In Love With My Half Brother

Chapter Eleven: When It Doesn’t Stay

By the next morning, I knew something was wrong before I even stepped out of the car.

It was the way people looked at me.

Not just curious.

Not just whispering.

Focused.

Like they already knew something I didn’t.

I closed the car door slowly, scanning the parking lot. Groups of students stood closer than usual, phones in their hands, heads bent together.

Maya walked up beside me, already looking uneasy.

“Okay… don’t panic,” she said.

“That’s not a good start,” I replied.

She hesitated.

Then turned her phone toward me.

“I think someone saw you yesterday.”

My stomach dropped.

“What do you mean ‘saw me’?”

“Just… look.”

I took the phone.

And there it was.

A blurry photo—but clear enough.

Me.

Jason.

Liam.

Behind the school.

Close. Tense. Confrontation written all over it.

The caption underneath made it worse.

“What’s really going on between them??”

Comments were already flooding in.

“This is getting weird.”

“Why is she always with him?”

“Is that a fight??”

“She’s definitely choosing between them.”

My chest tightened.

“This is insane,” I said quickly, handing the phone back. “They don’t even know what happened.”

“They don’t care what happened,” Maya said. “They care about what it looks like.”

I ran a hand through my hair, already feeling the pressure building.

“This is exactly what I didn’t want.”

“I know,” she said softly.

I exhaled slowly. “Where is he?”

“Who?” she asked.

I gave her a look.

She nodded. “Right. Him.”

We both looked up—

And there he was.

Jason.

Standing near the entrance like usual.

But this time…

He looked different.

Not calm.

Not relaxed.

Still controlled—but sharper somehow. Like he’d already seen everything.

I walked toward him without thinking.

“You saw it,” I said as soon as I got close.

“Yes.”

Of course he had.

“It’s out of control,” I added.

“I know.”

“That’s it?” I asked. “That’s all you’re going to say?”

“What do you want me to say?” he replied.

“I don’t know—something that fixes it?”

“There’s nothing to fix.”

I stared at him. “People think this is some kind of… situation.”

He didn’t respond.

That made it worse.

“Jason,” I said more quietly, “this affects me too.”

That got his attention.

His eyes shifted to mine properly now.

“I know it does.”

“Then act like it,” I said.

A pause.

Then—

“I am,” he replied.

I frowned. “How?”

But before he could answer—

A voice cut in.

“Wow.”

We both turned.

Liam.

Standing a few steps away, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable.

“Didn’t think it would blow up this fast,” he added.

I crossed my arms. “You think this is funny?”

“No,” he said. “I think it’s predictable.”

Jason stepped slightly forward.

“Say what you came to say,” he said.

Liam’s eyes flicked to him briefly, then back to me.

“You okay?” he asked.

The question caught me off guard.

“I’m fine.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“I said I’m fine.”

A pause.

Then he nodded once. “Alright.”

Jason’s voice dropped. “Don’t.”

Liam raised an eyebrow. “Don’t what?”

“Act like you care.”

That hit sharper than expected.

Liam let out a small breath. “I don’t act. That’s your thing.”

The tension snapped back instantly.

“Can you both stop?” I said, stepping between them again.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them spoke.

But the air felt heavy again.

Too heavy.

“I mean it,” I added. “This isn’t helping.”

Liam looked at me for a second.

Then nodded slightly. “You’re right.”

He stepped back.

“Just be careful,” he said quietly.

“With what?” I asked.

He glanced at Jason.

Then back at me.

“With how this looks.”

And with that—

He walked away.

Again.

Leaving the same tension behind.

I turned to Jason slowly. “He’s not wrong.”

“I don’t care what he thinks.”

“You should,” I said. “Because everyone else is thinking the same thing.”

Silence.

Then—

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

The question caught me off guard.

“I asked you first,” I said.

“No,” he replied. “I asked you now.”

I hesitated.

Because I didn’t have a simple answer.

Because nothing about this felt simple anymore.

“I think…” I started, then stopped.

He waited.

I looked at him.

Really looked.

And for the first time, I realized something that made everything more complicated.

“I think this is getting too much,” I said quietly.

His expression didn’t change.

But something in his eyes did.

“Then stay out of it,” he said.

“I can’t,” I replied immediately.

“Why not?”

Because you’re in it.

The thought came so fast it surprised me.

But I didn’t say it.

Instead, I shook my head slightly. “Because it keeps finding me.”

A pause.

Then he stepped closer.

Not a lot.

Just enough.

“It doesn’t find you,” he said quietly. “You walk into it.”

My breath caught slightly.

“That’s not fair.”

“Neither is this,” he replied.

Silence again.

Louder this time.

More real.

People walked past us, whispering again, but I barely heard them.

Because right now—

It felt like everything was narrowing down to this moment.

To him.

To what neither of us was saying.

“I didn’t ask for this,” I said softly.

“I didn’t either.”

Another pause.

Then—

“Then why does it feel like we’re both still in it?” I asked.

He didn’t answer.

But he didn’t look away either.

And somehow—

That felt like the answer.