Chapter Nineteen — Finally Honest
327 Words
(Harper’s POV)
The house feels… different.
Not because anything physically changed, but because the air isn’t heavy with secrets anymore. Noah knows. He’s fine with it. And Jace? Well… he’s finally free to be himself around me.
We’re sitting on the porch, the evening sky painted in soft oranges and purples. The laptop is closed. There’s no reason to write right now.
“You know,” Jace starts, leaning back, one arm draped across the railing, “this feels weird. All this time, we were sneaking around, pretending. And now? Nothing’s hidden.”
I grin. “Yeah. Feels almost too easy.”
He laughs softly. “Too easy… I like it. But also terrifying. Because now I can’t hide anything from you.”
“Try me,” I challenge.
His eyes flicker over mine, warm and intense. “Harper… I like you. A lot. More than I thought I could like anyone. I’ve been trying to keep it under control, but I can’t anymore.”
I feel my cheeks heat, but I hold his gaze. “I like you too. More than I realized. And I don’t want to hide it either.”
For a long moment, we just look at each other. The air hums around us, full of unspoken promises and relief.
Finally, he reaches over, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. His fingers linger near my cheek, and my heart jumps.
“You know,” he whispers, voice low, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this. For us to actually… be honest.”
I smile, leaning just a little closer. “Me too.”
And for the first time, I feel it — the tension that’s been building since the moment I stepped off the plane from abroad, since the first glance he gave me after my glow-up, since all the near-misses and secret touches — it’s gone.
We’re finally honest.
And it’s better than anything I ever imagined.
- Writer
