Chapter 15

LILY'S POV

As we sat in the school cafeteria, I watched the tomato from Emily's sandwich slowly drip, her mouth still hanging open from everything I had just revealed. The shock on her face was evident, and I felt nervous about her reaction.

“So, hold on,” Emily began, still processing the information. “The woman your dad married out of the blue is none other than Samuel's mom?”

I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat. “Yes, exactly,” I replied, my voice weaker than I would have liked.

“Does that mean you and Samuel are... siblings now?” Emily stared at me, clearly puzzled.

“Step siblings,” I corrected. “But yes, suddenly we're siblings, or half-siblings, however you want to put it.”

Emily looked at me with wide eyes.

“Wait a second,” she said, her voice sounding incredulous. “So, in one single weekend, all of you ended up in the same house? You're living under the same roof as the lead singer of The Wild Ones? Does that mean you have access to all the band members now?”

I nodded, feeling the weight of the situation intensify by the second.

“Yeah, that's pretty much it,” I murmured.

Emily continued staring at me, clearly shocked by the turn of events in our lives.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “You slept with your brother!”

I swallowed nervously, feeling my face flush with embarrassment.

“Well, stepbrother,” I quickly corrected, lowering my voice. “And to be fair, the first time I didn't know...”

Emily's eyes widened even more, her surprise evident.

“Wait, so you slept with him again?” she asked, incredulous.

I nodded, feeling uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. “Yes, the night before the wedding...,” I admitted, taking a sip of my soda. “And after the wedding...”

Emily's gaze intensified, and she let out a heavy sigh.

“Where?” she asked, a mix of shock and curiosity.

I looked up to meet her eyes, feeling nervous.

“In a hotel room... and in my old bedroom,” I replied, hoping this revelation wouldn't make the situation even weirder than it already was.

As we sat in the school cafeteria, I could see the static expression on Emily's face as she listened to my situation with Samuel. She brought her soda cup to her mouth, as if needing something to process all that information. Then, after a moment of silence, she finally managed to articulate a few words.

“Was it good?” Emily asked, still reeling from the revelation.

I felt my face intensely blush at Emily's direct question.

“It was really good,” I admitted, unable to look her directly in the eyes. “But then... then I regretted it.”

Emily looked at me and shook her head, understanding.

“Of course you regretted it. I mean, this whole thing is so crazy,” she commented, agreeing with me.

I nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. That's why I decided it was better to stop all of that, for the sake of the family,” I explained, trying to sound rational.

Emily nodded, agreeing with my decision.

“It was a smart choice,” she commented.

“I thought it would all be fine... until this morning,” I confessed, thinking back on everything that happened.

Emily looked at me curiously. “What happened this morning?” she asked, showing interest.

I bit my lip, feeling embarrassed to have to tell her, but knowing I couldn't hide anything from her.

“Samuel... he woke me up,” I murmured, feeling the heat rise to my face.

Emily raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

“How so? He woke you up?” she repeated, seeking more details.

I met Emily's gaze and answered in a low voice.

“With a kiss,” I admitted, feeling my face blush even more.

Emily blinked a few times, processing the information.

“A kiss?” she repeated, curious.

I nodded, feeling embarrassed.

“Yeah, a kiss,” I confirmed. “Third base.”

“Oh, I see. It's the kind of kiss you don't hear your best friend talk about every day,” she commented, sounding amused. “I bet it was a movie-worthy kiss.”

“Let's just say it was movie-like,” I started. “The kind of movie you wouldn't watch with your parents in the room.”

A smile formed on Emily's lips.

“And did you like it?” she asked, curious.

I met Emily's eyes, feeling torn between embarrassment and amusement about the situation.

“It was the best wake-up call of my life,” I admitted, letting out a nervous giggle.

Emily started laughing, and soon we were both laughing at the irony of the situation.

“Who would've thought Lily Thompson would use Samuel Brown as an alarm clock,” Emily commented, amidst laughter.

***

The school cafeteria was bustling as usual, and I was sitting with Emily, sharing more details about Samuel, when Aidan Lewis approached. Aidan was the school's football team running back, and his imposing presence always attracted attention, especially from the girls. I knew he had been Emily's crush for a long time, and she still seemed a bit nervous in his presence.

He leaned towards me in a way that I presumed was meant to be seductive, but only made me inwardly roll my eyes.

“Hey,” he said, with a smile that seemed overly practiced.

I looked at him, not letting his charm sway me.

“Hi, Aidan,” I replied, maintaining a neutral expression. “Are you lost or do you need something?”

Emily, next to me, discreetly nudged my leg under the table, as if to remind me to be more friendly. She had always been more outgoing than me, especially when it came to interactions with boys. However, Aidan had a reputation for being a flirt, and I wasn't interested in being another one of his conquests.

Aidan turned to Emily and gave her an understanding smile.

“It's okay, Emily,” he said. “I know Lily has the impression that I only approach her when I need help with some schoolwork. I'm sorry about that.”

I rolled my eyes, somewhat annoyed by his presumption.

“And what do you want, Aidan?” I asked, growing impatient with the conversation.

Emily, next to me, seemed to squirm with anticipation, clearly excited about Aidan's presence. Aidan looked back at me and explained his curiosity.

“I was just wondering... how do you know Samuel Brown from The Wild Ones?” he asked, his voice sounding casual.

Emily, next to me, couldn't contain her excitement.

“Lily and Samuel are siblings,” she announced, almost glowing with the revelation.

I looked at her, with a serious expression, and reprimanded her with a glance.

“Emily,” I murmured, trying to make her understand that this wasn't something to spread around.

Aidan, in turn, seemed surprised by the information.

“I didn't know you had a brother,” he commented.

“Yeah, he's my stepbrother,” I quickly explained, hoping the conversation could wrap up soon.

Aidan nodded, seeming to accept the explanation. “Good to know,” he muttered.

Before the conversation could continue, the bell rang, signaling the start of the next class. It was a relief for me, as it meant we could end the conversation and move on. Certainly, that interaction with Aidan was not what I needed at that moment.