Unseen by Her Tormentor

Chapter 004

Chapter 004

The problem with lying to yourself is that the truth always comes out.

For years, Jonathan had been telling himself that it was easy to tease Ariel. That was simple. He liked watching her react because she got upset quickly, which made his mornings more fun. That was all there was. Just for fun.

But it wasn't.

The feeling had been there for a long time before Ariel became the "sensitive twin." It started in middle school.

Ariel was different back then. She still had her sharp eyes, messy hair, and quick tongue, but she laughed more often. She would shoot water through her teeth at Michael during lunch or race them to the corner store after practice and always win, even though her legs were half the size of theirs. She was never trying to be invisible.

Jonathan had seen her before he even knew he was seeing her. The way she smiled, the way she wrinkled her nose when she was thinking, and the fact that she never backed down, even when she should have, had all caught his eye.

He liked it.

A lot.

It made him scared.

She was Michael's other half. Michael was Jonathan's quarterback, his best friend, and the brother he had chosen for himself. There was a rule that everyone knew: sisters were off-limits. That's it.

Jonathan pushed her away instead of admitting that he liked her. Anything to make things awkward: teasing, needling, or mocking. It was easier to be a jerk than to show people how he really felt. Ariel too.

And that mask had stayed on for a long time.

Everyone, even Ariel, thought he was just that guy. The one who made fun of her when she wasn't looking, the one who made fun of her extra butter, and the one who made jokes in the cafeteria.

But there was another layer underneath it all.

Every word he said and every reaction he saw showed more than anyone should have known. He saw her eyes, how her mouth moved, and the little things she did when she thought no one was watching. He was preoccupied with thoughts he shouldn't have entertained.

The week before had been the hardest.

They were at Michael's house, lying on the couch and watching a movie. Ariel came in with a bowl of popcorn and acted like she didn't care if they ate it all. She was sitting on the floor with her back against the coffee table and her hands covered by the sleeves of her hoodie.

Thereafter, she laughed.

Really laughed. Not the sharp, defensive laugh she used to hide behind. Not the one that was supposed to keep people away. This laugh was real, human, and not guarded.

It hurt Jonathan like a hit to the ribs. It had been a long time since he had heard that laugh.

He couldn't stop staring at her.

Ariel looked up. She saw him looking at her. For a moment, it seemed like she knew. He had been watching her the whole time. Underneath the teasing and sarcasm, he wanted more.

What was the worst part?

He didn't want it to end.

He told himself he had to. She deserved better than to be a secret that people made fun of. Michael would be devastated if he found out.

However, when Ariel glared at him or responded with something mean, it only intensified the situation, much like pouring gasoline on a fire. He couldn't stop.

The more he got to the edge, the more he wanted to see what would happen if he jumped.

What if he stopped making jokes and told the truth?

That he thought she looked attractive in big T-shirts. That he saw how she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was nervous and how she bit her lip when she was thinking. That he had thought about how her mouth would feel against his more times than he could count.

It wasn't because she was sensitive that they were making fun of her. It was about her making him feel naked.

And the sole action he knew to take in response was to make her feel similarly vulnerable.

Things were easier when I was in middle school.

Ariel was brave in ways that most girls weren't. She would race Michael, knowing that he would try harder to beat her. She would argue with teachers in class and somehow come out looking smart instead of rude. Jonathan hated that she could get on Michael's nerves, but he secretly respected it.

And he had seen. Too closely.

He liked how competitive she was, how fiery she was, and how she wouldn't let anyone else define her.

He was scared that he liked her. She was Michael's twin. Because he wasn't supposed to want her.

So he made it into a joke. He had turned into the boy who told her what to eat, what to wear, and how to act when she thought no one could see her.

That teasing became his shield, his excuse, and the mask that everyone saw over time.

He had been paying attention the whole time, watching how she moved, how she reacted, how she acted, and how she laughed when she forgot the world was there.

He couldn't get her real laugh out of his head.

That night, he saw it again on the floor at Michael's house. Weak. Not protected. For real. He could see the girl for the first time in a long time, under the jokes and hoodies.

He wanted to touch that part of her. He wanted to see more.

And it scared him.

If he let that in, everything would change.

Ariel would be more than just Michael's twin or the girl who got made fun of in the cafeteria. Ariel would be her. The girl that Jonathan couldn't stop thinking about. The girl who could ruin the balance he had worked so hard to keep for so long.

That night, lying in the dark, Jonathan thought about middle and high school and how long he had been pretending. Acted like making fun of her was just a game, that seeing her was nothing, and that wanting her was impossible.

He knew he was in trouble.

He wouldn't be able to keep up the act forever.

When that happened, everything—his friendship with Michael, his spot on the team, and the fragile order they had all built—could fall apart.

He couldn't stop thinking about her, even though he knew it.

The next morning, he would go into Michael's kitchen and see her making toast like he wasn't there. Her frown was directed at the butter, and her hair fell over her eyes. She would have no idea how she affected him.

And he didn't want to stop.

He wanted to see what would happen if he jumped the closer he got to the edge.

What if he told the truth? That making fun of her wasn't just a game. That every look, every harsh word, and every eye roll was exactly what he wanted. That he thought she was pretty. That he liked her more than he could admit.

And if she knew...

If she really knew...

Would she hate him? Would Michael dislike him? Would everything he had worked so hard to protect fall apart?

Or could she feel the same way?

The thought made his chest hurt and his hands shake. He had to keep it a secret. He always had to keep it a secret.

If anyone found out how he felt about her, everything could go wrong.

He knew that this teasing was more than just a game.

It was risky.

And one day, it would blow up in his face.

The question was not if, but when.

He didn't know if he was scared or excited.

It was easy to tell the truth.

If it meant Ariel finally saw him the way he saw her...

He might be willing to start the fire himself.

But was she ready to see the side of him that he had kept secret?