LOGINELLIOTElsa rolled her eyes. “Seriously, who came up with that stupid rule in the first place? And why the hell did we agree to it?”Lucas shoved her lightly. “Hey, watch it. That was me. And in my defense, I was drunk. I just wanted to have fun. It’s you guys’ fault for listening to me and taking me seriously.”Houston nodded. “That’s true. It’s our fault. You’re not someone that should be taken seriously.”Elsa laughed at Lucas’s facial expression and I couldn’t help but chuckle.Lucas gave him a look that screamed betrayal. “Seriously, man? I thought you were on my side.”When the laughter died down, I spoke up again. “I never really asked but… Are you guys okay with me dating Asher? Even though he’s technically my stepbrother?”Lucas waved a hand. “Trust me, we don’t give a fuck.”Elsa shot him a look. “Yeah, exactly that. But in a less crude way.”“We just want you to be happy, Elliot,” Houston added.A warm feeling filled my chest.“Thanks guys.” I wrapped an arm around Lucas wh
ELLIOTNews kind of travelled faster than I imagined.But then again, it was campus and people tended to be bored. They thrived on gossip.And what was juicier than stepbrothers dating?Asher and I had become the topic of attention. They didn’t know the true facts of our relationship, they only knew that we were closer than usual. Closer than stepbrothers should be.But that was the thing. People didn’t care about facts, they only cared about the next big story— and Asher and I were that at the moment.I could feel it in the way conversations dipped just slightly when I walked past. In the way people looked at me a second too long before pretending they weren’t staring.For some reason, I wasn’t as affected as I thought I’d be.Sure, I felt aware, exposed. The way one would feel if the whole world was in their business.But I didn’t feel panicked like I thought I would. I definitely didn’t regret walking hand in hand with Asher throughout yesterday.I chose to do that. I chose Asher.
ASHERSimon froze. Like he couldn’t believe I was defending Elliot.Slowly, his eyes shifted to me.“What?”I met his gaze and didn’t look away.“I don’t think your assessment of Elliot is fair,” I repeated, firmer this time.Simon’s brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”“You’re talking about him like he just woke up one day and decided to be a problem,” I said. “Like everything just… happened for no reason.”My grip tightened around the ball.“You said he changed after his mum died,” I continued. “So obviously something happened.”His jaw tightened. “I know something happened. I was there.”“Were you?”The question slipped out before I could stop it.Still, I couldn’t bring myself to stop.“Were you really?” I asked again, firmer this time. “Did you comfort him after his mum and brother died? Spend time with him? Talk to him at all? Did you even try? Or did you just choose the easy option and abandoned him thinking he’d be fine? Well, guess what? He wasn’t fine.”The sharpness and directness
ASHERThe ball hit my palm with a sharp thwack.I caught it easily, barely needing to move, then tossed it back across the yard.Simon caught it with a grunt, stepping back slightly as he adjusted his grip.We’d been doing this for a few weeks now but it still felt strange standing here like this playing baseball like it was normal.Like we were father and son.Still, this… routine had grown to be something I truly enjoyed. It was safe. Peaceful.No yelling. No tension.For once, I felt what it was like to have a father. A father that cared.It was something I’d never admit to my mum, but when I was younger, I was jealous of my classmates when they spoke of their fathers.Because I didn’t know what it was like to have someone that truly felt like one.I could tell Simon really liked me too. He has asked me to call him Dad several times but I’ve always refused.Maybe it was because, the moment I called him that, I’d have to accept Elliot as my brother.And that was just… weird.“You’ve
ASHERElsa studied me like she was trying to peel me apart layer by layer.Houston still looked a little dazed. “I didn’t even know you liked guys.”Lucas snorted. “Neither did I.”“If you’d like to know,” I interrupted, “I like a little bit of everything. Gender is irrelevant.”That pulled a small laugh out of Elsa. “I’ll have to agree with that.”Just like that, the tension shifted. It wasn’t exactly gone but it was less sharp now, less explosive.She looked back at Elliot, her expression softening just a fraction. “And you’re happy?”The question was careful in a way that had me holding my breath, nervous for the answer.Elliot didn’t hesitate this time.“Yeah,” he said.Then, after a beat, he adds, “I am.”I exhaled, relief flooding me.Elsa nodded slowly. “Then, I’m okay with this.”Lucas looked between us again, then shook his head. “This is insane,” he muttered. “I feel like I just missed ten episodes of a show.”“That’d be such a you thing to do,” Elsa said dryly.Houston smi
ASHERElliot gave her a sheepish smile.Before he could speak, a tall lady, with her brown hair packed up in a bun, approached us. I recognized her as the librarian.Her lips were pressed together and she looked obviously displeased.“I’m going to need you guys to leave,” she said sharply. “You’re disturbing everyone.”We apologized and then left the library quickly. People shot us looks as we passed.We only make it a few steps outside the building before his friends stop, arms folded, clearly waiting for an answer.Lucas blinked, like his brain was rebooting. “Okay,” he said slowly. “So… I’m just going to ask what we’re all thinking.”He pointed between me and Elliot.“What the hell was that back there?”Silence fell.Elliot exhaled slowly, like he was gathering his words.I left him to it. It was up to him to decide how much he wanted to tell his friends. It was fine with me whatever he chose to go along with— no matter how little it was.“It’s not—” he started, then stopped.I kn







