CHAPTER THREE
1224 Words
"Lines Crossed"POV: ElenaIt was a golden box. And someone was shaking the bars.I barely stepped out the next morning without checking over my shoulder. Every sound, every flicker of shadow, pulled at my nerves. I'd said nothing about the person I saw near the tree line. Not to Mom. Not to Eduardo. I tried to bury it, tell myself it was just wind and stress.But my gut knew better. Something—or someone—was out there. And inside, something else was unraveling.Eduardo. I saw him everywhere. Not just in the house, but outside too. At first, I thought I was dreaming it. A black car at the university gate. Tinted windows. Engine running. When I tried to look closer, it slipped away into traffic.Then I saw it again. Near the café. Outside the shop. Even parked across from the walking path. He never got out. He just… watched. And disappeared.My skin prickled every time. My breath caught. I told myself I should be scared, angry. But the truth was worse.I felt… something else. Heat. Need.Jealousy when other girls laughed near him. When I saw him talking to a woman in a silk red dress at dinner, I stared longer than I meant to.It was Friday, and I was under the oak tree behind the science building, trying to focus on my notes, when Ryan showed up.He was easy to smile at. Freckles. Boyish grin. Harmless. He offered me a meal. “You always sit alone,” he said. “Thought you might want some company.”“Thanks,” I said, taking it.“You know,” he added, looking at me, “you look different today. Brighter. Happier.”“Not sure if that’s true,” I laughed.He smiled and leaned in. “You’ve got a little something—ink, I think.” His fingers brushed my cheek. Light. Just a touch.That was when it happened.“Elena.”Eduardo.I turned. He was standing just beyond the tree line, shoulders tight, rage rolling off him. He looked at Ryan like he was already planning his funeral.“Uh—hey, man—” Ryan started.“Come with me,” Eduardo snapped.I stood. “Why are you even here?”No answer. Just a steel hand around my wrist as he pulled me behind the building.“What the hell, Eduardo?” I yanked my arm back. “You can’t just drag me around!”“Don’t smile at him like that.”“What?”He stepped closer. “You heard me.”“You’re not my… anything!”He breathed harder. “Then why do you let him touch you?”I stared. “You think you own me now?”“No,” he said, softer now. “But he’s not the one you think about when you can’t sleep.”The words cracked something open. My chest. My mind. “You’re unbelievable,” I whispered.But I didn’t walk away.He didn’t either.“I shouldn’t have grabbed you,” he mumbled later that night.We were in the garden again. The fig tree. The same quiet between us.“I’m used to it,” I said, not meeting his eyes.“No, you’re not.”A beat passed. Then his voice broke softly. “You make me… confused.”I looked at him. “That makes two of us.”He reached out, his fingers brushing my wrist. Then my cheek.“Why do you keep watching me?” I whispered.“Because I can’t stop.”Our lips touched. Light. Barely there. But it was fire.And then it deepened.His hand slid into my hair, and I tilted my head, letting him in. I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to breathe. I just wanted him. All of him.He tasted like heat, danger, every warning I’d ignored. And I didn’t care.When we finally broke apart, he rested his face against mine.“We can’t,” he whispered.But I kissed him again. Harder.We’d already crossed the line.—I couldn’t sleep. That kiss was still wrapped around me like a second skin. I could feel his breath in my ears. His hands are on my waist. My heart hadn’t stopped beating.I kissed my stepbrother.And I wanted to do it again.I hated that I wanted it. I hated the questions that followed.What did it mean?What were we doing?The worst part? I didn’t want it to stop.Then I saw something outside my window.A figure. Taller. Leaner than Eduardo. Wearing a mask. Standing completely still watching.The figure raised its hand. And waved.I backed away slowly. My heart beat so hard I thought it would c***k through my ribs.This wasn’t just about illegal touches anymore. Something dangerous was creeping in. And this time, I didn’t think Eduardo could protect me.What if I had already crossed into something I couldn’t escape?I backed away from the window slowly, pulse slamming in my ears. Whoever that was… whoever waved—knew I was there. Watching. Alone. Vulnerable. I slammed the blinds shut, heart rattling against my chest.A mask. Why a mask?I paced the room like a caged animal. This wasn’t just some crush-gone-wrong or an illegal kiss anymore. Something else was happening. Something darker. Something watching.My phone buzzed on the nightstand.Eduardo.“Are you safe?”The message made my fingers twitch. How did he know I wasn’t?I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Not when part of me wanted to scream at him for messing with my head, and another part wanted to crawl into his arms just to feel safe again.There was a knock on my door. Sharp. Three times.I froze.“Elena?”His voice. Eduardo. I opened the door a c***k. His jaw was tight, his shirt sticking to him like he’d run here.“I saw movement outside your window,” he said. “You were watching again?”He didn’t answer that. Instead, he stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room, then he moved right to the window. He pulled the curtains back, eyes darting across the yard below.“Whoever it was, they’re gone,” he mumbled. Then, turning to me, “You should have told me.”“Told you what? That your obsession is contagious?” I snapped. He stepped closer. “This isn’t about us. Someone’s watching you, Elena. Someone who’s not me.”My skin crawled. “Why now? Why me?”He didn’t move. “Because you’re not invisible anymore. You walked into a world with monsters. You just didn’t know it.”His words landed like ice. Then his hand found my arm—warm, steady. “I won’t let them touch you,” he said.“I’m not yours to protect,” I whispered.He looked down, jaw moving. “No,” he said softly, “but you will be.”Before I could reply, a piercing sound cut through the room.A phone alarm. Eduardo’s.He checked it, and his face went pale. “What is it?” I asked, dread pooling in my gut.He showed me the screen.A live television show. My university room. My empty bed. A voice played from the speaker. Low. Distorted.“We see her now. But does she see us?”Who's watching Elena? What lies does Eduardo still hide? And how deep does this addiction go before it turns deadly?
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