She didn't seem to mind though. “Maybe he's busy. You know he recently got a job at the local library, right?”

I had no idea. And I had to admit that it was quite an untypical thing for my stepbrother to do, but what did I know anyway? He was as closed off as a brick wall, and frankly I just wanted to not think about him even if it was for one night only.

To focus on Matt solely tonight.

Upon my request, Matt got us both tickets to go on the Wheel. Melody declined, stating she'd wait for Damien first and nudged me to sit beside a beaming Matt, who was surprisingly surpassing every expectation I had of him tonight. He'd definitely changed a lot since that summer last year. How come I was only noticing it now? Ughh.

“Melody, I think your date bailed on you. He's supposed to be here by now.” Matt laughed as we began moving up.

I patted my left hand lightly on my chest, feeling giddy in the pit of my gut. My heart raced and I swivelled around when Matt encased my hand in his. “Hey, scared right?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well, that's why I'm here. Just relax, and think about how perfect this night is.”

I sat back and closed my eyes, trying not to wish that it was Damien sitting next to me right now and saying those words to me a few moments ago. How come I still loved him no matter how shitty he was to me? I used to have some self-respect before he popped into my life. Oh, there I go again. Thinking about him.

“We're here.” Matt whispered softly in my ear and I snapped my eyes open. “In the sky. The top of the world.” he laughed, and I managed a small grin, nervous as fuck. To crown it all, the Wheel had stopped totally. “God, I'm so sorry for everything I did to you last summer, Tim. You don't deserve any of that.” 

I shrugged, twiddling my thumb against my shirt. “I forgive you Matt. You were a dick, and I'm thankful you've changed for the better.”

“Thank you so much.” He pulled me into his arms and I froze stiff. Awkward as hell and I'd never get used to the heady smell of his carroty cologne. Disentangling myself quickly, I forced a smile and looked away, relieved that the Wheel had begun moving again and we'd soon be down.

God, what the hell was wrong with me? Here was a guy, who on a normal day could pass up as my spec and had really put in a lot of effort in reinventing himself to be a better man for me. He wore his jeans the way I liked, did his hair perfectly and God, his black leather jacket fitted his upper body in all the right places, but yet I wasn't still satisfied. For he could never compare to Damien on the physical attraction meter even though he dressed like him. I wanted to crush that attraction meter with a sledgehammer.

“Still no show?” I asked Melody who stood now with a dejected look, and constantly looking around in case Damien was having a hard time finding us in the large crowd. 

“Um...he might be running late or caught up in traffic or something.” Uncertainty glazed over in her eyes. I pitied her really, but then again she hadn't heeded my warning when I tried discouraging her from inviting him.

They never do listen.

“Let's go see a damn movie or something.” Matt suggested, putting am arm around my shoulder and pulling me towards the concession line. I willed my body to behave and even when he leaned down for a kiss I tried not to push him away. He tasted nice too, something like milk and strawberries. His hands wandered to my butt and he squeezed, causing me to pull away. “Oh Jesus, Matt.” I beamed at him. “That was too forward.”

“Couldn't help myself.” He winked, with his hands raised up in playful surrender.

“Get a room you two.” Melody wiggled her brows at us.

“Maybe. Now can you go back to worrying why your date stood you up?”

Melody was under strict instructions not to tell Matt that Damien and I were stepbrothers. Since Damien did nothing but avoid me in school, most people still had no idea that we were related. And our surnames were still Henderson and Randall, so there was no connection whatsoever to us. I preferred it that way for my sanity. Damien's popularity could drag me into the public eye and goodness knew I wanted nothing of that nature this senior year.

We went into the theater after showing our tickets at the door and got seats at the front row. Matt had bought some popcorn and was now muching out of the bowl set in between us. Melody kept an empty seat for Damien next to her. I put my phone on silent as the theatre darkened, and the previews began playing. My body started to relax while I watched Melody out of the corner of my eyes checking her phone every two minutes and looking over at the door for him.

The opening credits began to roll in as I began to unwind, crossing my legs over and munching away quietly. The movie we were seeing was Euphoria and honestly, I was expecting a lot from it after the outstanding reviews I read about last night. Just when I was starting to enjoy, I choked on a whiff of clove cigarettes and coffee-ish cologne as a tall figure passed by.

Him.

My knees trembled as he took his place next to a visibly relieved Melody. I wanted to smack the look of joy in her face when Damien leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. My appetite for the popcorn morphed to nausea. I shifted my attention back to the screen and barely responded when Matt asked why I was no longer eating. I couldn't help but breathe in Damien's scent, and his presence had made me feel angrier than I expected it would.

When Matt captured my lips with his, I let him.

Melody excused herself to go to the bathroom and my heart pounded when I realized that there was no longer anything blocking my view of Damien.

It was just him and I. In the entire theater. We might as well have been alone.