A Forbidden Love - Falling in love with my step brother

Chapter 14

TYLERS POV: 

She stood there, a perculiar look on her face and laughed "I live upstairs..." 

I blinked and smiled slowly, "Yeah... sorry. I'm just tired I guess. Never bothered to acknowledge my fellow neighbors I guess..." 

Emma grinned, "I get it" 

The small girl shoved past me, adjusting her hair with one hand and handing me a small basket with the other, "I made some baked... stuff. It didn't come out that great, I just wanted to see who lived in here to be honest... and I mean well to be obvious I just wanted to see the place after..." she looked at me and shrugged apologetically, "you know.." 

A river of words I didn't really understand flew out of her mouth in a hurry and I smiled, watching as she invited herself to search my apartment "What do you mean? What happened?" 

Emma turned, her hair cutting through the air, "Really? How do you not know. Everyone knows" 

I shrugged, moving to my table and sitting down, amused by her presence "Well I guess I got left out..." 

"Some guy used to live here and like, was into some weird drug trade and it turns out he was growing.. you know...weed in here... but there are tons of rumors as to where  in the apartment he had room to grow it. Cause it was like... a lot of weed." She said airily, her eyes searching the room "I mean, I like to think he grew it in the walls right? Like, kinda cut through it and had a hole and stuff and dirt and just a ton of pot..." 

I scoffed, "Yeah? Very good imagination you have" 

She grinned, "That'd be me, yeah... I mean, and of course I talk a lot. Everyone knows I talk a lot but never says anything and I know it's not really that bad really, but still, you know? It's like, I just have thoughts so I say them and it makes me wonder how many people have things to say but don't 'cause they don't wanna seem like they're talking too much..." 

"I'm in love with my step sister" I blurted out. For no aparent reason. 

Emma turned and looked at me with wide eyes and hesitated, "oh.." 

I didn't say anything. 

I watched her face as her expression morphed from confused and curious into a wide and toothy grin, she threw her head back and laughed, "Well that blows." 

I nodded, not sure how her reaction made me feel. I wasn't sure if she was laughing at me or the situation and for some reason I didn't think I'd be offended in either situation. 

She placed a hand on the beige wall of my apartment and looked up at the ceiling, "I guess my pot-in-wall theory isn't right... this would be all plastered up, right?" she looked at me, expecting an answer. 

I raised my eyebrows and cleared my throat, "Uh... yeah. I guess..." 

Emma nodded, "You know you seem like a character, right? Like, you know how in movies and shit they have those charaters? That like, get into shitty situations. I mean look at you, you're in love with your sister and -"

"step sister" I interuptted quickly. 

She blinked, "...yeah. Whatever, step sister and you're living in a criminals old apartment. D'ya think the mafias gonna show up at your door asking where the pot is? I would. If I were in the mafia I'd totally ask you where the pot was."

"... I don't think that's how it works" I laughed 

She raised her eyebrows and looked at me jokingly, "How would you know? Are you in the mafia, Tyler? If that even is your real name." 

She reminded me nothing of Sophie and maybe, maybe that was good. 

Emma looked at me, "You should call her." 

SOPHIES POV:

Jessica sunk her body into the couch next to me, staring at me with quiet eyes as I read my book. Or, Tylers book really. It was a nice reminder of him, it was a nice way to keep my mind off of... or on him. I guess. 

I sighed and slammed the book closed and turned to look at Jessica slowly, "May I help you?" 

She hesitated, "What happened?" 

I raised an eyebrow, "You'll have to be a bit more specific." 

Jessica shifted her position so she was facing me, "You know what I mean. What happened between you and Tyler? Did... he hurt you Sophie?" 

I laughed, "No." 

She nodded, "Then what? Sweetie, I want to help you but you need to let me" 

Help.

I pushed myself up from the couch, "I don't need help, Jessica."

It was pathetic, the way people thought they could push themselves into my head and suddenly I'd have the mindset of a rom-com main character. Of course, I wasn't trying to be dramatic... but Tyler was my step brother. What was I supposed to do? 

 My phone shook angrily in my pocket and I whipped it out, not bothering to check caller ID because it was almost always Seth, "Yes?" 

Silence. 

I waited for his sarcastic hello or attempt at a prank call with a poor French accent.

"Hello" I asked impatiently. 

No repsonse. 

I sighed, "Seth, I'm not in the mood. I'm hanging up now." 

"Hey." He said. He as in, not Seth. He as in a voice that I just genuienly had been terrified to hear for quite some time. I don't really need to say who, it's obvious. Tyler. 

I cleared my throat as if it would some how simultaneously clear my head, "Hi."

Brilliant, Sophie. "Hi". 

He took a breath in "So you're still talking to Seth?" 

"Why'd you call, Tyler?" I asked quietly. 

Nothing was said. Everything he did and said was wrong and hurt and it wasn't fa- 

"I love you, Sophie." He said.