Beyond the Pack’s Law: My stepsister or nobody else

Hayley’s Pov

“Hi Holland” I said back to him with a smile on my lips.

“Looking all bright today.” He apparently not recognizing me that morning. “Did something good happen?”

I quickly looked at Mina and Mona whether I should tell them the real score between Aiden and me.

“Umm Holland… I’ll speak with you later.” I said as I took both Mina and Mona’s hand and pulled them with me into an empty class room.

“Well. .. ” I started slowly. “I suppose you can say we cleared things between Aiden and I. ”

Mina’s eyes widened. “Your stepbrother? Really? Do tell!”

“Yeah, fill us in!” Mona encouraged. “Oh we had no clue things were so tense between the two of you. ”

Thinking about Aiden and the moments that we have been through, my cheeks became red once more.

Probably it is best to omit such details.

“We just… talked for hours last night and then decided it would be stupid to keep going on like this,” I said somewhat evasively. I believe that children should be the ones with a friendly attitude as they said, “We’re going to make more of an effort to get along from now on. ”

The howling of the school bell brought them back to reality, effectively reminding them that they were due for first period.

Tactfully taking my arm, Mina placed her arm through it.

You are going to tell me all the details later in the cafeteria, aren’t you? She cheekily winked at me.

I laughed. “We’ll see!”

The morning classes are some of the worst in that they are boring and there is nothing much one can do except endure them.

In my thoughts I often went back to Aiden as well as the change in the level of contact between us.

Was this merely a one night stand or did it signify a lot more?

Most of the complications suddenly seemed to be swirling in my head.

Finally, it was lunchtime.

These are some of the details of the events of the day.

That afternoon, I met Mina, and Mona in the usual table which we preferred at the cafeteria.

They started to question me concerning Aiden right from the start of the party.

“Glad to see that’s the case then; you two have history? Surely there’s more than that between you two?” Mina quizzed with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. “Well,…working things out. You know how complex step-family relations are. ”

“But do you like him?” Mona was very direct with her question. “Like, more then a step-brother, get it?”

The words hung in the air.

Did I have deeper feelings for Aiden beyond just the physical?

Unbidden, images of his intense gaze and gentle touch flooded my mind.

“I… I’m not sure,” I admitted slowly. “It’s all really new and unexpected. I don’t want to make assumptions.”

My friends exchanged loaded looks. Clearly they suspected there was more to the story than I was letting on.

“Well, whatever is going on, we’ll support you,” Mina stated. “You deserve to be happy, Hayley.”

I felt a surge of affection for my friends and their acceptance. Maybe I didn’t have to carry this secret alone.

“Thanks, you guys,” I said gratefully. “I promise to keep you updated as Aiden and I figure things out ourselves.”

The conversation moved on to other topics, but my mind kept circling back to Aiden.

Where would this new dynamic between us lead? Only time would tell…

The rest of the school day seemed to drag on interminably as I couldn’t stop thinking about Aiden.

My mind replayed our intimate moments over and over, making me blush involuntarily.

I found myself daydreaming about the feeling of his strong arms around me, his intoxicating scent, the brush of his lips against my skin…

I shook my head, trying to clear the distracting thoughts.

I needed to focus if I hoped to pass my classes.

Still, sneaking glances at Aiden across the classrooms proved impossible to resist.

A few times, our eyes met and I felt a jolt of electricity course through me.

The secret we now shared hung thickly in the air between us.

Finally, the last bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

I hurriedly gathered my things, anxious to see Aiden again.

Would he act differently around me now that we had crossed that line?

“Hayley! Wait up!”

I turned to see Mona jogging to catch up with me. Her eyebrows raised as she looked me over.

“You’re practically vibrating with energy. Anything you want to share?” she asked knowingly.

I bit my lip, debating how much to reveal. Mona was my closest friend – maybe I could confide in her, at least a little.

“It’s just… things with Aiden are really intense right now,” I admitted vaguely. “I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Mona’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh my god, did you two… you know…” She made a crude gesture.

“Mona!” I hissed, looking around frantically to make sure no one overheard. “Let’s discuss this somewhere more private.”

She looped her arm through mine conspiratorially. “My house? We can get snacks and you can fill me in on all the juicy deets.”

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

It would feel good to talk to someone about the tumultuous emotions I was experiencing with Aiden.

Maybe Mona could help me make sense of it all.

At her house, we settled onto the couch with a bag of chips and some sodas.

Mona fixed me with an expectant look.

“Okay, spill. What’s really going on between you and your stepbrother?”

I chewed my lip anxiously. How much should I reveal?

Taking a deep breath, I decided to be as honest as I could.

“Aiden and I… we crossed a line the other night. It just kind of happened – one minute we were talking and the next…” I trailed off, cheeks burning.

Mona’s jaw dropped. “No way! You hooked up with him? That’s a taboo and forbidden! Was it romantic at all or just physical?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t know!” I exclaimed, running a hand through my hair agitatedly. “The chemistry between us is undeniable, but I can’t tell if Aiden wants something real or if he just got caught up in the heat of the moment.”

Mona nodded sagely. “Yeah, guy can be really dense about that stuff sometimes. Have you tried talking to him about how you’re feeling?”

I shook my head miserably. “I’m almost too afraid to bring it up. What if he regrets everything and wants to go back to just being stepsiblings? I don’t think I could handle that.”

“Oh, honey.” Mona scooted closer and gave me a comforting hug. “I’m sure that’s not the case, especially if the heat was that intense between you two! But the only way to know is to be upfront with him.”

Her words made sense, but actually following through seemed terrifying.

Still, continuing on like this, paralyzed by uncertainty, didn’t seem viable either.

I would have to find the courage to have that difficult conversation with Aiden sooner rather than later.