He Chose her

Quinn I wasn’t supposed to see him like that. Drunk. Laughing loudly. His arm slung lazily around my stepbrother’s shoulders as they stumbled through the front door. It was past midnight, and I had crept downstairs for a glass of water. The moment I heard their voices, I froze. My fingers tightened around the glass. He looked up, and our eyes met. Not my stepbrother. Him. The one I had spent years hating. Ignoring. Pretending didn’t exist. The same one every girl was hopelessly obsessed with... and now, he was standing right there, looking at me. His gaze stayed fixed on mine, and he muttered, voice low but clear enough for me to hear: “Well, well, well… look who’s awake.” My stepbrother stepped in quickly, waving it off. “Leave her. She’s just sleepwalking.” I wanted to protest, to tell him I wasn’t. But the words got caught in my throat. “No, I’m not,” I finally managed, my voice barely very low. Silence fell. Awkward and heavy. “Go to your room,” my stepbrother muttered breaking the silence. Kyle, who had been leaning on my stepbrother, suddenly collapsed onto the floor. He was too drunk to get up so he just lay there motionless. My drunken step brother who was slightly sober staggered up the stairs, leaving just the two of us alone in the living room. Just us. I downed the water in one large gulp, then took took a few steps up the stairs. I was forced back by his hand, that gripped my ankle aggressively. He looked at me, his hair falling over his eyes, swaying slightly. He was clearly too drunk, “Help me up, please” he said very softly and like a whisper. I let out a frustrated sigh and bent to help him up. But in an awkward stumble, I lost my balance and landed right on top of him. His breath skimmed against my cheek, warm and shaky. I could feel the steady cadence of his chest beneath me, the rapid pulse of his heartbeat matching my own. “Dangerous,” he rumbled. It was like he read the word straight from my head. His lips quirked into a small smirk, the kind that made my stomach rumble even though I didn’t want to. “You should…” My voice wavered, and I cleared my throat. “You should let go.” I said sounding not convincing. My heart was racing, thundering against my skin. “why”? His hands began to slide up from my ankles to my legs and above. I could feel my heart thundering against my ribs, his touch was so irresistible and so hard to fight. He is drunk. Too drunk to understand anything. I reminded myself. And yet, the way his eyes stayed fixed on me made it hard to believe this was just the influence of alcohol. I pushed against his chest, attempting to get up, but his hand shot up, steadying me by the wrist. His grip wasn’t forceful, it was gentle and deliberate. As if he didn’t want to put an end to this moment. “Stay,” he whispered, so faintly I thought I was daydreaming. Did he just ask me to stay, the words replayed in my head. What is happening. My pulse stilled. I knew I should leave, i should pull away, i should run upstairs and slam the door behind me. But instead of doing that, I froze again, i wanted to pull away, but something about the way his words lingered in my head, it wasn’t a command rather it was a plead. Slowly, he tilted his head towards the side and brought his face closer to mine. I stayed paralyzed, conflicted and afraid. For years I had told myself I hated him, that he meant nothing,he was just a bad boy. But here I was falling for him easily. I told myself I couldn’t, he was always off limits. He has a girlfriend and besides that he’s not boyfriend material. And then, before I could talk myself out of it, his mouth brushed mine. The kiss was soft, and slow. I stayed there shocked, not kissing him back. But a bite on my lips made me open up. And the kiss deepened. This time I kissed him back. For a breathless moment, all my inner fears, worries disappeared, and the only thing that mattered was us. When I pulled back to gasp for air, my senses hit back in, and I realized I just started something i couldn’t finish. And the terrifying part is, he has a girlfriend. somewhere beneath the chaos of all my inner thoughts and worries, i wanted this so badly. Maybe not tonight, or the way it happened either, but the thought had been lingering in my head for so long. Now that it had happened, there was no undo. If my stepbrother ever found out,if his girlfriend ever finds out or the school knows about this, my reputation will be ruined. My step brother will never forgive me. I remove myself from his grip, and began to walk towards the steps. Every step I took felt more and more like a betrayal. I stood at the first step to look towards him and he lay there still the same. His lips parted as if the kiss was still ongoing. I look away immediately and continue walking up the stairs. I was already falling for him.