The days that followed were a blur of emotions, and Nathan couldn't shake the image of Sarah and Lewis together. It haunted him—every time he closed his eyes, every time he stepped outside, the image of their kisses, their closeness, was seared into his mind. It was a twisted, suffocating feeling that consumed him. How had it gotten to this point? How had he allowed himself to fall so deeply into a rivalry that now seemed like it was spiraling out of control?
Nathan had always known that he and Lewis were different. They'd grown up in the same house, but the divide between them had always been present. Lewis was everything Nathan was not: confident, charismatic, bold. He took what he wanted without hesitation, while Nathan lingered in the background, quietly admiring from afar. It had always been that way, especially with Sarah.
But now, everything was different. What had once been a subtle rivalry over a girl, over attention, had morphed into something dangerous, something neither of them could control. The bitter truth was that their competition had never just been about Sarah. It was about who could be the better man, the one who could win at life. Lewis had always been the one to come out on top.
And now, as Nathan watched the two of them, laughing together, sharing intimate moments, a sickening rage began to fester inside him. Every time he saw them, he couldn't stop the jealousy that gripped him, a jealousy that soon morphed into resentment. It wasn't just that Sarah had chosen Lewis. It was that he could never escape their closeness, their love. It was suffocating. Every whisper between them, every shared glance, every touch—it was like a physical blow to Nathan.
---
One evening, Nathan couldn't take it anymore. The images, the memories, the frustration—everything came to a head. He had been drinking, trying to dull the ache, when he saw them again. It was another one of those moments—a chance encounter on the street. Lewis had his arm around Sarah as they walked together, lost in their own world. Nathan stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched them.
He wanted to scream, to confront them, but the words never came. Instead, he watched as they shared a kiss, a kiss that seemed to mock everything he had ever hoped for. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't keep pretending it didn't hurt. It wasn't just about losing Sarah—it was about losing his own sense of self. And as much as it killed him, he knew he had to take action.
He needed to confront Lewis. They had never truly faced each other as equals, always living in the shadow of their rivalry. But now, it was different. Now, it was about more than just a girl—it was about respect, about who would come out on top.
Nathan found himself standing outside Lewis's apartment later that night, his fists clenched at his sides. The anger that had been simmering inside him for so long was finally bubbling to the surface, and he knew there would be no turning back once he stepped through that door.
---
"Open up, Lewis!" Nathan's voice echoed through the hallway, his words sharp, full of venom. He didn't care if he was disrupting anything—he had reached his breaking point.
There was a pause before the door creaked open, revealing Lewis, a smug look on his face as he leaned against the doorframe.
"What do you want, Nathan?" he asked coolly, not a hint of surprise in his voice. He had seen this coming, Nathan could tell.
"I want to know why you're doing this," Nathan spat, stepping closer. "Why are you always getting what you want? Why do you always have to be the one to win?"
Lewis raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Nathan said, his voice rising with frustration. "Sarah. You and her. You've had her. You've always had her. And I'm done standing on the sidelines while you steal everything from me."
A moment of silence passed, thick with tension. Lewis's eyes hardened, and he took a step forward. "You think I'm stealing her from you? You think that's what this is about?"
Nathan's breath quickened, the anger in his chest bubbling over. "It's always been about you. Always about how much better you are than me. How you get everything, including her."
Lewis took a step back, shaking his head. "Nathan, I never wanted to be better than you. But you've always been the one who stayed back, who never took a chance. You let me have everything because you didn't want to fight for it."
Nathan's jaw tightened as he stepped into the apartment, the door slamming shut behind him. "I've always fought for you, for Sarah. But you—" He pointed a finger toward his brother. "You've never had to fight for anything. You just take it. You think everything's a game, don't you?"
Lewis's face twisted with a mixture of frustration and something else—guilt, maybe. But he quickly masked it with a smirk. "You don't get it, do you, Nathan? I didn't take her from you. She chose me. She made her choice, and it wasn't you."
Nathan felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. The words stung, sharper than anything he had ever heard. "Don't pretend like you didn't know she loved me. Don't pretend like this was just some easy decision for her," Nathan's voice cracked as he stepped closer. "You're nothing but a selfish bastard."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tension between them was palpable, thick with years of unresolved issues. But then, without warning, Nathan lunged at Lewis, his fist connecting with his brother's chest. The punch wasn't enough to knock him down, but it was enough to set off a chain of events neither of them could stop.
"What the hell is going on here?" Sarah's voice rang out from the hallway, her shocked eyes darting between the two men.
Both brothers froze, the reality of their actions hitting them like a cold wave. Nathan stood there, chest heaving, fists clenched. He had never wanted this—never wanted it to escalate like this. But now that it had, there was no way to take it back.
Lewis stood up straighter, brushing himself off. "Nothing's going on, Sarah," he said, his voice calm, almost too calm. "Nathan just wanted to remind me of his... feelings."
Nathan turned away, swallowing hard. He didn't want to be there anymore. He didn't want to confront the reality of his feelings. He couldn't stay in that room, in that space where everything felt like it was spiraling out of control.
"Sarah, I'm sorry," he said quietly, his voice breaking as he moved toward the door. "I never meant for this to happen."
Before either of them could stop him, Nathan left, the door slamming behind him. The world seemed quieter as he stepped back into the night, his heart heavy with the weight of everything he had just lost.
---