Paper Rain (A Christian Yelich Story)

(14) Stepsister-That-Never-Was

"I don't understand why she needs to stay with you. Where's my invitation? We've been together for a long time." Aimee rolled her eyes and crossed her arms at her boyfriend.

"She's practically my sister, Aimee. I'm worried about her." Christian sighed deeply, completely ignoring Aimee's suggestion that she should move in with him. There was no way in hell that was happening any time soon.

He was still trying to figure out the best way to break up with her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't sure why . . . Maybe he loved her more than he thought he did. Maybe it was just nice to have someone at the end of the day. Maybe he was holding onto her as a fallback option . . .

"She's not your sister, Christian. Don't they have like . . . homes for people like her?" Aimee snipped.

"Yeah, Christian should put me in a zoo, probably," Daphne interrupted the bickering couple, her voice flat and her tone dry. Christian hadn't seen her in over a day. Her eyes were red, and Christian knew she had been crying. She was tough growing up, but she had given into tears on a few occasions. He knew her face.

Christian sprawled out on the couch. He told his dad he just wanted to watch some television, but really he was impatiently waiting for Daphne to get home from Cameron's graduation party. He had left before her. He usually left before her.

She came through the front door around 2:30 am. Her eyes were red . . . and scared. She didn't seem drunk. Just sad and . . . vacant. "What's wrong?" he asked her urgently after getting off the couch. He was taken aback when she threw her arms around his neck and started sobbing into his chest.

He just held her in the middle of the living room and soothingly ran his hands up and down her back. What else was he supposed to do? "I need to shower," she said through her tears, her voice muffled against his shirt.

"Tell me what I can do for you," Christian whispered into her ear. His kind words just made her cry harder.

He eventually helped her to her room and sat her down on the edge of the bed. He went through her drawers and pulled out pajamas for her to change into. "Do you want me to draw you a bath?" he questioned, although he was unsure if it was an appropriate thing to ask.

It must have been because she nodded her head without hesitation. "Please," she whispered.

As the only girl in the house, she was fortunate to have a bathroom connected to her room. Christian filled the tub with hot water and some bubbles. When he was done, she got to her feet and hugged him another time. "Do you want me to wait for you?" he asked – once again unsure of himself.

"Can you sleep next to me tonight?" It was a question he never thought she'd ask.

"I'll do anything you want," he responded.

And he still would.

Daphne grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "You have nothing to worry about, Aimee," she said softly. "I'm just his stepsister-that-never-was."