Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 91 (Angel's POV) I stared at my phone screen, my thumb hanging over Travis's contact. His nglared back atlike a silent challenge, daringto press the call button. My stomach twisted as a thousand scenarios ran through my mind. What would I even say? Hi, Travis. Remember me? Your stepdaughter? Yeah, I just wanted to talk about Hendrix-oh, and by the way, we've been sleeping together for months. Thought you should know.

My breath hitched as the thought spiraled. I tossed the phone onto the bed like it burned me. God, what was wrong with me? This wasn't just about Hendrix anymore; it was about me. About the mess I'd made of everything.

I buried my face in my hands, groaning softly. Maybe Travis could talk to Hendrix, knock ssense into him. But would he even listen? And if he knew the truth... if he told my mom...

My heart raced at the thought. My mom wouldn't just kill me; she'd buryalive and then revivejust to killagain. She didn't raiseto fail. To embarrass her.

A soft knock at the door pulledout of my spiraling thoughts. "Yeah?" I called out, trying to hide the crack in my voice.

As soon as Hande stepped in, her ever-present energy dimmed to something softer. She looked at me, tilting her head slightly, and then closed the door behind her. "What's up with you?" she asked and plopped onto the edge of my bed. I shrugged, avoiding her gaze. "Nothing." "Uh-huh." Hande leaned forward and narrowed her sharp eyes at me. "You've got that look. The 'I'm dying inside but pretending I'm not' look. What's going on?" "It's Hendrix," I admitted after a long pause. Just saying his nfelt like carrying a dumbbell. "He's... he's just SO-" "Distant?" she finished for me. "Cold? Annoying as hell?" I nodded, and my throat tightened. "I've tried everything, Hande. I've tried talking to him, giving him space, being patient... but it's like he hatesnow." Hande snorted. "Hendrix doesn't hate you." "You don't see the way he looks at me," my voice cracked. "It's like I've ruined everything." Hande scooted closer and rested her hand on my shoulder. "Angel, listen to me. Hendrix doesn't hate you. If anything, I think it's the opposite. He loves you so much that seeing you with Thomas is killing him." I shook my head as tears began streaming down my face. "But he should wantto be happy, right? Isn't that what you do when you love someone?" Hande pulledinto a warm and comforting hug. "Love makes people stupid, Angel. And Hendrix? He's the king of stupid when it comes to you." I shakily laughed through the tears. "What do I do?" "I don't know," she admitted softly. "But you've got to find a way to talk to him. To fix this. Because I don't think either of you can keep going like this." I nodded against her shoulder, the lump in my throat growing. I didn't know how to fix this, but I knew Hande was right. I had to try.

(Eddie's POV) I paced the length of the hallway. My hands were stuffed into my pockets, and my heart was pounding like I'd just run a marathon. This was stupid. Why was I so nervous? It was just Hande. Loud, sarcastic, always-right Hande. But she was also Hande. Bright-eyed, heart-stealing, completely-out-of-my-league Hande.

I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to psych myself up. "Okay, Eddie," I muttered to myself. "You're not a coward. You've faced worse. You can do this." The door to the common room creaked open, and there she was. Hande strolled out. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she had a notebook tucked under her arm. She spottedimmediately and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you lurking?" she asked teasingly but curiously.

"I'm not lurking," I said and cleared my throat. "I was just... waiting for you." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she stepped closer. "What's up? You look like you're about to confess to a murder or something." I laughed nervously. "Not a murder, but... yeah, I do have something to confess." Hande crossed her arms, and her lips twitched into a smirk. "Oh, this should be good. Lay it on me, Eddie." I took a deep breath; my palms were so sweaty. "Okay, so... I like you." Her smirk was replaced by wide-eyed surprise. "What?" "I like you," I repeated the words faster now. "Like, a lot. And I know I'm probably the last guy you'd ever think about in that way, but I just... I had to tell you." Hande blinked atwith an unreadable expression. My heart sank. Great. I'd ruined everything.

But then she burst out laughing. Full-on, belly-aching laughter.

"Seriously?" I asked, half-offended, half-panicked. "You're laughing?" "I'm sorry," she said between giggles. "It's just... you're so tic, Eddie. Like, you're confessing your love in a soap opera or something." I crossed my arms, pouting. "Well, excusefor having feelings." Hande's laughter softened, and she stepped closer. Her expression turned serious. "Eddie, you're an idiot. But you're also sweet. And funny. And... yeah, I like you too." My jaw dropped. "Wait, what?" She rolled her eyes and punched my shoulder lightly. "Don't makesay it again." A grin spread across my face, and before I could stop myself, I pulled her into a hug. She let out a surprised yelp but didn't pull away.

"This is the best day of my life," I declared tically as I spun her around.

"Okay, calm down," she said, laughing. "You're embarrassing yourself." "I don't care," I said and set her down but kept my arms around her. "You like me. That's all that matters." Hande shook her head as a small smile tugged at her lips. "You're such a dork." "And you love it," I teased.

She didn't deny it. Instead, she leaned in and kissed me. Her lips were perfectly warm and sultry soft m against mine F tmine. For once in my life, I was completely speechless. When we pulled away, she rested her forehead against mine with that cute smile still on her pretty face. "You're lucky you're cute, Eddie." "Lucky?" I repeated, grinning. "Hande, I feel like I just won the lottery."

She laughed, and the sound filled the space between us; it was light and full of hope...exactly what my insides felt like at the moment. For the first tin a long time, everything felt right. Suddenly, Hande crossed her alms and narrowed her eyes as if studyingfor a long, tense moment. "You're serious about this? About me?" Her voice was quieter now, less teasing, and for a second, I almost couldn't read her. "Dead serious," I replied and stepped closer. "Hande, I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't mean it. I know I'm not perfect or whatever, but I'll do my best to make you happy. That's all I want." She bit her lip and glanced down at the floor as if weighing her options. "Eddie, you're sweet, but relationships aren't exactly easy, especially not here. What if it all goes to hell? What if=" "What if we don't try and regret it forever?" I cut in gently. "Look, I get it. This place sucks, and everything feels like it's falling apart all the time, but maybe that's why we need something good. Something... real."

Hande's gaze met mine, and for a moment, the wall she'd kept up cracked just slightly "You're really not going to give up on this, are you?" she asked as her lips quirked into a faint smile. "Nope," I said, grinning. "Not a chance. You're stuck withnow." She exhaled a soft laugh while shaking her head. "Fine. But you screw this up, and I'm kicking your ass. Deal?" "Deal," I said immediately, my grin stretching wider. As she leaned intoand rested her head against my chest, I couldn't help but feel like I'd just won the most important battle of my life.