Burning Between Us

CHAPTER THREE

What Never Died

His POV

Seeing her again wasn’t part of the plan.

Nothing about this place was supposed to bring back the past—especially her. Yet there she was, standing in the hallway like she never left, like the years hadn’t carved distance and damage between us.

She looked stronger. Quieter. But her eyes still gave her away.

She was hurting.

And I was the reason.

“Boss.”

I didn’t turn when one of my men spoke behind me. Even here—inside a school uniform, inside campus walls—I was never alone.

“They’re watching,” he added, low. “Your father won’t like distractions.”

“She’s not a distraction,” I said.

That was a mistake.

I felt the weight of his stare, the unspoken warning. Family didn’t care about feelings. Family cared about control, reputation, obedience.

And love—real love—was a weakness.

“Keep your distance,” he said before walking away.

I stayed where I was, watching her disappear down the hall.

I already failed that order.

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Her POV

I felt it before I heard it.

Whispers.

They followed me from classroom to hallway, clinging to my name like something dirty.

“Isn’t she the girl he talked to earlier?”

“I heard she transferred because of him.”

“Do you know who his family is?”

I gripped my notebook tighter, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I should have known it wouldn’t take long. His name carried weight—dangerous weight—and being seen near him was enough to paint a target on my back.

By lunchtime, it was everywhere.

By dismissal, it was worse.

I found him near the old building, the one students avoided. It felt fitting—two people hiding where they weren’t meant to be.

“You should stay away from me,” I said before he could speak.

He turned slowly, eyes dark, guarded. “They’re already talking.”

“That’s exactly why,” I snapped. “I didn’t come back to be dragged into your world again.”

“My world never let you go,” he said.

Silence fell between us, thick and painful.

“I loved you,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “And you disappeared without giving me a choice.”

His breath hitched.

“I still—” He stopped himself, fists clenched at his sides. “I still think about you every day.”

The confession hung in the air, fragile and dangerous.

I stepped closer. “Then why are you pushing me away again?”

“Because this time,” he said hoarsely, “I’m not just risking your heart. I’m risking your life.”

That stopped me cold.

“What do you mean?”

Before he could answer, footsteps echoed nearby. Voices. Laughter too loud to be innocent.

He stepped back instantly, walls slamming into place.

“Stay away from me,” he said, his tone cold now. “It’s safer.”

I shook my head, tears burning my eyes. “You don’t get to decide that anymore.”

He looked at me like he was memorizing my face for the last time.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “I do.”

Because if loving me meant pulling me into the fire his family created, he would burn alone.

And as I walked away, I didn’t know which hurt more—

Loving him again…

or realizing this second chance might cost us everything.