Chapter 2: Guilty Snowfall

2

Caleb is the only son of Dad’s old flame, Lillian.

After Mom passed away, Dad—who’d always spoiled me—ignored my protests for the first time and married Caleb’s mom anyway.

I was sixteen, deep in my rebellious phase. How was I supposed to accept a strange new brother suddenly showing up in my life?

And he was the son of the woman I hated most.

So from that day on, I never gave Caleb a kind word.

At school, he took my shifts; at home, he acted like a loyal puppy, always following my orders. As long as I was even slightly displeased, Caleb would have a hard time.

I remembered once, when Dad and Caleb’s mom went to Europe and missed my birthday, I vented all my anger on Caleb.

I wouldn’t let him eat, wouldn’t let him sleep upstairs, and even made him, dressed in thin pajamas, stand outside in the snow to build me a snowman during the first snowfall…

I remembered the way the birthday candles flickered, the taste of cheap vanilla cake, and the cold, guilty sweat prickling my back as Dad’s footsteps thundered down the hall. The guilt was suffocating—I couldn’t bear to think about it any longer. My throat tightened just remembering how blue his lips looked against the white of the yard that night.

I got up and went to the kitchen. The kitchen still smelled like burnt Folgers coffee from this morning, and the sticky linoleum cooled my bare feet. I poured a glass of milk and heated it in the microwave, the whirring filling the silent space.

Caleb doesn’t sleep well—he should drink some hot milk.

I tried not to spill as I tiptoed down the hall, the glass of milk steaming in my hand like some late-night peace offering. The floorboard squeaked, and I winced, praying he hadn’t heard. I could smell the faint trace of vanilla from the milk, mixing with the soft scent of his old cologne drifting from under the door.

Before I could knock, the door opened.

Caleb stood there in a loose bathrobe, his broad chest exposed. My gaze couldn’t help but drift downward.

My eyes slid over his defined pecs, past the lines of his abs, down into the shadows below—

“Ahem…”

Caleb’s earlobes flushed red. He pulled his collar together, looking flustered. “Is something wrong?”

I quickly looked away. “I warmed up some milk for you. Want it?”

He looked surprised, but quickly nodded. “Thank you.”

He pursed his lips and reached out for the glass.

I shifted my fingers, unable to resist letting my fingertips brush against his.

The cold touch made me shiver. Our eyes met, and I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. The air between us seemed to buzz, like the static before a summer storm.

And then the chat bubbles appeared again:

[Girl, are you trying to kill the second male lead?]

[So much for that cold shower—looks like it was all for nothing!]

[Girl, just make out with him already! You know you want to, and so do we!]

Thinking of what was destined to come, I bit my lip. “Caleb, have you ever, at night… thought of me?”

……

The chat bubbles exploded:

[Wait, WHAT? Did I hear that right? The girl’s flirting now?!]

[Aaaaaah, let me answer for him—he thinks of you every single night, girl!]

[Girl: Have you ever, at night, thought of me? Second male lead: The child will take your surname.]

[Oh my god, look at our boy trembling—there’s so much sexual tension, I can’t even imagine what would happen in bed…]

My pulse thudded in my ears. Was I really about to ask this? What if he laughed? What if he didn’t?

I ignored the live comments making my cheeks burn and waited for Caleb’s reply.

His eyes were rimmed red, as if he was holding back something fierce.

“Rachel,” he said hoarsely, “You can mess with me all you want, Rachel, but don’t joke about stuff like that. Not with me.”

“I’m not joking.”

I stepped closer, anxious. “I’m serious, I…”

Caleb looked at me, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears under the bright light.

Suddenly, I couldn’t speak.

Caleb wasn’t happy about what I’d said—he was hurt. I’d crossed some line I didn’t understand.

[Brother, what’s wrong? Isn’t this the part where you sweep her into your arms and kiss her like a CEO in love?]

[No, no, maybe the second male lead is just thinking about which position is best.]

[Does he think the girl is messing with him? She really did pull stuff like this before…]

Did I really do things that embarrassing?

Staring at the flashing live comments, a memory from three years ago surfaced…