𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑

~𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒮𝒾𝓍𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃 ~

TARA

I'm sitting on my bed working on my novel when Lina comes out of my bathroom with a towel wrapped around her.

"Your shower is fucking amazing. It pays to be rich, don't it?" She jokes.

"Well, I'm not rich, Kohen is." I say to her.

Lina chuckles and starts changing, but I'm barely paying attention to her.

I have writers block. I'm stuck. Everything I write doesn't seem to fit.

"Oh, that reminds me." Lina says and starts digging around in her bag.

"What are you looking for?" I ask and look up from my laptop.

"Your early birthday gift." She says with a grin.

"My birthday is a week away, and you know I don't celebrate my birthday." I said, growing suspicious.

"Well, consider it as a not birthday gift." She says and turns to me with both hands behind her back. "Close your eyes."

"I don't like surprises." I remind her. "Or gifts." I say while nervously, playing with my bracelets.

"Just close your eyes and hold your hands out." She says and rolls her eyes at me.

I groan and close my eyes while cupping my hands in front of me. Lina places something in hand that feels like a small rectangle box but not in a 'there's jewelry in this' kind of box.

I open my eyes to look at what it is and my fucking jaw drops.

"Lina -"

"Surprise!" She exclaims with a grin.

"Why the hell are you giving me the plan b pill?" I frown.

She then places another small box in my hand. "Taddaa.... And birth control."

"Lina, I don't need this." I say while giving it back to her.

"Yes, you do. Don't think I didn't see you and your sexy step dad at the club rubbing up on each other." She says.

"Okay, first of all, I was drunk." I say in my defense.

"What about that little kiss before you were drunk." She says with a smirk.

"Okay, that was a mistake, and I have decided that it will never happen again." I say.

"What, why?" Lina asks with a frown.

"Because it's wrong." I say and lay down. "He's married. To my mother. He's.. my stepdad."

"To be fair, your mother is a heartless human being who abandoned you." She says.

"Yeah, she's no saint, but fucking my stepdad for revenge seems cruel."

"Okay let me ask you a question." She says and straddles me. "You like Kohen, right?"

"Yeah. He's fun and .... he cares, and I guess if he wasn't married to my mom, it would be different." I explain.

"Yeah and not to mention he's fucking hot." She giggles. "Look, you like him, and he clearly likes you so just fuck him on the down low."

"And what happens when I can't control my feelings anymore? I can't ask him to leave my mom." I say to her.

"Why don't you start off slow, and if it gets to that point, then you will cross that bridge when you get there."

"But -"

"Look, Tara.... you're always asking what if. But you're only here for the summer, so why not enjoy the company of a real man." Lina says with an evil grin.