𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑

~𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝐹𝑜𝓊𝓇 ~

KOHEN

I was standing in the kitchen, the sizzle of bacon and the scent of scrambled eggs filling the air. The morning light streamed through the window, casting a golden glow on the worn countertops.

The sound of soft footsteps echoed from the staircase. I glanced over my shoulder, Tara. She was wearing the same oversized t-shirt with a pair of shorts, her hair disheveled from sleep, and she rubbed her eyes as she entered the kitchen.

I swallowed hard. My god.

I love my wife. But the thoughts I have for Tara are.... the point is Tara needs to stay just a fantasy.

"Morning," she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep and her eyes still half-closed. She padded over to the counter, pulling herself up on one of the stools.

"Good morning, Tara," I replied, forcing a smile as I turned back to the stove, flipping the bacon. The sizzling seemed to grow louder, filling the awkward silence that had enveloped the room.

"So, how's college treating you. Have fun?" I asked, attempting to strike up a conversation, anything to distract my mind from the inappropriate thoughts.

She shrugged, yawning. "Same old, same old. You know, exams, parties, not enough sleep."

I chuckled, arranging the bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess grease. "Sounds like my college days."

She smiled, her eyes sparkling as she shed the last remnants of sleep. "I bet you were quite the party animal, Kohen."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Not quite, I was more of a library dweller."

"That's surprising." She says.

I hand her a full plate of food.

"Thanks." She says.

"Don't forget to take your pills." I say to her.

"Wait, how do you know about my pills?" She asks. "I only started therapy when I left for college."

"Are you forgetting who pays for that therapy?" I ask as I lean against the counter.

"Isn't that against doctor patient confidentiality?" She asks while eating.

It is.

"I paid for them the first time. That's how I know about it." I say to her.

"Oh, okay."

That's only a half truth. I've been speaking to Tara's therapist since the first session. Everything she's said in that office, I know about it. Call me a stalker if you want, but I'm okay with that.

Kristina walks into the kitchen, and Tara's mood changes instantly.

"Morning baby." She says to me and kisses me, then turns back to Tara. "Morning, my other baby."

Tara continues eating, and Kristina frowns. "Tara -"

"Nope. It's too early." She says.

Kristina sighs. "I'm gonna be at work today, okay? Just.... call me if you need me."

"Oh, so now I should call you?" Tara mumbled.

"Tara, are you ever going to forgive me?" Kristina asks.

For the first time in this morning, Tara finally looks directly at Kristina.

"God forgives." She says. "I don't."

Kristina frowns again like she's going to cry. "I'm gonna go." She says softly.

I cup Kristina's face and kiss her passionately. I make sure the kiss is nice and long. Maybe I'm doing it to tease Tara. I dont know. We finally pull away, and she smiles at me.

"I love you." Kristina says.

"I love you too." I reply and take a swing of my coffee.

Kristina walks past Tara without another word.

"Don't say anything." Tara says to me.

"I wasn't going to. It's not my business."

Tara sighs and continues eating. She's wearing those bracelets again. They're stacked up, covering her wrist and half her arm. She notices me staring at them.

"I'm missing one." She says.

"Missing what?" I ask, pretending like I don't know what she's talking about.

"One of my bracelets. I think it dropped in the car. Can you check for me?" She asks.

"Sure, no problem." I say to her. "So, plans for today?"

"Not much. I want to work on my novel today."

"What's it about?" I ask.

"I don't know. I haven't been inspired to write romance lately." She says as she gets up with her empty plate.

"How so?" I bite my lip as I watch her move towards the sink. Her shorts rode up as she leaned over the faucet.

Fuck.

"I don't know. Writers block, I guess." She explains.

I continue to watch her as she washes the dishes. I want to touch her soft skin again. I won't.. I mean, I know I shouldn't, but God, I want to.

I don't think I'll be able to stop myself if I go there with her.

"You should check out my pool or the hottub." I say to her.

Yes. Keep her talking.

"I forgot you have a pool." She says.

"How?"

"It's just been a while, plus I don't think I've ever used it." She says while drying her hands.

"Don't have a bathing suit or something?" I ask.

"In fact, I have three." She smiles and opens the fridge.

"Alright then." I answer. "What are you looking for?"

"Cookies or something." She says and finally pulls out the pack of chocolate chip cookies.

I quickly take them from her. "Pills first."

"Dude, seriously?" She says angrily.

"Yes. Go get them. I'll have a glass of water waiting for you."

Tara rolls her eyes at me. "When did you become my dad?"

"I'm not your dad. I'm your stepdad." I tease.

She groans. "Fine."

I watch her as she makes her way upstairs. God having her home for the summer is going to be torture.

~♡~