IN EVERY WORLD, YOU

JUST BETWEEN US

So, what are we now?" Amara asked.

Daniel tilted his head.

"What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Don't start. You know exactly what I mean."

He chuckled.

"I'm just enjoying the fact that you finally admitted you like me."

"Daniel!"

"Okay, okay!" He raised his hands in surrender, laughing. "But seriously, what do you want us to be?"

Amara looked down at the letter in her hands.

"I don't want things between us to become awkward. We've been best friends for five years, Daniel. I can't imagine losing that."

"You won't lose me."

"You can't promise that."

His smile faded.

"You're right. I can't promise that nothing will ever go wrong. But I can promise that I'll try. And I want us to try, too."

She studied his face, searching for any sign that he wasn't serious.

There was none.

"Then let's keep it between us for now," she whispered.

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"A secret relationship?"

"Not exactly. I just want us to figure things out before everyone starts having opinions about our relationship."

He considered it for a moment before nodding.

"Okay. Just between us."

He held out his little finger.

Amara stared at it.

"Are you five?"

"Apparently. Now make the promise."

She laughed and hooked her little finger around his.

"Fine. Just between us."

Neither of them knew how difficult that promise would become.

---

There was a reason Amara wanted their relationship kept secret.

Daniel's father, Alexander Whitmore, was the Prime Minister.

He was a powerful man who had built his public image around discipline, reputation, and control. He expected his son to understand the responsibilities that came with their family name.

Amara's mother, Grace, worked as the Whitmore family's head chef. She had spent years preparing meals for the household, attending to important guests, and working quietly behind the scenes of a world far removed from her own.

Amara had grown up around the Whitmore residence, and her friendship with Daniel had developed naturally over the years.

But being friends with the Prime Minister's son was one thing.

Being his girlfriend was another.

Amara also attended an excellent private school through a scholarship funded by the Whitmore family. The opportunity had changed her life, giving her access to an education her mother might otherwise have struggled to afford.

She was grateful for it.

But she understood that her position made her vulnerable.

If Daniel's father discovered their relationship and decided it was inappropriate, he could make life difficult for both Amara and her mother.

Daniel knew his father well enough to understand that possibility.

His father didn't like surprises, especially when they involved his family.

And neither Daniel nor Amara was ready to find out what he would do if he discovered the truth.

So they agreed to keep their relationship private until they were ready to face the consequences.

---

The following Monday, Amara discovered that having a secret boyfriend was considerably more difficult than she had expected.

Especially when her boyfriend was Daniel.

"Why are you smiling at your phone?" Lisa asked during lunch.

Amara immediately locked her screen.

"I'm not smiling."

Lisa stared at her.

"Amara, your cheeks are practically announcing your happiness."

"Can you eat your food in peace?"

Lisa narrowed her eyes but eventually returned to her lunch.

Under the table, Amara's phone vibrated.

Daniel: Look behind you.

She resisted the urge to smile.

Amara: Why?

Daniel: Just do it.

She glanced over her shoulder.

Daniel was sitting two tables away with his friends, looking completely innocent.

Then he winked.

Amara nearly dropped her phone.

Amara: Are you crazy? Stop looking at me!

Daniel: Can't help it. My girlfriend is sitting right there.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Amara: You're going to expose us.

Daniel: Worth it.

She shook her head, smiling at the screen.

"Okay," Lisa said slowly, putting down her spoon. "Something is definitely going on."

Amara looked up too quickly.

"What?"

Lisa leaned forward.

"You've been acting strange since Friday. You're smiling at your phone, hiding your screen, and looking at Daniel every five minutes."

"I do not look at Daniel every five minutes!"

Lisa blinked.

"I didn't even say you were looking at Daniel."

Amara froze.

Lisa's mouth fell open.

"Oh. My. Goodness."

"Lisa, don't."

"AMARA!"

"Keep your voice down!"

Lisa slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with excitement.

Across the room, Daniel was watching them with a puzzled expression.

Lisa slowly turned back to Amara.

"Are you and Daniel—"

"No."

"Amara."

"...Maybe."

Lisa grabbed her arm.

"YOU AND DANIEL?"

"Lisa, please!"

Lisa took a deep breath, then whispered, "How long?"

Amara hesitated.

"Since Friday."

Lisa stared at her for several seconds.

Then she leaned back in her chair.

"I KNEW IT!"

Amara covered her face.

"This is exactly why I wanted to keep it a secret!"

Lisa grinned.

"Oh, this is going to be the most interesting term of my life."

---

That evening, Daniel walked Amara home.

They had barely spoken about their new relationship all day, partly because of their friends and partly because neither knew how to act now that their feelings were finally out in the open.

At her gate, Amara turned to face him.

"Lisa knows."

Daniel sighed.

"Of course she does."

"She figured it out."

"How?"

Amara gave him a look.

"You winked at me across the cafeteria!"

He laughed.

"Okay, that was a mistake."

"A very stupid mistake."

He stepped closer, his expression softening.

"Are you happy, though?"

The question caught her off guard.

She looked at him for a moment.

"Yes."

"Good."

He smiled, then gently took her hand.

For a few seconds, neither spoke.

Then Daniel said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Depends."

"Can I hold your hand tomorrow at school?"

Amara stared at him.

"Daniel, we've been holding hands since we were twelve!"

"Not like this."

She understood what he meant.

For five years, his hand had been that of her best friend. Now, it belonged to someone who had secretly loved her for two years.

And somehow, that made the simplest gesture feel entirely different.

She squeezed his hand.

"Tomorrow," she promised.

Daniel smiled.

"Tomorrow."

He let go reluctantly and stepped back.

"Goodnight, girlfriend."

Amara laughed.

"Goodnight, idiot."

She watched him walk away, her heart lighter than it had been in years.

For once, she wasn't wondering whether Daniel loved her.

She knew.

But neither of them realized that someone had already begun watching them.

Someone who would never approve of their relationship.

Someone with the power to separate them.

Daniel's father.

---