FOR YOU

Internal Struggle (2)

THIRD PERSON POV

​If he had to choose between the hot redhead and his stepsister, he would choose the redhead without a moment's hesitation for one simple reason. A reason he should have thought about before kissing his stepsister. He just couldn't help himself. He couldn't say no to his stepsister, and he couldn't choose the redhead because she was already fated to someone else.

​But now he had kissed Chloe. He kissed her even as she was still talking about what had happened between them yesterday. Complicated? No. Guilty? No. Dumb? Yes.

​“Why did you do that?” Chloe asked him as soon as he broke the kiss. She hadn't stopped him or broken the kiss herself. But the question hung in the air between them, a fragile bubble of confusion. Her feelings and emotions were now cloudy, a swirling mist where crystal clear answers had just been.

​Edward looked at her intently, his lips still slightly parted as his eyes wandered over her blue irises. He placed the tip of his index finger on her chin and gently raised her head so she would look at him directly. She didn't resist. She couldn't jerk his hand away; she just allowed him to do whatever he wanted, including kissing and grazing her skin.

​“I don't understand why you love my eyes so much when you have such beautiful eyes. Even prettier than mine,” Edward said, his voice a low murmur. Before Chloe could say anything, he bent down and kissed each of her eyelids as she closed them reflexively.

​“Okay. Stop. Just stop,” Chloe finally said, her voice high-pitched and strained as she pulled herself away from him, her hands coming up to her chest.

“What are you doing? Why are you doing this to me? Is this a way to torment me because I told you I liked your eyes the other day? It's been weeks. You know that, right? Why are you doing all of this? First, you touched me without my consent, and now you've kissed me without my consent! Not to mention the encounter with Evans!” she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly with each word, her breath a jagged gasp.

​If they had to talk about or define their relationship, she might as well start now.

​“Was that your first kiss?” Edward asked, the question catching her off guard. Chloe scoffed angrily.

​“Seriously? You're asking me that?”

​“I'll take that as a yes, seeing the way your cheeks flushed as soon as I asked you the question. I'm glad you enjoyed the kiss; it was pretty good for a first one,” he said nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets as he bowed his head, looking at nothing in particular.

​“I did not enjoy anything!”

​“Your accelerated heartbeat says otherwise,” Edward muttered, and just then, he knew he had spilt a massive secret. Chloe, who had been angry a moment ago, froze. Her face shifted, the anger replaced by a look of profound thought.

​“What do you mean by that? How can you hear my heartbeat when you're at least two feet away from me?” she asked, her voice a whisper of confusion. Afraid to say anything that would give away his true identity, he quickly thought of an easier and more reasonable answer.

​“The rising and falling of your chest. Look, yesterday was entirely my fault. I should have knocked, and even if I did see you, I should have left immediately instead of letting my manly attitude take control. For that, I'm sorry. I promise you I will knock before I enter your room next time. But as for this kiss, I'm not in the slightest bit sorry. I wanted to kiss you, and I did. And for the record, I enjoyed it,” Edward said, his gaze unwavering.

​Chloe's eyes were bewildered, her mind reeling from what Edward had said. He had taken her first kiss without her consent, and he was telling her to her face that he didn't regret it. She didn't know how to react. She just looked at him dumbly, her eyes wide. Apart from her lips quivering as she tried to form words, no sound came out, and she didn't move.

​“As for Evans, I won't let him or anyone else hurt you. And don't ask me why, because I won't give you any explanation for it. And as for these lips of yours, they are mine now. They are for me. For me and for me only,” Edward said, his voice low and possessive. But when he said the last two sentences, Chloe burst out laughing, a sharp, disbelieving sound. This made Edward stop whatever he had to say next.

​“Sorry. No, in fact, I'm not sorry. What do you mean my lips are for you? The fact that you took my first kiss doesn't mean you own them now. I can do whatever I want with whomever I want. You don't get a say about any part of my body when we are just step-siblings!” Chloe retorted angrily, her voice rising. Edward was taken aback, his expression hardening.

​“Just forget all this happened, and let's start this situationship all over again. Okay, here we go. Hi, I'm Chloe. I'm the daughter of your mother's new husband. She told me your name is Edward. Nice to meet you,” Chloe said, her tone not quite joking and not quite serious, as she stretched out her hand for a handshake. Edward's gaze dropped to her outstretched hand, and he rejected it, his shock and surprise evident in the rigid set of his shoulders.

​'This would have been so much easier if I had just told her who she was to me and who I really am. She is my mate! And me telling her that she's mine is just a waste of time because if she knew what she was to me, I wouldn't have to be explaining things,' Edward thought, a wave of frustration washing over him. His face scrunched with it, and his forehead creased with the strain.

​“Okay, then. No handshake. That's it. Have a wonderful day, stepbrother. And mind you, lest you forget, I've erased whatever may have happened in the car park and the hallway.” Her smile was tight, a defiant line.

​“If you had truly forgotten about it, you wouldn't be mentioning it again,”

Edward replied, his voice low and guttural. Chloe's expression fell. She folded her arms, defeated, because as much as she wanted to counter him, he was right. She stamped her foot hard on the floor and walked away.

​As for Edward, he decided to play along with her. The kiss has cleared a lot for him. While he is not ready to declare her as his mate, he is not ready to reject her either. But he promised himself not to let any man touch her. He wasn't asking for too much, just no physical touch from another guy. He couldn't bear the thought of others kissing her, touching her, or even holding her hand. He should be the only one to do that. Because she was made for him. For him and for him alone!

​If indeed she is his mate, then she would be for him alone, even if he is not ready to accept that fact yet!