The Step Brother

11. No One Will Know.

Willow

It's rare of Willow to act on impulse like this, especially something this big. This is crossing a line. This is breaking a rule. This is something they can't come back from even if they stop right now.

But it's not some impulse thing, is it? There were so many things about tonight leading her up to this decision, starting with the game. Sitting in the stands with her Mom, watching Jace in his football uniform, the way he moved across the field. Every time he got hit or knocked down, it took everything in her not to go to him, to make sure he was okay. It was seeing Sadie in her cheerleading uniform with her Pom poms and that smug smirk and that stupid pink necklace of hers. It made her heart hurt all night.

She's surprised at the way his mouth fits so perfectly against hers, like putting on the perfect pair of shoes, a lock and key, the final piece of a puzzle. Everyone always seems to make jokes about how awkward your first kiss will be, how clumsy, how you have no idea what you're doing. But that's not how she feels in this moment. Despite its wrong, it feels so right. It feels like this is what she's meant to be doing; kissing Jace Quinn in the front of his jeep, in the dimly lit school parking lot.

Logic takes over and she breaks apart from him instantly, so fast her head bumps on the glass of the passenger window. She barely feels it though. Her eyes are wide as she looks at him, his pink face and his dented lips. "I-I-I'm sorry—"

He shakes his head, his hazel eyes filled with worry and desperation. "No, Willow, please. Please—" He lifts the center console so he can slide closer to her across the middle seat. His hands are in the air like he's wanting to reach out for her face. "Please don't regret it?"

Then their lips are on each other's again and she can't stop it because she doesn't want to. Her eyes fall shut at the feel of his hands on her cheeks as he encourages her closer to his body. She finds herself pushing off of the passenger door in order to get as close as she possibly can to him.

His lips are softer than she imagined and he tastes like cherries. Her heart is pounding so loud in her ears and her whole body feels like it's going to erupt in flames right then and there.

"Willow." He whispers against her mouth, except she only hears the last part so it sounds like he's only saying the 'low' part of her name.

His hands are in her hair, she's clutching at the fabric of his shirt, their mouths move in sync. They kiss each other like they don't have enough time. And maybe they don't. All that can be heard is the clicking of their lips, their heavy breathing, the rustling of their clothes as they press against each other.

There's a bang on his window behind him and she jumps, shoving him away from her as fast as she can in due to the shock of whatever the sound was. But then she hears the "Woooo!" of an obnoxious teenage boy on the other side.

"Jace, my boy!" The kid knocks at the glass with a grin on his face. She recognizes it to be one of his friends but she can't recall his name.

Jace can only roll down his window, his chest rising and falling, and his cheeks are red. "Aiden." He doesn't sound at all happy to see him.

"What's up, big guy? You heading to Ryder's after party?" Aiden asks, raising his eyebrows. He doesn't seem to notice Willow, which means he may not have seen what the step-siblings were just doing.

It's a bitter return to reality but perhaps it was needed. The way they were kissing, it was becoming dangerous. She straightens up in her seat, smoothing her clothes down in an attempt to avoid eye contact with them. She forgot about the party for a second. She wonders if Jace will change his mind about going now. But then she feels ashamed because why should she care?