Stepbrother Forever: A Stepbrother Romance
Read Stepbrother Forever: A Stepbrother Romance Online
Authors: Jessica Marx
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STEPBROTHER FOREVER
A Stepbrother Romance
Copyright
Jessica Marx 2015
This book is a work of fiction. All
the characters in this book are fictitious and any similarity to any person,
living or dead, is purely coincidence.
All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical
methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
STEPBROTHER
FOREVER
Chapter
1
“Let’s just do it,” I say excitedly.
“I
don’t know, Eve,” Ryan replies. “What if it doesn’t work out?”
“You
know it’s going to work out, Ryan. Besides, it’s the perfect plan. How else can
either of us afford to live in Manhattan any other way? We’ve been talking
about this since we met!”
“That
part is true, but won’t it be strange
living
together?” Ryan asks.
“Ryan,
we’ve been living together ever since our parents got married…”
“This
is different and you know it.”
“No!
It’s not different. It will be awesome. We can make it work, Ry,” I answer,
pleading with my eyes.
My
excitement is palpable. I found an amazing apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s a
three-story walk up with one bedroom. Actually, other than the location, the
only amazing thing about it is that if I can find a roommate, it will be
affordable. I can’t even afford a studio at this point, let alone anything
bigger. We can put up a partition and make it a two-bedroom. Commuting to
Manhattan for work and auditions is doable, but not at all
convenient—especially for those last-minute calls. It’s the perfect solution.
Or at
least it would be, if I could get Ryan on board.
Ryan is
more than just my best friend. He’s my stepbrother. I can't think of a better
person to share an apartment with. When I first met him a few years ago, I
admittedly thought he was gay. He would walk around the house showing off his
amazing body, with perfectly sculpted muscles that he works very hard to
maintain. Ryan has dark hair that he always takes the time to style it over his
handsome, chiseled face. He has piercing blue eyes that are almost hypnotizing
when you look at them, and he likes to dress in fashionable clothing that
accentuates his body. I didn’t think straight guys knew how to take care of
themselves like he does. He certainly stood out against all the high school
guys he hung out with.
Girls
are always checking him out or hitting on him, but he never really seemed to
notice, or maybe he just doesn’t care. Plus, he was in my acting class during
our senior year, so I just made the assumption that he was pitching for the
other team. I’m glad I did, or I would have never been daring enough to get so close
to him. We instantly clicked from the moment we first met, and when high school
was over, we decided to take on the world together.
“Listen,
Ryan. Let’s just promise that if at any time one of us is bothered by or
annoyed with the other, we will be open about it. That way, there won’t be
anything to worry about.” I say with a smirk.
Ryan
laughs at me, taking a sip from his soda. “You sure your mother is going to be
ok with us moving in together?”
“She’s
going to be fine. She talks a big game about you bringing girls home, but I’m
pretty sure she still thinks you might be gay…” I replied, a hint of a smile
peeking out on my face.
“You
know, sooner or later she’s going to realize not every white wannabe actor is
gay, sis.”
“I’m
sure at some point she will. Especially if I actually make a serious effort to
tell her,” I reply. “Anyway, who cares? Are we doing this?”
“Okay.
Yes,” Ryan answers slowly. “As long as you swear it will not ruin our
friendship. I might need a wing-girl, you know?”
I
almost shriek in joy. “I totally swear! Let’s go see the apartment so we can
get the ball rolling! We need to snag this place quick if we really are going
to take it.” I call the landlord before Ryan has a chance to change his mind
and let him know we will be coming by within the hour.
Ryan
and I finish our lunch. We have been meeting at this same diner for years, and
it’s become “our spot.” It’s one of the few places people actually know who we
are, at least for now, I hope. Everybody in this business says they are going
to make it big someday, but I think if I really believe it, it will come true.
The
waitress delivers our check and we both pay our share and add a nice tip.
Working in the service industry has afforded us a certain appreciation for how
important tipping is. Most of the people we work with are also struggling
artists of some sort. Seems par for the course here—working in restaurants and
bars, waiting for your big break.
We put
our coats on and step outside. It’s a brisk autumn day but the sun is shining.
Since it’s not terribly far from here, we decide to walk over to the new
apartment to check it out. Ryan and I make small talk as we work our way
through the busy streets. It seems everyone is trying to enjoy the sunshine,
since winter will be here soon.
“Well,
this is it,” I say, beaming up at the nondescript building in front of us.
“Wow!
This is the apartment you found? I thought this was some fancy new hotel for a
minute,” Ryan replies drily.
I call
the landlord and let him know we’ve arrived. Moments later, the door opens and
there is an overweight, middle-aged man in the doorway. I eagerly approach him
with my hand out.
“Hi.
You must be Mike. I’m Eve, we spoke on the phone. This is my stepbrother,
Ryan,” I add. Mike looks from me to Ryan slowly. I can tell he’s sizing us up.
“Hi,
Eve,” Mike says. “I don’t have a lot of time, but I can show you the apartment
quick.” He holds the door open for us.
“I had
someone come this morning already and my phone has been ringing off the hook
about this place today,” he continues with his back to us. Mike is walking up
the steps and is out of breath before we reach the second floor.
“As you
know, there is no elevator. No doorman, either. Most of the people that rent
here have been here for a long time. Everyone keeps to themselves.” Mike keeps
talking as we make our way to the third floor. When we reach the landing, he
pauses for a breath and then continues on to the third door. He unlocks it with
his master key and lets us in. “You can take a look around. Place is empty. Not
too much to see.”
Ryan
and I walk around the small space. It can’t be more than five hundred square
feet, but around here, it might as well be a palace. I go in the tiny kitchen
and open the cabinets. I glance out the window, which looks out into another
building that seems like it’s close enough to touch. I peek in the bathroom and
meet Ryan at the bedroom door. He doesn’t look impressed.
“So.
What do you think?” I ask anxiously.
“Not
much, Eve,” Ryan answers. “We’re already done with the tour and we’ve been here
less than two minutes.”
“Come
on. I know it’s not much, but this is prime real estate, here,” I say. “We’re
close to the theatre district and tons of restaurants. No more commuting. No
more bringing dates home to a dirty basement.”
“True,
true,” Ryan admits, sounding a little more convinced.
“I’ll
even let you have the bedroom. I’ll take the makeshift one,” I offer.
Ryan
raises his brows. “Wow. You really must want this place,” he says with a smile.
“I do,
but I’m not doing it without you.”
“You
can’t
do it without me. There’s a difference.”
“Well,
yes. But still, there is no one I would rather share this shoebox with,” I
reply, smiling with my hands clasped together in mock prayer.
“You
can talk it over, if you like, but I have to get going,” Mike chimes in from
the hallway door.
Ryan
and I look around as we walk to the door to meet Mike. We all step into the
hallway and Mike locks the door behind us. We let him lead the way back down.
He goes on a bit about the neighborhood as we make our way down the three
flights of stairs to the small lobby.
“Thanks
for your time, Mike,” I say, offering my hand. Mike takes it.
“Sorry
to rush you. Let me know when you decide. Don’t know how long it will be
available, though. This is a pretty popular spot,” he says as we shake.
“Thanks,
Mike, but I think we made our decision. We’ll take it,” Ryan says as he shakes
Mike’s hand too.
I can’t
control my excitement. I let out a squeal and hug Ryan. “Seriously? Thank you!
This is going to be amazing. You’ll see.”
When I
squeeze myself into Ryan I can feel his heart racing right along with mine.
It’s nice to know he’s just as excited as I am, even if he’s not ready to show
it yet.
We work
out the details with Mike and arrange to come back to sign papers and leave the
deposit. We have to work quickly, or he will give it to someone else—he made
that very clear. That works for me. I don’t want to wait at all. The apartment
is empty, so as soon as all of the details are in place, we can move right in.
As soon
as Ryan and I step back outside, I give him another hug. “Ryan, thank you so
much.”
“No
need to thank me, Eve. I’m doing this for me too,” he says. “Everything you
said is true. The location, the price, no commute, not being in dad’s basement
anymore, all of it. I just hope you and I can get along as roommates. I would
hate to throw you out and have to find a replacement,” he adds with a wink.
“No
worries. I won’t let that happen,” I assure him, “I can’t wait. Can. Not. Wait!”
We walk
to the subway, taking note of what restaurants and bars are close to our new
apartment. We will be close enough to the bar I work in now that I can keep my
job, but it’s nice to know what’s close enough to stumble home from on a fun
night out, too.
We talk
the whole ride to Penn Station—I do, anyway. Ryan is definitely getting more
enthusiastic about it by the time we arrive. He’s much more laid back than I
am, but I can tell he is really looking forward to our new adventure. I know he
must be. We have talked about living in Manhattan for years.
“So,
are you coming to dinner?” I ask him as we step onto the platform. Ryan almost
never came to dinner these days. He lived in the basement apartment under our
house, and paid rent to our parents. With a kitchen and a full bath down there,
I saw less and less of him these days.
“No,
I’ve got some things to do sis,” he replies, smirking.
“Better
not be blowing off family dinner for some hot date,” I said, elbowing him.
“Of
course not. Scouts honor,” he says, raising his hand into the air. “I just need
to get a few things in order if we’re moving. I’ll be home late. Don’t wait
up.”
