All Chapters of Ruin me, Stepbrother: Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

We were halfway back to the car when Miles stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk."Wait. I just remembered something."I turned to look at him. "What?""There's an arcade two blocks from here. Like, a legit retro arcade with all the old games from the eighties and nineties. Pac-Man, Street Fighter, those motorcycle racing games where you actually sit on the bike..." He was getting excited now, talking faster. "I used to come here with my cousins when we'd visit in the summer. It's probably still there—this town doesn't really change. You want to check it out?"An arcade. The idea was so unexpectedly wholesome and fun that I found myself grinning. "Absolutely. But I'm warning you, I'm shit at video games.""Even better. I can look like a gaming god in comparison." He grabbed my hand and we started walking quickly, his enthusiasm infectious. "Okay, full disclosure: I might get weirdly competitive about this. It's a flaw.""Noted. How competitive are we talking?""Like, I once didn'

The day was brighter than usual for mid-November, the kind of crisp Friday afternoon where the sun felt warm despite the cold air, where everything looked sharper somehow, more vivid. I stood in my driveway at 3:15 PM, my overnight bag was at my feet, and my jacket was zipped up against the chill, watching for Miles's car and trying to calm the fucking butterflies in my stomach.It's a camping trip. Two nights in a remote cabin with him, Miles and whatever happened between us.I'd packed last night. I took practical clothes, warm layers, the good hiking boots I'd bought after our first trail adventure. Toiletries, a book I probably wouldn't read but it's just here because it should, the plush turtle from the arcade that had somehow become a talisman. My phone charger, and extra socks because he'd emphasized how important dry feet were when camping.The week had passed in a blur of anticipation and dread. I'd seen Jax exactly twice. Once at breakfast on Tuesday when we'd maintained our

After dinner, Miles poured us a generous measure of the whiskey that according to him, he'd stolen from his dad's collection, and we settled on the floor in front of the fireplace, with our backs against the couch, our shoulders touching, and the fire crackling and warm just a few feet away.The whiskey was smooth, expensive, and it was the kind that burned pleasantly going down and left something like a warm trail in your chest.I sipped it slowly, feeling it combine with the beer I'd had at dinner to create this pleasant buzz that made everything feel softer, easier.Outside, the darkness was complete. No streetlights, no neighboring houses, no ambient glow from the city. Just the vast, endless dark of the wilderness, broken only by the light spilling from the cabin windows. Through the glass, I could see nothing but blackness and the occasional reflection of the fire behind us."This is surreal," I said quietly. "I don't think I've ever been somewhere this remote.""It takes some g

I woke to sunlight streaming through the small loft window and the smell of coffee drifting up from below.For a disoriented moment, I couldn't figure out where the fuck I was. The ceiling was too close, the bed was too narrow, and the sounds were all wrong. Then it came back in a rush.I grabbed my phone to check the time and remembered there was no service. The screen showed 8:23 AM, which felt too early and too late at the same time. My head was slightly fuzzy from the whiskey but not bad—I'd definitely had worse hangovers.I climbed down the ladder carefully, still in my pajamas, soft sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt, and I found Miles in the kitchen area, wearing sweatpants and a thermal shirt, his hair sticking up in about fourteen directions, standing in front of the propane stove with a spatula in hand.He looked over when he heard me descend and smiled, and fuck, he was one of those people who looked good in the morning. It should have been illegal."Morning," he said ch

The words hung in the cold night air. They were as visible as the moon shining over us, and I felt every muscle in my body tense."I'm falling for you."I should say something. I should respond to that vulnerability with something equally honest, or at least kind. But my throat had closed up and my mind was racing through every possible response and finding them all inadequate.Because the truth was that I liked him. I love hin genuinely, truly love him. He makes me laugh, shows up, and he's obviously the exact kind of person anyone with sense would fall for.But it's starting to feel as though liking someone and falling for them weren't the same fucking thing for me, and I was terrified that he could see the difference on my face."You don't have to say anything," Miles said quickly, misreading my silence as panic. "I'm not asking you to say it back or feel the same way or anything. I just... I wanted you to know. Where I'm at.""Miles—""And I know it's fast," he continued, the word