All Chapters of RIVAL'S TO LOVER'S: My Step Brother Is Now My Roommate : Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

STEPHEN’S POV:I shouldn’t have looked at him.That was my first mistake.Because the second I did, really did, not just a glance, not just acknowledging he was in the room, but actually seeing him… everything I had been holding together started to strain.Hayden looked wrecked.Not the usual kind of mess he carried around like it was part of his personality. This was different. His eyes were red, his breathing uneven, his hands shaking just slightly at his sides like he didn’t trust himself to reach for me.And the worst part?I still wanted him to. I clenched my jaw, forcing that thought down, burying it under everything else. The lies. The fights. The way everything had spiraled because of him.“I’m not staying,” I said, more firmly this time, like I needed to remind both of us.His face tightened, like the words physically hurt him.“Stephen….”“No.” I shook my head, cutting him off before he could start again. “I’m not doing this with you, not again.”He froze for a second, like

HAYDEN’S POV:I didn’t sleep. Stephen had fallen asleep sometime after midnight, his arm still draped over my chest like he needed the contact as much as I did. Even in sleep, he stayed close, like if he let go, I might disappear.I didn’t blame him.Hell, I didn’t trust myself not to ruin things again either.So i stayed awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying every word he’d said. Every look and the way he had chosen to stay—even when he had every reason to walk away.That choice… it sat heavy in my chest.Because I knew something now that I hadn’t fully understood before.Losing games? Fine. I could recover. Losing teammates? It would suck, but I’d survive.Losing Stephen? That would wreck me completely.I turned my head slightly, looking down at him. His face was relaxed, breathing even, but there was still something guarded about him. Like part of him was bracing for impact, even in sleep.That was on me and I was done pretending I could fix things halfway.If I wanted him, I r

STEPHEN’S POV:If someone had told me a week ago that I’d be in a packed club, Hayden’s hand locked in mine, music shaking the floor beneath us while people cheered us on i would’ve laughed in their face.Now?I was living it.The bass thumped through my chest as soon as we stepped inside, the heavy rhythm blending with flashing lights and bodies moving in every direction. It was loud, chaotic, and completely overwhelming but not in a bad way.“Okay,” Ariana shouted over the music, already halfway onto the dance floor. “This is happening.”She didn’t wait for agreement. She just grabbed Ella’s wrist and dragged her along. Lillian followed at a more measured pace, shaking her head like she was used to this kind of chaos.That left me and Hayden standing near the entrance for half a second too long.I glanced at him.He was already looking at me.There was something different about him tonight. Lighter. Not careless but free. Like whatever had been weighing him down had finally loosened

HAYDEN’S POV:If someone asked me what chaos looked like, I’d say this week. It was not the messy, destructive kind. The good kind.The kind where everything hits you at once, and somehow… you keep up but barely.It started with training.Coach didn’t ease us back in, not even a little.The second Stephen and I stepped onto the field that morning, it felt like we’d never left and at the same time, like everything had changed.The guys noticed immediately.“You’re kidding me,” Jason muttered, shaking his head as we walked out. “They let you idiots back?”“Missed you too,” I shot back.But beneath the jokes, the energy was different.Coach blew the whistle, cutting through the chatter. “Enough talking. If you’re here, you work.”And we did.By the end of the first drill, my lungs were already burning. By the second, my legs felt like they might give out.But I didn’t stop and neither did Stephen.I caught glimpses of him across the field, focused, fast, completely locked in.God, I’d mi

HAYDEN’S POV:The week after exams didn’t feel real.It was like everything had already happened, but at the same time… nothing had actually settled yet.Practice went on like usual, no, worse than usual.Coach didn’t ease up just because we’d just crawled out of exam week half-dead. If anything, he pushed harder. Like he was trying to squeeze every last bit of energy out of us before the district cup.“Again!” he barked from the sidelines.A groan rippled through the team, but no one argued.We reset and ran the drill again and again.By the third round, my legs were screaming, my lungs burning with every breath. Sweat clung to my skin, my shirt sticking uncomfortably to my back.I bent slightly, hands on my knees for half a second, just a second, before forcing myself upright again.Across the field, Stephen caught my eye.He looked just as wrecked as I felt. Hair damp with sweat, chest rising and falling a little too fast. But he didn’t stop either.That was the thing about him.Ev