All Chapters of MY STEPBROTHER IS MY HOCKEY RIVAL: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

NOAH MASON The room immediately fell silent. A silence so deafening it blocked out every sense of reasoning I once possessed. A silence so torturous I knew I needed it to end as quickly as possible. It was probably a bad idea. No, it was definitely a bad idea. But as I watched the paper bag slip out of Takumi’s hands, I knew I was going to make that bad decision. I closed my eyes for one second and the next, I took one step closer towards him, ending the distance between us. He looked down at me and before his eyes could travel all the way to my lips again, I grabbed him by the face and pressed my lips against his. My first kiss was in junior high, during a silly truth or dare again. I’d hated it simply because all eyes were on me so when I finally got a chance to kiss someone else in high school in private, it was good. And every other kiss I shared with Rayna was just as good. decent and boring for the most part. But after all, wasn’t that how kisses were supposed to be? Nothin

TAKUMI WILLIAMSMy head was pounding.I groaned, slowly opening my eyes before immediately regretting it. The sunlight pouring through the curtains felt unnecessarily bright, forcing me to squint as I tried to figure out where the hell I was.The couch.I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before the memories from the night before started returning.The party. Drinks. Noah.My stomach tightened.The kiss.I sat up too quickly and immediately grabbed my head when the room spun.“Shit.”I stayed still for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to settle before looking around the living room.The house was a disaster. Empty cups were scattered across the floor, bottles were lined up on the table and there were random pieces of clothing lying around like people had simply dropped whatever they were holding wherever they stood.I rubbed my face, trying to recall if the house had been like that all along or if it only happened after I left Noah’s room and proceeded to have way too much a

TAKUMI WILLIAMSMonday morning couldn’t have started any worse.I woke up with a headache, a dry mouth and absolutely no sign of Noah.For a few seconds, I simply stared at the empty space across the hallway, still half-asleep and trying to make sense of the silence surrounding me. There was something strangely unsettling about waking up and not hearing the usual sounds coming from Noah’s room. No footsteps. No opening or closing of doors. Nothing that would tell me he was somewhere nearby.I stared at the empty space for a few more seconds, wondering if he’d already left before eventually checking the time on my phone.7:48 AM.That was early for me but for Noah, it was just perfect.He was to be out of his room by now, back from the gym and busying himself with breakfast as he usually did by that time. He had a routine for practically everything, and I’d spent enough time around him to know how predictable his mornings were.But instead, there was no sign of him.My stomach tightened

TAKUMI WILLIAMSI didn't go home.I wasn't exactly sure where I was going when I left the rink, but somehow, my feet took me to our training rink instead.I dropped my bag beside the bench and sat down, staring at the empty ice in front of me. The rink was quiet at this hour, the usual noise of skates scraping against the ice and teammates shouting to each other nowhere to be heard.It should have been peaceful. Instead, my mind wouldn't shut up. Because apparently, getting rejected could still hurt even when you weren't actually asking someone to date you.I let out a quiet laugh at the thought.What was wrong with me? What exactly had I even expected?Noah hadn't exactly rejected me. I hadn't asked him to be with me, hadn't confessed some secret feelings or told him I wanted anything serious from him.It was just a kiss that somehow happened. Then he'd decided it was a mistake.That was all. A kiss.It wasn't a big deal.I leaned back against the bench, staring up at the ceiling. Peo

TAKUMI WILLIAMSWyatt picked a café close enough to the university that I almost considered turning around when I saw him sitting by the window.It had been more than a year since I last saw him and he still managed to look exactly the same. Same dark hair, same familiar smile that managed to charm me after he chased me for months begging me give him a chance. Same way of sitting like he owned whatever chair he'd decided to occupy. I hesitated for a moment before walking into the cafe. I was most likely going to regret meeting him but since I’d already come that far, it was best to get it over with.I pushed the door open and walked inside and almost immediately, he looked away. His expression changed in an instant, followed by him sitting up and patting the empty space next to him for me to sit."Taku,” he smiled. “You made it.” I winced at the nickname as I slid into the chair opposite his. I hadn’t heard it in years and wasn’t expecting him to use it that easily. "Hey."“You actu