To Hate My Stepbrother

Ava’s POV

Mason picking me up and dropping me off at work went on for two more days and it was so obvious that almost all of my colleagues would mistake him for my boyfriend.

He’d pick me up and we’ll both go have dinner together or maybe order take outs and watch movies together. I found myself seeking solace in Mason’s presence just like old times.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

I wouldn’t lie about the fact that I enjoyed his presence and the fact that sometimes I just wanted him to hold me till I fell asleep and woke up in his arms.

After a while of asking about what happened between my husband and I, Mason soon stopped and he didn’t even pester me about it anymore. I knew he was curious but he’d genuinely cautioned himself to not bring it up again.

It was almost like when we first met and I asked about his mother, he wouldn’t say a thing about her to me and despite my persistence and curiosity he still kept me in the dark until he was ready to talk.

It’s the same thing, I felt uncomfortable talking about my ex husband at the moment but I knew I would be able to wrap my head around it soon and just talk about it.

The day we’d all decided to go for a picnic as a family was fast approaching and just like the very first day I agreed to go on that beach trip with Mason, I had nothing to wear.

Going to the mall, I shopped for comfortable clothings and a little bit of makeup. It was quite lonely because I went alone and it wasn’t as fun as shopping used to be.

The week went by really quickly and the weekend we’d selected for the picnic came. I went with Mason, Danny and my mum and it was quite enjoyable.

We brought food and made a fire and at some point we sang our hearts out until it was time for the parents to tell their stories. I couldn’t stop laughing when Danny’s story came out a total fail but my mum’s story was good.

It was so good that whenever we heard any rattle we would turn at once and switch our phone’s flashlight on.

“That was really good, I can’t believe I’m actually scared.” Mason commented and just at that moment I touched his shoulders and he fell on his back as we all bursted out laughing.

We sat around the fire to keep warm for a while before finally deciding to go to bed and that was when I realized that we didn’t have enough tents. I’d thought Danny would share the tent with Mason but he didn’t.

“You both try not to chop your heads off, Goodnight.” He said before walking into the tents with my mother and a slight smile formed on my lips.

I knew it was a plan between Danny and my mother and they wanted Mason and I to spend the night in the same tent on purpose.

“I’m not sleepy yet, are you?” Mason’s voice jolted me out of my thoughts and I turned to look at him as I shook my head negatively.

I also wasn’t feeling sleepy yet.

“Cool, have a drink with me?” It came out more like a question than a statement and I agreed. I took the beer from him and lifted my head to watch the stars as I drank.

“Still as beautiful as always, they never let anything make them ugly.” I sighed as I drank the last one of my beer.

“Just like you,” he replied and I turned to look at him with raised eyebrows, “you’re just like the stars.” He continued.

“You might have had it rough and I know that life hasn’t been easy for you but you turned out beautiful and trust me, you’re one hell of a strong woman.” He added as he got on his feet and walked towards me.

“I’m really proud of you.” He finished before leaning into me and placed his lips on my forehead as I closed my eyes. The sound of footsteps made me open my eyes and I could tell that he’s gone into the tent already.

Still staring at the stars, I heard footsteps and turned to see Danny behind me, he walked towards me with both hands in his pocket and a smile on his face.

How can he still be smiling at me when I’ve disappointed him like this?

We soon got to talking and he asked me to be happy no matter what since happiness is one big factor we shouldn’t let anything take away from us.

“Why?” I asked, “why didn’t you scold me or say something when you got to know about the fact that Mason and I dated?” I enquired and he laughed slightly.

“Why will I do that when I know none of us have no control of our own hearts? The heart wants what it wants and it won’t stop until it gets it so why on earth would I want to punish you for an offense that isn’t even your fault?” He explained and I could feel the hot tears at the back of my eyes.

“Thank you…. Thank you so much for being understanding.” My voice broke as I spoke and he nodded.

“What about now? Do you still love him now?” He asked and I shrugged as I dried my tears.

“I don’t know if I still do but all I know right now is that I’m trying to keep away from men and just live for myself.” I answered and he snickered.

He asked why I got a divorce, I never really told anyone what went wrong in my marriage or how my ex husband treated me so they were all curious.

“I did it for myself, my mental health and my happiness.” I answered with a yawn. Turning to look at Danny, I hugged him before walking inside the tent to sleep.