Step brother becomes my love – part 1

Ben sat back on the bed and stretched out with a grin. “I think I’m going to like having you for a brother, Dan.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “Why’s that?”

He grinned evilly at me, but didn’t say another word.

*****

“We would like to thank everyone for coming to our dinner party in celebration of our upcoming wedding,” Todd said as he raised his glass of champagne, his arm tucked around Rachel’s waist as they grinned out at their friends and family.

I watched with disdain near the hallway. The party had been going on for an hour already and didn’t look like it would be ending anytime soon. I’d already had several Aunts and Uncles come up to me with worried looks and patronizing, “How are you doing, Dan?”

It had been almost four years since I’d been released from the hospital and people still walked on eggshells around me, afraid I was going to jump out the nearest window and throw myself in front of a moving bus if they so much as looked at me cross eyed.

On one such instance, Ben came up beside me and rested his arm around my shoulder, grinning at my Aunt Meg. “Oh, you must be Aunt Meg. Mom told me how you were her favorite sister.”

Aunt Meg blushed and giggled, being praised by such a hot young stud.

With a disgusted sniff, I pushed my glasses up my nose and tried unsuccessfully to dislodge Ben’s arm. “Don’t worry about my big brother here. He’s doing great, he’s just tickled pink and has welcomed Deric and I into the family with open arms.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to snap at him, until he began pinching my arm. I had nowhere to struggle except farther into his side.

“See? He just loves us!” His other arm came around my front, locking me in a very unwanted hug. “I love you, too, brother!”

“Oh, how sweet!” Aunt Meg sniffled into her napkin and walked away.

I growled under my breath and pulled at his arms. “You big jerk, let go!”

Before I knew it, Ben did a twirl and had me against a wall in the darkness of the hallway leading to our room. His face came in close to mine and at that moment, his smile dark, bringing butterflies to life in my stomach.

Now, if I’d had the guts, I could have gotten away from him, just slipped to either side and kept going. But I couldn’t. This eighteen year old had a gaze that was penetrating, an essence that was immovable. A chill traveled noticeably down my spine when his hand came up slowly and plucked the glasses from my face.

With a lopsided grin, he poked my glasses and ran a finger down my nose. “Much better. You’re eyes are the most spectacular green when you’re not hiding them with these things.” His head cocked to the side. “Maybe they won’t bug you so much if you don’t have to see their pitying glances, huh?”

It almost sounded like he cared that it bothered me the way everyone was treating me. Then it dawned on me that without my glasses, I would be vulnerable. I couldn’t see, couldn’t identify anything or anyone! With all of Todd’s new stuff in the house, I could trip over anything! I’d be a laughing stock and then people would awe over me even more. I would have to move far away, very far away. Maybe I’d just move into the basement and refuse to come out until Hell froze over. “Ben, give them back. Give them back now!”

He took a step back, his face the only clear thing in my vision. Without my classes, I was close to being clinically blind, my eyes were so bad. “Aw, don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”

“No, you don’t understand,” panic crept into my voice. “I need them back, Ben! I can’t see without them! Please!”

He backed his way down the hallway, making his way back into the room of people, still facing me with that lopsided grin, growing fuzzy in my vision. “Don’t worry, Dan. I won’t let you fall.”

Then he was gone, disappearing into the crowd of well-wishers. What did he mean he wouldn’t let me fall? The bastard would probably put something in my way on purpose and shove me for added effect!

With shaking hands, I slid my hand along the wall on my left and made my way to the party. Blurry shapes were all I could see unless someone was right in front of me.

Even though I knew most of the people, it was frightening not being able to identify them, to not know who was coming at me, or what was happening around me. At the end of the hallway, I looked helplessly out into the blurry crowd, taking slow shuffling steps so as not to trip. I had to find Ben and get my glasses back. I didn’t have a spare set. Shapeless masses moved and laughed all around me. I couldn’t even tell who my own mother was.

Tears of frustration pricked my eyes. The only thing I could be thankful for at this moment was that Mom and I hadn’t moved into Todd’s house! Then I really would have been in trouble.

Someone bumped me and I fell into a corner. There were too many people and not enough damn faces. Some were out on the lawn, some in the backyard, every room in the house except for the bedrooms were filled with people. Friends, family, co-workers all gathered in celebration for Todd and Mom. And here I was plastered up against a wall, afraid to move.

“Damn it, that bastard.” Frustration burrowed in my chest side by side with fear. Senseless, but there none the less.

I had to get out of the crowd. There was no way I was going to find Ben like this, I never should have left the safety of the hallway. Damn it! Now I had to try to make my way back. Slowly, I headed in the direction I thought the hallway was. It was the only dark part of the house, so I was sure my guess was pretty good. Oh, I was going to make that bastard pay for this. Somehow, someway, he was going to pay.

I was nearly to the hallway when someone behind me called out to me a hearty hello and slapped me on the back. That was all it took and I was falling. My hands came up to protect my face, but suddenly, a strong arm was wrapped around my waist and kept me on my feet.

“Jeeze, Ben, that was a great catch!” Someone said, “Dan, are you okay?”

“He’s fine, just a bit tired. We’ve had a busy day,” I heard Ben say. I wanted to hit him for what he’d done, but I couldn’t even move, I just held onto his arm and kept my head down. “If you’ll excuse us.”

He quickly led me down the hallway, his arm still secure around my waist, keeping me upright when I stumbled. When he shoved me into our darkened room and flicked on the light, I turned around and slugged him.

“Shit!” I pulled my hand back and cradled it to my chest. I’d never hit anything before, much less a person. It hurts! “Damn it!”

“What the hell was that for? I told you I wouldn’t let you fall!”

Not exactly the reaction I had expected from him. I thought he’d cream me for sure, but he just stood there rubbing his jaw. The frustrated tears I’d held at bay all through my stumbling finally began to fall. “You son of a bitch! Give me back my glasses! Did you think I was kidding when I said I couldn’t see without them? I couldn’t tell who anyone was out there? I couldn’t even pick out Mom! I can’t see anything but blurry shapes moving around me! You son of a bitch!”

He was silent, just staring at me as I cried. I felt like such a damned baby blubbering because I’d been scared. It wasn’t so much the fact that I couldn’t tell who people were, but everything was unknown and frightening when one of the biggest census was taken away. It was like a whole new world that I wanted no part of.

Finally, he reached into his pocket and handed me my glasses. I snatched them and moved over to the bedside table, reaching for my inhaler. Crying always sucked, not just because of the headache that inevitably came afterward, but it cut off my breath as sufficiently as drowning me.

Sucking in the medication, I willed myself to calm down as the vice tightened around my ribs. It hurt worse than my hand did, but I’d be damned if he saw that.

“Dan, I’m sorry,” he said quietly and it pierced me as sharply as my father’s knife had so long ago. “I didn’t realize. I really am sorry.”

Step brother becomes my love – part 1 will continue in the next page.