Stepbrother Forever: A Stepbrother Romance (2 page)

Chapter 2

I walk in the house to
the smell of dinner cooking. I can’t wait to share the news with my mother and
stepfather about the apartment. I guess I can put “home-cooked meals” on the
short list of things I will miss. I love my parents, and we get along just
fine, but at this point in my life, I need to be out on my own. It’s time Ryan
and I left the nest…

“Hey,
Mom,” I say as I enter the kitchen.

“Hi,
Eve. You look happy. How was your day?” Mom asks.

“Amazing.
I found an apartment—and we’re going to take it!” I answer with a huge smile.

Mom
smiles. “That’s great. But who’s ‘we’?”

“Ryan
and I. We are going to live together.”

“Ryan?”
I nod, and she hesitates. “I know you guys are good friends, but are you sure
that’s a good idea?”

I
shrug. “I think it’s a great idea. We’re just friends. Always have been, always
will be.”

“It can
get tricky living together, Eve,” Mom says. “I know you admire Ryan, but he is
young and headstrong… And besides… Are you sure you want to immerse yourself in
his lifestyle? How will you feel if he starts bringing girls home? Or worse…”

I roll
my eyes. “Mom, Ryan is not gay. Trust me, I know. And look, it doesn’t matter
if he wants to bring a girlfriend over. We’re not kids anymore. I’m going to
start dating, mom… Anyway, you have nothing to worry about. I trust Ryan, and
that’s what counts.”

I
talked a big game, but for a moment, I can’t help thinking about what it will
actually be like when he does bring a girl over... I won’t care—I don’t have a
reason to—but it may be a little awkward, at first.

“I
don’t know how your stepfather is going to feel about this, either.” Mom warns.
“It will be hard enough having you leave our home, but knowing you’re taking
Ryan with you is going to be tough to swallow.”

I
laugh, hard. “We’re just two young people trying to make it and live in the
city, which neither of us can afford to do on our own. And I don’t think I like
any of my girlfriends enough to share an apartment with one of them.”

My
mother sighs, wringing the wooden spoon in her hands before turning back toward
the stove. “Well, you are an adult—technically. And you are paying your own
way, so I will still share my opinion, but I know my baby, and if your mind is
made up, nothing I say is going to change it.”

“Thanks,
Mom. I promise, you have nothing to worry about,” I assure her and lightly kiss
her on the head.

“Why
would your mother worry?” my stepfather asks as he enters the room.

“I
didn’t hear you come in, Joe,” Mom says, brightening just a little. “Eve has
some exciting news.”

“Really?
What’s up, Eve?” my dad asks.

I beam
at him. “I got an apartment! I’m moving to Manhattan—Hell’s Kitchen!”

“That’s
great,” he starts cautiously, “but how are you going to afford that?”

I
summon up a little mettle and reply, “Ryan and I will be roommates.” My smile
never falters.

“Ryan?”
My father scrunches his nose. He frowns. “I don’t think that’s the best idea.”

“And
why not?” I asked, throwing a hand on my hip.

“I know
he’s my son but he’s still got his head in the clouds. He should be in college
right now, but he’s convinced this acting thing is going to take off. I owe it
to your mother not to let you go down that path. You’ve got a bright future,
and I don’t want Ryan rubbing off on you… What about moving in with one of your
female friends? Tara? Keira? I could see them making great roommates,” Dad
proposes.

“Keira
doesn’t want to live in Manhattan. Not yet, anyway. And Tara already has an
apartment downtown that she shares with three other girls. I’m sure we will see
each other a lot more, but there’s no room for me to live there.”

“Honestly,
Eve, I can’t tell you what to do. I can only tell you what I think, and I think
living with Ryan is asking for trouble,” Dad warns me in a stern voice. Then,
more lovingly, he says, “But part of growing up is making your own decisions.
Just know your mother and I will be here when things get rough.”

“Thanks,
Dad. I think. Try and be a little more positive, though. Maybe things won’t get
rough
.” I smile and give him a hug.

“I
guess it’s just hard to see both of you leaving on such short notice,” he
replied, smiling.

“Dinner
is ready now. Why don’t you set the table and you can tell us all the details
while we eat?” Mom suggests.

I take
out the dishes and silverware while my stepfather gets some glasses and a pitcher
of water.
I will definitely miss this,
I think as we work together to
get everything ready and sit down as a family. Ever since Joe came into my
mother’s life, we’ve built something here that I never thought I’d have. My
biological father left us when I was three years old, and for a long time, it
was just me and mom… Leaving this behind would hurt…

We talk
over dinner and I fill them in on all the details. As long as the paperwork
goes through tomorrow, Ryan and I will be moving into our new apartment next
weekend. My father offers to help, which is great. I don’t have too many
things, and the space is small, so it shouldn’t take very long. They offer to
buy me a new bed so I can leave mine here in case I want to spend a night at
home. Dad also offers to help Ryan build the partition in the new apartment. I
happily accept the offer.

The
three of us clear the table and wash the dishes. As soon as we’re done, I head
up to my room to start packing. I turn on some music and begin putting some of
my photos and keepsakes into a box. Other than that, I only have my clothing. I
plan on buying a small piece of furniture to put that into, since there won’t
be a closet on my side of the apartment. Between the music and my enthusiasm, I
have the majority of my packing done in no time.

All
finished, I hop into bed. Soon, this won’t be my room anymore. I’ll be on my
own, and the thought of it is as exciting as it is frightening.

I close
my eyes, willing myself to sleep even as my heart races. I have to get up early
tomorrow to get into the city. I have a short musical theater class tomorrow
that Tara is taking with me, followed by a night shift at the bar. Satisfied
that I’ve done everything I can to move things forward, the night takes me.

Chapter 3

I arrive shortly before
the class starts in the morning and see Tara waiting outside the Atlantic Green
Room studio—or AGR, as we call it—with two cups of coffee in her hands. We’ve
taken dozens of classes and workshops here together over the last few years. We’ve
met many of our friends here, as well. I wave to her as I approach and she
gives me a smile. As soon as I’m close enough, she hands me a cup and gives me
a hug with the other arm.

“Hey,
girl. How are you?” she asks.

“Very
good. You?” I reply.

“Same.
Nothing new. Why are you
very
good?”

I grin
uncontrollably. “I got an apartment! We’re going to be neighbors! Well, kind of
neighbors. You and I will only be a few blocks away from each other.”

“Awesome!
Where did you find a roommate? Not Craigslist, right?” She narrows her eyes at
me.

I
wrinkled my nose. “Are you crazy? Of course not. Ryan and I are going to share
an apartment,” I tell her.

“That’s
great. I think,” Tara says. “As long as you guys can keep your clothes on.”

“Really?”
I arch a brow. “Come on, Tara. You’ve known Ryan as long as I have. He’s my
stepbrother. It’s not going to happen. We are
just friends,”
I say for
what feels like the hundredth time. “You know that better than anyone.”

“I
guess,” she says. “I just see the way the two of you are, and it’s different
than the rest of us.” Tara looks at her watch. “Anyway, we better get inside.
Class starts in a few minutes.”

And
with that, our conversation is over.

I can’t
help but think about what Tara said. Do our friends really think Ryan and I
treat each other differently? I love Ryan as a friend. I love Tara as a friend.
I don’t see any difference in the way I act toward them. Maybe I do or say more
“girly” things with Tara, but that’s one of the advantages of having a male
best friend—the perspective. Of course I’ve thought about Ryan sexually… There
wasn’t a girl in a ten-block radius that hadn’t. That was just hormones. He’s
my stepbrother and that’s that.

Tara
and I settle in for the next couple of hours. The class is really interesting
and interactive, so we have a great time. Since I have a few hours to kill
before my shift starts, we decide to get some lunch and then hang out at her
place so I can change and relax before work.

AGR is
a short walk from Tara’s apartment, and now also from mine. I take Tara on a
walk past what will be my building, and then we get some take out from a local
deli and make our way to her place to eat.

Even
though Tara has three roommates, no one else is home when we get there, so we
have the apartment to ourselves. Their apartment is also very small, especially
for four people, but it’s great anyway. Looking around, I get excited all over
again knowing I will have a place of my own next week. I mean, Ryan will be
there, but I know he will let me take the lead when it comes to decorating and
whatnot.

While
Tara and I eat, we talk about the class we just took and catch up on what’s
going on with some of our other friends, and of course, the celebrity gossip.
We fantasize and talk about what it will be like when we make it big. My
parents might have wanted to keep Ryan’s dreaming from rubbing off on me, but
they were too late…

Maybe
that’s why I kept Tara around as a friend. She was hopelessly optimistic. We
encourage and support each other in our craft instead of being cutthroat and
backstabbing. I’m lucky to know her.

Once we
get through the small talk, Tara asks about my plans for the apartment. I
happily explain what I intend to do and when we will be moving in.

“How
does Ryan feel about having you as a roommate?” she asks.

“Apparently,
pretty good, since he agreed to it,” I reply.

“Just
be careful, Eve,” she warns me again. “Ryan is super-hot. He’s also single. One
drunken night alone in that apartment could change everything.”

“Seriously?
How many drunken nights have we spent together already? He’s my STEPBROTHER.
Step BROTHER. I think everyone needs to chill and trust that we know what we’re
doing,” I mutter. I’m getting tired of justifying my friendship to everyone. I
don’t care how hot Ryan is, or funny, or
drunk.
We are sharing an
apartment, not a bedroom.

“Sorry,
Eve. I’ll stop.” Tara sighs. “I’m just happy you’re going to be living so
close. We’re going to have so much fun. Cheers,” she says, holding up her
Styrofoam cup. We clink our deli cups together in celebration and all hard
feelings are forgotten.

We
finish our lunch and talk some more before I have to get ready to go. Tara
doesn’t have to work tonight, so she is going out later with some friends. I
use her bedroom to change and freshen up for a long night ahead. When I emerge,
Keira is in the living room. She is one of our good friends and also one of
Tara’s roommates. She is used to seeing me around—I’ve spent many nights here
instead of taking the train home.

“Hey,
Eve,” she greets me with a smile.

“Hey,
Keira. What’s up?”

“Not
much. Just living the dream,” she answers, indicating her waitress apron.

“Awesome.
Me too,” I reply, smiling.

“Have
fun tonight,” she replies.

“Oh,
you know I will.”

I
shouted a quick goodbye to Tara and left for work, descending the two flights
of stairs to the front door. The bar I work at isn’t too far from here, so I
walk there as the sun begins to set. I find myself thinking of Ryan again,
wondering for a moment if I’m making a mistake. I know I’m not. I need to stop
letting other people’s concerns bother me. I’m comfortable and happy with my
decision, and that’s all that matters. A guy and a girl can be roommates. I
don’t care what anyone thinks.

I walk
up to the front of the bar and hear the music thumping already. It’s early
still, so there isn’t a huge crowd, but I know what will be coming later. I
take a deep breath and walk in.

I
always think of my bartending job just like any other acting role I might take on.
I’m playing a part: flirty, fun, outgoing girl slinging drinks and making
wisecracks. It’s pretty much a guarantee I’m going to get hit on every night,
likely several times. After so many months behind the same bar, the regulars
have come to know me and tip very well. There’s also a couple of guys that I’m
convinced come in here solely to try and woo me, hoping for that one time I
might just take them up on their advances. Too bad for them I’m not into
one-night stands, and I have no intention of ever going home with one of my
customers.

I get
myself set up and pour a couple of beers for the early crowd winding down from
a long day at the office. Sitting on my side of the bar is one of my favorite
regulars, Ken. Ken matches my wit and always makes for good company, especially
in the earlier part of my shift when there’s not much to do. He works as an
accountant nearby and usually stops in a couple of nights a week for a drink
and some bar food.

“Hey,
Ken. How are you today?” I ask, leaning over the bar slightly so he can hear
me.

“Same
old. Crunching numbers and counting down to five o’clock,” he replies.

“What
can I get for you today? Usual?” I reach for a pilsner glass from the cooler as
he answers.

“Yup,
you know I like my beer to be just like you… Tan and sweet.” Ken jokes.

“That
line never gets old, Ken. Even though you’ve been using it since the first time
you came in.” I quip. “And the pisswater you like to drink isn’t sweet, so
maybe you need to rethink your pick-up line.” I wink to let him know I’m
teasing and hand him his glass.

“Thanks.
Maybe one day it will work. Who knows?” Ken says, taking a sip of his beer.

I give
him a chuckle. We go through pretty much this same routine every time he comes
in. I don’t mind—he’s harmless.

I help
the couple that came in after Ken and more people start to file in. I greet a
few more of my regular guests and pleasantly help everyone at the bar. All in
all, the night goes smoothly and my tips are very generous. Luckily, the crowd
thins pretty early as it usually does on a weeknight, and I get to leave before
midnight. In the city that never sleeps, it’s nice to be on my way to the train
early enough that the sun won’t be coming up as I get to my house. Once you
miss the late night train, the wait for the next takes forever. That’s just one
more reason I’m looking forward to living here.