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42 || A celebration of life
“You missed practice,” Calum states.
The ice-cream and chips are on the nightstand. I’m so tempted to reach across and stuff my face in the ice-cream so I never have to talk but I remain frozen. Calum’s figure casts a shadow on my bed. Standing by my side with a stern frown, he almost looks intimidating. I tilt my head to meet his gaze and my lips purse. In the end, I simply nod.
“Why?” he asks.
Sitting up, I fold my legs under me and smoothen the creases on my bed. “Will you please sit?”
“Will you please tell me what’s wrong?” he counters.
Not yet. Resting my head on my shoulder in an awkward angle, I’m unable to meet his gaze when I whisper, “I want a kiss from you first.”
“Cathy.”
His emotions are bare for me to see. He wants to kiss me too but I’m too young. Well, Calum is wrong. I’m not y
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To Tempt My Stepbrother 43 || One last kiss
Kissing a man is different from kissing boys. To be more specific, kissing Calum is different. It is a piece of heaven. A breath of fresh air after being underwater in the bathtub for too long.I’m thinking of our kiss as I get out of bed this morning. I’m thinking of it as I brush my hair in front of the mirror. I’m thinking of it as I reply to all the chats from last night. I’m still thinking of it as I hear the sound of his door opening. He’s ready.My door opens before he knocks. My gaze is on his heavenly lips. I step aside and he walks in. It’s less than a hair’s breadth between us, causing the hairs on my skin to stand. I need another kiss. Once our eyes meet, I know he’s also thinking about the kiss.“Can I kiss you?” I ask because I know he won’t.It’s evident in his eyes that Calum wants this too but he replies, “That was a birthday gift.”
To Tempt My Stepbrother 44 || Have you fucked him?
I can’t stop smiling. I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I smile throughout all my classes. On my way to the cafeteria, someone crashes into me. She lets out a string of apologies and the only thing I can do is smile, joining her to pick up her textbooks.The girls are already at our table when I enter the cafeteria. We have an addition today. Lucien. I stifle a groan when Taylor kisses him. Sadly, she is officially off the single girls club. I scan the hall for Jackson. If Lucien is eating here, then Jackson should be around the corner, probably waiting for an invitation he wouldn’t be getting anytime soon.On cue, Jackson waves at me from his table. I wave back. He motions for me to join them but I point at our table a few inches away. I quicken my pace when he jumps out of his seat. That boy doesn’t get the hint.“Cathy, wait up!”The cafeteria falls quiet and unwanted eyes turn in my direction. Yeah, Ja
To Tempt My Stepbrother 45 || Sweetheart
Calum doesn’t come for practice. Mr Prescott is a good choirmaster but I want Calum. I need him. In his absence, we do things differently today. Mr Prescott merges the three of us—me, Regina and Christie with the rest of the choir.I’m half-singing my lungs out. By the end of practice, I’m ready to bolt out of here and find him. But I need a ride. With Rose close on my heels, we start for her car. There’s a text from him waiting on my phone. He better have a good explanation.Rose drives out of the parking lot. I unlock my phone and put on the radio to discourage her from striking up a conversation. Calum’s text is from an hour ago. He knew he wouldn’t be here for practice, so why didn’t he say that earlier?C: Sweetheart, you’re going home with Rose today.A smile fights its way to my lips. Fuck him and his text. He can’t bribe me with sweet names.Me: Why? Where are you
To Tempt My Stepbrother 46 || Bad place
I wake up alone in my bed.The coldness of the pendant against my chest unlocks the memories from last night. Calum sang another song and my heart is convinced he did it because the lyrics are a true reflection of his feelings for me. Mine as well. I need him to warm these lonely nights and more than that, I need him to just be mine. Be the person I can always talk to.What if Calum loves me? I want him to love me, to see me as an adult. Halting in front of the mirror, I open the locket and tears shimmer in my eyes. My knees weaken and I place the necklace beside the snow globe.I couldn’t have asked for better birthday gifts. If I want to keep him happy, I should start getting ready for school instead of gawking at my gifts.A tiny wave of guilt stabs me in the chest when I spot Jackson’s bracelet sitting between my makeup kit. I slide the gift into its box with a mental note to return it to him. In the shower and alone with
To Tempt My Stepbrother 47 || Keep it
I grow the balls to talk to Jackson after my last class. His smile grows bigger as I approach him in the lot. My nerves tangle in a bigger knot and I nearly run back into the school. I can’t do this.Picturing Calum’s face gives me the courage to complete the short distance between us. Once I’m within touching reach, Jackson hugs me tight. I hug him back because it feels right and it’s the least I can do. He steps back with an arm on my shoulder, a wide grin splitting his lips.“So? Have you thought about it?” he asks.Looking around the parking lot to make sure we are alone, I nod. I asked us to meet here so Calum won’t see us. I’ll have to explain to him later why I was late to choir practice but it’s worth it. Even if my dearest stepbrother doesn’t say it or acts unbothered, he’s jealous. I like that he’s jealous. I like to think it’s because he loves me so he can&
To Tempt My Stepbrother 48 || A sin. Incest
CALUMI’m writing a song for my stepsister when the door creaks. Someone knocks and a smile curls my lips. I shove the notepad into my bag before crossing over to the door to open it. I don’t want Cathy to see it until it’s done. If I ever get done with it.The person at the door is not Cathy. It’s my mum. My smile drops. She flashes me a smile and I move back for her to enter inside. Cathy was supposed to be here for rehearsal. I haven’t told her yet but she will be taking the solo. Not only because she has my heart but because she has earned her place as the solo singer. Among all three, she’s the best.My mum walks over to my laptop opened on the desk. She picks up the notepad before I can stop her. Yes, she can be nosy. But her nosiness saved my life once so I can’t complain. I sit on the bed while she reclines on my chair. A glint creeps into her eyes as she scours my notepad.“You’re wr
To Tempt My Stepbrother 49 || Boundaries
A knock sounds on the door as I’m leaving my bathroom. I peek at the time. He’s earlier today.“Are you ready?” comes the undeniable voice of my stepbrother. I’m not ready but I sashay to the door in only my white towel and fling it open. Calum gulps. Water rolls down my hair to my chest, disappearing into the towel. His dark gaze sweeps over me and my hand drops to the knot of the towel. I want him to see me naked. I want him to touch me. “Don’t. I will wait for you downstairs.”I smile at my stepbrother’s back. He pauses at the stairs and shakes his head when he notices me ogling him. I wink but he continues down the stairs. Going through the motion of getting dressed, I hum Surf Mesa’s love song under my breath. One day, I’ll sing it to him. If I ever get to writing songs, I’ll sing for him on a big stage.Calum is not downstairs when I get there. I jog outside to meet him in
To Tempt My Stepbrother 50 || Take it slow
The second our lips meet, I know it’s a mistake.“But we will have to take it really slow,” I tell a dazed Jackson. I’m dazed myself but I’m doing a better job of hiding it. I just kissed him. I just freaking kissed another guy that’s not Calum.It’s not wrong. Calum dumped me.His fingers grasp my jaw, tilting my head back. “Did anything happen? Cathy, are you okay?” That’s not what I expect from him. Maybe that’s why tears gather in my eyes. Jackson peers down at me with so much worry, care and affection. The noises around me fade, everything is a blur but the guy worried about me. I need to get it together before it gets to my dad’s attention that I had a breakdown in the hallway before my first class.“No. Not really,” I answer sincerely.Jackson hugs me. It’s unexpected and different from all our other hugs. It&
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