Mystery: VENOMOUS VENGEANCE: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense true Crime Thriller London ) (Suspense Thriller Mystery Action Short stories True crime)

by STEPHEN HILL

  Eventually looking back at me, he asked, "Are you okay?" "I am," I said honestly. "I'm fine." He nodded and looked away again, seeming suddenly awkward. I felt awkward myself, knowing there was just one thing I had to say to him. Despite my feelings towards him, I had to say it.

  "Thank you," I said, looking back at him. "For helping me." He looked back at me, eyes twinkling with slight happiness. "You're welcome... Does this mean we're okay?" I sighed. "Christian, I mean it. We're destined to hate each other." "Why in the world do you think that?" "Because of how messed up my life is. Because you stole my mom," I said, heart clenching at the truth. Christian's eyes expressed pity and I looked away. I bit my lip and stared at the ground, wondering why I was even talking to him. We were supposed to act like the other doesn't exist. "I did nothing, autumn," he said. "You know that right?" "I know that," I said. "I just... Can't." "Can't you try to get to know me at least," he suddenly pleaded. "Just, spend one day with me." My eyes flew back to him, shocked by his request. From the way his eyes were wide with desperation, I knew he meant what he said. He honestly wanted this. "Why do you care if I like you?" I asked, wanting an answer to that single question that had been bothering me. I just didn't understand. We were basically strangers, yet he kept trying. Trying to know and befriend a horrible person such as myself.

  "I don't know," he replied, sounding honest. "I guess... because I don't have much of a family so it would be nice to have a sibling." I looked away, feeling my heart suddenly ache at the thought. To be completely honestly, I felt like it would be nice too. Nice to have someone there for me after everyone had left me.

  But despite that, my only reply to everything he said was, "I honestly don't know. I'm sorry." "I'm going to give you a chance," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Christian's eyes widened as he sat up on the couch, tilting his head slightly as if to determine whether I was being honest. To the shock of myself and everyone else, I was. After an entire week of wondering, I had gone insane. It wasn't his request that had bothered me, or even my mom's treatment of me, it was Christian. He, himself had drove me insane with thoughts. Curious thoughts of who he was. Thanks to my mom, I had assumed he was Mr Perfect. Annoyingly good at everything. Annoyingly too nice. But I had been wrong. That was proven by the swing he took at the creep. Innocent was what I labelled him as, but it didn't seem like that defined him by the way he knew how to swing.

  "You're giving me a chance?" Christian asked slowly, still in shock. My eyes widened as I held up my index finger and brought it to his face. "One chance. You're going to mess it up, so I thought what the hell. Might as well gain a reason to hate you from it." Despite my harsh words, Christian smiled. He smiled his childlike smile of his that ruined his bad boy exterior. Now that I thought about it, was Christian actually a bad boy? Was the black clothing he wore actually supposed to match his dark soul? Who knows. "When do I get to fulfil this chance for you?" he asked, sounding amused. "Um... Tomorrow." I smiled to myself. "You better come up with something fun by then." "Oh, I will." Christian's eyes suddenly shone with challenge, the exact way they did in the bowling alley. I couldn't help but smirk, knowing that he was being overconfident. There was no way he'd win this. I was the judge, so there was no way.

  Christian walked out of the house and locked the door behind us, looking as nonchalant as ever. I on the other hand was nervous, but surprisingly excited. He hadn't given me any details, so I had no idea where we were going. But, from the fact we had to wear casual clothing I knew we would be doing some physical activity. As Christian walked towards me, the sun shone down on him in a way that made him stand out. Dressed in grey sweatpants and a black v- neck, he somehow looked perfect. Not in an attractive way in my eyes, but genuinely perfect. His facial structure was well defined, his blue eyes bluer than the sky. Somehow his hair was both messy and near, and his body - I had to admit - was something many girls would jump at. Not me, of course.

  "Why are you staring at me?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. Only then did I realize he was standing in front of me, staring down at me as his eyebrows furrowed. Blush filled my cheeks as I realized I gave him the satisfaction of me staring at him. Not even people I've crushed on in the past had that satisfaction. I glowered. "I wasn't," I said flatly. "Don't get cocky. His eyebrows rose. "I'm worried about today now."

  At that, I smiled. "You should be. Can we go now?" He nodded and led me to his - new - black car. A car that matched his everyday outfits. I shook my head, amused by the thought. I blinked. "We're going hiking?" "Yes. Good job Autumn. I once brought a girl here and she thought we were going to do something sinful here." I fought back a smile and thought about the activity for the day. Of all the things he could've chosen, he chose hiking. A part of me couldn't believe it and was slightly disappointed. There was so much we could do, but instead we were going to shed pounds in a forest that was probably infested with mosquitoes. "Like I'd ever go near you like that," I couldn't help but say back. "Or in any way." "You wish you could." Was him simple, but surprisingly fact-like reply. I blinked as I made a mental note. Christian is cocky when he doesn't have anything to be cocky about. It seemed like I was already learning something new about him a minute into our day together. "Can we get this day over with," I suddenly said, wanting to be rude after his response.

  He smiled slightly at that and nodded, taking a deep breath in. I then watched as his eyes wandered around the place, taking in the greenery of the dense coniferous trees and bushes. Now I realized he had brought me here for his own needs, not to please me. I added selfish to the list of traits he was.

  Taking a step forward, he said looking back at me with a sudden grin, "Follow me." "Only for today and then we don't know each other. Okay?" I replied, smiling despite my inner self telling me to stick to being a hard core bitch. Christian rolled his eyes, but he smiled as well.

  We were still walking. In silence, we dodged branches and twigs and just walked with no destination in mine. To both my surprise and dismay, I actually enjoyed doing a thing as simple as walking in peace. The sun was beating hard on us and the area smelled like nature. Other than the plants that surrounded us, there weren't any living creatures other than the two of us. And even though it was just the two of us, we didn't say a word. We just walked through the green forest with sweat trailing down our faces, and I was surprisingly happy with this. Probably because I was in the mood to be at peace when life was not peaceful at all.

  Looking at Christian's broad back as he leads the way, I suddenly felt my heart clench as he was a physical reminder of my mom. Of how she didn't love me anymore. Of course I knew I couldn't blame Christian for that, but he did seem to be the reason why she didn't. Because of that, I couldn't help but still feel resentment towards him.

  Suddenly Christian stopped in his place, and with my on-going thoughts I nearly crashed into him. I kissed my teeth at that and stepped back, narrowing my eyes at him. "What?" I asked, annoyed. I just wanted to keep walking in peace. It was the only way I wouldn't feel like crying like the girl I wasn't over my new life. Because honestly, having your very own mom hate you sucked. Even though I was an independent person, it sucked because she was all I had. Christian raised an eyebrow, but soon dropped it as his eyes suddenly softened. Once again he was looking at me with pity evident in his eyes. Anger welled up within me because he still seemed to think I was some sort of delicate thing. "Sorry," he said. "I want to take a break." "I don't want to," I shot back, feeling even more annoyed. Suddenly he reached out towards me and wiped a finger across my forehead. I flinched at the touch, surprised he dared touch me. As I narrowed my eyes at him, he held out his finger that now had a drop of water that I soon realized was sweat.

  "Autumn, I'm not the only one who's tired," he said. "Relax. This is my chance to get you on my good side, so let's take a break. Let's... Bond." My eyes widened slightly as I remembered that this had been my goal all along. To get to know this boy who happened to be my stepbrother. It was smart to know your ene
mies, which made me all the more excited. Tiredly, I said, "Fine."

  "Autumn!" Dee exclaimed, making me turn around to face my friends I had forgotten about. "Oh my god! You're so lucky!" "I know." I grinned. "I can't believe it." "Who's that?" Cheryl suddenly asked. Remembering she didn't know him, I said, "Oh, he's this guy I find really cute. We met a while back and turns out he goes here." "And you're going on a date with him?" she asked.

  I nodded as my smile grew. It being said out loud was even better. "Why?" Cheryl asked, frowning. "What do you mean why?" I shot back instantly, wondering what was up with her. First she spoke gibberish and now she wasn't happy for me. She was one of my best friends, yet I didn't understand her. I didn't know what was up with her actually.

  Cheryl shrugged and I rolled my eyes. Choosing to ignore her, Dee and I talked gleefully about my future date. Excitement was fluttering throughout me the entire time as I ignored Cheryl. At this point, I didn't care about people who weren't happy for me. "Christian!" I yelled, banging the washroom door loudly. "Get out! I need to straighten my hair!"

  This had never been a problem before. It wouldn't even be a problem if I didn't have a date with Nate today. In two hours he would be picking me up, so I needed to straighten my hair in the washroom Christian was currently occupying. I groaned as I heard the shower still on and then yelled, "Christian!" Thankfully, at that moment the washroom turned silent. A smile flew to my lips as I heard Christian mutter to himself, sounding annoyed. I shrugged, knowing it wasn't my fault that my date with the cutest guy I'd seen was in two hours and my hair was a mess. Five minutes later, the washroom door flew open. I was about to say something to Christian as he now stood in front of me, but those words disappeared as I realized something. Christian was shirtless. His chest was at my eye level and it was rising and falling in a soothing pattern. Bringing my eyes down, I soon saw his well-defined abs and it took everything within me to not stare at them. To not even touch them. Because of that, I continued to bring my eyes down. But to my shock, I realized he was wearing nothing but a towel. My cheeks instantly reddened.

  "Why are you rushing me?" Christian asked as I stared down at his large, bare feet. "I need to use the washroom," I replied, trying to ignore the fact that his body seemed to be sculpted by God. Quickly, flying my eyes straight to his face, I looked at him. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was frowning, but I ignored those things. What I couldn't help but notice was his hair that had been brushed hastily by his fingers, and how it dripped water. Much to my horror and disgust, I began to feel nervous. So nervous that I couldn't look at him anymore.

  "There's like three other washrooms," he said, and I could hear the confusion in his voice. From living with Christian for six months, I knew he took long showers. Showers that were so long that I was surprised he didn't look like a prune. I knew I cut his shower time in half, but obviously I didn't care since I needed to straighten my hair.

  "But my straightener is in this washroom," I replied, still looking anywhere but at him. "I need to straighten my hair."

  "Why do you need to straighten your hair?" he asked. "Why are you even dressed up? I've never seen you in a skirt." Finally deciding to gain some guts, I looked at him. I looked at his face, ignoring everything that caught my attention and made me nervous, and just looked at his blue eyes. He looked genuinely curious, but there was also something in his eyes that I couldn't quite describe. Something, I couldn't help but wonder about. With a bit of reluctance, I said, "I have a date." Christian looked expressionless at that, but I caught the bit of annoyance in his voice. "With who?"

  "Nate." I half-heartedly smiled. "It seems like you couldn't scare him away."

  Christian exhaled heavily and ran his fingers through his wet hair. I couldn't help but notice the way his biceps flexed as he did that, causing my gut to twist. Looking back at me, he said with complete seriousness, "I should've tried harder."

  This time, I sighed as I realized we were about to go back to what happened a couple of weeks ago. Even though I felt annoyance at the way he was acting, I decided to not let it get the better of me. Today was supposed to be a good day. A day with a gorgeous guy. I wouldn't let Christian ruin my day. Ignoring what he last said, I pushed past him and said, "I'm going to straighten my hair." I entered the washroom and grabbed my straightener, hoping he'd leave as I plugged it in. To my disappointment, he didn't. He actually came back into the washroom and leaned against a wall, staring at me as he crossed his arms over his chest. Despite my still nervous feelings, I ignored him. When I started straightening my hair, he asked, "What do you even see in him?" "What don't you see in him?" I shot back, fighting back my growing annoyance.

  For a couple of reasons, I wanted Christian to leave. I wanted him gone from my sight. Probably because I felt like throwing up from my nerves being so racked up. Christian sighed. "Autumn, I want you to be careful. Dating now isn't a good idea." Still straightening my hair, I rolled my eyes. "I'm sixteen. I don't need you warning me when my own mom doesn't care if I'm dating." With my annoyance and focus on straightening, I didn't realize Christian had moved closer. Much closer, actually. Only a foot away now, he said, "I know guys best. I am one, you know."

  I couldn't help but glance at him. My cheeks reddened as his body flexed as he moved closer. At this point, I didn't know what was wrong with me. It wasn't like I never saw a shirtless guy. They were everywhere at beaches. But at the same time, none of them looked as perfect as Christian. Pulling my eyes away from the boy that made me want to throw up with nerves, I muttered, "Are you sure you're a guy."

  "Autumn," he said, right next to me. "I'm not looking for a fight." I could feel his body heat as he was an inch away from me. I could also smell the sweet smell of his shampoo. By now I couldn't help but freeze up for a bit, unable to think straight as he just stood there next to me. I knew he was staring at me as well, causing my own breathing to become uneven. Knowing the closeness of him was doing this to me, I discreetly moved away.

  ###THE END####

  STEPBROTHER ROMANCE

  A DAY OUT

  (FREE BOOK ) 4

  A DAY OUT

  He seemed to notice though, because he asked, "Are you mad? Why are you moving away?" I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Only then did I also notice my heart was pounding hard. So hard, that I realized was why I felt nauseous. "Autumn," he said, coming as near as he was before. "Why are you so nervous?"

  My heart froze as I realized he noticed. By now I was fighting back the urge to just throw up into the toilet nearby. My face felt ready to burn off, as well. Fighting back the urge to run away, I whispered, "I'm not." To my surprise, he suddenly put a strong arm around my waist and pulled me closer. My heart completely froze at that, and I realized this was how it felt like to have a heart attack. Unable to breathe. Unable to think. Unable to move. That was me at that moment.

  Bringing his mouth to my ear, he whispered, "Liar. You like what you see." My heart did a summersault and I suddenly felt truly disgusted. Not nauseous, but horribly disgusted. Without thinking, I quickly shoved him away from me and took a deep breath in, suddenly feeling furious. "Get away from me!" I snapped. "Leave me alone!"

  His eyes widened and I saw regret flash before his eyes. Without saying a word, he just looked down and sighed. I clenched my jaw, annoyed by how innocent he looked. "Sorry," he muttered, sounding sincere. My anger was still fresh, so I screamed, "Leave!"

  Christian being Christian obeyed. Without any fight, he just turned around and exited the washroom. With him gone, I felt my anger vanish. Closing my eyes for a second, I placed my hand on my chest. My heart was still pounding, and I suddenly felt confused. My reaction had freaked me out completely, which was why I had snapped. Never before had someone made me feel like I was having a heart attack, but Christian did with ease. I didn't know what to think.

  Sighing, I forced myself to forget about the event. To forget about Christian even, since I had a date. Forcing myself to calm down, I went back
to straightening my hair as my heart still managed to pound against my chest.

  The horror of what happened had full on hit me by now. Nate and I were in the middle of our date, yet all I could think of was of how I acted because of Christian. The very guy I found Dee insane for finding attractive. I knew she'd laugh at me if I told her what happened - which was why I would never tell her or anyone.

  Stabbing my fork into my pasta, I thought of earlier. Of how Christian's body was so perfectly sculpted, the right tan as well. I choked on the bit of salad I was eating, realizing I was still thinking about his body. Of my stepbrother's very tone body. I was disgusting. Actually, the way I acted was disgusting. For no one I would react in such a way. Not even when I met Zayn Malik a year ago, did I have such a mental breakdown that made me become such a ditzy girl. Blush filled my cheeks as I knew Christian saw me be that type of girl. Anger also filled me since he probably got some sort of satisfaction out of it.

  But then regret suddenly hit me. I had yelled at him. After our smooth sailing, I had yelled at him and even shoved him away. By now I knew he was probably tired of me. I sighed. "Autumn, are you okay?" My eyes flew up to meet Nate's hazel eyes. Guilt filled me as I realized I had forgotten that I was on a date. Stupid Christian.

  "Yeah," I lied, forcing a smile. "You know, one second you looked angry, the next second you looked embarrassed, and then upset." Nate smiled sympathetically. "Did something happen?"

  I couldn't help but blush, knowing that there was a reason. A reason, that consisted of my stepbrother that seemed to hate Nate for some reason. I groaned. "Not really," I lied again. "Well, have you ever felt like you have been acting like you in a situation and it haunt you." "Yeah." Nate nodded. "I cringe at those moments."