Rockstar Bay Academy: A Stepbrother Romance

Chapter 30: The Non-Date

Photo under license from Adobe Stock

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Lilah

It's not a date.

If I repeat that enough, maybe I'll start believing it and stop feeling so nervous. Asher and I have spent a lot of time together this year, so going to a party with him shouldn't be a big deal, right? We're just hanging out, celebrating duet night with the rest of our senior class.

So why does it feel like so much more than that?

I glance at the items in my closet, trying to decide how much I'm willing to dress up for an evening that isn't a date. In the end, I choose a short tartan skirt and a long-sleeved black top with a diamond-shaped cutout above the cleavage. It's probably too sexy for the occasion, but my stomach bottoms out at the thought of what Asher will think when he sees me in it. I throw on a long cream jacket over the top, leaving it open, and complete the look with knee-length boots. Since my hair and makeup were done to perfection before the performance, I just reapply lip gloss, and then I'm ready to search for Asher.

Before I can step out of my room, I come to an abrupt stop.

"Mum."

The hand she was about to use to knock drops, and she raises an eyebrow when she looks me over.

"Right. The party, I forgot about that," she says with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Asher and I mentioned the party briefly to Mum and Jesse after we were dismissed from school. There was too much noise in the auditorium for us to talk much. As soon as Jesse and Mum congratulated us, they disappeared to find Ethan and Ainsley.

"Can you be home by one?" she asks.

I frown. "You're giving me a curfew?"

Her smile wobbles. "Shouldn't I? You're still seventeen for a few more months."

"You left us alone for two weeks to go on honeymoon, and you and Jesse let us have a party," I remind her.

She sighs. "But those were the holidays."

"True, but it's the weekend, and semester break is only a couple of weeks away. Plus, it takes twenty or thirty minutes to get to Remy's place."

"Three o'clock, then?"

It's more of a question than a demand, so I smile at her and let it go. "I'd better go find Asher. See you tomorrow."

"Honey," she says before I can walk past her. "Your duet was...so very, very good." Her eyes fill with tears. "Your singing...your performance, you blew me away. I've never been prouder of you than I was tonight."

"Thanks, Mum."

"I know you have to go, but I...I did want to remind you of something quickly."

A sudden rush of dread ties my stomach in a knot. "Yes?"

"Ethan broke your heart."

My smile is now strained. "He did."

"It took you a while to bounce back from that," my mother says.

"I remember," I reply.

"This year is so important," she continues.

"I know, Mum."

"You've put everything on the line to get this far. There's always time for certain things later. Don't become distracted. You've worked too hard to..."