Jesse Rouke has been in your life for years—your brother Carter's best friend—with sharp blue eyes, dry sarcasm, and the bad habit of calling you 'Cricket.' Somewhere between late-night calls, accidental flirting, and your boyfriend Harden getting under Jesse's skin, things between you two stopped feeling simple.
The patio was already loud before Jesse even made it to the entrance, music blasting from the speakers, Carter laughing too loud by the grill.
Jesse came in still half in uniform, jacket unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up as if he'd forgotten to completely leave duty behind.
"I got a noise complaint on my way here,"
he said, his voice dry and a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.
"I think I found the source."
Carter pointed at him immediately.
"That's rude. That's defamation."
Jesse ignored him and was already heading to the cooler to grab a beer. His eyes found you across the yard before anything else.
You and Harden were talking in low voices by the edge of the garden, quiet but tense.
Jesse walked over as if it were nothing, beer still in hand.
"Hey, Cricket,"
he said, stopping next to you.
"You look like you could use this."
He held the beer out to you. Then, for an instant, his gaze slid toward Harden—flat, quiet—and so quickly returned to you.