Winter || irwin

[ seven ]

[ seven ]

When Narda Hillman woke up the next morning, she stretched her arms over her head before bringing them back down to her pillow, her bright eyes remained closed. It was only when she felt another person there, in her bed, that she remembered the events of the previous night and her eyes shot open in shock. 

"Ashton!" She sat up in her bed and turned to her right where a young man was sleeping soundly, completely naked under the blankets. When there was no response at first, she brought her hands to his shoulder and shook him gently. "Ashton, wake up!" Her voice was coming out in something of a panicked whisper. She didn't want to wake everyone else in the cabin. Then they would know what happened and would probably judge them. They were step-siblings, not related by blood, but siblings nonetheless.

He stirred in bed slightly with the sound of her voice. He had been turning away from her. Now he was facing her and his arms reached out to snake around her waist to pull her close.

Narda pressed her arms against his chest to pull away. "Ashton!" She tried again. 

Her heart dropped and the color drained from her face when a knock came on her door. "Narda," The person called and she recognized the voice instantly. "Ashton never went to his room last night and I was wondering if you'd seen him." Of course Narda had seen him, she was still seeing him. He was in her bed currently. But she couldn't tell Luke that. He would probably tell everyone and they would be judged. Falling in love with a step-brother was probably almost as bad as falling in love with an actual brother.

"No," She coughed nervously. "I haven't seen him. Maybe he slept in the basement or something. Ashton always loved playing Rockband there. Mum and step-dad always had to go fetch him at odd hours of the night because he was down there playing video games."

"Oh," Luke said, "I'll go check."

"Wait!" She yelled, startling Ashton awake.

"Narda, be quiet-" He started to groan a complaint but she clamped a hand over his mouth.

"What was that, Narda?" Luke called from behind the thick wooden door. "I thought I heard someone else."

She shook her head frantically. "It was probably my alarm. Just give me five minutes and I'll go with you to the basement. You need a special key to get in and I know where step-dad keeps it."

"Alright." Luke nodded his head. "I'll go check the room again and then I'll come back."

"Okay." She tried to remain calm, but it was difficult.

Now Ashton was fully awake. He looked from the beautiful young woman in his bed to the wooden door across the room. "What was all that about?" He crinkled up his nose in question. 

Narda pulled the covers around herself and stood up, hurriedly picking up all their clothes. Tossing his clothes at him, she told him, "Luke is worried because you never went to the room last night; you two are room buddies on this trip, remember? So he came here to ask if I've seen you. I told him you might be in the basement playing video games."

He shrugged his shoulders as he slid his boxers back on. "Should've told him the truth."

"That I slept with my brother?" She eyed him as though he were crazy. "Mum and dad always taught us to see each other like we were real siblings."

"But we're not." He pointed out. "We're not related at all. The only relation we have is Nikki." Nikki was the youngest of the kids in the Irwin-Hillman's home. Nikki was the only daughter between Jerika Hillman and John Irwin. That meant that she was a half-sister to Narda and Noelia, as well as Ashton, Marbella, and Raiza.