Stepbrother

32: Jacket

I tiredly rub my eyes that are threatening to close and continue to unpack my luggage, placing my things into my drawers and small closet near the door. I'm perched on the edge of my bed. My suitcase is opened wide and is resting at the top of my bed. I get up from my bed, grabbing all my folded bathing suits and putting them in my drawer, and when I return to my bed to grab more things from my suitcase, I pause, looking down at my clothes with a look of confusion. There, below my pile of folded clothes is Jordan's jacket.

I sigh, holding it in my hands. It must have been misplaced while we were frantically packing our things back in Florida. A part of me wants to return it to him, but another part is nervous. Jordan has been purposely growing distant from me, and it may have to do with what happened on the plane. I shouldn't have held his hand and suddenly pulled it away.

I shake my head, standing up and making my way towards my door, stepping out of my hotel room. I stand in front of Jordan's door, my hand hovering in the air, ready to knock. In my head, I'm debating whether or not I should even bother him. Just as I'm about to return to my own room from self-defeat, Jordan's door opens, making me jump.

I turn my head, letting out a nervous laugh. I expect my eyes to be meeting Jordan's annoyed gaze, but instead I'm looking into the eyes of a redheaded girl. I nearly bump into her, and she apologizes before walking past me and going towards the elevator.

Who is she?

A bunch of questions pop into my head, but they dissolve as quickly as they appear. Jordan is now standing at the door, his body pressed against the doorframe as he looks down at me. At this moment, I'm reminded of just how tall Jordan is compared to me, and I feel a bit vulnerable, especially because of how tiny I am. His eyes look at the jacket in my arms, and I snap back to reality.

"Oh, um," I begin, holding up his jacket. "I found this is in my suitcase. I must have gotten it from our laundry by accident." Jordan nods his head, grabbing the jacket and instantly trying to close the door, until my foot stops it halfway.

Jordan rolls his eyes. "What?"

"Are you mad at me? Look, I was scared on the flight, and I don't know, it was weird when I held you hand—"

Jordan shrugs. "Yeah, whatever," he says. "I'm tired. I gotta go." He reaches his hand to close the door again, but I grab a hold of it.

"I'm sorry, okay? My life has been complicated these last few months. You're gonna be my stepbrother soon, and I didn't even know you existed until August!" I argue with him. My heart aches a little when Jordan averts his gaze, his eyes staring at the floor. He doesn't say anything. "Jordan, I care about you. I know I'm confusing, but I have trust issues right now—"

Jordan sends me a glare, pulling his hand away. "Trust issues? Maya, I'm the one without a mother! She cheated on my father without me even knowing, and now I feel like a total asshole for shutting out my dad all these years!" He exclaims, his voice raising with each word. I grow silent, my heart racing from sudden fear, but that quickly changes, the startled look on my face turning into sudden anger.

"Are you forgetting the fact that my father left too?" I yell back, stomping my foot. "I was four, Jordan! I barely even remember him except for the few photos my mom had showed me when I was younger! And all of a sudden he just shows up at our doorstep! And let's not forget the fact that I got cheated on by my first love! And my best friend who I thought was straight has feelings for me, and now she won't even talk to me!" I feel the moisture on my cheeks, and I only realize now that I'm actually crying.

I wipe my face with the palm of my hand and let out a sigh. "I knew I shouldn't have seen you tonight," I whisper. Jordan looks are me, and his eyes soften, his hand reaching out to my shoulder, but I shrug him off. "Goodnight, Jordan."

"Maya, wait," Jordan says to me, but I ignore him. I shove open my door, and just as I'm about to slam it in Jordan's face, he pushes it open. "I'm sorry, okay? You're the only person that has given me a chance. Even when I tried to push you away, you wouldn't give up on me. My mom was like that. Before she died."

"Jordan, I'm sick and tired of causing drama. I'm just scared of what might happen," I tell him.

"Scared of what?" Jordan questions, opening the door wider and stepping closer to me.

What am I scared of? Well, I'm not even sure if I want to answer that question. "Jordan, I can't—"

"Can't what?" At this point, the door is wide open, and I'm stepping back, my heart pounding against my chest. "Maya, why are you afraid? Our parents may be getting married, but I'm an adult, Maya. I'm in college. I don't have to listen to what my dad says. He can't tell me what to do, who to love—"

"Who to love?" I repeat, my eyes growing wide. My heart stops.

"Wait, I—"

"Jordan, I have to go," I say quickly, pushing him backwards and shutting my door. My back is pressed against the door, and I lift my hand up to my heart. Jordan can't mean that, can he? Jordan can't love me. I'm going to be his stepsister.