All Chapters of My Stepbrother's Secret Obsession : Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

✦ 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐓 ✦The stairs creaked softly under my sneakers as I followed Xavier up to the second floor. The weight of my backpack pulled at my shoulders, but I kept my eyes fixed on his back as he carried the heaviest box of my finance books ahead of me like it was nothing.At the top of the landing, he turned down the left hallway and stopped outside an open door. He pushed it back with his foot, stepped inside, and set the box down near the closet before turning around to face me."This is you," Xavier said quietly, his voice dropping to match the stillness of the house. He pointed out toward the hallway. "The bathroom is the second door on the right. Laundry room is at the very end. If you have extra coats or stuff that won't fit in here, the linen closet out there is shared storage. There’s plenty of room."I stood in the middle of the bedroom, looking at the large window facing the dark backyard, then back at him. The room was nice—way bigger than my old

✦ 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐓 ✦The morning sun hit the kitchen island in soft light, filtering through the blinds.I was leaning back against the counter with my mug, watching the steam rise off my coffee. My eyes kept drifting over to the spot near the sink where Xavier and I stood last night.I took a slow sip and shook my head.*I’m overthinking this,* I thought. *He was just being normal for once.*A few seconds later, footsteps sounded on the hardwood floor. Xavier walked into the kitchen wearing a dark hoodie and sweatpants. He didn't look at me right away, heading straight for the espresso machine."Morning," I said softly."Morning," he grunted, pressing the button on the machine.Usually, this was the part where one of us left the room to avoid the awkwardness. Instead, I stayed put. I picked up the pot of hot water I had just boiled and pointed toward his mug."Want some?"Xavier looked down at the mug, then up at me. He paused for a beat before sliding his cup closer. "Yeah. Tha