The Secret Society

Chapter 5

HENRY'S POV

Three months.

Three long months had passed since Ella first caught my attention across the dining room, and somehow, in that time, she had become the person I thought about more than anyone else.

It hadn't happened all at once.

At first, it had simply been curiosity.

Then came the glances.

The brief conversations.

The smiles that lasted a second longer than they should have.

Then Ella picked my keys.

And then she picked them again.

And again.

Somewhere along the way, our weekly meetings had stopped feeling like part of the society's arrangement and had become the one part of my week I genuinely looked forward to.

Three months ago, I barely knew Ella existed.

Now I couldn't imagine a week without seeing her.

And that frightened me more than I cared to admit.

"Oh Henry, you look amazing," Alice announced, pulling me back into reality.

I looked down at the suit she was adjusting.

"I knew this one would be perfect for you."

She turned towards Janice.

"Didn't I tell you? Didn't I say he would look amazing?"

"As always, Alice. You were right."

I smiled.

Janice agreeing with Alice was almost more surprising than Alice being right.

"Exactly," Alice said proudly.

She returned to her sewing.

Then came another sharp prick.

I winced.

"Alice."

"What?"

"You are stabbing your own brother."

"I'm making you look perfect."

"I was already perfect."

Alice rolled her eyes.

"And modest, apparently."

"I try."

She laughed.

That was Alice.

She could be irritating beyond belief, but she was also one of the few people who could get away with it.

"Have you written your vows yet?" Janice asked.

"It's six months away. I have plenty of time."

"Six months? That's not very long."

"Long enough."

"Come on. Give us something you're thinking of saying."

I sighed.

"I love Lucy."

I paused.

"There. That's something."

Janice smiled.

"Very romantic."

"I thought so."

But my mind had already wandered.

To Ella.

It had been three months of seeing her every week.

Three months of watching her relationship with Evan slowly deteriorate.

Three months of pretending that the way my heart reacted whenever she walked into a room meant nothing.

Three months of telling myself that what existed between us was simply attraction.

I had stopped believing that a long time ago.

I remembered the first few weeks.

Ella had been nervous around me.

She would look at me and immediately look away.

Then, gradually, she became more comfortable.

We began talking.

Not just inside the rooms.

We talked while waiting for the keys to be chosen.

We talked in the dining room.

We talked in the corridors.

We learned little things about each other.

Her favourite food.

The way she hated being late.

How she always became embarrassed when someone complimented her.

The fact that she laughed when she was nervous.

And I had begun to realise that I didn't simply want her.

I wanted to know her.

That was the dangerous part.

"Henry?"

I looked up.

Alice was staring at me.

"What?"

"The present."

"What present?"

"The present you're buying Lucy."

I blinked.

"I haven't decided."

"What about jewellery?"

"Maybe."

"Or a car?"

"Possibly."

Alice narrowed her eyes.

"You're not listening."

"I am."

I absolutely wasn't.

"Lucy was looking through travel brochures," Alice continued. "Perhaps you could buy her a holiday home."

"That's an idea."

Alice smiled.

"See? You do listen."

I smiled back.

If only she knew where my mind really was.

Last week at the society, I'd noticed Ella and Evan weren't holding hands.

It was such a small thing.

Most people wouldn't have noticed.

I did.

They had always made a point of presenting themselves as a united couple.

But lately, that had changed.

There was distance between them.

A noticeable distance.

Claire had hinted months ago that their relationship wasn't going well.

Now I was seeing it for myself.

And although I felt guilty admitting it, part of me was relieved.

Perhaps Ella was beginning to feel the same way I did.

Perhaps I wasn't alone in this.

"Right, you can look in the mirror now," Alice announced.

I turned towards the enormous mirror.

Then stopped.

Ella was standing behind me.

My heart immediately accelerated.

She was looking at dresses.

Wedding dresses.

For one horrifying second, my mind went completely blank.

Please don't tell me she's marrying Evan.

I turned so quickly that Alice stumbled backwards.

"Henry!"

I barely heard her.

I was already walking towards Ella.

"Hi."

Brilliant.

Three months of thinking about her and that was the best I could come up with.

"Hi," Ella replied with a smile.

"So... when's the big day?"

"Whose?"

"Evan's."

She looked confused.

Then she smiled.

"Oh. No."

She shook her head.

"We're not getting married."

I realised I'd been holding my breath.

I inhaled far too quickly.

Ella immediately looked concerned.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine."

I cleared my throat.

"Completely fine."

I was anything but fine.

I was trying desperately not to look like I'd just received the best news of my life.

"So what are you doing in a wedding shop?"

"My friend Lisa is getting married. I'm helping her choose her dress."

She pointed towards another part of the shop.

I nodded.

But I barely looked.

My attention was on Ella.

Our eyes met.

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.

Three months.

Three months of this.

Three months of knowing exactly what happened whenever we looked at each other.

"Hello? Henry?"

Alice's voice broke through the moment.

I closed my eyes briefly.

"Yes, Alice?"

"Introductions?"

Of course.

"This is Ella. She's an acquaintance of Lucy and me."

Alice smiled brightly.

"It's lovely to meet you. I'm Henry's sister."

She paused.

"The better sibling, obviously."

Ella laughed.

I smiled.

That laugh still affected me.

After three months, it still had the ability to catch me off guard.

Alice continued talking to Ella, and for once, I was grateful for my sister's endless ability to talk.

I watched Ella as she listened.

The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was nervous.

The little smile that appeared whenever Alice said something ridiculous.

The way her eyes kept finding mine.

It wasn't my imagination anymore.

At least, I didn't think it was.

"Don't you agree?" Alice suddenly asked.

"Yes."

I had absolutely no idea what she had said.

Alice smiled knowingly.

"Excellent. Then it's settled. Ella is joining us for lunch."

"What? No."

My answer came out far too quickly.

Ella's expression fell.

I immediately regretted it.

"I'm sorry," I corrected. "I can't make lunch. I have to return to the office."

That wasn't the only reason.

The society had rules.

Rules that had become increasingly important over the last three months.

We weren't supposed to associate outside the mansion.

If anyone saw Ella and me together, questions would be asked.

And questions were dangerous.

Especially with Caius.

He had taken an interest in Ella from the moment she arrived.

I didn't trust him.

Not for a second.

"I can't make lunch either," Ella said. "This is my lunch break, and I have to get back soon."

She smiled at me.

But her eyes looked disappointed.

Did she think I didn't want to spend time with her?

I wanted to explain.

I wanted to tell her that every instinct I had was screaming at me to stay.

Before I could say anything, someone called her name.

"Ella!"

She turned.

"Lisa wants me."

She looked back at me.

"I'll see you and Lucy soon."

"Looking forward to it."

She walked away.

I watched until she disappeared.

Then I felt a sharp jab in my ribs.

Alice.

"You had better be careful, Henry. Play with fire and you might get burned."

I looked at her.

She was watching me suspiciously.

"I'll remember that."

But I knew I wouldn't.

Because if Ella was the fire, I was already burning.

THAT EVENING

To say I was excited was an understatement.

"Has Lewis put something in your coffee?" Lucy asked.

I laughed.

"I'm just in a good mood."

"You're suspiciously cheerful."

"Perhaps I'm happy to see you."

She smiled.

"Perhaps."

We arrived at the mansion later than usual because of traffic.

I was annoyed that I hadn't seen Ella arrive.

I wanted to know whether she was there.

Of course she was.

She stood across the room.

Our eyes met.

She gave me a small smile before looking down.

My heart raced.

Three months.

And I still felt like a teenager whenever she looked at me.

Claire began organising the keys.

I barely heard her.

Then—

"Ella, you're first, love."

My attention snapped towards her.

I held my breath.

Ella reached into the bowl.

Please.

She pulled out a set of keys.

Claire looked at them.

Then smiled.

"Henry and Ella. Room One."

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

I had waited weeks for those words.

Actually, I'd waited months.

And finally, she had my keys.

I walked towards her, trying desperately to behave like a normal adult.

"Ella?"

I held out my hand.

She placed hers in mine.

Neither of us said anything.

But the look we exchanged said everything.

ROOM ONE

The moment the door closed behind us, the distance we'd been forced to maintain disappeared.

For three months, we'd been building towards this.

The kiss was immediate.

But it wasn't rushed.

It was emotional.

Familiar.

Almost as though we'd been waiting for permission to finally admit what had been happening between us.

When we finally broke apart, we remained close, our foreheads almost touching.

"There is so much I want to ask you," I whispered.

Ella smiled.

"Then ask me."

I gently brushed my fingertips across her cheek.

"How long have you felt this?"

She looked down.

"Longer than I should."

I smiled.

"Me too."

I kissed her again.

The intimacy between us became deeper, but this time it wasn't simply physical.

There was something emotional beneath it.

Something neither of us could ignore anymore.

We moved towards the bed, continuing to explore the connection that had been growing between us for months.

The outside world disappeared.

There was no society.

No contracts.

No Evan.

No Lucy.

Only us.

When the moment finally passed, we remained together in silence.

Ella rested against me.

I held her close.

For the first time in months, I felt completely at peace.

"You said you wanted to talk," she whispered.

"I did."

"About what?"

I took a breath.

There was no point pretending anymore.

"I can't stop thinking about you."

Ella looked up at me.

"I know."

I smiled.

"How?"

"Because I can't stop thinking about you either."

My heart nearly stopped.

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Really."

I gently touched her cheek.

"Ella, you consume my thoughts."

She smiled.

"Then why have you avoided me so much?"

"Because I'm terrified."

Her expression changed.

"Of me?"

"No."

I shook my head.

"Of what they will do if they find out."

Her eyes darkened.

"The society."

I nodded.

"If they discovered us meeting outside the mansion, what do you think they would do?"

Ella was quiet.

Then she whispered:

"I don't know."

"I do."

I looked away.

"And that's what scares me."

She reached for my hand.

"So it's not because you don't like me?"

I almost laughed.

"Not like you?"

I looked directly into her eyes.

"Ella, I think I've been falling in love with you for months."

She went completely still.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

She smiled.

"I don't regret this."

"Neither do I."

I pulled her into my arms.

For a while, we simply lay there together.

I closed my eyes and imagined what life would be like if we were free.

No society.

No contracts.

No rules.

Just Ella and me.

Then reality returned.

"How can I come back here?" Ella eventually whispered.

My heart sank.

"What do you mean?"

"How am I supposed to come back here knowing another woman might pick your keys?"

She shook her head.

"How am I supposed to watch you leave with Lucy every week?"

I understood exactly what she meant.

"You want me?"

She looked at me.

"Yes."

That one word changed everything.

We talked for almost an hour.

About our lives.

Our relationships.

Our fears.

Our hopes.

What we wanted.

What we couldn't have.

It felt strangely natural.

As though we'd known one another for years rather than months.

Eventually, Ella sighed.

"We should probably go."

I didn't want to.

I knew that once we opened the door, reality would return.

We slowly dressed.

Before leaving, I took Ella's hand and kissed it.

"I'll put something distinctive on my keyring."

She smiled.

"A little marker?"

"Exactly."

"If I see it before my turn, I'll pick it."

She leaned towards me and kissed me.

It was soft but full of promise.

Then we opened the door.

Evan and Lucy were waiting in the dining room.

"You've been a while," Evan said.

Ella looked at him.

"The day I start worrying about your feelings is the day you find a way to get me out of this situation."

I had to hide my smile.

Ella had quite a temper when she wanted to.

Lucy cleared her throat.

Her eyes met mine.

She knew.

I wasn't sure how much she knew, but she knew something.

"Come on," Evan said to Ella.

Ella turned back towards me.

"Until next week."

"Until next week."

She left with Evan.

I watched her disappear.

Then I sat beside Lucy.

I placed my hand gently on her knee.

She looked at me.

"Henry?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. You know that, don't you?"

I frowned.

"Of course I do. Where has that come from?"

She looked down.

"I just need you to know."

Something about her expression made me uneasy.

I pulled her gently to her feet and wrapped my arm around her.

"Come on. Let's go home."

As we walked towards the car, I reminded myself of everything that was supposed to matter.

Lucy was my fiancée.

She was the woman I planned to marry.

The wedding was only six months away.

She was the woman I had planned to have children with.

The woman I had loved for years.

And yet Ella had somehow found her way into my heart.

Not in three weeks.

Not overnight.

But slowly.

Over months.

Through conversations.

Through glances.

Through stolen smiles.

Through every week of wondering which keys she would pick.

And now I couldn't imagine my life without her.

I knew it was wrong.

I knew it was dangerous.

And I knew the society would never allow it.

But as I looked back at the mansion one final time, I realised something terrifying.

Six months from now, I was supposed to be standing at an altar, promising to spend the rest of my life with Lucy.

Yet tonight, I had walked out of that mansion knowing my heart belonged somewhere else.

Three months ago, Ella had been a stranger.

Now she was the woman I loved.

And I had absolutely no idea how I was going to let her go.