Chapter 72

Read In Love With My Evil Stepbrother Chapter 72 – Whatever It Takes I crouch down there frozen, staring at him.

“I said midnight. And you just waited me till midnight?” my voice is filled with shock.

“Yes,” he nods.

“But why?” I ask, perplexed.

I can’t think of one reason that would make him wait in the weather like this for 2-3 hours.

Is he just trying to be nice? Or does he still have feelings for-no, impossible. I immediately laugh at that fleeting thought.

And then I hear his answer, “I said I want to have dinner with you. You clearly haven’t eaten anything.

Come, let’s go.”

He rises and gestures me to follow. Before I realize, I’m already walking with him side by side under his umbrella. The chilly wind hits me, and I shiver. The next second, a scarf that still carries his warmth lands on my neck.

“It’s cold during the night, isn’t it?” he says casually and looks straight ahead, paying no attention to the astonished look on my face. “Don’t forget to check the weather next time.”

I touch the scarf, which smells so much like him. It’s irresistible. After only a few seconds of hesitation, I tighten his scarf around my neck and instantly feel warmer.

We walk together to the parking lot where he parks his car, which turns out to be a black Audi. Very low-profile. Very unlike him.

“What happened to your fancy sports cars?” I turn to him and ask.

“I sold them.”

I gasp in surprise. I can still remember the proud in his voice when he told me about his car collections, and now he is telling me that he sold them?

Did his family go bankrupt?

“Why? Do you have a financial difficulty?”

He blinks and then bursts into laughter,“ Oh no, nothing like that. I needed money to start my own business, so I sold them for a good price. Plus, I can’t have my business partners see me driving around in a gaudy convertible…doesn’t seem very reliable that way.”

I don’t know which word makes me more surprised, “business” “gaudy” or ” reliable”?

He really has changed a lot. And it makes it harder for me to read him.

“Why don’t you ask Mr. Ramirez for the money?” I ask.

His face darkens for a quick second and then he quickly covers it with a smile, “do you want to have dinner or ask question?”

He is dogging my question. That I am sure of.

He unlocks the car and open the passenger’s door for me. Before I get in the car, I suddenly notice a darker area on his left shoulder. It looks like a water stain from the rain.

But he was holding an umbrella large enough for us two.

Then it suddenly hits me. I was walking on the right side of him. So he must be leaning the umbrella more towards my side to make sure I’m perfectly sheltered from the rain. That’s how his left shoulder got wet.

“Something wrong?” he notices my moment of lost and asks.

“No! No, it’s nothing…I—nothing.”-

I quickly lower my head and get in the car, avoiding his gaze so that he doesn’t notice my red eyes.

Stop being so sweet and gentle to me! He is only making this so much harder than it already is.

Sit in his car, I quickly take a deep breath to calm myself down before he gets in.

“So, what do you want to eat?” he starts the engine and asks me.

I’m really exhausted, physically and emotionally. I’m really not in the mood for dinner and just want to lie down. But my gut feeling is telling me that if I turn him down now, I’ll probably not see him in a very long time.

“I don’t know…a simple bite perhaps?” I force out a smile. “It’s late and I’m sure you have things to do tomorrow. I don’t want to take too much of your time.”

He doesn’t say anything and just drive out of the parking lot. When the car goes into the rain, he turns on the radio.

A song is playing, Whatever It Takes, by Life house.

I’ve heard of the song before but never really paid any attention to the lyrics. And now I’m trapped in the car with nothing to do but to listen carefully, it just occurred to me that, ironically, this song tells the exact story of us.

“…A strangled smile fell from your face;

What kills me that I hurt you this way;

The worst part is that I didn’t even know;

Now there’s a million reasons for you to go;

But if you can find a reason to stay…”

I suddenly feel the air getting thinner around me.

It’s so awkward listening to this song with Eason, who has also done me wrong in the past. But I don’t know if he has ever regretted it or not.

We have both moved on, but this song just snapped us back to those painful pasts.

And it’s still going in the background.

“…I’ll do whatever it takes;

To turn this around;

I know what’s at stake;

I know that I’ve let you down;

And if you give me a chance;

Believe that—”

The song stops abruptly.

Eason turned off the radio.

I know why he turned it off, because unlike the singer, he doesn’t have any regret for the past and isn’t trying to ask for another chance with me.

It’s been so long already. He has moved on to a greater life.

I clench the strap of my bag in the darkness and struggle to fight back those hot tears in my eyes. I can’t let him find out that this song brought out the emotional side of me, which is weak and pathetic.

I need to pretend that I’m cool with everything, just like he is.

“So,” he finally breaks the awkward silence. “Tough day at work?”

“…Sort of. I spilled a drink on your girlfriend, remember?” I’m glad that my voice sounds natural and calm, so I carry on with a light tone. “I’m really sorry about that. But I got fired for it and I guess we are even?”

“You got fired?” his voice suddenly turns darker and lower.

“Umm, yeah. It is my fault, nevertheless. Can’t really complain about that.”

“But don’t you think it’s a bit unfair? Getting fired over something really small like that?”

I almost laugh out. I guess the innocent side of him has remained unchanged.

“There’s no real fairness in this world, Eason. Normal people like us can only be really careful about every little thing in our lives, or those little things will turn into a real b*tch and come back at us. Of course, people like you won’t understand.”

I said that and immediately realized that the final sentence sounded more sarcastic and mean than I intended to be.

He remained silence driving his car with his face hidden in the darkness. I don’t know what he’s thinking.

I’ve regretted it already. We won’t see each other after this one night. Why turn it into another fight?

“So…” I change the subject, trying to lighten the mood. “Your girlfriend seems nice. How long has it been? How did you guys meet?»

“Nice? You call the person who got you fired nice?” there’s a hint of amusement in his voice.

I sigh, “I’m trying to start a decent conversation here. Be a good boy and play along, OK?”

He chuckles lowly and then says, “I think food is a better idea than talking.”

He pulls over to the side. I look through the window and see a little Taco joint at the corner.

“Wait here,” he says and then gets off the car.

I sit there quietly, my eyes following him as he walks up to the Taco joint and orders our food. Staring at his back, I suddenly go into a trance.

I can barely recognize him now. He used to be so bossy, arrogant, and haughty; yet now he is the exact opposite version of his old self: sophisticated, grounded, and reliable.

I should be relieved that he has changed. But the truth is, I feel sad.

It’s sad that he has turned into a better person, but he doesn’t belong to me anymore.

He comes back to the car with two plates of fish tacos and hand me one. I immediately take a huge bite. It’s so freaking delicious and immediately brings my appetite back to life.

We both dig into our food without saying anything and finish up the plate very quickly. When he throws away the garbage and comes back to the car again, I suddenly realize that this is going to be the end of tonight.

We’ve got no reason to stay with each other anymore.

He sits the driver’s seat in silence, maybe thinking about the same thing. I suddenly feel a bit nervous.

Will he ask me to do something else with him? Maybe grab a drink, catch up a little …I’m not sure if I’ll say yes, but if he insists “What’s your address? i’ll drive you home,” he says lowly.

Oh.

I let out a breath that I’ve been holding. It’s silly to feel upset, really. Of course he didn’t want to stay with me anymore… why would he?

The drive to my apartment is extremely quiet. He never turned on the radio again, for obvious reasons.

And we never talk again. I guess we could ask each other about how things have been for the past three years and reminisce our history together, like most exs who ended on good terms would do.

But there are just too many traumas and bitterness between us. We don’t dare to look back.

Eventually, the car arrives at my apartment. He kills the engine and turns to look at me, meeting eyes with me in the darkness.

“So…this is me,” I murmur.

He nods without a word.

My mind is going through a brutal inner struggle. And after a short pause, without thinking it through, I blurt out:

“… do you want to—maybe come upstairs and have something to drink?”

It’s a f***king, stupid idea.

But there, I’ve said it. No regret.

He remains silent. Those 5 seconds are literally the longest and most painful moment in my entire life.

And then I hear him say in a deep and gravelly voice, “…Natalia I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

He is right.

I have to control every fiber of me to stop shaking and smile as calmly as possible,“ You are right. It’s getting late. You better go home to be with your girlfriend. Bye, Eason.”

With that said, I push open the car door and rush into the rain, not daring to look back.

As I escape into the building, tears start streaming down my cheek. Embarrassment, shame, sadness…all those intense emotions surge up inside of my chest. I swore to myself not to cry for him again, but I guess it’s impossible for me.

I run up to the third floor and am ready to bury myself under my sheets.

But I suddenly stop abruptly at the top of the staircase.

To my surprise, there’s a man sitting in front of my apartment door, with a baseball bat besides him. My landlord.

Author Whatever It Takes, by Lifehouse. Highly recommended. Heartbreaking song.