The Big Brother Trap

My phone shattered.

At the airport, I borrowed a stranger's phone to call my brother: Bro, where are you?

He chuckled, his voice low and teasing: Which 'sister' is this? Hmm?

I cleared my sore throat: Your biological sister. Same mom, same dad.

Since when do I have other sisters?! And why wasn't I informed?!

Silence on the other end.

"Cough. Why are you calling from a strange number?"

"Something urgent came up, I can't leave. I sent a buddy to pick you up."

He teased, "You know him. It's the hot guy you swore you'd marry when you were a kid."

After SATs were done and college applications submitted, my parents packed me up like luggage and shipped me off to spend the summer with my brother, who works in New York.

They planned a romantic getaway, just the two of them, and didn't trust me home alone.

My brother, Nate, initially refused.

"I have work every day. I don't have time to babysit her."

My mom raised her voice: "You were the one who begged us to have a little sister! You promised you'd take care of her! Now she just needs a place to crash for the summer, and you're full of excuses!"

"Don't you have weekends off? You're single, what could you possibly be busy with?"

"You wanted her, you deal with her."

Nate laughed, defeated: "Fine, fine, fine. Send her over."

"I'll take care of it."

The day of my flight, Nate texted me: "Emergency came up, can't pick you up."

"Asked a friend to grab you. Call him when you land."

He sent a number.

But I was already in the air and didn't see the message.

I landed at dusk.

Just as I turned off airplane mode, a rushing passenger slammed into me.

I fell, and my phone went flying, landing ten feet away with a sickening crack.

The guy didn't even look back, disappearing into the crowd.

I picked up my phone. Smashed. The screen was a spiderweb of cracks, completely black.

I tried to borrow a phone from passersby.

Three rejections.

Everyone looked at me with suspicion and walked away fast.

I stood there, awkward and helpless.

Finally, an airport staff member let me use theirs.

I thanked my lucky stars I memorized my family's numbers.

I dialed Nate.

First call, rejected immediately.

My heart sank.

Second call. It rang for a long time before he picked up.

A familiar, cool voice answered: "Hello, who is this?"

Hearing his voice, my composure cracked. My eyes welled up.

I wanted to cry.

My voice came out thick with unshed tears.

"Bro, where are you?"

He was somewhere loud. Background noise was chaotic.

He paused.

Then laughed lightly: "Bro?"

"Which sister is this? The club? From the birthday party the other night? Or someone else?"

I froze.

Since when did my brother start collecting "sisters" behind my back?

After a long pause, I answered seriously: "Your biological sister, Chloe Tang."

Silence on the other end for a solid ten seconds.

Then his tone turned serious.

"Cough. Why are you calling from a strange number?"

"What's wrong with your voice?"

My attention shifted.

"I ate too many lychees at home yesterday. Got a sore throat."

I told him about my phone getting smashed but left out the part about falling.

He comforted me: "Don't worry. Where are you exactly? Tell me."

"I have an emergency today and can't pick you up. I called a bro to get you."

"Julian Shen. You know him."

Then he teased: "Remember? The guy you swore you'd marry when you grew up."

Hearing Julian's name, my heart skipped a beat.

Panic set in.

Nate is seven years older than me.

Julian was Nate's middle school friend, but two years younger than him. He skipped two grades.

Rich family, good looks, high IQ and EQ.

The classic "neighbor's kid" everyone compares you to. Perfect and dazzling.

He and my brother were tight.

The first time Julian came to our house, tiny me was stunned by his face.

He was polite, humble, and treated me well.

Every time he visited, he brought gifts. Snacks, toys, pretty hair clips.

I was a kid with zero filter, so I asked him if he'd wait for me to grow up so I could marry him.

Julian smiled gently.

He picked up tiny me: "Sure, if you don't think I'm too old by then."

It was a joke.

But I remembered it. Vividly.

Because every time we met after that, my parents brought it up.

"Remember how you used to scream about marrying him?"

Nate would join in: "You told me I wasn't as handsome as Julian. Almost died of anger. Ungrateful brat."

For the first few years, Julian would play along: "Is Chloe's promise still valid?"

After I started middle school, he stopped mentioning it.

When others teased, he just smiled and changed the subject.

Puberty made me sensitive and shy. I started hiding whenever Julian came over.

Then Nate went to college.

I rarely saw Julian after that.

Maybe once or twice his freshman and sophomore years. Then never again.

It's been five years.

I followed Nate's instructions to the exit.

A swarm of drivers rushed me, asking if I needed a ride.

It freaked me out.

I shook my head and backed away.

One driver grabbed my suitcase handle, trying to hustle me into his car.

He was strong.

I yanked my suitcase back and stumbled in the chaos.

I crashed into a stranger's chest.

He steadied me, saving me from hitting the ground.

My instinct was to bow my head and apologize.

"Thank you, thank you."

I noticed I'd scuffed his expensive leather shoe.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Chloe Tang."

A pleasant but unfamiliar voice sounded above my head, cutting off my apology.

Hearing my name, I snapped my head up.

My eyes widened.

Shocked. Stunned.

The man in front of me was in a bespoke suit, every hair in place, radiating an aura of elite sophistication.

He was tall. I barely reached his collarbone.

His face was more defined, more mature than the boy in my memories.

Julian Shen swept a cold glance over the drivers.

They scattered immediately.

When he looked back at me, seeing my dazed expression, he smiled. The cold aura vanished instantly.

That face was more dazzling than the sunset behind him.

His eyes held a familiar gentleness.

"What? It's been a few years, don't recognize me?"

I snapped out of it, feeling shy. "Julian... bro. Long time no see."

Julian curved his lips: "Long time no see, Chloe."

In Julian's car, he asked me a few questions.

Hearing about my phone, he apologized:

"My bad. I should have been there earlier to meet you inside, but a meeting ran late."

I waved my hands frantically: "No, no, no."

"You're so busy, and my brother is bothering you. We should be apologizing."

Julian smiled: "It's no bother. I'm happy to see you."

He was dressed so formally. Even though he was gentle, the "successful adult male" vibe gave me invisible pressure.

It had been years.

He wasn't that boy anymore, and I wasn't a kid.

Sitting in the enclosed space of his car, I felt incredibly awkward.

When nervous, people fidget.

I kept sipping my orange juice.

Julian gripped the steering wheel. His fingers were long and pale. Beautiful hands.

Stopped at a red light, he suddenly said:

"You're staying at my place tonight. Your brother..."

Pfft

Before he finished, I sprayed juice everywhere.

I coughed violently, scrambling for tissues in my backpack.

Julian handed me a grey handkerchief. I clutched my tissues, embarrassed: "It's okay, I'll use these."

He didn't insist, taking back the handkerchief.

I wiped the juice splatters in the car, feeling mortified.

"Sorry, I messed up your car."

The sun disappeared below the horizon, and the streetlights flickered on.

Julian's profile was a silhouette against the passing lights.

It made him look colder, more distant.

I felt like a kid who broke a vase at a stranger's house. Anxious.

Julian glanced at me. His eyes were calm but resigned in the dim light.

He sighed softly: "Chloe, you've been here less than thirty minutes and you've apologized a dozen times."

"I don't blame you. You don't need to be scared."

"We aren't strangers. I'm the same as your brother. Treat me like a brother, okay?"

He reached over and patted my head.

His tone was gentle: "Relax."

I nodded.

But my mind was on Nate.

"Julian... why am I staying at your place? Where is my brother?"

Julian turned the wheel.

His tone was steady: "Nate had a sudden business trip. He didn't want to leave you alone."

"I have a housekeeper during the day who can take care of you."

He paused, then added: "My niece is staying with me right now. It won't be just the two of us."

He looked at me, smiling: "Don't be scared."

My little worry exposed, I looked away, embarrassed.

"I... I want to call my brother."

Julian's phone rang immediately.

Caller ID: Nate Tang.

My brother!