Chapter 1

William had always been there for Simone, ever since their parents got married when he and she were respectively 22 and 15. He was there during her awkward teen phase, and had made sure to tell her that she was beautiful, and not let the bullies win. He even showed up to school a couple of times in his fancy sports car, making her shine – too much for comfort – for a couple of weeks.

He rarely ever smiled genuinely, but when he did, it sure warmed her heart inside out.

Nowadays, his smiles did more than just that. They had the knack to make her insides churn deliciously, and sometimes even knocked the breath out of her, as she struggled to keep focused on the conversation. To put it simply, his smiles made her feel alive.

But ever since Simone’s mom passed away, two weeks ago, he had taken to being extra thoughtful with her, which wasn’t helping her case of physical awareness.

Day in, day out, she struggled to remain sane and not do the unthinkable – kiss the living daylights of him.

I need to get laid, she mentally sighed, staring ahead of her, outside the window of their family home.

William had insisted that she stayed there after the funeral, but she wouldn’t be able to last much longer. She could see her mom everywhere, laughing, smiling, baking or doing chores. And home wasn’t home without her in it.

It was sad to say that she hadn’t been in touch with her the week she passed away, far too absorbed in her own mess.

The bell rang, and Simone wondered for a brief moment who it could be. Indeed, she had been staring out the window, but not quite looking… Reminiscence sure was going hard on her.

She opened the door to find William holding a bouquet of white roses in one hand and a small package that looked straight out of her favorite bakery.

“Hey, are these for me?” She asked, eying the package.

“Everything is,” he said simply, entering, a small smile stretching his lips.

Simone took the roses, smelled their delicate scent and then put them away in a vase, thus breaking the uncomfortable stare – it made her core weep and sweat gathered on her back ever so slightly.

He was far too lenient towards her, and that gave her silly ideas, when she definitely had plenty of her own to keep her entertained.

Simone, who had longed for roses not too long ago, was cherished enough to get some… Fate sure had its ways.

“What are the roses for?” She asked once they were sitting in the living room.

“Didn’t you read the card?” He retorted matter-of-factly.

Simone blushed to the roots of her hair, knowing she couldn’t tell him she was doing her best to get her shi*t together.

Before long, said card was in her hands, and she read it carefully, admiring his cursive writing. It said: I offer you these white roses in the hopes that you find your peace again. W.

The words knocked the breath out of her, and not in the most pleasant way. He was right. By losing her mother, Simone lost a part of her which she might never find again, and it seemed like sleep evaded her… Her peace had been disturbed, basically making itself scarce.

“Thank you,” she said despite the tears that were threatening to spill over.

“You can’t cry around me too?” He asked as she struggled to make sure she looked normal.

It was true. Simone had a hard time crying around people, even those she cared about, and who cared about her. It wasn’t just about being vulnerable… She just felt like she should be braver than this, because she was taught better than this.

William patted her head and then said, “Mourn her properly, S.”

“Did you get me muffins?” She asked instead of acknowledging what he had just told her.

“I did,” he sighed before offering her one.

Simone ended up eating 3… Mainly because she loved them, but also because she was starving – she hadn’t eaten all day.

And boy did she cry that night!

She let it all out, almost as if she hadn’t cried in weeks, when she was crying herself to sleep every night for the past 2 weeks.

** ** ** ** **

Mourning took a toll on Simone, and even her work suffered. She had no patience and no energy for new gigs. Even though it was freelancing that paid the bills, she just couldn’t bring herself to move on from her mother’s passing.

Soon enough, she fell sick but was unable to afford medical care since it could get too pricey sometimes.

Simone was coughing like her life depended on it, and maybe it did, when there was a knock on the door of her apartment. She went to open it, wondering who it could be, and was surprised to find William there.

The last time he had been here was when they visited the place together, and he helped her get it.

“Are you okay?” He asked immediately, a frown marring his handsome face.

Simone opened her mouth to answer, but a cough escaped instead, soon followed by another, and then another.

William must have caught on that this was the reason why she hadn’t been in touch. And as indulgent as ever, he insisted on taking her to a private clinic, not taking an “I am fine” for an answer.

William was Simone’s stepbrother… but for all intents and purposes, he was her person. The one person she knew she could rely on in times of crisis. He had seen her at her worst, and been present for her moments of shine too.

And if Simone could have but one wish, it would be the following: May he never find out the effect he had on her!

It would be terrible. Utterly and completely terrible. She could picture it all too clearly. He would probably make fun of her, and then dismiss the whole thing as a mere inappropriate crush or something.

And what could possibly be worse and more humiliating than that?