AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Things change, son, and people change too. But I can see this has been a shock in more ways than one, and for now, Judy and I are going to let you and Angelina sort things out between the two of you. Once we’ve all calmed down, we’ll try this again. Sound good?”
Absolute silence rings throughout the room, but then I speak.
“Sure,” I grunt, because what else is there to say?
My father nods in a dignified manner before taking Judy’s elbow.
“Let’s go to that café around the corner,” I hear him say as they exit. “We’ll let the kids have some time alone.” With that, the door shuts and it’s back to just me and Lina, or Angelina should I say, in the living room.
I stare at her, my face dark.
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
She blushes hotly, still clutching the cushion to her bare curves.
“I can explain, Tim.”
I merely glower and frown.
“You better, and it better be good, too.”
With that, our relationship takes a left turn, and I’m not sure what to expect next. After all, I thought this woman was potentially the one. The woman I would marry, and who would bear my children. But now, having uncovered a nest of lies, only uncertainty awaits.
10
Lina
* * *
Tim looks at me with such a grim expression that tears push at the backs of my eyes. My hands start trembling, and even clenching them into fists at my sides won’t keep them still. Damn it! I’m so stupid. I should have told Tim the truth from the moment we met. The minute I saw him at the Krazy Kat, I should have revealed our past relationship. But now, everything’s fucked up and I can only hope he won’t hate me for what I’ve done.
“Well…” I hesitate, biting my lip.
“Lina?” he asks. I flinch at the flatness in Tim’s tone. “Or should I call you Angelina? That’s short for Lina, right?”
“No. I mean, well yes.” I wrap my arms around myself a bit defensively. “Only my mom calls me Angelina anymore.”
He nods, his blue eyes ice cold.
“So, Judy wasn’t confused then. You are Angelina, my former stepsister.”
“Well, yes.” I swallow. “I recognized you that night at the Krazy Kat, and I swear, I was going to tell you, but who says something like that in a strip club? And then, well things were so hot, and we had sex, and …”
“That’s why you were acting so weirdly afterward,” Tim states flatly.
I nod as tears rise again. “Yes. I promise, I was going to tell you, and I should have told you the moment I realized who you were, but it was a tough situation!”
“What was tough about it?” The lack of emotion in his voice is crushing, and I stare at the ground.
“Well, I’ve had a crush on you since I was a kid, and so when you finally appeared in front of me, I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to lie to you, but I didn’t want to risk letting you go either.”
He blinks at me.
“Are you fucking serious? I was a childhood crush, and that’s what kept you from speaking up?”
“Yes!” The dam breaks and tears flood forward. I try to wipe them away, but more keep coming. I can hardly keep my voice steady as I explain everything to him. “I’ve always adored you, Tim. It’s embarrassing but true! I’ve always thought you were the sexiest man I’ve ever seen and yes, this was pre-puberty which makes it a little weird. But of course we couldn’t be together because I was your stepsister! So I put it in the back of my head. When I moved back here from Texas, I didn’t think we’d run into each other, much less at the Krazy Kat of all places. It was such a strange turn of events and things happened so fast that I didn’t know what to say. And then, it felt like it was too late.”
He squints at me.
“It’s never too late for a revelation like this.”
I practically choke, swiping a hand across my eyes. “I know! But after I realized who you were, I was afraid you wouldn’t date me if you knew I was your ex-stepsister. I convinced myself that you’d never want to see me again, and for a girl who’s adored you since childhood, it was a heavy price to pay.” I swallow again heavily. “Does this even make sense to you, or is it completely ridiculous?”
His voice is dry.
“It’s ridiculous.”
I let out a sniff.
“Great. I’m glad this is amusing to you.”
He lets out a long sigh, and I look up hopefully. Will Tim forgive me? Does he even understand what I’m saying?
He just lets out another long sigh, his shoulders dropping.
“I’m not a man of many words, Lina,” he says gently. “But don’t you trust me? Don’t you know that I love you so much that I’d never let something like this get in the way?”
