Burning Us

Chapter 4 — Almost

The rain had started without warning, tapping against the windows in a frantic, insistent rhythm. Mara was sprawled across the couch, laptop open, pretending to work, but her attention kept flicking to Elias as he moved around the room, trying not to notice her watching him.

He didn’t notice. Or at least, he pretended not to.

Then, the power went out. Darkness swallowed the room in a thick, suffocating silence. Elias grabbed a flashlight, but it was Mara who suggested moving to the kitchen for candles.

As they lit the small flames, their shoulders brushed. Only a second, but enough. Enough to send sparks up his arms, down his spine, right into the pit of his stomach. He cleared his throat, gripping the counter to stop his hands from shaking.

“Careful,” she whispered, too softly.

He couldn’t. He wanted to, but he didn’t know what to do with the heat coiling between them. The room smelled of rain, wax, and her perfume—something faint and sweet he’d been inhaling for years without realizing how dangerous it was.

She moved closer to reach the matches on the counter. He instinctively stepped forward at the same time. Their hands met again—fingers entwined, lingering.

Neither pulled away.

For a heartbeat, a moment that felt like it stretched for eternity, they were caught in something that had no name. Eyes locked. Breaths shallow. Hearts hammering.

Then reality hit. Elias jerked his hand back, cursing under his breath. “Mara—”

“Don’t,” she said. Her voice was calm, but it shook just the slightest bit. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, betraying the control she thought she had.

They stared at each other across the counter, both aware of what almost happened. Neither spoke, because words would ruin it. Words would admit things they weren’t ready to admit.

The storm outside rattled the windows like the universe itself was laughing at them. And in that small kitchen, lit only by flickering candlelight, Elias realized something terrifying: he couldn’t stop thinking about her this way. Not now. Not ever.

And Mara? She realized that the pull between them wasn’t going away. It was only getting stronger, more insistent, a dangerous whisper that promised both fire and ruin if they ever gave in.

For the first time, they both knew: the line they swore never to cross… was already behind them.