Passionate Love Every Day

My little brother was in love, and now the girl's brother wanted to invite us to dinner.

I was planning to say no.

My brother, looking all pitiful, begged me.

"Come on, sis, please? Her brother's probably trying to mess with me, and you could back me up."

So, I went.

By the end of it, he was like, "I totally set my sister up for disaster…"

1

The summer heat was creeping up from the ground, rising like steam. Skyscrapers lined the streets, packed together so tightly that it felt like the whole city was sealed off from the outside world.

I had just gotten back to my apartment after my internship when my brother called.

"Sis, I haven't seen you in forever. I miss you!"

How strange. Like a wolf playing nice with a sheep.

"Alright, spit it out. What's going on?"

I cut right to the chase.

My brother stammered, "Uh… Maria's brother wants to invite us to dinner. Can you come, too?"

I knew my brother had been dating this girl for about two years.

"Nope. You're dating his sister, not me."

He kept begging. "Sis, come on. Maria wants to meet you, too. And if her brother tries to mess with me, would you really leave your dear little brother to suffer alone?"

"Dear little brother? Please. You're just the kid Mom found in a dumpster."

Despite my teasing, I still agreed.

I had only seen my brother's girlfriend in photos on Instagram. She's gorgeous—flawless skin, blue eyes, and red lips. Even as a woman, I could see the appeal.

I'd often think my brother wasn't quite on her level, but that was just my sibling bias. No way I'd let someone else push him around.

After I agreed, my brother excitedly hung up.

Then, another call came in.

"Oh, sis, don't forget to clean up and look presentable! No rolling out of bed like usual."

He hung up before I could even yell at him.

I glared at my now-dark phone screen.

Seriously, I should just let him go alone.

2

The next day, I left the house early.

It was rude to keep someone waiting when they were buying lunch.

The elevator wasn't too crowded.

As always, I stayed in the corner, feeling safer there. It wasn't a long ride to the ninth floor, but unexpected things always seem to happen.

Not far from me stood a guy slightly taller than me. He wore suit pants and a white shirt tucked in, though it wasn't hiding his beer belly.

A girl in front of him glanced back nervously, then shuffled forward a bit.

He moved like a slug, inching closer to the girl at the buttons. His stance shifted—casually but intentionally.

I frowned, reached out, and pulled the old creep back, stepping in between him and the girl.

"Hey, man, the elevator's got plenty of space. Why are you getting all up in the girl's space?

"I mean, come on, your beer belly isn't that big yet."

Another middle-aged guy was quick to say that I was misunderstanding the situation.

Please, anyone could see they were in cahoots.

The guy didn't even try to hide the way he was pushing himself against the girl—if anything, he seemed proud of it.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. "You've got a lot of energy, huh? Maybe take a left when you leave. There's a clinic that can help with your kind of problem. Want me to show you how to get there?"

He looked ready to blow up, but his buddy yanked him back just in time.

I pointed at the elevator's security camera. "You know you're being recorded, right?"

"Just wait." He hissed before storming off.

I let out a sigh of relief, my hands shaking slightly.

I took a moment to comfort the girl, and by the time I finally made it to the gathering, I was already fifteen minutes late.