Romance: My Stepbrother's Plaything

by Valentine, Annie

  Their wedding was in less than two weeks and somehow, fate had decided to her fiancés old ex-sauntering into the picture. And while Hannah was okay with Samantha having a side part, she did not want her to take over the entire show and dominate, cutting Hannah out the picture.

  She took a deep breath.

  “Hannah,” Hayley said slowly, “Don’t worry about anything okay? You’re going to be married to this guy soon. I’ll snoop around and hound Samantha – I’ll find out if she has any bad intentions oaky?”

  Hannah nodded, her words having provided some form of relief to her that she did not even realize that she needed properly.

  “Thanks, Hails,” she said in gratitude, “you’re honestly the best.”

  “Oh and I am about to get so much better,” Hayley replied with a small wink, “Don’t forget your bachelorette weekend is this Friday! We are going to have a really good time,” she announced excitedly.

  “Honestly, I do not want you to go to such great lengths to organize this,” she told her best friend.

  “Hush,” Hayley dismissed her at once, “You will have the best time of your life and you do not get to have a single say about it, miss!”

  Chapter 4

  Hannah had decided to surprise Nick with Take Out food from his favorite Chinese place – they had not seen each other properly since the entire event with Samantha took place. Hannah realized that she had been inadvertently avoiding him, using the guise of work to mask her unwillingness and she realized that she needed to fix things once with him properly before she jetted off to her bachelorette weekend in Vegas this week.

  Clicking the little lock button on her keychain for her car, her hands fished inside her purse for the keys to their shared apartment. Stealing one last glance in the glazed car window, she gave herself a quick once over and then headed upwards inside the building. She reminded herself that she had no reason to behave this way to him and the Samantha thing did not mean anything.

  One of the perks of having been together for so long meant that they did not have to put up a lot of pretenses in how they looked around each other – she could be walk over to him clad in nothing but a messy bun and sweat pants and he would still think that she is the most beautiful person to walk this earth.

  “Babe?” Hannah called out in the empty foyer, as she entered their apartment, “You home?” she asked, and even though she knew he would be home anyway.

  “In here,” she heard his voice coming from the distance – he was in the living room.

  “Hey,” she greeted him with a chaste kiss over the top of his lips, walking over to him, “I missed you,” she admitted sincerely.

  She had missed him – they were a couple that almost never fought and always found it in to communicate whenever they were having issues. So it was quite strange that she had been keeping the Samantha thing to herself – but mostly the reason for that was deep down, she felt as though her mind was playing tricks on her and she was making it to be a bigger deal than it was.

  He smiled, “So do I,” he said and then turned up his nose as if to inspect the air, “Is that what I think it is?” he said grinning, his eyes now following the trail to the box of food in her left hand.

  His giddiness was contagious and she was smiling along with him soon enough, “It is exactly what you think it is,” she said, returning the same grin.

  “Oh babe,” he said, laughing, “Let me at it!”

  The duo ate their food in silence – but not the awkward kind of silence that leaves you racking for your brain to find words to say; more of a comfortable ease - one that could only be achieved by two people who had known each other as long as they had.

  She knew that this was a good sign – this stupid passive aggressive thing they had going on was on its way to being resolved and Hannah was wondering why it hadn’t come any sooner.

  Afterwards, Nick suggested they snuggle in and watch a movie and Hannah was only happy to comply – pleased to know that he also wanted to spend time with her just as much as she did.

  Hannah had just gotten out of the shower – with her hair that smelled of strawberries wrapped up in a towel and her body snug in her most comfortable t-shirt. She had only made a few steps out of the bedroom when she noticed Nick was standing in front of her with an arm full of popcorn and what appeared to be a DVD in his hands.

  “I thought the Chinese take-out thing was really sweet of you,” he said, “so I decided we should take the rest of the day off as well and just chill; watch a movie.”

  “Is it another one of those Kevin Mason comedies you like so much?” she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Maybe,” he bit back his tongue and grinned at her, “Come cuddle, I’ve set it all up.”

  She rolled her eyes at him but she was laughing as she walked over to him. Once close enough, she bopped his nose, “let me dry my hair first and then I will join you.”

  His mouth twisted into an expression that could only be defined as a pout, “Okay,” he said, “I’ll be watching you the entire time, though.”

  “Creep,” she laughed as she ran the blow dryer along the lengths of her hair.

  “Oh, you love it baby.”

  Finally, she was done drying her hair and she walked over to him. He took her hand and pulled her down to the couch next to him and she made herself comfortable, resting her head on his chest as they spooned horizontally along the length of the couch.

  Hannah was mostly concentrated on the movie – even laughing at the corny jokes that they threw in between – but it seemed that she was the only one with her mind solely on the movie. Slowly, she felt Nick’s hand creep up underneath her t-shirt and his lips dipping down to slowly kiss her neck.

  “I thought you wanted to watch the movie,” she told him, shivering a little as his lips caressed a particularly sweet spot on her neck – which he was completely aware about and was now exploiting it to its full potential.

  Damn, this guy is good. Hannah thought, as she felt her attention slipping away from the movie and settling on the person next to her.

  He mumbled something incoherent against her skin and then his head bobbed upwards, “I intended to, but I can’t help it if you’re more than a little distracting,” he said to her in a low voice, breathing in the scent of her. She always smelled so good and it was hard for him not to just cuddle her up at all times of the day.

  She laughed, “You really should not start something you will not finish,” she teased, as his hands snaked further up her shirt – stopping when they were called out like a boy getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  “Who said anything about not finishing?” he replied back and then resumed his ministrations with his fingers now gliding over her exposed breast, grabbing at it slightly but not so much as to not be too harsh. But Hannah was thoroughly enjoying herself as she let out small sounds of encouragement and then grinded up back against him in response, causing his jeans to tighten more than a little.

  “Oh god, stop,” he breathed out, frustrated by her hip movements, “Actually, don’t,” he said and suddenly, he had flipped her over so that now he was now on top of her. His cool minty breath fanned across her face and the sensation of it was enough to send her into a dizzying haze.

  “Nick,” she whined and adjusted herself beneath him, “Can you – just,” she spluttered out her words, her mind always was an incoherent jumble of words whenever he was in such close proximity of her.

  “Relax, babe,” he told as he reached over to discard her shirt over from her shoulders. Other articles of clothing were soon to follow and soon they were bared out to each other in flesh – this felt so natural to them as they had been in this exact same position more times than they could even keep track.

  “Shit, Nick,” she breathed out as she felt him push into her suddenly, “God – keep doing that,” she told him as he finally picked up a steady pace and rhythm.

  He did not answer and instead just took both of her hands and pin
ned her on top of her head as he worked in and out of her. Hannah threw her head back in ecstasy – she was feeling unlike she had ever before with him. Perhaps it was the release of all the pent up passive aggressiveness she had kept from him for the past few days but whatever it was, it sure seemed to be working.

  Because they had started dating so early on in high school, the both of them did not get to explore a lot with many partners. Hannah had only slept with one other person besides Nick so she knew she did not have a lot to draw a comparison on but she knew that there was no one that understood her like Nick – he somehow always knew he right moves to make, the right spots.

  And right now, he was reading her body like a map whose coordinates were a language that he was fluent in. He knew just when to pace himself with her, never being so that it seemed like he was doing all the work and she was just lying there. No, this was a mutual activity.

  “Hold tight, babe,” he told her as he exerted himself one last time. And soon, they were both lost in sweet release. Hannah felt her eyes close back as she recovered from the immense pleasure she had just experienced and he rolled off her. The last words they muttered to each other were a cheesy proclamation of love before the both of them drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 5

  The morning of Hannah’s bachelorette weekend had finally arrived. She had woken up a little earlier to catch her flight to Las Vegas. Having made sure that everything was now packed and in its place, Hannah dashed over to her room to see Nick still sleeping.

  She watched him from the door arch for a little while and examined how sleepy he looked – it made her heart flutter to think that this man had chosen to spend the rest of his life with her and how lucky she had been in this position.

  She contemplated waking him up but then decided not to – he deserved to sleep in today. But right before she was leaving the room, his phone started to buzz. Not wanting the sound to wake him up, she darted over to it and hastily grabbed it in her hands.

  But right before she could press the little button to put it on silent, she noticed that she had just received a string of text message. The words flashed on the screen.

  NEW MESSAGES: Sam (7)

  Hannah bit her lip, staring at the screen for more than a few seconds. What business did Samantha have texting Nick this early into the morning and that, too, in abundance? She wrinkled her nose and then, against the better part of her brain telling her not to do so, she clicked on the unlock button and opened the thread.

  Sam: Nick! I hope you’re excited for 2night ;))

  WE GON GET WASTED, MY BOY

  Haha Trevor said he will one up me on arrangements

  but we both KNOW I AM THE ONLY PERSON AROUND HERE WHO KNOWS TO THROW A PARTY

  hey wake up already :((

  you’re going 2 luv this

  I’m so exciteddddd ughh ;))))

  Hannah read the text messages once and then twice again, as to soak in this new information. Her eyebrows knotted in confusion and despite her trying not to, strange thoughts started to seep in her mind.

  But before she could string them together in one coherent thought, she heard Nick stir in the bed in front of her and get up.

  “Hannah?” he called out to her groggily, “Is that my phone in your hand?” he asked her as he spotted the gray device that she held in between her fingers.

  “You never told me you were going to be Samantha again this weekend?” She asked as she slowly walked over to him, her hands now crossed out in front of her.

  “What?” he said, “Have you been reading my texts? That’s not okay, Hannah,” he sounded annoyed at her snooping.

  This made Hannah’s temper rise, “Why did you keep this from me?” She asked.

  Nick had gotten up now and was raising his hands in front of himself in defense, “Because I did not think it was that big of a deal? Come on, you are blowing this way out of proportion,” he said.

  And set off the last switch of patience Hannah had left inside of her. “I am blowing this out of proportion? She’s basically telling you she will give a great time tonight and goddamn throwing herself at you! And you expect me to sit back and say it is okay?” she was fuming.

  “Relax, okay,” he told her, “You are going away to your bachelorette weekend too. Let me have mine,” as he said the words, the situation finally clicked inside of Hannah’s brain.

  The party he was meant to attend with Samantha was not just some random gathering – it was meant to be his bachelors party – the thought of it made her both uneasy and angry.

  “You are letting her throw you a bachelor party?” Hannah demanded an answer from him as her nostrils flared and she looked at him with a lot of anger.

  Nick was quiet for a moment but then he seemed to puff up his chest and look at her, “I am allowed to let my friends throw me my goddamn bachelor party, Hannah,” he said in that tone of his that was slow but conveyed the anger he was also feeling.

  “Not when that friend of yours is someone you used to be in a relationship with!” she finally said it.

  She had been thinking about his new found friendship with Samantha and had reservations regarding it for days but she never brought it up as openly as she feared she would sound petty and jealous but right now, she felt completely validated in her claim and felt as though she had every right to complain.

  Nick knitted his eyebrows together, as though she had something unconceivable to him. “That is not fair and you know it, Hannah. She is not trying to steal me away from you, why the hell are you being so insecure?” he fired at her.

  His words stung – the last thing she wanted to hear from him was being called insecure. Slowly, she walked over to him and then threw the phone on the side of the bed.

  “There,” she said, “You can speak to her for however long you like. I am going away – have fun at your bachelor weekend – and try not to screw her in our bed at least,” she said and then walked out the door.

  She knew her words had been harsh but she could not help herself against the bitterness and hurt she currently felt. She was out the door but despite her anger, she turned back to look at the front door one last time to see if he had come to stop her and apologize.

  But he never came.

  The flight to Las Vegas was going to be a long one.

  Chapter 6

  Hayley was not the only best friend that Hannah had – in fact, she had another one that had a moved a couple of years ago to Seattle for work and so, they did not see each other as often. But that did not mean that they were not as close. Her name was Kim.

  For Hannah’s bachelorette weekend, she had decided to cancel all her appointments and take the next flight to Las Vegas. And now, there she was in Hannah’s hotel room but instead of a hearty reunion, the mood of the room was in much lower spirits as Hannah sulked in one quiet corner with a wine glass in one hand and her phone in another, her eyes flicking over to it every now and then to see if a text message had arrived for her.

  It never came.

  “I did not realize this was going to such a snooze fest,” Kim said as she threw a grape in Hannah’s direction to get her attention but it did not work to catch it for more than two seconds, “What is your deal?” she asked Hannah, seeming annoyed that they had just been sitting in their hotel room ever since they had arrived.

  “She had a fight with her man and is not telling us anything now,” Hayley said, expertly assessing the situation but not without a roll of the eye.

  “I told you guys- you can go out without me,” Hannah finally spoke up, tearing her eyes away from her phone, “I just need some time to myself,” she admitted with a sigh.

  “Listen, we came all the way for you,” Kim said, walking over to Hannah, “and we cannot just go out knowing that you are cooped up in this room all miserable.”

  “That is the last thing we want to do,” Hayley added, “So can you at least tell us what happened?”

  Hannah sighed – perhaps she was being a little sil
ly but truth was, she still felt extremely upset at the events that went down the last time she spoke to Nick. Usually, they always resolved their fights in less than a few hours but this time, he had not even bothered to text her to even ask if she had landed safely.

  She gulped loudly, “I am just having some issues with Nick,” she admitted quietly, “That is all.”

  “What issues?” Hayley demanded, “Is this about Samantha?”

  And that was all it took. “She is throwing him a bachelor’s party,” she finally said out loud, feeling the words sting even as she said them.

  “Really?” Kim said with a raise of the eyebrow and then looked over to Hayley.

  “And it’s not even that,” Hannah said, “It’s the fact that he kept it from me.”

  “Wait so he had his ex-girlfriend arranged a bachelor’s party for him and he did not even ask you first?” Hayley said as though the idea was entirely outrageous.

  Hannah only replied with a nod.

  “That’s really not okay,” Kim chipped in, “you have every right to be upset.”

  “Actually,” Hayley said, “You don’t get to be upset, okay? This is your once in a lifetime event – you cannot let it get ruined by some stupid argument you had.”

  “You’re right,” Hannah admitted with a sigh, “I should not.”

  “That’s my girl,” Kim hollered.

  The rest of their evening was pretty tame for a bachelorette weekend. They had decided to treat her with some good pampering and her day was spent in a chair in a salon, getting various facials and pedicures done.

  For a bit, it let her get her mind off her own situation as she felt thoroughly relaxed and at ease. Later, they went for a massage and Hannah felt as though all her worries were shed away in the brief moments consisting of that massage.

  But in the night time, even though her body was totally at ease and rest, her mind could not help but race about thoughts of Nick and Samantha.