Falling For My Stepbrother 1

Emma's POV

"Are you sure about that?" I asked my mom as soon as she flashed her diamond ring in my face.

She's been head over heels in love with her new man, and while they get on my nerves sometimes, especially on the days I caught them making out in the living room, one thing I can't deny is the fact that they are good together.

"Yes honey." She replied beaming. "What's wrong?" Mom looked concerned, she probably sensed that I wasn't so cool with it, but I didn't want to be the party pooper.

"Oh no. Don't get me wrong. I just wanted to make sure that you are certain about it." I replied to her. "Besides, is it an old people's thing to not propose in public. Why did he slip the ring under the duvet?" I teased her.

"Please!" She said, laughing. Before Mark, my soon to be step dad, it's been a really long while since I saw my mom so happy. She was a workaholic. A lifestyle I think she picked up after my dad.

It was a great save from alcohol, but I still didn't have her to myself, it was all work, then Mark came along.

"So what's next?" Do I get to be on your train?" I asked.

She seemed so eager to laugh at every single thing. That probably is what happiness feels like.

I hope I get to experience it someday.

"You know that's a given." She replied.

I wasn't expecting that. I know it was a little delusional of me to think it was all a joke, but some part of me really wished it was.

I needed my mom!

Her marriage to Mark was going to mean a lot.

Mark is a great guy, but I'd rather we stayed like this. I don't ever want anyone else to hurt my mom the way dad did. He broke her so bad, she could not help it.

Our life wasn't so great afterwards, but it was at least drama free.

Mark, who owns a chain of stores, one of which my mom operated, started visiting more often, and not just for business sake.

In the beginning, it was nice that she came back from work less grumpy. Or that she started staying out a little later, giving me a itsy-bitsy little bit of freedom.

Then she brought back leftovers, which were far more classy than the veggies we always had for dinner.

I was excited and wished that whatever was driving change in this direction never stopped.

Then she started coming home with my own pack. I knew she couldn't afford that from her salary, and that was where the suspicion started setting in.

I mean, it was great that I could finally relate to all the great foods the girls at school always talked about, but I had my mom less.

Mom was home less frequently, fortunately or unfortunately, it was also around that time that a new neighbor moved in with her kids, both about my age.

Kayla made the first move. "Hi, I'm Kayla, he's Kevin." She broke into my thoughts on one of those days when I stood in the hallway, hoping no one saw me while I gawked at how toned 'he' was. It had always been 'he', now I knew his name, I could call him by his name in my dreams. Shamelessly, I was enjoying the fact that he was stealing my dreams and that I said everything I ever wanted to say to him in real life there.

"Oh. Uhm. Hi, Kay, Kayla." I stuttered dumbly after she snuck up on me. Her voice clearly betrayed that she found it amusing. She was seconds away from ripping at the seams.

"I'll tell him you fancy him. Some yeast to his ego that is already far off the roof." She gave an eye roll and stalled off. She was a very attractive girl. For a second, she made me wish I was into women. I'd have all that beauty to myself, till my eyes caught Kevin again. I instantly unwished it.

He was a Greek God in the form of a high school kid.

"Oh, and he takes your classes too." Kayla turned back and said when she was already within his earshot. Kevin turned back immediately and looked at who Kayla was referring to.

Determined to not let him see me, I turned back and ran back into the house.

I'm not proud of the last bit of memory I have from that morning, but the story is really incomplete without it.

Mom always had the decency to not be in the same space I was when she and Mark were on their never ending calls they made when Mark was out of town.

This time around, I ran inside determined not to let Kevin see who his stalker was.

Mom was clothless, stark naked. I wished that was all. She was on a video call with Mark, and trust me when I say she had more clothes on than he did.

I immediately ran back out, screaming.

This time around, Kevin and Kayla ran towards me. With each step he took, I saw his thighs contract and relax, his hair toddling in the breeze, and his eyes looking for who just made the eerie sound in the ever quiet hallway. They had gotten really close before I remembered that I had to have something to tell them. Stupid me!

I can't say anything about mom, never, that was between her and I...

"Are you alright?" He asked. The moment he opened his mouth, I wished he took mine in his. My hormones were rioting and running wild. Kayla, who understood, stood behind him, laughing at the exchange.

I was too embarrassed, already reddening in the cheeks.

Kevin put his hands on my shoulder and held my face in one hand. "I asked if you are alright. You screamed really loud." He repeated.

"Sorry." It's the only thing I could utter. My mind was blank.

Emma's POV

"What was that, mom?!" I asked as soon as I walked in.

I was a little surprised to see that she was at home. I mean, what if I was bringing my non-existent boyfriend home for some quick after school make out sesh?

"Sit down, baby." I had mixed feelings about her calling me baby. Sometimes, it made me feel like the center of her world which I was, other days, it just made me feel small, like it did now.

"Trust me, I was going to." I almost passed out in the morning, I'm not trying to again.

"You don't have to sound that way, Emma." At least she called my name. That was also a good and bad thing. She only used my name when there was something serious to say.

"I'm all ears mom." I replied to her, sitting and crossing my legs at whatever manner of travesty was about to present itself again.

I couldn't also wait to get back to fantasizing about him, Kevin...

He'd break the news to you.

Before I had the time to ask who 'he' was, a tall handsome man walked out of my mom's room. His height and build was really frightening. What made it worse was that he really was a good looking man, and he was flashing his very fine set of teeth.

"Hey Emma, you don't have to be hard on your mom. I'm Mark. Then I saw that snake tattoo I caught on the video call earlier.

I almost choked as he extended his hands.

The thought of what those hands were doing earlier this morning did not make taking them less revolting.

I shook him regardless. My mom sat smiling like a puppy at the owner, his hands were quite soft for a man's, which was a good thing. I didn't want my mom in hard hands, literally and figuratively.

"You probably know I'm Emma, her world." I don't know where that came from, but I saw a little frown creep on my mom's face. I didn't care.

"Now that's a beautiful thing." Mark said. I wish he played into it and said something stupid. I really wanted to do something to make him feel stupid and come off his high horse. He really must have felt like he was on a row, controlling using our own house.

I hated how docile my mom was around him. He doesn't get to have me that way, he's not my...

"Sit, Emma. You don't have to stand." Mark said smiling. "I recognise those sneakers too. They look pretty on you." He said winking.

It was then I realized that when mom gave those shoes to me, it really was on behalf of someone else.

I wished I could pull them off and throw them in his face, but it did not make sense to lose my expensive shoes to salvage my non-existent dignity.

"Thank you." I croaked. My unnecessary dislike for him wasn't going to let me seem like the stereotypical uncouth college girl.

The crease in mom's brow straightened out.

"I'd love to ask about many other things, but I see you can't wait for me to get to the point. You probably have a ton of buys to think about." He joked. That almost made me blush, but I remembered I could not admit to it, and it was not "a ton of boys" It was just one.

"Alright." I said curtly, I like how I sounded mature.

"I love your mom. We've been together for almost six months now, and I've decided I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She thinks the same too." He said.

I smiled at how fluent he was.

"Is my mom your first?" I asked.

My mom shifted in her seat. I sense she was becoming uncomfortable, but I had to.

"No. I was married." He answered gently, but my mom's hands were still rubbing his laps. It was so irritating to see. I hated that I felt that way, but I really couldn't help it.

"Did you say the same thing to her folks?" I asked bluntly.

"What do you mean?" I really wished Mark got annoyed, but he did not. I almost started to seem stupid.

"That you've decided to spend the rest of your life, bla bla bla." I replied.

"Oh, yeah. I said so, I also did so. She got tired and said she couldn't do it anymore." He replied.

"Mark, you don't..." Mom started speaking, but he cut her when he put her head on his shoulder.

I was now the enemy.

I really didn't want to know what my mom thought about me at that point.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to..." I started apologizing. I really didn't need to be that rude.

"Oh no. Come on. You don't have to. You're only looking after your mom too. Wish I had something like that." He said smiling. For the first time since our exchange, I smiled back. Mom was out at ease. I literally saw her melt into his hands.

"You don't?" I asked.

"I do. A boy, thinks himself a man. Safe to say he gives no hoot about his old man." He did not look sad or sullen, just straight faced.

"I reality don't know what to say, but I guess he'll come around." I replied to him.

"It's fine either way, Emma." He said. "Am I welcome now? It's been really tiring having to eat with the love of my life and not being able to lock lips without looking over my shoulders." The 'joke' was quite mature, but I understood him. And it made me laugh.

"You are, anytime." I said. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do. " I said.

"Okay, miss." I stopped at the store to pick something you might like. It's in the room.

"Really?!" I like him already! "Y'all catch up and have fun, but not too much." It's the last thing I said before hopping out of the living room.

Emma's POV

As soon as I finished checking out all the fancy things Mark got me, I settled to stalk Kevin.

At least I now knew his name.

I searched the name up on all my social media, but I was never really good at stalking things, so I couldn't find him. Plus there's a very huge chance he wasn't going to be using his real name.

I searched Kayla, this time I was determined to find her. The occurrences for Kayla wasn't as much as that of Kevin, plus the '23' she had written on her bag must definitely mean something. I added it to 'Kayla' in my search, and her name popped up. Apparently, she has done a bit of modeling.

Her page looked so full and classy. They must be rich people. I searched all her followers and in no time, saw Kevin.

I held my breath unconsciously before clicking on him. As soon as I did, I couldn't hold back. I looked at all he's ever posted, and all the ladies, especially. He seemed to roll with only cute model girls. I didn't think I stood a chance. The least I could do was at least feed my eyes.

Little did I know I had been liking all his photos

"Woah! Slow down." He said in a personal chat. I didn't even add him up, how did he know I was looking through his page? Is he tapping my phone? That can't be possible. "You're liking too many videos at once. I'm a sexy man, but give it some space."

I was too stunned to even text.

"Speechless?" He texted again. I really was. I didn't know what to reply. Should've known better than snooping on him online.

I immediately closed the chat and put my internet off.

I really hope he doesn't realize I'm the one who he met a few hours earlier.

I was a fool for him both on and offline. And a joke for his sister too. They were such a beautiful sight to behold.

"Sorry." I texted. It felt weird to leave his text on read. Disrespectful, in fact. I was a nobody, and it was my first and last chance at shooting my shot at Kevin. And the earlier I did so, the better.

The girls at school were already gawking over him, making shortlists of who would approach him.

"No need to be." He texted back. If only he knew who he was talking to. "You don't have a picture on your profile, that's scary." He added.

He was thinking the exact same thing I was! Just that I hoped he wouldn't. I get the fact that he would like to put a face to the bimbo who had been on his page for over an hour.

"I don't have worthy pictures." I replied, honestly.

In all the selfies I ever took, if I managed to hide my fat face, there'll always be some other give away that I was not the typical slim sexy school girl.

"I don't know what that means, but I want to see YOU!" I swear I heard him scream. I had to do something! Kevin wanted to see me! That's a once in a lifetime thing. I quickly bolted my room door even though I knew mom was too busy with Mark doing who knows what.

"I'd just take one now and send." I texted before throwing my phone on the bed, bolting to my dress and touching up my face in all the ways I could, including a generous amount of lip gloss.

I took a picture that I felt was enough and sent to Kevin, holding my breath.

"You're gorgeous." He replied.

I was blown away. He thought me gorgeous? That was an irreversible boost in my ego.

"Wait, I saw you earlier today." He followed up. I didn't know whether or not to admit it, but telling the truth always worked.

"Yeah, you did." I texted back.

"Let me guess. You've had your mind on me ever since then. Probably couldn't wait to get back yo stalk me?" He added some laughing emojis that made me feel stupid.

But then he was still typing. I could not take any more jabs at my dignity. How would I face him tomorrow if the conversation ended on this note?

"Me too." I didn't realize I held my breath until I finally breathed out.

So Kevin, my little Greek god, was daydreaming about me too?! That was amazing!

"Are you being serious?" I started loosening up.

"Yeah." He sent it immediately. "I'd love to see some more pictures." That was a deal breaker for me. With the amount of girls who would literally pull their underwear for Kevin the moment he snaps his finger, he's interested in me! Poor me!

I immediately took to taking pictures of myself from all angles, some goofy faces and I didn't know what exactly he wanted.

"Do you like them?" I asked after sending all hundred photos to him.

"I do." He replied. "Could you take the camera a bit lower?" That was a no-no for me. But not for Kevin, I'd bend my rules.

I pulled my floral PJ down and took a picture with the upper half of my breast exposed. 'it's just the cleavage' I told myself.

"Woah!" Kevin responded immediately. So he was really waiting for it all the while.

I sent a teary eyed emoji, I really was. I knew it's something I wasn't supposed to be doing, but I couldn't even bring myself to not. Especially not after seeing what I saw earlier today.

"I'm about to say something, but I don't know how you'd take it." He said after typing for a really long while. I was expecting some really lengthy text about how great I looked. Did Kevin not find me attractive anymore? I shouldn't have sent him my saggy boobs.

"What is it?" I asked finally.

"I want to see you." He replied. "I'm outside your apartment. My folks aren't home. We could catch up."

That sounded like being in heaven, but mom was him, with Mark! There was no way I could make it past that door.