Chapter Six: The Secret
685 Words
Maya
The room had gone strangely quiet.
I followed Ethan's gaze toward the staircase.
A man stood at the top.
He looked older than the students around him, dressed in a dark suit with a serious expression.
Ethan released my hand.
“Wait here.”
“Who is that?”
He didn't answer.
He walked toward the stairs.
I watched as the man leaned close and whispered something in Ethan's ear.
Whatever he said, it changed Ethan's entire expression.
His face became tense.
He looked back at me.
For one brief second, our eyes met.
Then he disappeared upstairs with the man.
I stood there, confused.
“Maya.”
Sofia appeared beside me.
“What just happened?”
“I don't know.”
“Who was that guy?”
“I have no idea.”
We waited.
Five minutes.
Then ten.
Ethan didn't return.
“I should check on him,” I said.
Sofia grabbed my arm.
“Maybe give him a minute.”
I nodded, though something inside me told me this wasn't normal.
Another ten minutes passed.
I finally went upstairs.
The hallway was almost empty.
I heard voices coming from a room at the end.
I stopped outside the half-open door.
“I'm not doing this again,” Ethan said.
The man's voice was low.
“You don't have a choice.”
“I said no.”
“You know what happens if you refuse.”
There was silence.
Then Ethan spoke again.
“Leave Maya out of this.”
My heart stopped.
I stepped back.
They were talking about me.
I turned around quickly.
I didn't want them to know I'd been listening.
I hurried downstairs and found Sofia.
“We're leaving.”
She looked at me.
“What happened?”
“I'll explain later.”
We left the party.
The next morning, Ethan was waiting outside my lecture hall.
“Maya.”
I kept walking.
He caught up with me.
“Please.”
I stopped.
“What happened last night?”
“Nothing.”
“Don't lie to me.”
He looked away.
“I didn't want you involved.”
“Involved in what?”
He was silent.
“Ethan.”
He finally looked at me.
“My family has problems.”
I waited.
“There are things about my family that you don't know.”
“Then tell me.”
“I can't.”
I felt a sharp disappointment.
“Why not?”
“Because knowing could put you in the middle of something you don't understand.”
I stared at him.
“You don't get to decide what I can handle.”
“I know.”
“Then trust me enough to tell me.”
His expression softened.
“I want to.”
“Then why won't you?”
He took a breath.
“Because I'm scared.”
I hadn't expected that answer.
Ethan Carter didn't look scared.
Not usually.
But standing in front of me, he looked completely different.
Vulnerable.
Human.
“I don't want anything to happen to you,” he whispered.
My anger began to fade.
“Ethan…”
He reached for my hand but stopped before touching it.
“I meant what I said last night.”
“What?”
“I don't want us to be just friends.”
My heart skipped.
“But if I let you get closer to me, I need to know I can keep you safe.”
I looked into his eyes.
“Maybe you should let me decide that.”
For the first time, he smiled.
A small, genuine smile.
“Maybe I should.”
The bell rang.
Neither of us moved.
Then Ethan stepped back.
“I'll see you after class?”
I nodded.
“After class.”
He walked away.
I watched him go.
I knew I should have been careful.
I knew there were things he wasn't telling me.
But somehow, that only made me want to know him more.
Because whatever Ethan Carter was hiding...
I had a feeling it wasn't going to keep us apart.
It was going to pull us closer.
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