STORY 1-Reality Check

I swallowed. My voice still sounded shaky when I answered. "Yeah... I'm up."

I waited until I heard him go back downstairs before dragging myself out of bed. My thighs were still sticky. I felt gross. Turned on. And guilty. All at once.

I threw on one of Kai's old hoodies, the one I kept stealing, and went downstairs.

Kai was leaning against the counter in a black compression shirt and gray sweats, scrolling on his phone. His hair was messy from sleep. He looked up when I walked in.

"You good, Kid?" he asked, eyes scanning my face. "You sounded kinda out of it earlier."

"I'm fine," I lied, pouring myself coffee even though my hands were still shaky. "Just a weird dream."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And stop calling me Kid. I'm not twelve anymore."

Kai smirked a little. "You're nineteen. Still a kid to me."

I rolled my eyes. "You're literally only two years older. Chill with the old man act."

He chuckled and reached over to ruffle my hair like I was still a little kid.

"I've got practice," he said, grabbing his hockey bag. "Text me if you need anything, alright?"

"Aight, Captain," I muttered, taking a sip of my coffee.

Kai Mercer, captain of the Briar Ridge Eagles. Golden boy on campus. Stupidly hot on the ice. And unfortunately, my stepbrother. The same guy I kept having filthy dreams about. I really needed to get my shit together.

"See ya, Is."

"Take care."

I stood there sipping my coffee, trying really hard not to stare at how his shirt stretched across his chest. I shouldn't be thinking about how it felt in the dream when he had me pinned down.

Get a grip, Isla.

After Kai left, the house was quiet.

I sat on the couch with my coffee, scrolling mindlessly on my phone. My class was canceled today, so I had nothing to do. Our parents were out of state for a business trip and wouldn't be back for another two or three months. Perfect timing... if I actually had the guts to do something about these feelings for Kai. Which I didn't.

"I wish we weren't siblings," I muttered, lightly knocking my head against the back of the couch.

A few minutes later, my phone lit up. A text from my boyfriend appeared on the screen.

'We need to talk. I'm coming over.'

I sighed. I really wasn't in the mood for this. But of course, he showed up anyway.

I opened the door and found him leaning against his car, looking uncomfortable.

"Isla... we need to talk."

"Then talk," I said, crossing my arms.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I met someone. It just... happened."

I stared at him. "So you cheated."

Ryan ran a hand through his hair, already defensive. "Don't act like you're innocent. You've been ignoring me for days. You don't even care anymore."

"So that gives you the right to fuck someone else?" I snapped.

He stepped closer, his voice getting louder. "You've been cold as fuck lately! What did you expect me to do?"

"I expected you to break up with me instead of cheating like a fucking coward!"

That set him off. Ryan's face twisted.

"You know what? Fuck this. I'm done with your bullshit, Isla. You're not even worth it. No one wants to deal with your cold ass anyway."

Something inside me snapped. I stepped forward and punched him across the face. It wasn't a clean hit, but it was enough to make his head jerk to the side. For a second, he just stood there, stunned.

Then his expression changed.

"You fucking bitch," he spat.

Before I could react, he grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me forward hard. My back slammed against his car and I let out a sharp gasp. He raised his hand, eyes wild like he was actually going to hit me.

My heart was pounding so hard I could barely think.

"Ryan— stop—!"

His hand came down fast.

But it never touched me.

A loud, heavy thud cut through the air, followed by Ryan's pained groan. One second he was in front of me, the next he was on the ground with blood pouring from his nose.

Kai stood over him, breathing hard, fist still clenched.

"Kai?" I mumbled. Why was he here? Didn't he just leave for practice? Maybe he came back because he forgot something. His hockey bag was still lying on the ground near the driveway.

Ryan groaned while holding his face. "What the fuck, man—!"

Kai didn't say a word. He grabbed Ryan by the front of his shirt and yanked him up.

"Touch her again, and I'll break more than your fucking nose."

"Y–you... How dare you!" Ryan's voice shook, but he didn't have the guts to fight back. He scrambled backward on the ground, clearly terrified, before clumsily getting to his feet. Blood dripped down his chin as he stumbled toward his car. He got in and drove off without looking back.

The street went quiet again.

Kai turned to me. His chest was still rising and falling, and his knuckles were red. "You okay, Kid?"

I nodded slowly, but my legs felt weak. "Yeah... I'm fine."

He stepped closer, eyes scanning my face like he was checking for any damage. For a moment, neither of us spoke.

"Stop seeing trash like him. You deserve better," Kai said, his voice low as he gently cupped my face with his calloused palm.

I leaned into his touch without thinking, my chest tightening. His hand was warm, steady, and for a second, I let myself believe that maybe he finally saw me differently.

"Yeah..." I breathed out, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just feel unlucky. Unwanted."

The word tasted bitter in my mouth. Unwanted. That's exactly how I felt.

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I wanted him, Kai would never see me as anything more than his little stepsister.

Kai's eyes darkened. He tilted my chin up with his fingers so I had no choice but to meet his gaze.

"Who said you're unwanted?"