Falling for my Enemy's Brother
Chapter 44: Just Jealous, Just Human

Chapter 44: Just Jealous, Just Human

Conor was back in town.

And apparently everyone knew except him.

Craig stared up at the ceiling, lying flat on his bed as if gravity was doing more than its fair share tonight. The light from his phone screen blinked once before fading, leaving him in shadows and silence.

He hadn’t heard it from Conor, or their dad, or Adriana, or even from gossip in the hallway.

He found out from someone’s phone.

At the pool party.

Some guy, half-buzzed and killing time between drinks, was scrolling through TikTok next to the speakers, swiping through lives like flipping channels. Then he paused.

"Yo, is that Conor Lesnar?"

Craig turned at the name without expecting much. The guy tilted his phone so others could see and there he was — on a TikTok live. His brother. Standing on a table at Barsea like a returning king, arms wide, head thrown back in a laugh that hadn’t been seen in months. Drinks everywhere. Girls hanging on him. A whole crowd hyping him up in the background like he had never gone off the grid or left everything behind.

Craig just stood there staring at the screen. The live version of his brother — smiling, animated, present — while Craig had been kept in the dark.

No message. No call. Just a glitchy TikTok stream from a stranger’s phone at a party.

It stung more than he wanted to admit.

Later that night after the party, Craig went to Barsea himself. He thought maybe he could catch Conor and finally have a real conversation. Instead, he found him leaning back in a corner booth, eyes red, pupils unfocused, clearly high on something stronger than nostalgia.

He tried. He really did. But Conor couldn’t hold a sentence. He barely looked at him. Told him to chill and stop being dramatic. Said they would catch up properly some other time.

Craig left before he said something he couldn’t take back.

Now he was here in bed thinking about the pool party.

Thinking about her.

Merlina, standing by the firepit in that sundress that did dangerous things to his restraint, laughing at something Louis said. She looked free, unbothered, happy with someone else.

He wasn’t used to feeling this way.

Jealousy.

It was a pathetic word. He used to laugh at guys who caught feelings and lost their minds over girls. He was always the one who had it easy. Grades, sports, girls, charm — everything landed in his lap before he even realized he wanted it.

But with Merlina it was different.

There were no shortcuts, no cheat codes, no guarantees.

Just chaos and chemistry and the slow, maddening realization that for once he wanted something he couldn’t control.

And then after all that, she came up to him. She still did. Quiet, careful, concerned.

When she walked up to check on him and talk, he blew it. He snapped at her. Not because she did anything wrong but because he didn’t know how to deal with the fact that he wasn’t the one she chose to stand beside.

The look on her face after he said it — ’You’re not that important, Merlina.’

He closed his eyes. That line replayed in his head like a bad hook in a song that refused to leave. It didn’t even sound like him. He said it because he wanted to hurt her. Because he’d already felt hurt first.

Childish. Cruel.

He lashed out because of the question she whispered.

’Is it because I’m here with Louis?’

God. That moment caught him off guard. The way she looked at him — soft, unsure, almost hopeful — like she was trying to understand him, trying to reach for something beneath the mess.

Why did she ask that?

Did she already know?

Was it that obvious?

Was he that easy to read when he looked at her? When he looked at Louis?

Craig dragged a hand down his face and exhaled hard. How could she see through him so fast? It pissed him off and pulled him in at the same time. She had this way of making him feel seen in ways he wasn’t sure he liked, in ways that scared the hell out of him.

But maybe, just maybe, it meant she felt something too.

Still, what did he do?

He told her she wasn’t important.

He said it slowly, deliberately, like he wanted the words to hit. And they did.

The look in her eyes after he said it, the silence between them, tore something out of him. Something ugly. Something real.

’You’re not that important, Merlina.’ It was a lie. He said it because he wanted to protect himself. Because if she knew the truth — that he was jealous, that seeing her with Louis made him feel like he was nothing — then she would have even more power over him than she already did.

Now he couldn’t stop thinking about the way her face fell, the way her voice caught.

And part of him wondered if she knew Conor was back in town.

Had someone told her? Louis maybe? Was that why she reached out to him? Because he had promised he would help her?

He hated how much that possibility stirred in his chest. The idea that she came to him because she needed his help and he blew her off like that made his heart ache.

He sat up abruptly, elbows on his knees, hands running through his hair. He hated this feeling — the regret, the guilt, the ache of knowing he messed up and had no idea how to fix it.

Apologize?

He never did that, not really. Not unless he got caught or had something to gain.

But Merlina wasn’t a game.

And this wasn’t something he could shrug off, not when it felt like he had carved out a piece of himself just to push her away.

Craig exhaled and tightened his jaw. He had to do something. Because if he didn’t, there might be no coming back from this.

Adriana’s voice cut through the quiet. "You ready?"

Craig looked up from where he’d been laying, lost in his thoughts. He nodded once, the motion slow, then rose from the edge of the bed. His car keys sat on the desk, untouched since Barsea. He picked them up, the metal cool in his palm, and followed her out.

It was time to drop her off at her dorm.

When they arrived, Craig stepped out of the car and came around to the passenger side. Adriana was already reaching for the handle, but he beat her to it, pulling the door open smoothly. She hopped out, balancing her bag on her shoulder, and leaned in for a quick kiss—brief, routine, but not without warmth.

"Thanks for the ride," she murmured, her voice floating in the soft evening air.

He nodded and watched her walk toward the dorm. Her figure disappeared under the soft orange lights. Then he heard the whispers.

Two girls stood near the dorm gate, whispering and giggling just loud enough for him to hear.

"Craig Lesnar is such a hottie," one whispered, not quite quiet enough.

"God, I’d fail a class just to get him as my tutor," the other replied, a little louder.

Craig didn’t flinch. Didn’t even turn his head. That kind of attention had stopped feeling like anything a long time ago. He moved toward the driver’s seat, jaw slack, mind far away—until a voice snapped him out of it.

"Craig."

His hand froze on the door handle.

He knew that voice.

He turned slowly.

Phoebe was standing a few feet away, waving casually, like they hadn’t parted ways earlier this morning when he saw her at Keith’s room. But it wasn’t Phoebe that made his stomach twist.

It was who stood next to her.

Merlina.

She wasn’t waving or smiling. She wasn’t even looking at him. Her arms were crossed, her gaze somewhere to the left of his face, distant and emotionless.

Shit.

Of all the moments. He wanted to talk to her, yes—but not like this. Not in front of other people, not when the ache of what he said at the party was still fresh in their memory.

Phoebe walked over first, cheerful as ever. Merlina followed, a step behind, slower, more reluctant. Craig straightened, shoved his hands in his pockets, heart thudding beneath his hoodie.

"Hey," Phoebe said, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"Dropped Adriana off," Craig replied, voice even. Too even. He could feel Merlina’s presence like a pulse beside them. He glanced at her, hoping to catch her eyes—but she didn’t look his way. Not once.

Of course, if she was ignoring him, he knew he deserved it.

Phoebe offered a tight smile. "Cool. Well, I’ll see you around, yeah?"

Craig nodded. "Yeah. Later."

Phoebe turned to go. So did Merlina.

She walked past him, not a glance, not a blink. Like he wasn’t even there.

The silent treatment hit harder than anything she could’ve said.

But he couldn’t let her walk away. Not again. Not like this.

"Merlina," he called, voice low but firm. "Can I talk to you for a second?"