Page 61 of Backstroke

“He kisses me, Row,” I whisper, knowing she’ll know the magnitude of this situation since she was the one that told me Remy never kisses girls.

Rowyn’s eyes widen in shock as her hand covers her mouth with a gasp. “He kisses you?” she repeats, as the words echo around us. “Fal, that’s huge. Remy never kisses girls. Like, ever.”

“I know. I didn’t know it was a big deal until you mentioned that last night,” I sigh.

I nod, my mind racing. “I thought after finding out about our parents, he wouldn’t want anything to do with me. But I was wrong. He’s been... vehement. And now, with everything that happened this morning, I don’t know what to think.”

“So, what happened this morning?”

“We had a fight. A really bad one. And... It scared me. His anger reminded me of my dad. I panicked and ran out of his room into his friend, Nix. Remy saw him helping me, and things got... crazy. He punched Nix for touching me,” I wince. I hate that I was the reason for Remy’s aggression.

“I’ve heard Remy’s anger can be intense, but I never thought he’d get physical.” Rowyn reaches out and squeezes my hand. “But it sounds like he’s pretty serious about you. You need to talk to him, Fal. Figure out what he really wants. And you need to be honest with yourself about what you want too.” I bite my lip, the reality of the situation weighing heavily on me.

“Did Phoenix get hurt?” she asks.

“Who?”

“Nix. His name is Phoenix,” she explains with a strange blush on her cheeks.

“Oh, I-no I think he’s okay.”

“Well, that’s good,” she mentions, trying to be nonchalant.Interesting.I’ll have to come back to that later because I still need her advice.

“Remy’s my stepbrother now. Isn’t that weird?” I whisper, hating to even say the words aloud.

Rowyn’s expression softens with understanding. “I know it’s complicated. But you can’t ignore your feelings just because of what other people might think. If Remy’s important to you, then you owe it to yourself to figure this out.”

“So, you don’t think it’s gross?” I cringe.

Rowyn throws her head back and starts laughing. “Girl, I read stepbrother romances all the time. You actually get to live it.” Her smile is bright, making the weight of everything suddenly feel bearable. “Besides, it’s not like you grew up together. I don’t see a problem at all. I think you’re using that as an excuse to let Remy go, even though I can see how much he means to you.”

“What? No! I didn’t say that!” I stammer, feeling my face flush with embarrassment.

Rowyn’s expression softens. “Then what’s really holding you back? If it’s fear, that’s okay. But you need to be honest with yourself, Fallon.”

I take a deep breath, the weight of her words sinking in. “I guess I am scared. Scared of how complicated everything is. Scared of getting hurt.”

Rowyn nods, understanding. “That’s natural. But remember, sometimes the things we’re most afraid of are the things worth fighting for.” I nod, as she gets up from the table. “I’m always here for you. Lyndsy, too. We need to fill her in on everything at some point.”

“Yeah, definitely,” I agree.

Rowyn’s phone vibrates in her pocket. She pulls it out and blushes from whatever message she just received. “I’m going out for a bit,” she mentions, making me wonder who she’s talking to.

“Sure. I need to get some things done, too.” She nods, keeping her face glued to her phone as she walks into her room, closing the door behind her.

Deciding to not waste the rest of the day, I return to my room just as I hear another text come through. I sigh, flopping on the bed to read them.

Mom:

Sweetie, answer your phone. I’m sorry about last night, but I’m worried about you.

Mom:

I love you, Fallon. Please don’t shut me out.

I sigh, reading her messages, but I don’t think I can talk to right now. I need to get things sorted out in my mind first. Hearing from her will only make my decision more complicated. I decide on a quick reply to stop her calls.

Fallon:

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