FORBIDDEN AFFECTIONS: ADDICTED TO MY STEPMOM

“O-Oh, you’re here as well…” I said with a smile.

“Yes, auntie. This came as such a surprise to me. Umm,” Crista grinned at me and abruptly glanced at Ryan with a puzzled expression.

“Oh, right. This is Ryan Gonzales, he is a good friend of mine. Ryan, this is Crista, she is Aki’s wife,” I introduced them to each other. Both Ryan and Crista smiled and gave each other a friendly handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you. I didn’t know auntie has a very good-looking guy friend…” Crista remarked and praised.

Ryan let out a soft chuckle. “Thanks for the compliment. But I think compared to Jack, my genes are nothing.”

Both of them, which included me soon, giggled at their silly jokes. Trying to appear as natural as possible and being the oldest of us four, I then invited Jack and Crista to join us at our table. Immediately upon hearing my offer, Crista’s face lit up, which brought a smile to my face in response. Perhaps, I began to consider inside my head, Crista and I could get along too…

We did not wait long before placing a fresh order for our meals and desserts. While we were eating, we got to talking to each other.

To my amazement, Crista said, “So, mister Ryan, I suppose you don’t only think of Mom as a friend.” I told her that since she was already a member of the family, she should stop referring to me as her “auntie” and instead start referring to me as her “mom” instead.

Crista’s words made me blush, and I felt compelled to look away. I was caught off guard when Crista brought up that subject out of the blue. In addition to that, it wasn’t as if Ryan and I had anything going on between us at the time. Despite the genuine intentions and feelings he had for me, I was still unable to feel the warmth and comfort I was looking for every time I contemplated saying “yes” to him. In other words, I felt it was not the correct time for such things to happen. At the very least, it wasn’t what my heart actually desired at this very moment.

Ryan looked at me with a gentle smile on his face by my side. The care and appreciation that he had for me were particularly evident in the sparkle that lit up his eyes. “Crista, I must say that you are absolutely correct in that regard. In point of fact, up until this very moment, I have not yet received a response from Marianne.”

What I heard almost made my eyes widen. Ryan and Crista appear to be getting along well and like putting me in the spotlight. But, isn’t it better to keep these kinds of topics private?

“Aww, you’re so lovely and nice! I really hope that everything works out well between the two of you. Honestly, you two look good together!” Crista made a cheerful comment and appeared to be pleased about Ryan and I. She also started making suggestions for places we could go on our upcoming dates, as well as advising me on the best salons and boutiques I could visit with her whenever I would see Ryan.

After a few moments, I got up and excused myself to use the restroom. I didn’t feel really at ease with the way things were going at our table. My heart couldn’t keep up with the suddenness and speed of it all. Throughout the entire time that Crista was speaking, I managed to keep my smile on while at the same time suppressing the nauseous sensation that was building up inside of me.

As soon as I entered the restroom, I closed the door and locked it, and then I let out a breath that I had been holding for a while.

My eyes moved across the mirror that was hanging on the wall. It dawned on me how pale I had become as I looked at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t help but sigh once more.

Jack and Crista show up at the same restaurant at the same time… Aki’s cold stare and silence… Comments made by Crista and Ryan with regard to the current state of my relationship with Ryan… All of these began to make my heart anxious for some reason.

I focused on my reflection in the mirror and breathed deeply. I had to make some adjustments to avoid making the situation awkward. I needed to be normal and looked fine and happy in front of them. All of them. I could do it. I knew I could.

After saying my internal monologues in an attempt to calm my nerves down, I washed my hands and went out of the bathroom. But I wasn’t even able to take two steps when suddenly, something pulled me to the side.

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As soon as I recognized who had grabbed me, my eyes grew wide and my heart started to race. My mind became completely blank and it felt as though it had shut down as he continued to take me out of the restaurant through the fire exit.

He then shut the door of the fire exit and immediately shoved me against the wall. Looking like a ferocious tiger who had been starving for a long time, he placed his hands on the wall next to my face, trapping me in between.

“Is it true?” Jack questioned me with a gaze devoid of any trace of emotion or reason. He seemed like he was about to blow up right there and then as he glared furiously at me.

“Huh?” I asked in a shaky tone, unsure of what he was trying to ask me.

“It sounds like things are progressing nicely between the two of you and Ryan… So, is that really the case? You’re going to accept him?” Jack spoke up.

Close enough to touch, I could feel his breath across my skin. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that Jack was upset. More than being angry, he was in pain.

Quickly enough upon the realization, came my direct and honest response. “No.”

Jack gradually pulled his hands away from my side in reaction to my response. He gazed deeply into my eyes as he scoured the words I had just uttered, hoping to find some indication of truth in them.

“Aki…” I softly called out his name, hoping that the rage he was feeling inside his heart would dissipate as I did so.

For a long period, Jack was silent and did not respond. He took a few long, deep breaths, but for some reason, he still appeared to be uncomfortable. Then, after taking his time and appearing to be in a great deal of bewilderment on his face, he slowly raised one hand and gently touched my right cheek.

Upon being suddenly touched, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, which was accompanied by a loud throbbing sound. However, Jack did not take his gaze off of me at any point. He appeared to be a beast that was thirsty and restraining himself at the same time as he looked at me from head to toe.

Jack’s fingers caressed my cheek all the way down to my neck, causing me to feel a weird and familiar sensation in my body at the same time.

“You look so beautiful tonight. You don’t even realize that, do you?” Jack uttered in a hoarse and low tone. I could tell he was holding back a lot by the way he was breathing heavily and his tone of voice. He looked at me as though he wanted to say something more, but all he could do was stare at me.

The thought caused my cheeks and neck to flush red as I felt a sensation that was all too familiar. As my thoughts and emotions began to struggle with one another, I nervously bit the lower part of my lip. No. This cannot be. This was not right. I’m not supposed to be feeling this way. Not any longer, not when Jack already had a fresh start with a new family…

Jack moved in closer, until we were only a few inches away. My heart was pounding more and more swiftly, and I had the feeling that it was about to burst right out of my chest due to the intensity and the volume of the sound.

“Aki…” I mumbled his name quietly to him in between quivering gasps. I knew I had to push him away from me. No matter what, something like this could never happen between us…

However, Jack continued to stare directly into my eyes. And there I discovered that the serious pair of eyes I had seen in their residence before had vanished. The only thing that looked back at me was a pair of eyes that were brimming with need, longing, and an undeniably boundless amount of affection.