Chapter 7 — Lines We Shouldn’t Cross
794 Words
Lena Carter
Avoiding Ethan Hayes should have been easy.
In theory.
In reality?
Impossible.
Because apparently the universe enjoyed torturing her.
By Monday morning:
he sat across from her during leadership meetings
trained in the gym beside volleyball practice
somehow appeared in every hallway she walked through
And worst of all—
he looked entirely too pleased about it.
Lena slammed her locker shut harder than necessary.
“You look homicidal,” Ava commented.
“I am.”
“That bad?”
Lena groaned quietly. “We kissed.”
Ava froze dramatically.
“You WHAT?”
“Keep your voice down!”
“Oh my God.” Ava grabbed her arm instantly. “Details. Immediately.”
“There are no details.”
“There are absolutely details.”
Lena leaned against the lockers with frustration burning through her chest.
Because the problem wasn’t just the kiss.
It was the fact that she couldn’t stop thinking about it afterward.
The way Ethan touched her.
The way he looked at her.
The softness beneath all that arrogance.
And she hated herself a little for wanting more.
“He’s going to ruin your life,” Ava warned carefully.
Lena sighed. “I know.”
“Then why are you blushing?”
Before Lena could answer, familiar footsteps approached down the hallway.
Ethan.
Of course.
His tie hung loose around his neck while he walked toward them carrying his swim bag over one shoulder.
Then he noticed Lena.
And smiled slowly.
Dangerous.
Infuriating.
Unfairly attractive.
“Morning, Captain.”
Ava looked between them like she was watching live television.
Lena crossed her arms immediately. “Don’t start.”
“Start what?”
“You know exactly what.”
Ethan stepped closer casually.
Close enough that her heartbeat instantly lost all common sense again.
“That depends,” he murmured quietly. “Are we pretending Friday didn’t happen?”
Ava nearly choked beside them.
Lena shot him a warning glare.
“We are absolutely pretending.”
“Shame.”
His eyes dropped briefly toward her mouth.
And suddenly breathing became difficult.
Again.
God, she hated him.
The hallway slowly emptied around them as students headed toward class.
But neither of them moved.
The tension between them had changed now.
Everyone could probably see it.
And that terrified Lena more than anything.
Ethan leaned closer slightly.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“Maybe because you’re annoying.”
“Maybe because you liked kissing me.”
Her face heated instantly.
“You’re unbelievably arrogant.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
Before Lena could respond, Coach Ramirez appeared near the gym doors.
“Carter. Hayes. Training room. Now.”
Lena immediately walked away first.
Mostly because she needed distance before she did something stupid again.
Like kissing him in the middle of a school hallway.
The training room was empty except for equipment scattered across the floor.
Coach Ramirez handed them schedules.
“You’re organizing this week’s fundraiser event together.”
Lena groaned internally.
Ethan looked entertained.
Again.
“You’ll stay after school today and finish preparations,” Coach Ramirez continued before leaving.
The second the door shut, silence filled the room.
Lena focused on organizing papers carefully.
Anything to avoid looking at Ethan.
Unfortunately, Ethan apparently enjoyed making her suffer.
“You really regret kissing me that much?”
She exhaled sharply. “You make everything complicated.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Lena finally looked up.
Big mistake.
Because he was already staring at her intensely.
Not teasing this time.
Not joking.
Just looking at her in a way that made her chest tighten painfully.
“You scare me,” she admitted before thinking.
The room went completely still.
Ethan blinked once.
Then stepped closer carefully.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what this is.”
Neither did he.
That was the problem.
For the first time in years, Ethan Hayes genuinely cared about someone’s opinion of him.
And it terrified him too.
His voice softened slightly.
“Lena…”
She swallowed hard as he stopped directly in front of her.
Close enough to touch.
Close enough to kiss.
Again.
“You don’t have to figure everything out right now,” he murmured.
“But what if this ends badly?”
Ethan smiled faintly.
“It definitely will.”
Despite herself, Lena laughed quietly.
And something warm flickered in Ethan’s chest hearing it.
Because making Lena laugh felt weirdly addictive.
He reached out instinctively, fingers brushing lightly against her wrist.
The contact sent heat through both of them immediately.
Lena looked down at his hand.
Then back at him.
Neither moved away.
The tension returned all over again.
Slow.
Heavy.
Dangerously intimate.
And when Ethan leaned in this time—
Lena kissed him first.
- Writer
