CHAPTER 13: THE WRONG CHOICE
849 Words
The confession hung heavily between us.
"He wasn't too late."
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
The evening air suddenly felt thinner, the world quieter. My heart hammered painfully against my ribs as I stared at Ethan.
The meaning behind those words was impossible to ignore.
For weeks, I had questioned every look, every moment of jealousy, every strange silence between us.
Now I finally had my answer.
And somehow, it terrified me.
"What are you saying?" I whispered.
Ethan laughed softly, though there was no amusement in it.
"You know exactly what I'm saying, Lily."
His eyes never left mine.
The intensity in them made my pulse race.
For the first time since meeting him, there were no walls between us.
No professor.
No student.
Just Ethan.
Just me.
And the truth we had both been trying to avoid.
"I tried staying away from you," he admitted quietly.
The honesty in his voice hurt more than any lie could have.
"I tried convincing myself this would pass. I tried pretending I didn't care every time I saw you with him."
My breath caught.
"Lucas?"
The name sounded strange between us.
Ethan looked away briefly.
The movement alone told me everything.
The jealousy.
The frustration.
The pain.
All of it had been real.
When he looked back at me, something inside him seemed to break.
"You have no idea what you do to me."
The confession stole every coherent thought from my head.
Neither of us spoke.
Neither of us moved.
The silence between us became almost unbearable.
Then Ethan took a step closer.
Not enough to touch.
Just enough to make my heart forget its purpose.
My pulse raced.
His eyes dropped briefly to my lips.
Then back to my eyes.
The gesture lasted less than a second.
Yet it changed everything.
"Ethan..."
The sound of his name on my lips seemed to affect him immediately.
His expression tightened.
As though he was losing a battle he'd been fighting for a very long time.
Then his hand lifted.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His fingers brushed against my cheek.
The touch was gentle.
Almost hesitant.
As though he was still giving me a chance to walk away.
I didn't.
Maybe that was my mistake.
Or maybe it was the first honest thing I'd done in weeks.
Because when Ethan finally kissed me, I didn't stop him.
At first, I froze.
Not because I didn't want it.
Because I couldn't believe it was actually happening.
The tension.
The longing.
The stolen glances.
Everything we had buried finally surfaced.
And for one impossible moment, nothing else mattered.
Not the university.
Not the rumors.
Not the consequences.
Nothing.
Then suddenly—
"Lily?"
The familiar voice shattered everything.
My eyes flew open immediately.
Lucas.
Standing only a few feet away.
Shock filled his face.
Pain followed seconds later.
The sight hit me like a punch.
Ethan stepped back instantly.
The warmth disappeared.
Reality returned.
And suddenly I couldn't breathe again.
"Lucas..."
My voice broke.
He looked away first.
The hurt in his eyes was impossible to ignore.
Without another word, he turned around and started walking away.
Something inside me panicked.
Not because I loved Lucas.
But because I couldn't bear losing him.
Not like this.
Not after everything.
"Lucas, wait!"
I ran after him.
Behind me, I heard Ethan call my name.
I ignored it.
My feet carried me forward.
Toward my best friend.
Toward the person who had stood beside me for years.
Finally, Lucas stopped.
His shoulders were tense.
His expression guarded.
The sight broke my heart.
"I'm sorry."
The words escaped immediately.
"I never wanted to hurt you."
Lucas laughed quietly.
The sound was painful.
"You didn't."
"Lucas—"
"You chose him."
The words weren't angry.
Somehow that made them worse.
I opened my mouth to respond.
Nothing came out.
Because what could I possibly say?
Lucas already knew.
The truth was written all over my face.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then unexpectedly, Lucas stepped forward.
And wrapped his arms around me.
The hug wasn't romantic.
It wasn't possessive.
It wasn't manipulative.
It was goodbye.
The hug of someone trying desperately to hold on to something he already knew he was losing.
My eyes filled with tears.
Not because I loved Lucas.
Because I hated hurting him.
Unfortunately...
Someone else saw the moment differently.
Across the courtyard, Ethan stood frozen.
Watching.
His eyes landed on Lucas's arms around me.
And something inside him seemed to shut down.
The warmth vanished.
The softness disappeared.
The trust disappeared.
I pulled away immediately.
Too late.
Ethan's expression had already changed.
The look in his eyes hurt more than I expected.
Not anger.
Not jealousy.
Disappointment.
As though he'd finally allowed himself to believe in us...
Only to watch that belief collapse.
"Ethan—"
His name left my lips.
He didn't stop.
He didn't answer.
He simply turned around.
And walked away.
My stomach dropped.
Because for the first time since meeting him...
Ethan Hayes didn't look jealous.
He looked hurt.
And somehow that was far worse.
TO BE CONTINUED...
- Writer
