I had an intimate encounter with my best friend's older brother.
About a year and a half ago, I met my best friend (24F), and we instantly connected. She’s truly the best friend I’ve ever had, and I wouldn’t trade our friendship for anything. I've only met her older brother (31M) a few times, but he seems cool. This weekend, their family had a baby shower for her brother and his girlfriend. During the event, her brother and I started talking and clicked pretty well. He even added me on Snapchat, and we’ve been chatting for about a week and a half. A few days ago, he came over, and we spent some time together. Things escalated, and we ended up sleeping together. It didn’t feel like a one-night stand since we genuinely connected, and we hung out the entire next day. We tried to keep a low profile around my best friend and their mom because I was worried they might be upset with us. Being my best friend, she noticed something was up but didn’t mention it right away. After everyone left, she texted me expressing her concern about losing our friendship if things didn’t work out with her brother. We discussed it, and I shared my worries about not wanting to lose her, especially since I barely know him. She reassured me that she would be okay with whatever happens as long as we were happy. I mentioned that I’d like to give it a try but wanted to take things slow. I didn’t reveal that we slept together, but I suspect she might have figured it out. She encouraged me to talk things over with him and go for it if he asks me on a date. While there’s a ten-year age difference—he’s much older than me—he seems very sweet and good with kids; he even enjoyed playing with my 18-month-old son and her son. I’m feeling anxious because I cherish my friendship with her and her family, who have had a tremendous impact on my life, and I don’t want to jeopardize that. Should I continue exploring this relationship and see where it leads, or would it be better to end it now to protect what I have? I worry that cutting it off might create even more complications. What should I do?