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55 || Red
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To Tempt My Stepbrother 56 || Selfish brat
I’m avoiding my stepbrother. Turns out that’s easier than I thought. Or, it could be that he’s also avoiding me. We don’t get to see each other except at the rehearsals. The only thing going well in my life is the choir practice. If I didn’t have the solo to look forward to, I might have hated practice.Six more days until the competition begins.Am I nervous? Hell, yeah.Will I kill it? Hell, yeah.But for now, I have to figure out a way to get to school without Calum. Jackson’s car is yet to be fixed. Dad was my ride yesterday and he spent half the time asking about Jackson, if I could handle dating in high school. I want to avoid that today.Standing in front of my room, I text Amelia to know her location. The door to Calum’s room opens, a little too fast for me to run into mine. I thought he was gone. I beep Amelia again.“Hey,” Calum says.His shoes appear inches away from min
To Tempt My Stepbrother 57 || She’s
She’s pretty.She’s sexy.She’s not in high school.She’s not his stepsister.She smells of money.She reeks of confidence.My head spins with a thousand reasons why my stepbrother is grinning at this beautiful woman walking like a model on the runway. The more I watch them, the more I realise how unsuitable I am for him. Calum doesn’t wait for the lady to cover the distance, he rushes over to her with as much grace as a teacher can and hugs her.They hug. I mean, they hug for ten seconds. Yes I’m counting. I’ve been counting every second away from him. Every second in this friendzone.I hate it there.The team erupts in murmurs, Regina leans over to Christie and whispers something in her ear. I’m the only quiet one. My eyes are glued to the pair speaking in hushed tones and hugging like lovers reconciling. The lady is tall and
To Tempt My Stepbrother 58 || Painful mess
Dinner is a painful mess. I’m forced to eat on the same table as Calum and Tessa. Dani is in love with Calum’s guest. Dad also seems to get carried away by her jokes. She’s not even that funny.Pointing a fork at Calum, Dani asks, “What time does the show start?” She looks at my dad with a small smile. “I’m not sure we can make it, Pete.”“It’s fine,” Calum answers. “You don’t have to be there, Mum.” To my dad, he adds, “We’ll be fine.”“Yep,” Tessa adds. “We will make you two proud.”I am so tempted to ask what show but I’m still on the mission: Don’t talk to Calum. He brought a woman to our house without my permission.Am I allowed to be furious with him for that? No. Yes. Watching the video and scrolling through the pictures Rose sent didn’t help. I feel like shit for refusing to hear h
To Tempt My Stepbrother 59 || Spill it
CALUMYou don’t know how much you miss someone until you see them again. That’s how I feel with Tessa. For the life of me, I can’t stop grinning at her. Tessa catches me smiling for the umpteenth time and smacks the back of my head. I almost forgot she used to be a fighter. Ben struck gold with her.Walking around my room, inspecting stuff and giving them a look of approval or disapproval, she says, “Your stepsister doesn’t seem chatty.”To tell her or not to tell her about us.I bring out my guitar instead. Tomorrow is the runway show. My nerves are in a knot. I can’t get my head out of my ass because I’m still thinking of Cathy. I knew I fucked up the first time with my words, so I went back a second and third time to fix it but it only got worse. Cathy was not wrong about me wanting her but unlike her, I can’t act on my emotions. I’m older and I should know better.The date wi
To Tempt My Stepbrother 60 || Once upon a time
CALUM“Don’t you think that was unnecessary?” I ask, making reference to how Tessa acted to make my stepsister jealous. “You didn’t have to kiss me.”“I kissed your cheek, Cal,” Tessa replies with an eye roll. She is a great actress, she fooled me for a second. A frustrated groan tunnels out of my lips. I am still thinking of Cathy, how heart broken she seemed. She is hurting and I don’t like it. I don’t like to think I’m the cause of her misery. “And no, it was not unnecessary.” She hands me a compact mirror and smacks her lips as she stares at her reflection. We are in the backseat of the rental car. “The only thing unnecessary was her rudeness.”“She’s being a teenager, Tessa.” Cathy didn’t mean any of the things she told me. She might act all tough but on the inside, she is soft, a good girl. It’s all a facade she drops around me alone and
To Tempt My Stepbrother 61 || Viral
The video is viral. I know that was the plan but I didn’t think it through. Has Calum seen it? Will he hate me? Be furious? I pace the empty corridor, my footsteps echoing like a warning. I’m home alone. Dad and Dani went for evening mass because they couldn’t meet up this morning. They invited me but I had no interest in going. I haven’t stopped thinking of Calum and the deleted account. I thought deleting the account after I uploaded the video would end it but some people already created a fanpage of them. They are so stupid but not as stupid as I am. What if he finds out? He mustn’t. What if I try to earn his forgiveness before he finds out? I rush to the kitchen with only one intention in mind. My phone lights up with a message from Rose. She wants to know why the video and pictures she sent me are circulating under someone’s account. I make up a lie that earns me the rolling eyes emoji. As far a
To Tempt My Stepbrother 62 || Wednesday
Monday is gone. Tuesday is gone.Wednesday sneaks upon us like a thief. I’m the first one up in the house. I tiptoe to the door but the sound from Calum’s room stops me. He is playing his guitar. I listen for a few minutes, rocking myself back and forth. He’s strumming the chords to the song we will be singing later today. I want to think he’s doing it for me since I’m a tight ball of nerves. That we are fine. But I know better.The hour drags by. 5 am turns to 6 am. Time to prepare.I read through the chats in our WattsApp group. Rose is freaking out. Taylor and Amelia are trying to calm her down. That’s what happens when the first team you have to face is the one that knocked you off in the last competition. After a quick bath, I stand in front of the mirror and practise my breathing exercise. Today, we will find out who’s taking the solo. I run a comb through my pink hair. Icy, blue eyes star
To Tempt My Stepbrother 63 || Why?
I’m stunned.Everyone but Calum and I leave to watch the first group singing. I drum my fingers against my hip. My nerves are on fire, my insides are quivering with intense fury. I am a time bomb waiting to explode. Calum folds his arms on his chest, cold and unbothered by my reaction.We were over this. The solo belongs to me.“Why?” I whisper.Unshed tears burn my eyes but I don’t give them an escape. I’ll not appear weak in front of him. He scoffs. “You are asking me why?” Reaching into his pocket for his phone, he taps on it for a few seconds, then thrusts in my face. I gulp. “Did you or did you not make this video to spite me, Cathy?”It’s the TicToc video I made and it’s playing on mute. I wipe the tears rolling down my cheeks.“I’m sorry.”“I’m sorry too.” Brows furrowed in annoyance, Calum shoves the ph
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- To Tempt My Stepbrother 57 || You came
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 56 || Surprise
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 55 || I love you forever
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 54 || Are you scared?
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 53 || Number one happy place
- To Tempt My Stepbrother 52 || Whatever you want to be
