noah barely had time to react before nick's lips were on hers.

it wasn't soft. it wasn't slow. it was intentional.

his hand curled around her jaw, tilting her face up to his, deepening the kiss with a kind of urgency that made her freeze. his body pressed in, keeping her there, keeping her still—keeping her trapped in something she hadn't even had the chance to process yet.

her stepbrother. nick leister was her stepbrother. and he was kissing her like he had every right to. but the worst part?

she kissed him back.

for a second.

for one, fleeting, dangerous second, her lips moved with his, her body betraying her before her mind could catch up.

then—click.

a camera shutter.

nick pulled back slightly, still close enough that she could feel his breath against her lips, still close enough that his thumb could brush against her cheek. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—his eyes burned.

"i'll just send them to you," he murmured, voice low, hushed, like this was something just for them. "and you can do whatever you want with 'em."

noah was still in shock. she barely nodded.

nick's lips twitched into something that wasn't quite a smirk. then, just like that, he stepped away, turned, and left her standing there—breathless, confused, and completely, utterly fucked up.

but the moment he turned the corner, whatever was in his expression disappeared.

because that kiss?

it hadn't meant anything.

right?

he had been thinking about alexandra.

his alexandra.

or at least, she used to be.

and then—he saw it.

a flash of movement. a silhouette in the dim light. a familiar figure.

her. alexandra.

nick's chest tightened before his mind could catch up. his feet moved before logic could stop him.

and then—him.

mateo cruz.

nick's blood ran cold.

he knew exactly who mateo was.

and right now, mateo was looking at alexandra like she was something his. like she was something precious, something his hands deserved to hold.

nick recognized that look.

because it was the way he used to look at her.

the way he still did.

and then, as if the universe wanted to drive the knife deeper, mateo leaned in.

his hand brushed against alexandra's. his head tilted slightly.

and then—his lips were on hers.

nick's stomach dropped.

his jaw locked, muscles going rigid, fists curling at his sides.

she wasn't pushing him away.

she wasn't kissing him back, not at first.

but she wasn't stopping him either.

something snapped inside Nick.

a deep, raw ache clawed at his ribs, wrapping around his lungs like barbed wire.

his girl.

his fucking girl.

well. ex-girl.

though no one knew it.

and now? now he was watching her slip further away.

( © SOLXSTRS 2025 )