ethan was checking out, he even insisted on stuffing a few apples into his bag.
This was Ethan’s special treatment.
With his good looks, he was the center of attention wherever he went.
When he was ten, Ethan could go out empty–handed and come back with his pockets full of snacks.
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It made me green with envy back then.
Now at twenty, the neighborhood had changed faces many times over.
But he was still the focal point.
The shopkeeper asked, “Ethan, are you going home alone this year?”
“Mm–hmm.”
“I heard from the neighbors that you were planning to bring a girlfriend home this year.”
Ethan has a girlfriend?
I couldn’t help but prick up my ears.
