All Chapters of FALLING FOR MY BULLY STEP-BROTHER: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

85 Chapters

Late Night Bicker

Natalie's povI took the study material from Kian and went up to my room, ignoring him altogether immediately Louis left. He didn't argue, simply scoffed at me.I didn't sleep much that night. My mind kept on wandering, yet it was not because of my mother or because of Louis.And, annoyingly, not even because of the equations.It was Kian.Specifically, the way he'd looked at Louis.I hated that I noticed things like that. Kian had always been difficult to read. He could walk into a room looking completely bored while everyone else was practically sweating around him. He rarely raised his voice. He didn't need to.He had this irritating ability to make people feel like they'd already lost an argument before they'd even opened their mouths.And somehow, I'd become very good at arguing with him.Maybe because I didn't care about losing.Or maybe because I was too stubborn to let him win.Whatever it was, it irritated me to no end. I was still thinking about it when I walked into the

Cracks in the Brick Wall

Natalie's pov I folded my arms.“That's rich coming from you.” “What does that mean?” He sighed at me, sounding the most tired since the conversation started.“You've been acting strange since the excursion. Admit it,” I took another sip of my juice and looked into the cup, letting the chill soothe me.“Have I? Maybe you're imagining things,” he countered.“I'm not,” I snapped my head up to gaze at him.He gathered his gadgets, holding the laptop in his arm and then he stood.I hated that he did that.Kian had a way of making everything feel like a confrontation even when neither of us was shouting. He walked around the island until he was standing in front of me.“Listen to me,” he began.“I am.”“No, princess. You're waiting for your turn to argue," he countered, looking at me with a knowing gaze.“I can do both,” I muttered underneath my breath.His mouth twitched at my words. It was almost a smile then it disappeared.“You should go back to sleep,” he said gently.“Why?” I asked

With Ryan

Natalie's pov The first thing I felt when I woke up was pain. A dull, throbbing ache had settled behind my eyes and spread across my forehead sometime during the night.I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head.“Wonderful,” I muttered to myself, gripping my head to keep it from splitting… how ever impossible that seemed.I had barely managed to close my eyes again when someone knocked on my door.“Miss Natalie?”I recognized Celeste's voice.“Come in,” I groaned out.The door opened slowly, and Celeste walked in carrying a small tray. As she got closer, I could see the contents of the tray. There was a glass of water, two tablets, and a small bowl of something that looked like breakfast.“What's that?” I asked, furrowing my brows, which in turn caused more pain.“Painkillers,” she responded promptly.I stared at her, waiting for some explanation.She smiled awkwardly.“Mr. Kian asked me to bring them.” My eyebrows shot up, “Kian?”“Yes, ma'am,” she dropped the tray on the beds

Unexpected friendship

Natalie's pov “What the hell?” I said and then I turned toward them fully. They hadn't noticed me.Or at least, they hadn't looked in my direction.“I thought Louis went to class?” Allison said to me. I nodded my head without even looking at her. My whole attention was on both of them. They were in a deep conversation by the looks of things.Ryan was saying something while Louis listened. His expression wasn't friendly.It wasn't relaxed either, It looked serious.I watched Ryan reach into his pocket, and he pulled something out.A folded piece of paper.My stomach tightened with an ugly emotion I couldn't name.Louis took it, barely glancing at it. He just hurriedly shoved it in his pockets.I stared.Why was Ryan giving Louis something?Ryan glanced around before leaning closer to him…My heartbeat picked up.“Should I-” I asked Allison, still keeping my eyes on them. Allison said something, then I heard her get up. I got up then, taking her hand in mine.Neither of them heard us

The Reflection

Natalie's pov For the next two days, I decided Louis didn't exist. It wasn't a mature decision, or a particularly reasonable one either.But it was the only thing I could think of doing without starting another argument.He was relentless, but so was I, so with every buzz of my phone I became even more resolute in my decision to not speak to him. The messages came in scores. Apologies, mostly. But I couldn't erase Ryan's grin from my head.So when I saw him waiting outside my classroom after my lecture, I walked straight past him.“Natalie,” his voice sounded small, unlike the one I was used to.I kept walking.“Natalie, wait.”I heard his footsteps behind me. I tightened my grip around my books, strengthening my mind.“I'm going to class," I said sternly.“I know that.”“Then why are you following me?” I sighed, clutching my book to my chest.“Because you've been ignoring me, Natalie,” he answered.I stopped.Slowly, I turned around. Louis stood there with an apologetic expressio

Not saying too much

Natalie's pov “.... A blurry picture, a deleted account, a mysterious car and absolutely no useful information," I stated, listing them with my fingers.Allison nodded sheepishly, “yeah basically.”I laughed despite myself.“At least you're honest.”“Always. And don't worry too much, I'll get to the root of these. I love challenges like this, Natty!” Allison said, comically stumping her fist on the table.The bell rang just then, snapping us out of our little bubble and making us aware of the ruckus happening around us. Students moved around, with most heading towards the main building.We gathered our things.I was almost grateful for the distraction.Then I saw Louis standing across the hallway. He wasn't approaching me this time.He just looked at me, his brown eyes pleading, even from a distance.I looked away.Allison noticed, but she didn't say anything. She squeezed my arm gently, smiling. That was one of the reasons I loved her.She knew when to shut up.By the time I got to

Flowers and equations

Natalie's pov By the time I got home, I was exhausted.Not physically, my mind just felt like it's been through a long session of gymnastics without breaks. I dropped my bag beside my desk and pulled out my laptop.My phone buzzed that instant. It was a message from Allison.Allison: I think we'll get our answer soon. I'm looking out for something different.I stared at the text for a while before texting her “bet” without even thinking too much. I looked back to the laptop, and sighed.I should have been studying for my classes.Instead, I found myself staring at the equations again, the same equations I'd been trying to understand for weeks.I opened the photographs I'd taken during our project session and enlarged the first one. Then the second, then the third.I frowned.There was something wrong.Not wrong with the calculations exactly, something was wrong with the pattern.I grabbed my notebook and began copying the equations down.One by one, slowly.I compared them, then I

Disturbing Understanding

Natalie's pov After hours of tossing and turning on my bed, with barely 3 hours of sleep in between, I was genuinely glad when morning came. I barely slept, my thoughts were scattered all over the place. I barely thought about the equations I had on my study desk. I had thought about Louis, and his pleas, but then again, it didn't stay for too long in my head. It was Kian. More specifically, the realization that I was beginning to understand him. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the look on his face when I'd told him I didn't want the flowers. He looked pleased. Not happy, no, he was pleased, like my answer had confirmed something he'd already suspected. I frowned. When did I start noticing things like that? Kian had always been difficult to read. He was sarcastic, unpredictable, irritating and somehow always seemed to know exactly what to say to get under my skin. But lately… I was starting to notice the things underneath. The little pauses, the chang

An odd ally

Natalie's pov “You are not a Lawley." Louis' face fell almost immediately. The reaction was so visceral, almost like I just punched him in the gut. I immediately realized how that sounded. “That's not what I meant,” I said immediately, trying to make amends. “I know what you meant,” he responded, although his voice was sad, he gave out a forced smile as he nodded once. I sighed,“I just don't understand.” He looked down for a moment, then back at me. “My family isn't poor, Natalie. I may not have all the wealth, but we're not poor,” he said rather ruefully. “I never said they were,” my voice was quiet, I didn't want to say the wrong thing, not again. “But we're not like Kian's family,” he continued, glancing at the necklace, “I don't buy you things because I think money can fix everything.” “Then why?” I asked. He was quiet for a moment. “Its because I like seeing you happy.” That answer caught me off guard. I looked away, subtly trying to catch my breath. He continued

Too good to be true

Natalie's pov “...what do you think about Louis?” Allison paused, her face contorting in confusion.“What do I think… in what aspect?” She asked.“What do you think of both of us in a relationship, of him as a person… just tell me what you think in entirety,” I clarified, leaning closer to her.She leaned back in her chair and studied me.“You really want my honest opinion?” she asked.“Yes. Why would I ask if I do not?” I sighed, looking around the class.“All of it?” Allison asked again.“Yes, Allie.”She nodded slowly. “Okay.”That one word immediately made me nervous.“I like Louis,” she began.I relaxed a little, smiling widely.“I actually do,” she continued. “He’s sweet to you. He pays attention to you. He makes you smile. And, most importantly, you actually seem happy around him.”I looked down at my hands, feeling heat rush over my face. I knew by now I was already a bright red.“I am. He makes me so happy,” I agreed.“I know,” she smiled,“You’re different with him.”“Diff

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