Chapter 2

OLIVIA'S POV

I don't know how long I stood there but the next time I was conscious of my environment, mom was looking at me weirdly. 

"Are you ok? You've been staring at that picture for a very long time that you didn't notice I was here" she said after I acknowledged her presence. 

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just wondering why you chose not to tell me that my new stepbrother is Dante!" 

I shrieked and held my head in my hands, like my world was ending.

She, however, narrowed her eyes at me, looking confused. 

"Is that something very important? I wasn't sure you knew him. You only had a friend in school and that was Alicia so I didn't know if you knew Dante" She said as we walked together into the living room. 

"There's no one who went to school the same time as I did who wouldn't know Dante. He's singularly the hottest boy in school and every girl and some boys had massive crushes on him." 

"Oh, really? I never knew he was the one you had a crush." 

I looked at mom like she has grown a new pair of eyes. 

I was feeling so overwhelmed.

How was I going to face him without making a fool of myself?

I whisper-yelled as I stared at his picture in wonder.

"How come he hasn't changed? How is this even possible? He's so hot..." I was fan-girling so hard my mom laughed at me. 

"So you think I'm that hot, huh?" 

I froze. 

No!

No!

This can't be real. 

This can't be happening. 

He can't be here. 

I mean it's his house but not right this instant. 

I didn't hear the door so it must be my imagination. 

It had been ages!

I remember how I'd fawn over him, even though he had a girlfriend and Alicia would tut and shake her head in disgust. She didn't know why I liked him. I didn't know why either. We had never spoken at all.

"Oh, hello Dante. It's nice to finally get to meet you" My mom said and stood up to greet him. It must have been a hug. 

"Likewise, ma'am. You look so beautiful." He said, always the charmer. 

So, he's actually here. 

Someone kill me now and save me from my embarrassment.

"This is my daughter." Mom said as she nudged me to stand up. I did but stared at my shoes. I couldn't look at any of them in the face. I don't think I'll be able to leave my room in the next few years. Might as well disappear. 

"Olivia, right? I know you. I used to think your name was so beautiful. It's nice to properly meet you," I saw his hand in front of my face. 

He wanted to shake my hand. 

Was that even real? 

Dante, the object of several of my wet dreams and orgasms, wanted to shake my hand. 

I stared at the hand for a while before mom nudged me again. I shook his hand, still not looking at his face, my skin tingling. 

When I finally summoned the courage to look up at him, my breath seized. He was looking at me, smiling and he looked even hotter than I remember. His hair was damp and he ran his fingers through them like he was in a tv commercial. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and gulped. His Adam's apple bubbed as he drank and it was the most arousing sight I had ever seen.

He had on those kind of pants he would normally wear back then in school— loose jeans with a t-shirt damp with sweat, stuck to his chest. My eyes grew large as I saw the outline of his abs and nipples.

 I looked up shyly into his striking hazel eyes and he was smiling at me strangely.

Crap! He had caught me staring at his chest.

I blushed hard.

“I’m sorry I look this way, I've been working all day.” He grinned that heart melting boyish grin that turned me to mush. He shrugged and downed what was left of his bottle.

No need to apologize, I wanted to say. I liked what I was seeing. Why should you apologize for looking hot?!

Butterflies were having a field day in my stomach. I felt faint. 

“I really hope we can get along, well…” he was saying, looking at me intently as if waiting for a reply. I had nothing to say to him. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth I would tell him how much I wanted him, then and now.

But thankfully, I was saved by the bell before I embarrassed myself!

Just then, my soon-to-be step father walked in with the air and grace of one who was an important personality. My mum rushed to him like she had never seen anything precious in her life and they kissed.

“Ugh…” I and Dante groaned in disgust at the same time. We looked at each other and he smiled. I broke our gaze almost immediately and looked at the floor.

Our parents were still at it like rabid dogs in heat. 

“Get a room!” Dante yelled at them and they broke it off and his dad gave an awkward laugh while my mum blushed deep red— her lips swollen from the kissing. She looked content, relaxed— more than I had ever seen her before.

Suddenly Dante's dad was in front of me, with his hand outstretched for me to shake. 

“Hi, I'm Alex. You must be Olivia. I've heard so much about you…”

~~~~

At dinner, Mum made sure we ate together as a family, even though I would have preferred to stay in my room to have my dinner, so as to avoid you-know-who.

For some reason I wasn't sure of, Dante kept looking at me. Once or twice I looked up and caught his eyes and he always smiled, making me nervous. I barely touched my food as I was a bundle of nerves. 

Our parents were oblivious to the subtle gazes we exchanged as they were in a bubble of their own.

I stood from the table and mumbled my thanks as I took my unfinished plate to the kitchen.

“Uh… Olivia, what's going on? You haven't touched your food.”

I cursed mentally.

“I don't feel so good. Maybe it's jetlag. I don't think I'm awake yet.”

My mum seemed like she was about to protest.

“That’s okay, I get the feeling sometimes too. It can be really uncomfortable.” Alex said and laughed. The sound filled the dinning room.

My mum had a resigned look on her face like she thought I was being rude but would let me off anyway and quickly glanced at Dante and he had a deep frown on his face like he was concentrating on something or like he was concerned for me. I didn't know why he looked at me that way. But I damn well know it couldn't be the latter.