The fallout

VIOLET

My mouth fell open, and a wave of heat surged through me. Beads of sweat pricked at my temple as I stared, wide-eyed, at my mother standing in the doorway. Her sharp gaze darted between Ryan and me, her expression shifting from shock to something colder—disappointment mixed with fury

“What is going on here?” she demanded, her voice cold and clippedt

I couldn’t meet her gaze. My gaze stayed fixed on the floor. I couldn’t even look at Ryan, who, to my astonishment, still sat on the edge of the bed, calm and composed as if he hadn’t just been caught making out with his supposed stepsister..

“I—we—he was just…” My words faltered, breaking apart before they could form anything coherent. I sounded ridiculous, and I knew it.

The scene spoke louder than anything I could have said: Ryan in my room, his tousled hair, his shirt slightly rumpled, my lips still swollen from our kiss, me perched on his lap, my blouse rumpled, and his hands still halfway to scandal.

Mom’s eyes lingered on me, her lips pressed into a thin line, her disappointment palpable. She didn’t yell. She didn’t demand answers. She didn’t need to. The look on her face was enough to make my chest ache.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked out, shutting the door behind her.

I exhaled shakily, daring to glance at Ryan. His expression was neutral e, his jaw tight, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“Well,” Ryan drawled, leaning casually against the edge of the bed.. “That could’ve gone worse.”

I whipped my head toward him, my jaw dropping. “Worse? Worse? Are you serious right now?”

He shrugged, a maddeningly smug grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah. She could’ve thrown me out. Or, I don’t know, screamed loud enough to wake the neighbors. Instead, she just glared at us. Honestly, I’d call that a win.”

“A win?” I echoed, my voice climbing to an octave I didn’t even know I had. “Ryan, my mom just walked in on her daughter sitting on her stepbrother’s lap! She looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel!”

“Relax, Vi,” he said, reaching over to brush his fingers against my arm. “It’s not like we’re actually related. What’s the big deal?”

“What’s the—” I broke off, momentarily stunned by his complete lack of concern. “Ryan, this is not the time for your laid-back ‘bad boy’ act, okay? My mom thinks we’re… we’re…”

“Dating?” he offered with a sly grin.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “Stop joking! This is serious!”

“Fine, fine,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Let’s look at this logically. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“She could kill me!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air.

Ryan snorted. “Oh, come on. Your mom wouldn’t actually kill you. Maybe ground you for a decade, sure, but—”

“This isn’t funny!” I cut him off, glaring at him. “She’s going to think we’ve been sneaking around behind her back or something. She’ll never let this go!”

“First of all,” Ryan said, crossing his arms and smirking at me, “we have been sneaking around. So she’d technically be right about that.”

“Ryan!”

“Okay, okay,” he said, his grin widening. “Look, Vi, I get it. You’re freaking out. But trust me—this isn’t the end of the world. Your mom will cool down eventually. She’ll probably even laugh about it someday.”

“Cool down?” I repeated incredulously. “Are we talking about the same woman? My mom doesn’t cool down. She glares. She judges. And she’s probably already planning an exorcism for you.”

Ryan chuckled. . “An exorcism? For what? Being irresistible?”

I groaned again, flopping back onto the bed. “I can’t believe you’re so calm about this.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he said, lying down beside me as if this was the most normal conversation in the world. “It’s not like we’ve done anything wrong.”

I turned my head to glare at him. “You don’t think this is wrong? You, me, in my room, looking like we just…” I trailed off, my cheeks flaming.

Ryan smirked, tilting his head to meet my gaze. “Like we just what, Violet?”

“Oh, shut up!” I shoved his shoulder. “She's probably telling your dad as we speak right now”

Ryan’s smirk faded at my words. He sat up, his elbows resting on his knees as his face softened slightly. “Alright, I get it,” he said, his tone more serious now. “She’ll tell him and he’ll probably freak out too. But Vi, listen to me.”

I sat up, wrapping my arms around myself like a shield. “Ryan, this isn’t just about them freaking out. This is about everything. About us living here together. About how awkward this will make things. About—”

“About what people will think?” he cut in gently, his gaze steady.

I nodded, swallowing hard. “Yes! That too. You know how Mom is. She’s all about appearances, about everything being perfect. And Max isn’t any better. They’re going to think we’ve ruined everything.”

Ryan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I get why you’re panicking. But you’re overthinking this, like always.”

I glared at him. “I am not overthinking!”

He gave me a pointed look. “You’re spiraling, Vi. Big time.”

“Because I have every reason to!” I shot back, my voice trembling. “Ryan, this isn’t just a little misunderstanding. This is—”

“Hey,” he said firmly, cutting me off. His hand found mine, his touch warm and steady. “Look at me.”

I hesitated but eventually raised my gaze to his.

“We’ll handle this,” he said, his voice low and even. “Your mom can yell, my dad can lecture us, but at the end of the day, we haven’t actually done anything wrong. They’ll calm down once they get over the initial shock.”

“But what if they don’t?” I whispered, my throat tight. “What if they make me move out or—or send you back to London or something?”

Ryan’s grip on my hand tightened. “No one’s sending me anywhere.”

I shook my head, doubt clouding my thoughts. “You’re acting like this is no big deal, but it is, Ryan. It’s a huge deal.”

He tilted his head, studying me. “You’re worried about more than just what they’ll think, aren’t you?”

I froze, his words cutting too close to the truth.

Ryan leaned in slightly, his voice softening. “Vi, you don’t have to be scared. Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together. I’m not going to let you deal with this alone, okay?”

His words settled over me like a blanket, warm and oddly comforting. I wanted to believe him, but the knots in my stomach wouldn’t loosen.

“And what if Max decides he doesn’t want us in the same house anymore?” I asked, my voice small.

Ryan’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, a flicker of something protective crossed his face. “Then I’ll talk to him. I’ll make him understand that this—us—isn’t what they think it is.”

I raised a brow. “You think you can reason with Max?”

He smirked, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Let’s just say I’ve gotten pretty good at talking my way out of trouble.”

His calmness was maddening, but it was also oddly reassuring. “You’re too confident for your own good,” I muttered.

He smirked again, that familiar cocky grin making its way back. “It’s part of my charm.”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at my lips. “You’re impossible.”

“Maybe,” he said, stepping toward the door. “But you’ll thank me when you’re not having a meltdown over this tomorrow.”

“Where are you going?” I asked as he opened the door.

“Back to my room,” he replied casually, glancing over his shoulder. “Unless you want me to stay and risk round two with your mom?”

I groaned, flopping back onto the bed. “No. Please go before she comes back with a flamethrower.”

Ryan laughed softly. “Goodnight, Vi. Try not to overthink it.”

As the door clicked shut behind him, I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts still racing despite his reassurance. He made it sound so simple, like this whole mess could be smoothed over with a shrug and a grin.

But Ryan didn’t know my mom the way I did. And he certainly didn’t know how this family handled scandal.