Stepbrother With Benefits 10 (Second Season) Page 5

  Um, no!

  Caleb blushes, apparently realizing what I was asking him, and he shifts and fidgets, looking away. It's kind of cute in a fun way. It sort of reminds me of myself, I guess?

  "I didn't mean it like that," I say to him. "I'm not very good at this, I don't think."

  "Good at what?" he asks, confused.

  "Flirting?" I say. "Um... I don't mean that. I mean not flirting. I'm not trying to flirt with you, Caleb. That's what I meant."

  "Oh," he says. "Um, alright?"

  Good. I'm glad we got that out of the way. That wasn't hard, was it? Is that all there is to it or do I need to say something else so that he doesn't think I'm saying that as a sort of opposite type of thing? Oh, no, is that what he's going to think? That I'm telling him I'm not flirting but in reality that means I really am flirting?

  Flirting is difficult. I'm not even trying to flirt and I think I'm accidentally flirting. This is bad. Ugh.

  "What are you up to?" he asks.

  "I was just taking a shower," I say.

  Wait, is that flirting, too? Because I just gave him the perfect reason to imagine me slippery and wet in the shower. I have to stop this.

  "I just saw your brother," Caleb says. "Looked like he was taking a shower, too."

  "Yup," I say. "We weren't taking a shower together or anything, though. Um..."

  I'm really bad at this, aren't I? I don't know what I'm doing anymore.

  "Er...?" Caleb gives me a weird look.

  "Do you have any siblings, Caleb?" I ask him. I will fix this. I can do it.

  "No?"

  "Sometimes when you're growing up you end up taking showers or baths together except it's not like that, so don't get the wrong idea, and I'm not saying that Ethan and I did that, but if we did or if you saw anything then it wouldn't be what you're thinking, alright?"

  In hindsight, I'm pretty sure I just screwed that up. I thought I was supposed to be smart. Also, I'm technically an only child disregarding my stepbrother, so I know absolutely nothing about anything I just said.

  "...Alright..." Caleb says.

  "It's because Ethan is good at washing hair," I add. "That's all."

  "Oh," Caleb says. "Yeah, you've got a lot of hair."

  Is that a compliment? Is that flirting?

  "Thanks," I say. "Well, I've got to go. My mom and I are going grocery shopping."

  "Cool," Caleb says. "I'm actually heading there soon, too. Have to pick up a few things. Maybe I'll see you around, then."

  Is he asking me on a date? To the grocery store? I'm going to be super honest right now and say that I don't actually know what people do for a first date, but I never considered grocery shopping as an option. It may be one, though. I hope not, because... because.

  "Neat!" I say. "Alright, I'm leaving now. Bye!"

  I run away. Because. This is awkward. Am I awkward or is Caleb awkward? I... I don't even know.

  I head back to the campsite. Quickly!

  Ugh.

  *** Ethan

  My dad and I head out in one of the cars as soon as I get back. There's no waiting, no mulling around, just get up and go. Good. I like that. Makes everything easier. We drive through the campground in silence, but stop at the main office to ask the owner something.

  I see Caleb there again, but this time he keeps looking at me weird. What's up with this kid? Yeah, yeah, he's probably the same age as me, but he's not even close to my level. He looks kind of scrawny. Alright, I'm willing to give credit where credit is due, and he doesn't exactly look stick thin or anything, but I can tell he doesn't play sports. He's probably in decent enough shape, but that's all the credit I'm willing to give him right now.

  I really don't like him. I don't like the way he's looking at me, either, like he's trying to size me up or something? What the fuck?

  My dad talks with the campground owner about something or other and I get out of the car, too. Need to show my dominance, you know? Stand tall, make this Caleb kid stay away, or at least be real fucking wary. He should be, too. I know how to throw down when the time calls for it.

  "Hey, Ethan," Caleb finally says to me, but his voice is quiet and unsure.

  "What's up?" I ask him. Are we friends now or what? I think I missed that memo. Pretty sure I would have ripped it up, too.

  "I'm sorry, alright?" he says. "I don't know what your problem is with me, but I'm not trying to cause you any trouble."

  "Listen, I don't have a problem with you, but I don't like the way you're staring at Ashley. Got it?"

  "I'm not!" he says.

  "Yeah, sure. Don't even try to tell me you don't think she's hot."

  If he tries to say that, I'll know he's a fucking liar, because, yeah, Little Miss Perfect has some serious sex appeal. She's a little awkward sometimes, and sort of weird, but whatever. That's part of her charm.

  Fuck, but then what if he does say she's hot? I'd have to kick his ass, no way around that one. I think I'd have to kick his ass if he says she's not hot, too. That'd be like him calling her ugly, and I can't stand for that.

  Except, fuck. Double fuck. I can't kick his ass right here? His dad and my dad are right there, talking. This was part of Caleb's plan, I bet. What a fucking prick. I want to kick his ass even more.

  I don't even know why I hate the kid so much. He just... ugh.

  "It's just kind of hard to make friends during the summer here," Caleb says. "That's all."

  "Yeah? So you thought you'd get friendly with Ashley, is that it?" I know that game. Don't even try to play it.

  "No," he says. "I mean, yeah, a little, but you, too."

  "What the fuck?" I say. Did he just say what I think he did? "Are you flirting with me, kid?"

  "What the fuck, are you serious?" he asks.

  I laugh. He finally grew some balls and stood up to me, and it's just kind of funny. He glares at me, but he starts to smile a little, too.

  "Ethan, let's go," my dad says. "We've got work to do."

  Yeah, well, we're leaving now. I turn away from Caleb and get into the car, simple as that. I'm done talking. What else is there to say?

  My dad starts to drive off. We're good. Yeah, this is simple. He got directions to the bait shop and we're heading to get worms or something. Fishing, all of that.

  I spare a final glance towards the main campground office and see Caleb sort of looking my way. Not exactly, but he sees me looking back and he does this kind of wave. What the fuck?

  I don't know. I wave back, I guess? Polite, that's what that is. A polite wave. Polite as fuck.

  Seriously, Caleb is weird. Also he better not flirt with Ashley.

  *** Ashley

  I sneak through some of the wooded areas instead of following the main road back to our campsite, just in case. I don't want Ethan's dad to see me, and since they're taking the car, they'd drive out and um... maybe see me, so...

  It's really not that complicated, but I kind of feel like a stealthy ninja. Sneaky sneaky. I'm not even very sneaky, though. To be honest, I'm kind of clumsy and woods are weird. There's sticks and brush and leaves everywhere and it's hard to move sometimes. I end up half walking, half tripping my way back to the campsite.

  Ethan and his dad are gone when I get back, and my mom is there waiting for me. She gives me a suspicious look and a mischievous smile when I return.

  "Did you have fun?" she asks.

  "Have fun with what?" I counter.

  "It seems to me that Ethan left to take a shower, and now that you're back it's obvious you were also taking a shower. Coincidence?"

  "Um..."

  "You really should be a little more circumspect, dear," my mom says. "It's not that difficult to figure out what you were up to. If your stepfather hadn't left already, he'd probably realize it, too."

  "I know, I just... I don't know."

  "So when are we going to tell him?" she asks.

  "I don't know," I say. "Ethan wants to be the one to tell him, I guess, but also I don't know if we can ev
en tell him, Mom. It's complicated."

  She shrugs, nonchalant. "I'm not going to force you or pry, honey. It's your relationship, and Ethan's relationship. You're both welcome to do whatever you want as long as you're not hurting anyone. I would caution that the longer you try to hide this, the more hurt feelings you're going to have to deal with later on."

  "I doubt Ethan's dad is going to feel that upset," I say. "I think he'd probably prefer not to find out, actually."

  "I don't know. You'd be surprised," my mom says. "It's not him I'm worried about, though. It's you and Ethan. It isn't good to have to sneak around and hide things, especially when those things are a fresh, new relationship that you don't want to hide at all. I worry about you both."

  "It's weird, though," I tell her. "Our relationship is weird, Mom."

  "It's not that weird, honey," my mom says.

  "It's pretty weird! He's my—" I realize I'm being a little loud. I blush and talk quieter. "Ethan's my stepbrother. I don't know why you're so accepting of it, like it doesn't matter. I really appreciate it, but it's still weird, you know?"

  "Every relationship is weird, Ashley," my mom says. "How do you think I felt when I started dating Ethan's father? It's hard to date as a single parent, especially when both of us were parents. It's even harder to do when you have children that are older. Not to mention it was confusing and difficult for me at first in other ways, too."

  "Why?" I ask.

  She's never really talked about this before. We talked about her dating Ethan's dad in the beginning, but to be honest I didn't think it'd go very far. And then, um... it did go far, and they were married, and we moved in with them, so what do I know? Not a lot, apparently.

  "Ethan and his father were much better off than us as far as finances are concerned, and as much as I'd like to say that doesn't matter, it really does. When I was alone with him, it was like nothing mattered, but when we went out together, everything changed. When I went to his business parties, I could tell everyone disliked me. They didn't say it to my face, but they whispered about it. Who was I and why was he with me? I was just a single mother trying to survive, Ashley, and in a lot of ways I'm still a mother trying to survive, but I've just added more people to my family now. It doesn't change the fact that people used to wonder why Ethan's father was even bothering with me, and if it was serious or some casual fling, and..."

  I've never heard this before. I've never even thought about it. I've always thought of my mom as special, and it's strange to me that anyone could think of her as anything but that. Ethan's dad obviously thinks she's special, and I know Ethan really likes her, too.

  It hurts hearing her talk like this.

  "We tried to hide it at first, too, you know?" my mom says. "I didn't hide it from you, but we tried to keep our relationship a little more hush hush, but that caused problems of its own. It's not fun to sneak around and make plans based on going somewhere where you know no one will recognize you. We could never really be ourselves unless we were locked away in privacy someplace, but even if we could technically leave and we weren't actually trapped, it still felt like a cage in a lot of ways. I don't want you and Ethan to feel like that, honey. That's the last thing I want you to have to deal with."

  "Mom, I..."

  I don't know what to say, so I go and hug her instead. She's soft and inviting and I like the way it feels when she puts her arms around me. I've always liked hugging my mom, and I've always felt close to her. I'm not sure why she's never told me these things before, but I'm glad she told them to me now.

  "Ethan's dad is lucky to have you," I say to my mom. "I don't care what anyone else thinks."

  "Oh, I know he is," my mom says, grinning and teasing me. "I think Ethan is lucky to have you, too."

  "I don't know. He's kind of a bad boy." Quieter, whispering, I add, "I think he's corrupting me."

  "Oh no, is he?" my mom says, feigning surprise. "This isn't good."

  "I kind of like it, though."

  "This is very bad," my mom says, shaking her head and letting out an exaggerated sigh. "We'll need to stage an intervention for you."

  "I might become a bad girl."

  "Actually, you know what?" my mom says. "I think I know how to fix this. We might not need an intervention."

  "Oh, how?" I ask.

  "S'mores. We'll have to pick up the ingredients for them at the store when we get there."

  "What? How are s'mores going to fix anything?"

  "How wouldn't they?" my mom asks, raising one brow, pretending to look confused. "S'mores solve everything, dear. You'll learn more about it when you're older, but for now you'll just have to trust me."

  "I'm kind of an adult, you know? I think I'm old enough."

  "That's what they all say, honey. That's what they all say."

  I laugh and give my mom another hug. She hugs me back, too. We make sure everything is all set with the campsite, and then we get into the car and head to the store. This is fun. It's like an adventure, but it's more, too. I don't know how to explain it. Just talking with my mom about things makes me feel better. Maybe she can talk with Ethan later, too, and then...

  I don't know. She says s'mores solve everything, so maybe we can talk with Ethan's dad tonight and see if it's really true?

  *** Ashley

  My mom and I drive up to the main office, but no one's there. A sign on the door says that they'll be back later, with a number to call in case of an emergency. We don't really need to talk to anyone, we just need directions, and there's a bunch of local maps stuffed into a plastic holder on the office door. My mom grabs one and hands it to me.

  Thankfully the grocery store is nearby, but it's... strange. To be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure this is a grocery store so much as an expanded convenience store, but I guess it's fine.

  We park in the overlarge dirt parking lot, dust settling around the car when we stop. I step out and my mom joins me and we walk to the door. As soon as we open it, a little bell tinkles at the top, sounding our arrival.

  A woman standing at the counter on the left greets us as we enter. "Hey there, folks. How's it going?" she says.

  "Great!" my mom says. "Oh, isn't this place wonderful?" I'm not sure who she's talking to, but the woman at the counter beams at the compliment. "We're from the city. We're camping a few miles back for the next week or two," she adds, as way of apology or explanation; I'm not sure which.

  "Um, I'm going to look around, alright?" I say, mostly because my mom seems intent on staring at the trinkets and doodads hanging on little racks near the counter.

  "Oh, sure," she says. "I'll be right there. Take a cart with you and grab anything that looks good. We'll figure out what to have for lunch later."

  The carts are miniature versions of what you might find at a regular grocery store, but I guess it's good enough. I take one and march onwards and to the right, which is a small produce section. It's um... very small, though? It makes good use of the size, but everything's cramped and tucked into tall boxes and shelves.

  I look through everything, trying to figure out what I'm doing, but to be completely honest I have no idea. It all looks extremely fresh, and according to signs a lot of it is locally grown, which I think is impressive, except I don't really know what I should grab. I pick out a bunch of ears of corn and put them into a plastic bag, then a bushel of berries, some apples, and a small sack of potatoes.

  There's fresh strawberries in buckets further down the aisle and I add that to the cart, too. Then, um... I need to see how fresh they are, right? I pluck one out and plop it into my mouth. Oh my God, it's amazing. It's sweet, but a little tart, too, and it just tastes perfect. I chew it and swallow, and then I realize someone's looking at me.

  "Um... I was just..." I hope they don't think I was stealing? We're going to pay for these! I have the bucket in my cart and everything.

  Oh, it's Caleb. He shakes his head at me and smiles. "There's a trash bucket for the stem right over there," he says, pointing
the way.

  I hurry over and toss the stem part of the strawberry into the trash, then just sort of look around. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. Should I talk to him, or just kind of keep going and getting what I need? I don't even know what I need, though. It's not like there's a list, so I'm kind of lacking an excuse to avoid Caleb.

  It's not like I want to avoid him, either. I just don't want to flirt with him or give him the wrong idea, except I feel dumb because I don't even know how to do that.

  "So..." I say, for lack of anything else to say.

  "Sorry," Caleb says. "I'm not following you around or anything. I come here every few days and get stuff for dinner. It's just me and my dad right now. We don't keep a lot stocked, since this place always has fresh food."

  "Your mom isn't around?" I ask.

  "She's not a big camper," he says.

  "Oh, um... you don't all live here?" I ask.

  Caleb laughs. "Ha! Can you imagine? It's fun for the summer, but I don't think I'd want to stay here all year round. No, the campground closes down at the end of the season and then we go back home. It's not like home is that far away, though. Two hours or so. My mom comes down sometimes to visit, but she hates the fact that there's no private showers."

  "Yeah," I say, smiling. "It takes some getting used to."

  "I can help out if you ever—"

  I think he realizes what he was just saying, because he stops suddenly and starts to blush.

  "I didn't mean, uh... I didn't mean I can help you shower. Er... with the showers. I meant if you need help with anything, just let me know. I..."

  I laugh, because it's kind of cute and funny. He really does remind me of myself a little bit, which makes this a whole lot weirder, because I'm not sure how I feel about him now. I think we could be friends, but I'm not sure if, um... is that possible? I don't think Ethan would like that, and also I don't know if Caleb wants that, either. I don't want to give him the wrong impression or anything.

  "I should probably just shut up," he says. "I'm sure your brother can help you instead. He seems to know what he's doing."