I jolted awake to violent banging on my door.Shit. Not this again.My hand flew to the other side of the bed before my brain fully processed I was awake. It was cold sheets. Noah was gone.Thank fucking God.The door swung open before I could respond. Mom marched in and perched on the edge of my mattress. Her floral perfume clashed with the lingering scent of... him."Time for the attic," she announced, like a prison warden delivering a sentence.I squinted at my alarm clock through crusty eyes. "Isn't it too early for this shit?""It's nine.""Nine?" I shot upright, the sheet pooling at my waist. Had we really stayed up until—Mom's gaze turned razor-sharp. "You look exhausted. Stay up all night?""No." I cleared my throat. I got up from the bed then started walking over to the door. I rubbed sleep from my eyes as I trudged up the attic stairs behind Mom. The wooden steps creaked under our weight with the smell of dust thick in the air."Aren't you going to have breakfast first?
No more lies, huh?"I shoved the picture into her chest, my fingers trembling with rage. When I turned to leave, her hand clamped around my wrist like a vise."Rosalie, please—""You just keep spitting lies to my face!" My voice cracked, echoing through the dusty attic."I'm not lying!" Her eyes glistened under the bare bulb. "That photo was taken when I was with your father.""Then why the fuck is the same tattoo on your wrist in this picture with David?" I jabbed a finger at the damning evidence. "'Just friends' my ass. Why were you holding hands with him while dating Dad?"Mom's breath hitched. "Lower your voice.""Fine." I collapsed onto the stool, arms crossed so tight my nails bit into my biceps. "Talk."She sank onto an old trunk, the wood creaking under her weight. "It's... complicated.""I'm all ears, Mom." The word tasted like poison.She let out a shaky exhale.“I was nineteen and was so wild and wanted to be free. David and I met at a gas station of all places. He was fixi
Noah POVRosalie clasped my hands, and said,“Tell me what happened that night.”The stern look in her eyes was impossible to look away from. It’s like justice is staring straight back at me from deep down in the abyss. I’ve kept this memory to myself for so long. It’s time I tell someone.So I lean back and gaze out the window at the winds blowing outside, and I bring myself back to that night when both our lives changed forever.The DayThe music was loud and the alcohol was flowing. Even though we’re not old enough to drink yet, no one cares. Derek always threw the best parties at his dad’s beach house. It’s the perfect place to host the final party of the summer before school begins.I was dancing to the rhythm, drinking from one cup to the next and getting drunk and high on the beat. I was living the life while I still can because I knew when the football season starts, I’d be working hard toward getting that scholarship. That was the only time I had to relax, so I was going to
I stared at me like I wanted to kill him.I told him not to pick up the fucking call.“I have no idea.”“Where are you?”“I’m at Justin’s.”“Oh,”“What’s the problem? What happened?”“She’s mad at me.”Who wouldn’t?“Why?”There was a pause. Yeah, spill it out. I know she’ll not have the courage to say that.“It’s just some mother daughter issues.”What? It’s way beyond that! And look at her say it so casually.“Oh,”“We will talk it out. See you later.” Then she hung up.“Something tells me it’s way beyond the mother and daughter issues she claims.”“Of course it is! And look at her say it so casually.”“What exactly happened?”I let out a deep breath. “You are the one doing the talking.”“I’ve at least given you a glimpse… gimme something or I’ll stop.”I turned to look at him. “It’s just that… she lied to me about some things about my dad.”Tears began to build up in my eyes again. This was just too much. “Oh, I understand.” He said as he brushed the tears away from my eyes.“S
Fuck... I want to fuck you so bad." Noah's voice was a broken whimper, his breath hot against my neck.The words snapped me back to reality like a bucket of ice water.Shit. Your stepbrother. You might share a father. What the hell are you doing?I shoved against his chest, putting space between us. My lips still tingled from his kiss. "Stop."Noah's eyes burned with hunger. "Do you know how many times I've fucked my fist just imagining you?" His hand trailed down to grip himself through his jeans. "Your moans... those perfect fucking nipples...""I said stop." My voice trembled."Did it yesterday morning." He took a step closer, crowding me against the wall. "Had your panties pressed to my face while I came.""Noah—""My cock aches for your pussy." His palm cupped me through my leggings, making me gasp. "Want to fill you up, mark you with my cum—""STOP!" I shoved him hard enough to make him stumble.His eyes widened. "What the fuck, Rosalie?""This is wrong." My nails dug into my pa
I backed up until the wall stopped me. Noah pressed close, the knife's edge brushing my throat. His breath was hot on my lips.“You’re scared I might use it on your fucking whore a mother? Huh? You think I’ll make her pay with this knife?”I swallowed the lump in my throat."Or maybe..." His free hand slid under my shirt. "...I should make you pay for her sins."I shook my head slowly.“What’s wrong? Can’t a daughter pay for their precious mommy? If the mother can’t pay, the daughter would.”He used the knife to poke my top. He slid it down and it tore exposing my bra. “You’re going to taste a little of it, then your mom would face the rest herself.”“What’s gotten into you? I didn’t even know about all these. I’m as pissed as you are.”“No, that’s where you’re getting it wrong,” He said, shaking his head with a creepy smile on his lips like a maniac.“You’re just pissed you thought your dad was your real dad but now there is a possibility he isn’t… I…”“I had my life destroyed… I ha
He lifted me by my hands until I was on my knees again in front of him. I know it would be stupid of me, but I feel the Noah I had seen all this time isn’t capable of doing all these. He’s just hurt, and thinking with rage.“I’m sorry,” I said, the words catching in my throat. I didn’t realize that he had been walking out the door until I’d already blurted the words out. He was leaving here?“For what?” He stopped and asked a second later. I could hear the suspicion in his voice.“That you’re so hurt by what happened to you turned into a monster. ” I instantly regretted the words once they were out but it was too late. His heavy footsteps were loud and hard against the floor as he walked back over to me. I knew he was angry before he even spoke but I didn’t know how much until he spoke.“That’s where you got it wrong,” he gritted and slowly unzipped his jeans. He gripped my hair in his hands and tilted my head back, slightly so he could look into my eyes. “I’m not hurt, I’m the on
The lake was my escape.It always has been. The crisp air, and the glitter of the moon shadow shining on the water always had a way of filling in that emptiness I feel inside. When the world felt too loud, too crowded, too much, I’d grab my camera and slip away to the water’s edge. I gripped my camera, positioning it perfectly to capture the way the moonlight danced on the water, the way the trees swayed in the breeze, the way the world felt alive even when I didn’t.The sound of a tree branch break hit my ears. I froze. It sounded sharp, like something heavy stepped on it. My eyes scan the area, looking for the source of the noise. Nothing. I dropped my eyes back to my camera, absorbing the view of nature till a figure passed. My heart stopped. I took in a sharp breath as my eyes widened trying to spot the figure. A shadow shifted at the edge of the trees, and my finger paused on the record button.I took another sharp breath as the figure stepped into the moonlight. My breathing p
He lifted me by my hands until I was on my knees again in front of him. I know it would be stupid of me, but I feel the Noah I had seen all this time isn’t capable of doing all these. He’s just hurt, and thinking with rage.“I’m sorry,” I said, the words catching in my throat. I didn’t realize that he had been walking out the door until I’d already blurted the words out. He was leaving here?“For what?” He stopped and asked a second later. I could hear the suspicion in his voice.“That you’re so hurt by what happened to you turned into a monster. ” I instantly regretted the words once they were out but it was too late. His heavy footsteps were loud and hard against the floor as he walked back over to me. I knew he was angry before he even spoke but I didn’t know how much until he spoke.“That’s where you got it wrong,” he gritted and slowly unzipped his jeans. He gripped my hair in his hands and tilted my head back, slightly so he could look into my eyes. “I’m not hurt, I’m the on
I backed up until the wall stopped me. Noah pressed close, the knife's edge brushing my throat. His breath was hot on my lips.“You’re scared I might use it on your fucking whore a mother? Huh? You think I’ll make her pay with this knife?”I swallowed the lump in my throat."Or maybe..." His free hand slid under my shirt. "...I should make you pay for her sins."I shook my head slowly.“What’s wrong? Can’t a daughter pay for their precious mommy? If the mother can’t pay, the daughter would.”He used the knife to poke my top. He slid it down and it tore exposing my bra. “You’re going to taste a little of it, then your mom would face the rest herself.”“What’s gotten into you? I didn’t even know about all these. I’m as pissed as you are.”“No, that’s where you’re getting it wrong,” He said, shaking his head with a creepy smile on his lips like a maniac.“You’re just pissed you thought your dad was your real dad but now there is a possibility he isn’t… I…”“I had my life destroyed… I ha
Fuck... I want to fuck you so bad." Noah's voice was a broken whimper, his breath hot against my neck.The words snapped me back to reality like a bucket of ice water.Shit. Your stepbrother. You might share a father. What the hell are you doing?I shoved against his chest, putting space between us. My lips still tingled from his kiss. "Stop."Noah's eyes burned with hunger. "Do you know how many times I've fucked my fist just imagining you?" His hand trailed down to grip himself through his jeans. "Your moans... those perfect fucking nipples...""I said stop." My voice trembled."Did it yesterday morning." He took a step closer, crowding me against the wall. "Had your panties pressed to my face while I came.""Noah—""My cock aches for your pussy." His palm cupped me through my leggings, making me gasp. "Want to fill you up, mark you with my cum—""STOP!" I shoved him hard enough to make him stumble.His eyes widened. "What the fuck, Rosalie?""This is wrong." My nails dug into my pa
I stared at me like I wanted to kill him.I told him not to pick up the fucking call.“I have no idea.”“Where are you?”“I’m at Justin’s.”“Oh,”“What’s the problem? What happened?”“She’s mad at me.”Who wouldn’t?“Why?”There was a pause. Yeah, spill it out. I know she’ll not have the courage to say that.“It’s just some mother daughter issues.”What? It’s way beyond that! And look at her say it so casually.“Oh,”“We will talk it out. See you later.” Then she hung up.“Something tells me it’s way beyond the mother and daughter issues she claims.”“Of course it is! And look at her say it so casually.”“What exactly happened?”I let out a deep breath. “You are the one doing the talking.”“I’ve at least given you a glimpse… gimme something or I’ll stop.”I turned to look at him. “It’s just that… she lied to me about some things about my dad.”Tears began to build up in my eyes again. This was just too much. “Oh, I understand.” He said as he brushed the tears away from my eyes.“S
Noah POVRosalie clasped my hands, and said,“Tell me what happened that night.”The stern look in her eyes was impossible to look away from. It’s like justice is staring straight back at me from deep down in the abyss. I’ve kept this memory to myself for so long. It’s time I tell someone.So I lean back and gaze out the window at the winds blowing outside, and I bring myself back to that night when both our lives changed forever.The DayThe music was loud and the alcohol was flowing. Even though we’re not old enough to drink yet, no one cares. Derek always threw the best parties at his dad’s beach house. It’s the perfect place to host the final party of the summer before school begins.I was dancing to the rhythm, drinking from one cup to the next and getting drunk and high on the beat. I was living the life while I still can because I knew when the football season starts, I’d be working hard toward getting that scholarship. That was the only time I had to relax, so I was going to
No more lies, huh?"I shoved the picture into her chest, my fingers trembling with rage. When I turned to leave, her hand clamped around my wrist like a vise."Rosalie, please—""You just keep spitting lies to my face!" My voice cracked, echoing through the dusty attic."I'm not lying!" Her eyes glistened under the bare bulb. "That photo was taken when I was with your father.""Then why the fuck is the same tattoo on your wrist in this picture with David?" I jabbed a finger at the damning evidence. "'Just friends' my ass. Why were you holding hands with him while dating Dad?"Mom's breath hitched. "Lower your voice.""Fine." I collapsed onto the stool, arms crossed so tight my nails bit into my biceps. "Talk."She sank onto an old trunk, the wood creaking under her weight. "It's... complicated.""I'm all ears, Mom." The word tasted like poison.She let out a shaky exhale.“I was nineteen and was so wild and wanted to be free. David and I met at a gas station of all places. He was fixi
I jolted awake to violent banging on my door.Shit. Not this again.My hand flew to the other side of the bed before my brain fully processed I was awake. It was cold sheets. Noah was gone.Thank fucking God.The door swung open before I could respond. Mom marched in and perched on the edge of my mattress. Her floral perfume clashed with the lingering scent of... him."Time for the attic," she announced, like a prison warden delivering a sentence.I squinted at my alarm clock through crusty eyes. "Isn't it too early for this shit?""It's nine.""Nine?" I shot upright, the sheet pooling at my waist. Had we really stayed up until—Mom's gaze turned razor-sharp. "You look exhausted. Stay up all night?""No." I cleared my throat. I got up from the bed then started walking over to the door. I rubbed sleep from my eyes as I trudged up the attic stairs behind Mom. The wooden steps creaked under our weight with the smell of dust thick in the air."Aren't you going to have breakfast first?
My head snapped toward him.Sleep with me? What the fuck did he mean by that? Did he expect me to just say oh okay, come sleep with me like some mindless doll?"I mean lay with you on the bed and go to sleep… not fuck you, Rosalie."I relaxed—then immediately hated the pang of disappointment that followed.You can’t be hoping to fuck your freaking stepbrother. Snap out of it.“Oh, but we can’t risk that again. Mom still wants to talk about it. Her instinct is telling her I was hiding a guy.”“But you were hiding a guy,” he said grinning.“Not just any guy,”The grin on his lips slowly faded. “Of course.”I stared at him, waiting for more, but he stayed silent. Fed up, I turned toward my room—only to hear footsteps behind me. Before I could react, Noah shoved me inside and shut the door behind us.“What is wrong with you?”“Well, I’ve had a shitty day, and I need to relax.”“Okay, but you can do that in your room.”“I can’t relax there… I need you to relax.”“Since when do you need me
Noah rubbed his forehead again, then glanced at the beer cans littered across the ground near his mother’s grave.“Leave them,” I said. “Someone else will pick them up.”“I …” he murmured.I placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I’m not mad.”He looked at me with disdain in his eyes. “You should be. I’m not good for you.”“You aren’t,” I said, smiling. “But I don’t care.”“Why? I don’t understand,” he said.But I don’t know the answer to that question either. All I know is that I’m looking at a boy who’s not ready for the world he created, a boy who can’t face his own sins. A boy whose youth was taken from him too soon, whether by force or by choice. Even if the thing brewing between us is so wrong, I couldn’t help it. He’s just a boy in need of a girl to help him out.“You’re not the only one with secrets,” I muttered. “I guess we’re all bad guys in our own story. And… I’m sorry I talked about your mom.”“I get it.” He nodded a few times. “I’m sorry about everything. The pictures,