Breaking Hearts

The Line He Shouldn't Cross

The moment they stepped outside the club, Savannah noticed Ethan seemed different.

Not dramatically.

Not enough that anyone else would have noticed.

But she knew him.

His smile was too loose.

His movements were slower.

His confidence seemed a little exaggerated.

"Ethan?"

He looked over.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay to drive?"

The question surprised him.

He gave a small laugh.

"Of course."

"You've been drinking."

"I know."

He shook his head.

"But I'm fine. I stopped a while ago."

Savannah studied him.

"You promise?"

He smiled.

"I promise. I'm sober."

She wanted to believe him.

Ethan had always been responsible. He was the person who reminded everyone else to be careful.

So she nodded.

"Okay."

But as the drive continued, a small doubt started growing in the back of her mind.

Was he really sober?

Or was she only believing him because she trusted the version of Ethan she had always known?

She opened her mouth to ask if she should drive instead.

Maybe they should switch places.

Maybe they should call someone.

But before she could say anything, Ethan turned into the quiet park overlooking the lake.

"I just need to talk to you."

And suddenly, the question she had been about to ask didn't matter anymore.

Because something about the look in his eyes told her this conversation was not going to be about getting home.

---

For a moment, Ethan simply sat there.

The engine was still running.

The soft hum filled the silence between them.

Savannah looked at him carefully.

"Ethan..."

"I've wanted to tell you this for a long time."

Her stomach tightened.

She already knew.

Maybe she had always known.

"I didn't want to say anything before because you had enough going on."

He looked down at his hands.

"You were trying to graduate. Trying to build a future. I didn't want to become another thing you had to worry about."

Savannah softened slightly.

That sounded like Ethan.

The Ethan she knew.

The person who always tried to put other people first. But something felt different. It wasn't making her feel comfortable...

"I love you, Savannah."

The words caught her off guard.

She looked away.

Not because she didn't care about him.

Because she did.

She cared enough that hurting him felt awful.

"Ethan..."

"No, please."

His voice was quieter.

"Just let me say this."

She stayed silent.

"I've been waiting for the right moment. I thought maybe after graduation, when things settled down, you would finally see me differently."

Savannah swallowed.

"Ethan, I don't want to hurt you."

A sad smile appeared on his face.

"I know. But you won't hurt me, will you." He looked at her with pleading eyes.

She tried to think for a few seconds, unsure how to say what she was felling. It wasn't right. She didn't want to lose him because of something she didn't feel for him.

Savannah took a breath, she gulped, and closed her eyes as she prayed for the words to come to her.

"You've been an amazing friend." She finally managed to say...

"But?"

She looked at him.

"But I don't feel the same way."

The silence that followed felt heavy.

Ethan clenched his jaw, and turned his head as he stared through the windshield.

Then he let out a small laugh.

"I knew it."

Savannah frowned.

"What?"

"It's him."

Her expression changed.

"Ethan..."

"Brian."

"This isn't about Brian."

"Isn't it?"

"No."

She shook her head.

"I barely know him."

"Exactly."

His voice became sharper.

"You barely know him, and yet somehow he already has your attention."

Savannah stared at him.

That wasn't fair.

"Why do you care so much about him?" She wanted to cry. Brian hadn't even done anything. She hadn't done anything.

Ethan looked away.

Because there was a reason.

She could see it.

"There is something you're not telling me."

"I can't."

The answer frustrated her.

"Why do you refuse to actually tell me anything?"

Ethan looked back at her.

"Because you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

He opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

And that told her more than any explanation could.

"Ethan, take me home."

"Savannah..."

"Please."

He looked at her.

"I just want you to understand."

"I understand enough."

"No, you don't."

His voice rose slightly.

"You don't understand what kind of person he is."

"And you do?"

The question hit him.

His silence was immediate.

Savannah reached for the door handle.

"I think I need to go."

"Wait."

She stopped.

"Ethan."

"I just..."

He took a breath.

"I don't understand how you can feel something for someone like him when I've been right here all along."

Savannah turned back.

"Because you being there doesn't mean I owe you my heart."

The words hurt him.

She could see it.

But they were true.

For a moment, Ethan looked like he was fighting between accepting it and refusing to.

Then he reached for her hand.

"Savannah..."

She pulled back.

"Ethan, don't."

"I just want you to see."

His voice was desperate now.

"Maybe if you stop thinking about him for one second, you'll realize what we have."

Before she could answer, he leaned closer.

Not violently.

Not angrily.

But without asking.

And that was enough.

Savannah immediately pushed him away.

"Ethan!"

The shock on his face was instant.

"I'm sorry. I just can't imagine anyone having a claim over you when I'm right here." He whispered the last part too quietly but she heard.

Thump! Her heart raced.

She stared at him. His words slapped her in the face. What did he feel for her? She had no idea. She felt strange, because she didn't recognize this moment.

This wasn't the Ethan she had trusted.

"I need to leave."

"Savannah, wait."

"No."

She opened the door.

"Please just listen to me..."

"I said no."

She stepped out.

Behind her, Ethan quickly got out of the car.

"Savannah!"

She kept walking.

"I just want to talk!"

"I don't want to talk!"

Her voice shook.

The night suddenly felt too quiet.

Too empty.

She heard the car door close behind her.

Then the sound of the vehicle locking.

He was coming after her.

And that was when fear finally replaced confusion.