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including my brother’s preferences, would’ve kept me from Trace if I had thought for one second that he was interested in me.  But for Trace, his best friend’s feelings trumped his interest in me, which could only mean that Trace’s feelings were nowhere near as strong as mine.
    “To be honest, I’ve always hoped it would go away.  I’ve tried to stop thinking about you.  Your brother was a friend to me when I needed one most.  He helped me with things that you probably know nothing about.”
    His revelation was news to me.  I had no idea that their friendship had that much depth.  And Trace was right—there were apparently many things that Brady never told me about their relationship.  It was with a sinking feeling that I realized there was probably no way I’d ever be able to compete with that, to come between that.
    “Brady is a good guy,” I said weakly.  How could I argue with Trace’s desire to will away his feelings for me out of loyalty to his friend?  It was such a noble cause, I wasn’t sure I’d even want to come between them.
    Only I did.  Desperately, I did.  I wanted him to want me more than anything, more than anyone.  Beyond reason and rational thought, I wanted him to want me—the way I wanted him.
    “Yes, he is.  But I can’t put him first anymore.  Not over my feelings for you.  Something happened tonight.  Something changed.  I can’t be without you, Peyton.  I… I…  I just can’t,” he finally said.
    I felt like I might explode, like the weak shell of my body, the weak shell of flesh and bone wrapped around my heart was incapable of containing my happiness, happiness over something as simple as words.  I schooled my features so that the smile that beamed in my heart wouldn’t show.  I didn’t want him to think that I was pleased that he’d lost his battle, even though I very much was.
    Trace’s eyes searched mine and I found myself sinking into the tranquility of the amber pools.  I was so consumed, I had no idea he’d been awaiting some kind of response from me until he spoke.
    “Please tell me you feel something for me, too,” he pleaded.
    A thousand things came to mind: every time he’d touched me and I’d carried the feeling with me for days afterward; every time he’d laughed at something I’d said; every time he’d smiled at me across the cafeteria; every time he’d been the only one to know an answer in chemistry class; every time he’d made a touchdown; every time I’d seen him hold another girl’s hand; every time I’d died a little bit when I’d seen him kissing someone else at a party; every night I’d gone to sleep with his eyes watching me from the back of my mind.  Yeah, I think it was fair to say that I had some feelings for him. 
    Only I didn’t say that.  I looked up into the eyes that had haunted me for what seemed like an eternity and I looked at the lips that I knew would fit mine to absolute perfection, and I froze.  For some reason, all I could think about was my brother, of betraying him and how he would feel about me making such an admission to Trace.  Although I had no idea what had transpired to cause their falling out, I could feel the importance of it from Brady’s perspective.  I don’t know how I could, but I did.  It boiled in my veins like Brady had planted it there.  I only wished, at that very moment, that it could find its way to my heart and put out the miserable flames of intense need and desire that burned there, because they burned for the object of Brady’s upset—Trace.
    “Trace, I…”
    He watched me intently as I struggled for something to say.  He seemed to be hanging on the words I’d use to finish the sentence.  Meanwhile, I was absolutely dumbfounded.  I was overcome with some strange new loyalty to my brother, one that had arisen so quickly and so intensely that it was getting in the way of my dream.
    I wanted to tell Trace that I had loved him since first I’d seen him,