BETWEEN HEAVEN AND FORBIDDEN Love

chapter 7

Chapter 7 — The Things We Don’t Say

Monday morning came quietly to the Hathaway house.

The sunlight slipped through the curtains, spreading across the polished floors and the long staircase. Somewhere downstairs, Mrs. Hathaway was already moving around the kitchen, and the smell of breakfast filled the house.

Anna stood in front of her mirror, adjusting her school uniform.

But her thoughts weren't on school.

They were on Euclid.

She remembered the way Euclid had looked at her the previous week—the small smile, the way she seemed to understand when Anna didn't have the right words.

Anna smiled to herself.

Then the smile disappeared.

She wondered why something that made her so happy could also make her so afraid.

She reached for the Bible on her bedside table.

The words she had heard at church the day before were still in her mind.

God knows the heart.

Anna opened the Bible almost randomly, then stopped at Psalm 139.

Her eyes rested on the words about God searching the heart and knowing a person completely.

She whispered, almost to herself,

"Then You already know me."

She paused.

"Even the parts I'm afraid to say."

A knock came at the door.

"Anna?"

It was Lucio.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Lucio walked in wearing his school uniform, a sports bag hanging from one shoulder.

Anna looked at it.

"Since when do you carry that everywhere?"

"Since I started playing."

"You mean since Daniel started playing."

Lucio's expression changed.

Anna noticed immediately.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Lucio."

He sighed.

"Daniel."

Anna frowned.

"What about him?"

Lucio dropped his bag beside the door.

"He's trouble."

Anna remembered Daniel from school—the athlete everyone seemed to know. He was confident, popular, and always surrounded by people.

But there was something else about him.

Something that didn't feel right.

"You barely know him," Anna said.

Lucio looked at her.

"That's the problem. I know enough."

Before Anna could answer, Mrs. Hathaway called them downstairs.

---

At school, the usual Monday noise filled the corridors.

Students rushed between classrooms. Teachers called for order. Sports teams gathered near the field.

Lucio was walking toward his classroom when someone called his name.

"Lucio!"

He stopped.

Daniel jogged toward him, carrying a basketball under one arm.

"You coming to practice?"

Lucio hesitated.

"I don't know."

Daniel smiled.

"You should. You're good."

"Thanks."

Daniel stepped closer.

"You always look like you're waiting for something bad to happen."

Lucio gave him a suspicious look.

"Maybe I am."

Daniel laughed.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

Lucio didn't laugh.

"That's not what I'm worried about."

For a moment, Daniel's smile faded.

Then he shrugged.

"Game after school. Come watch."

"I'll think about it."

Daniel walked away.

Lucio watched him disappear into the crowd.

Something about Daniel bothered him.

It wasn't simply that Daniel was popular.

It was the way he seemed to notice everything.

Who talked to whom.

Who avoided whom.

What people were hiding.

And Lucio had a feeling Daniel was interested in him for more than sports.

---

Across the courtyard, Anna saw Euclid.

For a moment, everything else seemed to become quieter.

Euclid noticed her and smiled.

Anna walked over.

"Hi."

"Hi."

There was an awkward silence.

Anna laughed softly.

"Why does saying hi suddenly feel difficult?"

Euclid smiled.

"Maybe because you care what I think."

Anna looked away.

"Maybe."

Euclid's expression softened.

"I like talking to you, Anna."

Anna looked back at her.

"So do I."

Neither of them said anything else.

They didn't need to.

For once, Anna didn't feel like she had to run away from what she was feeling.

But across the courtyard, someone was watching.

Daniel.

His attention moved from Anna and Euclid to Lucio, who stood near the sports building.

His expression became unreadable.

---

After classes, Lucio found himself standing near the field.

Daniel was practicing with the team.

He was good.

Very good.

Fast, confident, and completely comfortable in front of a crowd.

Lucio understood why everyone liked him.

But talent didn't make someone trustworthy.

When practice ended, Daniel walked toward him.

"You came."

"I said I'd think about it."

"And you thought about it."

Lucio shrugged.

Daniel smiled.

"Come with me."

"Where?"

"Somewhere we can talk."

Lucio immediately became cautious.

"About what?"

Daniel looked around.

"Us."

Lucio's eyebrows lifted.

"We barely know each other."

"Exactly."

Daniel walked away slowly.

After a moment, Lucio followed.

Not because he trusted Daniel.

Because he wanted to know what Daniel wanted.

---

They stopped behind the sports building, away from the other students.

Daniel leaned against the wall.

"You don't like me."

Lucio crossed his arms.

"I don't know you."

"You've already decided."

"Maybe."

Daniel laughed quietly.

"You know, most people pretend."

"I don't."

"I noticed."

Silence.

Daniel studied him.

"You're different from everyone here."

Lucio didn't answer.

"Your family is different too," Daniel continued.

Lucio's expression hardened.

"Leave my family out of this."

Daniel noticed the reaction.

"I wasn't trying to start anything."

"Then don't."

Daniel nodded.

"Fair enough."

For the first time, Lucio saw something beneath Daniel's confident personality.

Something tired.

Something he wasn't showing everyone else.

But Lucio still didn't trust him.

Sometimes people didn't become dangerous because they were monsters.

Sometimes they became dangerous because they knew exactly how to hide the parts of themselves that mattered.

Daniel picked up his sports bag.

"See you tomorrow."

Lucio watched him leave.

Then he whispered,

"Definitely bad news."

---

That evening, Anna sat alone in her room.

Her Bible was open on her lap.

She read Psalm 139:23–24 again.

"Search me, O God..."

The words stayed with her.

She closed her eyes.

"God, if I'm doing something wrong, show me."

She swallowed.

"And if I'm just scared..."

Her voice became quieter.

"Help me not to be."

A soft knock interrupted her.

She looked up.

Euclid stood at the doorway.

Anna froze.

"How did you—"

"Your mother let me in."

Anna smiled.

Euclid walked inside.

They sat together near the window, talking about school, teachers, and everything that didn't really matter.

But eventually the conversation became quieter.

"Are you okay?" Euclid asked.

Anna nodded.

"Yeah."

"You don't have to say you're okay if you're not."

Anna looked at her.

For a moment, she wanted to explain everything.

The questions.

The fear.

God.

Her feelings.

But she didn't know how.

So she simply said,

"I'm figuring things out."

Euclid smiled.

"Then figure them out."

Anna laughed.

"That's your advice?"

"Yep."

"Terrible advice."

"Probably."

They both laughed.

For a little while, Anna felt peaceful.

---

Downstairs, Lucio stood by the window.

He watched the rain begin to fall.

His phone vibrated.

A message.

Daniel: Can we talk tomorrow? Just you and me.

Lucio stared at the screen.

He didn't reply.

Something told him that tomorrow would be different.

Across the room, Mr. Hathaway noticed his expression.

"Everything all right?"

Lucio quickly put the phone away.

"Yeah."

Mr. Hathaway studied him.

"You know you can talk to me."

Lucio nodded.

"I know."

But he didn't say anything else.

Because sometimes the hardest things to say weren't the things people didn't know.

They were the things people already suspected.

Upstairs, Anna looked out at the same storm.

Euclid stood beside her.

And somewhere across town, Daniel stared through his own window, already thinking about tomorrow.

Three lives.

Three secrets.

And one family standing closer to a storm none of them could yet see.

The thunder rolled across the night.

And this time, nobody knew what would come next.