Forbidden romance; Not by blood

chapter three

The moving truck pulled away leaving behind leaving dust and a pit in my stomach the size of a black hole I couldn’t believe this was my life now, mwom was outside waving as they drove off, and Derek was inside humming as he was putting away boxes of me and mom’s things, Noah was at the back he was ignoring me just how he did at school and everywhere he only speaks to me when our parents are close, I keep telling myself it will all just blow over he just needs time.

“This house has such good bones,” mom says as she shows me around the house like I’m a guest like she didn’t just change my whole life, why didn’t she marry a man with an ugly son, “We want it to be comfortable for everyone, a fresh start.”

But nothing about this was fresh; it was his space, his house, my skin still prickled when I saw him or he walked past me. And right now the universe wouldn’t be complete if he wasn’t moving boxes shirtless, his hair messy and sweat dripping from his body, I try to look away but I fail….

He stopped when he came close to me, and my breath hitched, “Don’t ever come near my room,” he said pointing towards the hallway, Derek laughed like this was some kind of sibling bicker, “Be nice Noah you two are going to be seeing a lot now, you have to get along for us as siblings.”

He glances at me, his eyes roaming my body, “Yeah I know,” Mom has her back to us, so she doesn’t see the way he looks at me, very not sibling-like.

I hate how I reacted, I hate that I reacted at all, he ignored me for weeks and is rude whenever he speaks only to look at me like that, Derek showed me to my room which is far from Noah’s his at the other end of the house, I step in going towards the window and I can see directly into his room it was just great….. if things couldn’t get any worse.

I threw my bag on the bed, throwing myself on it, I kissed my stepbrother twice, and I couldn’t help watching him, wishing I could taste his lips one last time.

There’s a soft knock on the door, it opens before I can answer, Noah steps inside with a box in his hands, “My dad said they belong here,” he looks at me and I feel small only Noah can make this huge room feel small, “We need to talk,” he said closing the door behind him walking to the middle of the room.

“No, we don’t,” I say quickly, too quickly, “There’s nothing to talk about, we didn’t know…. it was a mistake, a terrible one, one that won’t repeat itself, and you don't have to ignore me or hate me for it.”

He doesn’t speak just stands there watching me, that cocky grin on the face, his hands tucked in his pocket like he's holding something back.

“You think it was a mistake, Lena? We kissed twice, the second after we found out they were dating.”

I look away, I can’t stand looking at him. “What do you want me to say?”

He takes a step closer, stopping at the foot of my bed, “The truth.”

“The truth is we are stuck, we made a mistake, and now if we don’t come to a reasonable agreement and anyone finds out our lives blow over, our parents are married, Noah and from what I can see love each other, they are not breaking up any time soon.”

“I know exactly what they are,” he comes closer, leaning on the bed, our faces barely inches from each other.

His hands come to my cheek and I find myself leaning in, “I should unpack,” I say, breaking eye contact, “And you should go.”

He continues to stare at me, I feel the room getting smaller, I think he will kiss me, but he doesn’t, he drops his hands from my cheek.

“You can lie to them and yourself, but don’t lie to me, I know exactly how you feel, enjoy unpacking, sister.”

I close my eyes so I don’t have to stare at his beauty, the sound of my door closing tells me I’m alone, and I break down, I wanted to wrap my arms around him and pull him close, but one of us has to be the reasonable one so we don’t get caught.

***

Noah acts like I don’t exist this time worse than before he doesn’t even look at me, he replies with grunts and short responses his doing a god job by keeping his space and it breaks my heart every time I’m close to him especially when I go to school with him since I don’t have my license yet, and i can’t take the bus when Noah has a car and goes to my school Derek’s orders he wants us to bond and that’s thing Noah wants the disgusting look on his says it all.

He pulls the car to a stop and I wait for a minute for him to say something anything, “Want me to leave you in the car?” he asks, I look at him upset but this isn’t my fault, “Noah, I’m sorry about the other day you don’t have to be rude to me because of all this.”

“No offense Lena, I don’t give a f**k about you or what you think I just want you out of my car so I can lock it I have to get to class.”

His words hurt like a thousand blades. I step out of the car, slamming the door a little harder than necessary. He was being unnecessarily rude, walking into the school, I found Bee by my locker, a wide smile plastered on her face.”

“Did you win the lottery?” I say, pulling out my books from the locker.

“Sort of Silas invited us to a party,” she says, smiling like I should be excited.

“Silas, the football quarter the most popular boy in school, who has been trying to get your attention since you showed up.” I sigh, shutting the locker. She has been singing Silas' name in my ears for weeks.

“Well, I don’t want his attention, and neither invites me to his party.” The boy's attention I want is barely talking to me, I start walking away and Bee runs up to me.

“Look I know a lot is going on with the move and your new family, but this party will help you unwind and you don’t have to talk to Silas at the party.”

I see Noah kissing a blonde girl I think is a cheerleader, Ashley, his lips I liked so much on me now on her, his hands are all over her body and I think I might die from my insides boiling.

“Okay Bee I think I need it, I feel suffocated in the house.” Suffocated by Noah and everything he does.

Bee knows everything about the move and my mom remarrying Noah’s dad, so I skipped kissing Noah twice. Because I don’t know how she would react but she knows how he has been treating me in school and at home, like s**t.

Bee was already in my room sitting on the bed with her phone in her hand, “That dress is going to get you noticed,” she said smiling.

It was short dangerously short, “You sure this isn’t too much?” I asked looking at myself in the mirror.

“Lena you look like sin wrapped in velvet, Silas won’t be able to keep his hands off you,” That wasn’t the point I wasn’t going for Silas.

Derek and Mom are out so I can come back a little late and they won’t see my dress that’s showing so much skin.

The house was pulsing with music, he lived in the kind of neighborhood that had gates and driveway like a castle you could get lost in, people were everywhere on the stairs the kitchen…. on each other, Bee disappeared within five seconds pulled away by some guy.

I go to grab a drink from the kitchen, and I run into Silas, “I’m glad you could make I would have been sad if you didn’t.” we are standing so close and he smells a lot like Noah, cologne, and aftershave, he offered me to drink a drink and he leaning in the wall, he walked towards me leaning in brushing my neck with his nose, “Would you like to dance,” he whispered into eyes, I chuckled he was acting like a gentleman and I knew he wasn’t one I don’t know if it’s the alcohol but I agree.

We danced, I wasn’t very drunk but I felt alive, his hands were roaming my body my back pressed against him. This was exactly what I needed I wasn’t thinking about my mom, Derek, or Noah.

I felt eyes burning into me and that was when I saw Noah, jaw clenched he was leaning against the wall burning holes into Silas skull, I felt Silas hands on my hips and I looked away from Noah turning towards Silas and I pressed my lips to his and he deepened the kiss pressing me into him.

The look on his face was priceless; he didn’t expect that and neither did I.

I see Noah storming towards the dance floor and I leave to avoid him and his hurtful words, I turn to find the bathroom, and Noah was there in seconds, “We need to talk he said pulling me into the bathroom, “What are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” I said, swaying a little.

“You are drunk,” he hands grabbing my wrist, pulling me into an open room.

“Let go Noah, you ignore me for so long and all of a sudden you want to talk,” I scoffed.

He shut the door with his leg pressing me into it, and he pinned my hands above my head.

“Noah what the hell are you----“

“Such a bad girl, you were trying to get me jealous weren’t you, I was going to punch that smug smile off his face for touching what's mine,” his face is barely inches away from mine, and his more drunk than I am.

“Why do you care? I’m not yours.”

“You think that guy wants you, you barely even know him, you are just another story, he will brag about tomorrow.”

“You are one to talk to a new blonde girl in your room every day.” his eyes went wild. he didn’t know I knew, I could see a handful of things going on in his room from my window.

‘Let me go Noah, or I'll scream.” His grip on my hands tightened.

“No, you won’t,” he said softly and his lips came crashing down on mine, I felt his hands let go of mine and settle on my back pressing me to him, I wanted him to claim me make me his, and make the ache I felt in my heart go away, I kiss him back pulling him closer.

“Lena I ----,” but he is interrupted by a loud crash from outside. “Fire,” as screams fill the air, as everyone tries to get out of the house, the room is filled with smoke. Noah grabs my hand, pulling me outside.