My Stepbrother secret-possession

Count Me Out Of Vegas Kids

Two weeks passed by unnoticed. Leigh and I were having the time of our lives, experiencing a level of happiness we never thought possible. We spent our days together, from school until the early evening, as our parents were usually at work and Lilith had extra classes. This meant we had plenty of time to ourselves. Sometimes we hung out at home, and other times we roamed around Vegas, often stopping to grab ice cream after school.

I always managed to find a way to avoid Arlen's persistent invitations to go out again. My usual excuse was a grand lie, pretending to help my mother at the hospital. And, importantly, I found myself avoiding Embry and the rest of the girls these days.

Since homecoming, I had established a new routine of spending lunchtime with Leigh in the library. We would retreat to a quiet corner where nobody ever found us, sipping tea and stealing kisses most of the time. Occasionally, I would read him romantic lines from Jane Austen or Bronte's novels that I had highlighted in my books a while ago. Somehow, Leigh made those lines come alive.

I never imagined life could be this wonderful. I had never experienced such intense emotions before. It felt like I was on a never-ending rollercoaster ride that only went higher and higher, almost like I was floating in space.

Having someone in my life who was grateful for my presence, someone who looked at me as if I gave them life and purpose, was beyond anything I had ever imagined. Leigh saw the real me without me having to say a word. He understood my heart even better than I did myself.

Leigh was my guiding light. He reflected my every step and illuminated the path I walked. Even when he was around, I found myself losing my composure. It was impossible to be near someone who made me feel so connected to the world, a world I didn't even know existed. His touch became indispensable to me, and his kisses were the source of my constant smiles. I yearned for him, and no matter how much time I spent with him, it was never enough. I wanted him more than anything. Right now, Leigh was my entire life. He meant everything to me.

I sat on the floor of the hill high library, a smile on my face, surrounded by tall shelves filled with books. I read aloud my favorite lines from "Wuthering Heights" to someone who needed to hear them too.

"I cannot express it, but surely you and everybody have a notion that there is or should be an existence of yours beyond you. What were the use of my creation if I were entirely contained here? My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each one from the beginning. My great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be. And if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn into a mighty stranger. I should not seem a part of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind. Not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."

"That's the most interesting thing I've ever heard," Leigh says, lying on my lap. He listens attentively, undistracted, as if nothing else exists in his world except my voice.

His focus gives me reassurance, knowing that he is mine and I am his. If there's anything beyond eternity, I know I'll be safe with him. "I know," I say, closing the book and placing it beside my bag. I cup Leigh's jaw with my palm.

"I've never been afraid since my mother passed away. But now, it feels like I'm not as brave as I seem," I confess. He smiles and glances at a book behind me.

"Since homecoming, I've become even more afraid. Every passing day, I feel lucky yet scared about what the future holds. I wake up with the fear that you might end our relationship... it's the only fear I can't conquer, and I don't think I ever will," Leigh's voice is filled with vulnerability and insecurity.