Stella's P.O.V.

What the fuck Alex is doing to me?

He's being too sweet and caring, as if he is my boyfriend.

But I'm not ready for another relationship yet. It's been only a week since Jade crushed my heart and I'm still overcoming that pain.

No matter how much my heart is melting, I'm not ready to trust a man again. I can't let my heart break again.

Moreover, Alex is my stepbrother, there is no future for us. We should keep it only physical.

But it's impossible to stop my heart from falling in love with Alex when he takes care of me like this, as if I'm the most important person in the world for him.

I hate how he makes me feel so safe, so wanted. I hate how my heart races every time he smiles at me, or how my body responds to his touch. It's too much, too soon, and yet I can't pull away.

Jade's betrayal is still fresh. I can't forget the way he made me feel worthless, the lies, the cheating... it's all too much to move on from so quickly. Alex is the exact opposite, though—he's been supporting me these past few days. But I can't stop the thoughts revolving in my mind. What if this is temporary? What if Alex gets bored with me, or worse, what if our parents find out? The consequences would be catastrophic.

I wonder as I walk through the corridor to reach the classroom.

God! At breakfast, I asked Alex not to overthink and focus on the present moment. And now I'm doing exactly what I told him not to. I'm overthinking everything.

Just stop it, Stella. Whatever happens in the future, we gonna deal with it when the time comes. Right now, I need to focus on myself and on my healing.

I walk into the classroom and spot Zoe sitting at the back with Selena, already waving at me.

After taking a deep breath, I walk over to them.

"Hey," I greet them as I slide into the seat beside Zoe.

"How're you feeling now?" Zoe asks, looking at me with concern in her eyes.

"If you want, we can skip the class and go out for a shopping or wherever you want," Selena suggests. I stare at her in surprise. Selena never skips class—ever. She's always the model student, determined to be perfect in her parents' eyes.

It's touching to see her breaking her own rules just for me. And the way Zoe has been canceling her plans with her boyfriend shows how important I'm to her. It makes me realise just how different Zoe and Selena are from Leah. I'm certain they would never betray me like Leah did.

I smile, shaking my head. "Guys, I'm fine. Don't worry."

I'm not lying to them. It's true that I'm fine now, because of Alex. Last night, Alex erased all my pain by making me desirable. For a little while, I forgot about Jade's betrayal. I forgot about everything except him.

"Are you sure?" They both stare at me, their eyes filled with doubt and concern.

I nod, trying to reassure them both. "Yeah! Really."

I can't tell them about Alex. I'm scared they'll judge me or, worse, try to convince me that this isn't right. Right now, I really don't want to think about what's right or wrong. I only know one thing: I need Alex more than anything else in this world.

Selena looks at me, still unconvinced. "Stella, we just want you to be okay. You don't have to pretend with us."

"I'm not pretending!" Shaking my head, I respond. "I'm... I'm just trying to move on, okay? This is part of it."

Zoe leans back in her chair, studying me with that knowing look. "If you say so. Just remember, you're not alone in this."

The professor enters the room, cutting off any further discussion. I pull my notebook out, forcing myself to focus on the lecture rather than on a particular man with hazel eyes.

***

"Stella, let's go to the canteen and grab something to eat." Zoe tugs at my hand as the bell rings, signalling the start of our break.

I shake my head. "I'm not hungry."

Both Zoe and Selena exchange glances before turning back to me. "At least come with us," Selena utters.

"I'm fine here," I respond, though my attention is completely elsewhere. Staring at my phone, I'm waiting for a message from Alex. It's stupid, I know, but I can't help it. I miss him, and every second without hearing from him feels longer than it should.

I'm praying that his match practice gets over soon because I can't wait to be with him again. It was seriously getting hard to concentrate on the lectures because I was just wondering how alive I felt every time Alex's hands or lips touched my skin. I can't wait to feel him buried deep inside me, filling me and making me feel whole.

Zoe's words bring me back to the earth. "Okay... If you say so. But if you change your mind, we'll be at the canteen."

"Yeah, just let us know," Selena adds.

"Thanks, guys. Go without me."

They give me one last look before putting their things into their bags. As they stand up, my phone buzzes. My heart skips a beat as I see Alex's name flash on the screen.

Finally!

Alex: Hey, Flower. Did you eat something?

A smile tugs at my lips as I quickly type back.

Me: No. I'm not hungry.

His reply comes almost instantly.

Alex: Come to the canteen right now. I'm coming there with Sky. Our match practice just finished.

Me: Okay.

I type out the response, feeling excited. Standing up quickly, I grab my bag and rush after Zoe and Selena, who are just about to step out of the classroom.

"Guys, wait up! I'm coming with you both." I call out, catching their attention as they turn around, surprised.

They must think I'm crazy. Actually, I'm. Alex is driving me insane.

Zoe smirks. "Changed your mind?"

I shrug, not willing to admit that Alex is the reason I'm suddenly interested in eating. "Yeah, suddenly I'm hungry now."