Chapter Fourteen — What He Doesn’t Know
504 Words
(Harper’s POV)
It’s amazing how quickly normal starts to feel like pretending.
Breakfast with Noah feels like walking through a minefield. Every time he says Jace’s name, my stomach twists. Every time I laugh too quickly, I see him watching me with that half-suspicious, half-brotherly stare.
“Why are you smiling?” he asks one morning, pouring cereal.
“I’m not.”
“You are.” He grins. “Who were you texting last night?”
My phone screen lights up on the counter, and for a terrifying second, I think Jace’s name will flash across it. But it’s just Eli, sending me a meme.
“Eli,” I lie easily.
Noah nods, satisfied. “Tell him I said hi.”
I force a smile. “Will do.”
Inside, my pulse won’t slow down.
⸻
Later, Jace comes by to help Noah fix the fence out back. I’m supposed to be writing, but my window overlooks the yard, and focus is impossible.
They laugh about something, the sound drifting through the open glass — easy, unguarded, the way they’ve always been. And it hits me how dangerous this all is.
One wrong look. One careless word. And everything could collapse.
When Noah leaves to grab more tools, Jace glances up toward my window like he can feel me watching. Our eyes meet for half a second before he looks away.
That one look says everything — we’re playing with fire.
⸻
By the time the sun sets, Noah’s gone to meet friends, and I’m in the kitchen when Jace walks in, hair still damp from a shower.
He hesitates, keeping his distance. “We should talk.”
I cross my arms. “You always say that right before we almost get caught.”
He smiles faintly. “Maybe I like the risk.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s not funny.”
“Wasn’t meant to be.” His tone shifts, serious now. “Noah’s starting to notice.”
I tense. “You think he knows?”
“Not yet. But he’s not stupid.”
“Then what do we do?”
He studies me, voice soft. “Keep our distance. For now.”
It’s the right answer, and I hate it.
I nod slowly. “Okay.”
But as he walks past me to leave, our hands brush — the lightest touch — and I know neither of us believes what we just said.
⸻
That night, Noah knocks on my door.
“Hey,” he says casually. “You and Jace okay? You’ve been weird lately.”
My heart jumps. “Weird how?”
“I don’t know. You just seem… tense around him.”
I laugh, too loud. “You’re imagining things.”
He watches me for a long second, then shrugs. “If you say so.”
When he leaves, I sink back against the door, heart pounding. Because what he doesn’t know is that every word of my next story is about his best friend — and me.
- Writer
