Stepbrother (Sequel to Stockholm Syndrome)

01

​ Luke opened his mouth and I knew he wasn't going to skip around the truth anymore. He had promised not to do that if I looked him in the eye. He was going to tell me. A wave of fear pulsed through my body at the idea of finding out. His mouth opened and I was ready.

​​Then I woke up. Please. Please just let me wake up. I didn't want this to be real. I suddenly wished Luke wouldn't go through with his promise. If this was all just a dream. If I could just wake up, the cloud of doom wouldn't rain down on us like I felt it would when Luke finished speaking. And he hadn't even started yet.

I pinched my arm. That didn't work. I continued digging my nail into my arm before Luke gently pushed my hands back to my sides, not losing eye contact.

​"Can we sit down? This might take a little while." He suggested. I shook my head, feeling as if I wouldn't be able to move from the spot if I tried.

​​"I just need you to tell me." I told him. He nodded, taking a deep breath.

​"Do want sugarcoating or me to be blunt?"

​​"Please don't beat around the bush. Blunt." I begged.

​"I'm your stepbrother." It was out of his mouth, into my head, and I couldn't get it out. Everything in life went blurry for a few moments before I came back to reality. Luke's eyes were searching mine for any clue on how I would react. I waited to open my mouth until all the curse words were out of my system. Luke waited for me to speak.

​​"Where I am supposed to start?" I whined. I took him up on his earlier offer and sat on the bed. He sat on the other side, respectfully keeping his distance instead of coming closer like he would to comfort me whenever we watched Supernatural.

​"Let me start, then." Luke offered. I nodded. "You remember when you told me you didn't like using my name because you used to have a stepbrother named Luke?" He asked. I nodded, everything making more sense now. "That's why I told you to have hope. That's why I was so excited. I wasn't sure if you even remembered me." I nodded again. Luke's hand came up to wipe off a tear straying down my cheek but I was off the bed like a bullet. He looked down and I began pacing.

​​"Just don't touch me." I warned, but I didn't return to my sitting position.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I whimpered, trying to ignore the gaze burning into me that I refused to return.

​"You weren't ready." He said it like he didn't believe anything more than that. I snorted.

​​"What I wasn't ready for was some creep to drag me off the streets in the middle of the night and throw me in a van." I retorted. Now Luke was off the bed, standing above me.

​"I did that for your own good and you know it."

​​"What I know is that I would've preferred to know who you were to me before I bonded to you. Before I kissed you!" I spit out. Luke took a deep breath.

​"It's not like we're related by blood. We can do what we want." Was his excuse. I could tell he didn't fully believe it.

​​"Really?" I shouted. "That's what your excuse is?" I was close to screaming. "We're stepsiblings! I don't care if we aren't related by blood it's gross to think about!" I shoved his chest but he caught my wrists and held tight. I tried to pull away but he didn't let me. To my relief and his good fortune, he didn't try to pull me closer, though. If he had, there would definitely be bruises on his stomach. But he did stand still with his hands engulfing my wrist until I stopped struggling and looked up at him.

​"I did what I did and there's nothing that can be done to change it. Bottom line is, I knew you would try to go back if I told you before, and I didn't want you back in that situation."

​​"Did you not want me to go back because of my father or because you couldn't let me go because you wanted me?" I asked, staring at his eyes whilst a chill ran through my body.

​"I wanted to keep you away from danger."

​​"Or you just wanted to keep me here for your pleasure of having your long lost sibling back." I retorted.

​"Of course I was excited!" Luke raised his voice. "It was a relief to know you or your dad hadn't killed you yet. It was great to have my sister here. I loved movie nights with you. And the late nights we spent without talking. I didn't need words. All I needed was to be with you. That was enough. And it still is." He told me.

I tore out of his grip and walked out of the room, needing to be anywhere but where his icy blue eyes could track me.