Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

KASMINE

I shifted nervously on the cracked pavement as a cold breeze blew down the empty street, My heart thudded loudly.

I glanced around for the third time, hugging myself as the wind picked up again. My arms were freezing,

but that wasn't the reason my hands were shaking.

It'd been almost ten minutes since I arrived, and Jake still hadn't shown

I'd spoken with him using Mum's phone, just before leavi up.

house, and he told me to wait for him at the old Burget City, just five minutes away from

our house.

It was already past seven.

This street looked worse at night. The streetlights were dim and spaced out like they didn't even care to work anymore. The diner behind me was shut down and boarded up years ago, but the graffiti-covered windows and crumbling sign made the whole place feel haunted. The kind of haunted that gets under your skin, not the Hollywood kind.

Another five minutes passed.

Still no Jake.

My heart wouldn't calm down.

Fifteen minutes later, I stopped pretending this was okay.noveldrama

It was stupid just standing here in the dark, on this dead street, waiting like some pathetic idiot for someone who was probably too hurt to face me at the moment, Yeah, I couldn't do it anymore.

I turned around, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying, and started walking back home.

I was just turning the corner when the low hum of an engine rolled down the road behind me.

My heart shot into my throat and I froze.

The glow of headlights shone through the misty darkness, crawling slowly along the broken street. My breath caught. For a split second, panic gripped me. My mind raced with all the worst possibilities - was it someone dangerous? Was I about to be one of those stories people tell about but never believe?

I took a cautious step back, squinting toward the lights, my fists clenched tightly at my

sides.

And then I saw that beat-up hood, the busted left headlight, and the dull green paint that looked almost black at night.

It was Jake's car.

Relief and anxiety crashed together in my chest. I stood still, watching dying, and then the door flew open.

as the

car rolled to a slow stop right in front of me. The engine coughed a bit before

Jake jumped out, worry spread across his face. His hair was slightly disheveled, and his hoodie was stained with what looked like grease.

"Kasmine. Shit. I'm so sorry," he blurted, walking toward me quickly, hands already raised like he was pleading for mercy. "My fuel ran out. Right in the middle of nowhere. I had to hike to some goddamn station like a mile away to get just enough fuel to move the car."

He let out a breath, almost like a laugh, as if he couldn't believe it himself. "I didn't think it would take this long. I swear I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

I just stared at him for a moment, with my heart still pounding. My throat tightened, but I nodded.

"It's okay," I said quietly, even though it kind of wasn't. "I thought you changed your mind."

He blinked like the words surprised him. Then he opened the passenger door. "Come on. Let's just talk. Like I promised. ~

I hesitated for a second, then slid into the seat.

He circled the hond and got in on the driver's side, twisting the key. The engine barely rumbled to life.

Just as he reached for the gear, I turned to him. "Where are we going?"

He paused. "Somewhere special."

I frowned. "You said we'd just talk. In your car. You said you wouldn't keep me long."

"I did," he nodded, keeping his gaze forward. "And I still mean it. But I need you to trust me, okay?"

We drove in silence for fifteen minutes.

Fifteen long, uncomfortable,

unsettling minutes where all I could hear was the low, sputtering hum of the engine and the occasional squeak of the wipers dragging across the dirty windshield. Jake didn't say a word. Not even a glance in my direction.

Yet

I watched the buildings thin out. Streetlights disappeared behind one by one, swallowed by the night. Houses gave way to fields. And the

further we went, the tighter my chest

felt. sŵnovel

Something wasn't right.

I shifted in my seat, fingers picking at a loose thread on my sleeve. The cold from earlier had settled into

my was dealing with. It was panic.

"Kester might already be home," I said finally, "If he doesn't find me

Jake cut in, his eyes still fixed on the road. "We're almost there."

I blinked. "Almost where, Jake?"

He didn't answer right away. He just pressed his foot slightly harder on the gas.

I turned to the window again, watching darkness blur past.

nes. But right now, it wasn't just the cold

-

Then we pulled up to a crossroads. There was not a single streetlight in sight. Every direction looked the

same pitch black, silent, still.

Jake slowed the car to a stop.

My fingers curled tightly around the edge of the seat.

He turned off the engine.

"We're here," he said quietly.

I looked around, pulse thudding in my ears. "Where... where is here?"

Jake leaned back in his seat, one hand resting on the steering wheel. "This is the best place for us right now."

I stared at him.

"What does that even mean?"

He didn't look at me. His jaw flexed slightly like he was chewing on something he couldn't quite spit out.

"I mean," he said finally, "this is the one place no one's going to interrupt us. No noise. No lights. No Kester."

His voice had dipped into something calin.

"For once, he murmured, "I just want you to hear me, without looking over your

shoulder. Without panicking. Without thinking someone going to vidt

away

He held my gaze for a little longer before adding.

For once, Kasmine, I want to be in control."

Author's note: I found out that more than 90% of my readers didn't see the comment I dropped in the comment session. That's why I wrote this chapter, to be able to reach out to you all. I am really sorry for the late updates. I've been in the hospital for the past five days now, hence my inability to keep up with updates. But I'm doing my best, and I'm gradually feeling better. I'll resume daily updates from tomorrow, hopefully. Thank you all for your patience. It

Thank you

means a lot to me.