Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother Chapter 90

The scent hits me before the door even swings closed behind us—smoky, savory, rich. I pause for a half-second, then beam up at Asher.

“Korean BBQ?” I say, almost breathless.

He glances down at me, mouth tugging into a small, crooked smile. “You like it?”

“I love it,” I say. “Like, seriously love it.”

The restaurant is busy, buzzing with energy—groups crowded in booths, laughter bouncing off the walls, chopsticks clinking, sizzling sounds rising from tabletop grills. It's the kind of place that makes you feel alive just by being in it.

There are so many people. My eyes dart around, overwhelmed, but Asher just reaches for my hand—casual, like it’s nothing—and gently weaves us through the maze of bodies. His palm is warm and steady against mine. It shouldn’t send a shiver down my spine, but it does.

“Are they already here?” I ask, a little breathless from squeezing between a particularly loud table and a waiter carrying plates of raw short ribs.

“Yeah,” he says, voice low as he tilts his head toward the back corner.

I crane my neck. “How do you know?”

He leans slightly closer. “Because I can see them.”

I squint. “All I see are heads.”

He gives a quiet laugh. “I’m 6'4. You’re 5'3. Different vantage point.”

I snort. “Yeah, okay, Mr. Giraffe.”

We reach the booth near a wide window where two people are already seated. And they’re… wow.

One of them—Rooster, I assume—is ridiculously tall. Not just tall, but massive. His skin is a smooth, rich brown and his dreadlocks are tied back loosely. He’s wearing a long-sleeve dark grey shirt that stretches slightly over his arms, and I catch a glimpse of bandages peeking out near his wrist. His beard is more stubble than full-grown, but it makes him look even more intense. One of his ears is missing a piece, like something bit it clean off.

Next to him is a woman who could literally be on the cover of a fashion magazine. She’s tall too—probably 5'10 in heels—but she carries herself like she’s six feet tall at least. Her olive-toned skin glows under the warm restaurant lights, and her dark brown hair cascades down her shoulders in soft waves. She’s wearing a silky green shirt that makes her eyes pop, paired with simple jeans and heeled boots. And the red lipstick? Absolutely unfair.

“Long time no see, big guy,” the woman says as she stands and wraps her arms around Asher.

Rooster hugs him like he’s trying to break every rib in his body, laughing as he claps a massive hand on Asher’s back. “Thought we’d have to bribe you with food to get you outta hiding twice in a week.”

Asher hugs them both, and something in me squeezes. I’ve never seen him like this. Open. Relaxed.

Then he turns and nods toward me. “This is Penny.”

Rooster doesn’t hesitate—just opens his arms and engulfs me in a surprisingly gentle bear hug. I laugh nervously against his chest.

“Nice to meet you, Penny,” he says, stepping back with a smile.

The woman hugs me next, light and warm. “I’m Anna. It’s so good to finally meet you.”

“I feel like I should’ve worn heels,” I say, glancing up at the three of them towering around me. “You’re all skyscrapers.”

That makes them laugh. Even Asher smirks.

We slide into the booth—Anna beside me, Asher across from me, Rooster on the far side—and start flipping through the digital menu on the tablet embedded in the table. Asher takes charge, quietly adding orders to the cart while I sip the barley tea a server dropped off.

“So,” I say, leaning toward Anna, “how did you and Rooster meet?”

Anna grins. “High school. He was the cocky wide receiver, I was the sarcastic theatre nerd.”

“I was the hot one,” Rooster says with a straight face.

“Right,” Anna says dryly. “Anyway, he told me he wanted to join the Navy after graduation and I told him if he did, I’d kick his ass and I wouldn’t wait for him.”

“And she did both,” Rooster says proudly. “Waited. Kicked my ass.”

I laugh, maybe too loud, but I can’t help it. Asher chuckles too, his gaze flicking to me briefly before he looks back at the grill.

“How long have you been together?” I ask.

“Six years,” Anna says. “Since we were seventeen.”

“Wow,” I breathe. “That’s amazing.”

The first round of meat arrives, along with banchan—tiny bowls of pickled radish, kimchi, sesame spinach, and more. Asher and Rooster immediately start grilling. The sizzle fills the air, and it smells like heaven.

“What do you do, Anna?” I ask, reaching for some japchae.

“I’m a veterinarian,” she says, beaming. “Mostly dogs and cats, but sometimes I help out at farms too.”

“That’s incredible.”

She smiles. “Asher told us you’re a ballerina.”

I blink. “He did?”

She nods. “Are you professional?”

“I just got my first role, actually. The lead in the Spring Gala.”

“Seriously?” Rooster whistles. “Damn. That’s insane.”

Anna’s eyes light up. “When did you start?”

“When I was five,” I say, grinning. “So… fourteen years ago.”

Rooster lets out a low whistle. “That’s longer than I lasted in calculus.”

Asher quietly pulls a piece of perfectly grilled galbi off the grate and puts it on my plate. Then one for Anna. Then one for himself. Then Rooster. Then he goes back to grilling without a word.

My heart stumbles a little.

Anna leans in. “So… has he always been this… nurturing?”

I nearly choke on my rice.

Asher glances up from the grill, eyes narrow. “I can hear you.”

Anna grins. “Just saying. You’ve got ‘silent protector with a tragic past’ vibes going on. Like a paperback romance hero.”

Rooster laughs so hard he almost drops his lettuce wrap.

I press a hand to my mouth, giggling.

“You two are a menace,” Asher says, not looking up.

Anna winks at me. “We bring out the best in him.”

I think maybe… they’re right. Because this version of Asher—still quiet, still brooding, but surrounded by people who know him—is something else entirely.

And I’m starting to realize I want to be part of that world.

Even if I shouldn’t.