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Chapter 4: The Stepbrother's Return

Eliza stood in front of the hallway mirror, adjusting her hair for the third time. Her hands moved nervously through the dark waves as she studied her reflection, trying to look composed, even though her stomach was in knots. Tonight was just a family dinner, nothing more, but it felt different. Alex, her stepbrother, was returning from his months-long internship abroad. She hadn’t seen him in nearly a year, and the thought of seeing him again after so much time sent a ripple of nerves through her.

They had never been particularly close. Growing up, Alex had always been distant—aloof, even. He had kept to himself, focused on his own world, rarely paying her much attention beyond the occasional snarky comment or casual teasing. But now, as she stood there in front of the mirror, she couldn’t deny that she was more anxious than usual. Her emotions were a confusing blend of anticipation and something she didn’t quite understand.

A knock on the door startled her, and her stepmother Sarah’s voice called out from downstairs. "Eliza, are you ready? Dinner’s almost served!"

"Coming!" Eliza called back, taking one last look in the mirror before forcing herself to head downstairs.

The dining room was already set, candles flickering softly on the table. Her father was seated at the head, scrolling through his phone as Sarah flitted about, putting the finishing touches on the meal. Everything was as usual, except for the extra place setting at the table—the one meant for Alex. The sight of it made her heart skip a beat.

Moments later, the front door opened, and there he was.

"Hey, everyone," Alex’s voice rang through the house, warm and familiar yet somehow different. He stepped into the dining room, his tall frame filling the doorway. Eliza blinked, taking him in. He looked the same but older, more mature. His once slightly disheveled hair was now neatly styled, and the casual confidence he always carried with him had intensified into something almost magnetic.

"Alex!" Sarah beamed, rushing over to hug him. "You’re finally back!"

"Good to see you, Mom," he replied, returning the hug before turning toward their father with a nod. "Dad."

"About time," their father joked, standing up to shake Alex’s hand. "How was it? Learn anything useful?"

"It was great," Alex said, shrugging nonchalantly as he walked further into the room. His eyes scanned the space before landing on Eliza. For a moment, the air between them shifted, a brief but undeniable pause. "Eliza," he said, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Long time no see."

"Yeah," Eliza replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "It’s been a while."

He stepped closer, his eyes locking with hers for a second longer than necessary. "You look... different."

Eliza’s cheeks flushed, though she didn’t understand why. "So do you," she replied, her voice quiet.

They stood there for a moment, the space between them filled with an odd, unspoken tension. Alex had always been good-looking, but now there was something more about him—something that made it impossible for her to look away. His presence was overwhelming, and it stirred something inside her that she hadn’t felt before.

"Well, sit down, both of you!" Sarah’s voice cut through the moment. "Let’s eat before the food gets cold."

They took their seats, the usual clatter of dinner conversation beginning. Alex started talking about his internship—how fast-paced it had been, the people he met, the cities he visited. Sarah and their father listened eagerly, asking questions and laughing at his stories, but Eliza found it difficult to focus. She picked at her food, glancing at Alex from across the table, her thoughts spinning.

She couldn’t explain why his presence affected her so much. He was her stepbrother, after all. But the way he spoke now, the way he carried himself with such confidence, made it hard to reconcile him with the distant boy she had grown up with. It was as if he had transformed into someone new—someone she didn’t know how to act around.

"Eliza, how’s school been?" Alex’s question pulled her from her thoughts.

"Uh, it’s been fine," she said quickly, feeling her cheeks warm again under his gaze. "Just... busy."

"Still writing?" he asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp, as if he were genuinely interested.

"Yeah," she replied, surprised he even remembered. "A little."

"You always were the smart one," he teased, but there was an edge to his voice that made her heart race.

"Hardly," she muttered, looking down at her plate.

The conversation drifted back to Alex, and Eliza remained quiet, her mind elsewhere. Every time Alex spoke, she found herself analyzing his words, his tone, his body language, wondering why everything felt different now. She hadn’t expected to feel this way—hadn’t expected his return to stir such confusing emotions. It was as if there was an invisible current between them, something unspoken that neither of them dared acknowledge.

As dinner wound down, Sarah and their father started clearing the table, leaving Eliza and Alex alone for the first time since he had arrived. The silence between them was heavy, and Eliza could feel his eyes on her.

"You’ve changed," Alex said quietly, breaking the silence.

Eliza looked up, startled by the softness in his voice. "What do you mean?"

"You’re... different," he said, his gaze lingering on her. "I don’t know. More grown-up, I guess."

Eliza swallowed, her heart racing. "So are you."

He smirked slightly, leaning back in his chair. "I guess time does that to people."

They sat there in silence for a moment longer, the tension between them palpable. Eliza could feel her pulse in her throat, her mind buzzing with thoughts she didn’t know how to articulate. Alex wasn’t supposed to make her feel this way. He was her stepbrother, a figure from her childhood. But the way he looked at her now, the way his voice sounded when he spoke her name, was different—everything was different.

"Do you want to catch up sometime?" Alex asked suddenly, his voice casual but his eyes intense.

Eliza blinked, taken aback by the offer. "Catch up?"

"Yeah, you know," he said, shrugging as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "It’s been a long time. We’re family, after all."

Family. The word echoed in her mind, a reminder of the boundaries that should exist between them. And yet, those boundaries felt blurry now, tangled in the confusion of her emotions.

"Yeah," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I’d like that."

Alex smiled, a smile that made her heart skip a beat. And in that moment, Eliza knew things between them would never be the same.

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