Chapter 3: The Truth Between Us
869 Words
I should have walked away.
That thought followed me all the way home.
And yet… I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
Not completely.
Deep in my chest. In the way my heart wouldn’t slow down. In the way my skin still remembered his touch.
I leaned against my door after stepping inside, breathing heavily, trying to steady myself.
“Why do you keep doing this?” I whispered to the empty room.
Because even as I stood in my room, pacing back and forth, trying to convince myself that last night meant nothing…
My body remembered everything.
The way he looked at me.
The way he said my name—soft, like it mattered.
And the way I didn’t stop him when I should have.
My phone buzzed again.
I froze.
Him.
Again.
“You left without saying anything.”
I stared at the message, my fingers hovering.
What was I supposed to say?
That I was scared?
That I couldn’t think straight after being that close to him?
That every time I looked at him, something inside me shifted in a way I couldn’t control?
I typed slowly:
“I had to go.”
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
“You didn’t have to run.”
Run.
Is that what this looked like?
Maybe it was.
Because that’s exactly what it felt like—running from something I couldn’t face.
Something I couldn’t control.
Before I could reply, another message came through:
“Meet me. Tonight. We’re not pretending anymore.”
My breath caught.
Not pretending.
That meant something.
Something dangerous.
I stared at the message for a long time.
Too long.
Because deep down…
I already knew I was going.
⸻
The night air was cooler than I expected.
Or maybe it was just me.
My nerves.
My thoughts.
My heart racing before I even saw him.
He was already there when I arrived.
Waiting.
Like he knew I’d come.
Like he always knew.
This time, he didn’t smile.
Didn’t lean casually.
Didn’t pretend like everything was normal.
He just watched me.
Intensely.
Like he was searching for something.
“Why are you avoiding me?” he asked finally.
Straight to the point.
No games.
I swallowed.
“I’m not avoiding you.”
A lie.
And he knew it.
“You left without a word,” he said, taking a step closer. “And now you’re pretending nothing happened.”
“Something did happen,” I said quietly.
The air between us shifted.
“Yes,” he replied. “And we both felt it.”
My chest tightened.
This was exactly what I was afraid of.
Honesty.
Because once you admit it…
There’s no going back.
“You said we shouldn’t do this,” I reminded him.
“I said a lot of things.”
His voice softened.
“And I was lying to myself.”
My heart skipped.
“I tried to stay away,” he continued. “I told myself it was a mistake. That you didn’t mean what I thought you meant.”
“And now?” I asked, my voice barely steady.
He stepped closer.
Close enough that I could feel his presence again.
That same pull.
That same dangerous gravity.
“Now I know the truth.”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“You feel it too.”
Silence.
Because I couldn’t deny it anymore.
Not to him.
And not to myself.
“Yes,” I admitted softly.
The word changed everything.
His expression shifted—something between relief and something deeper.
Something heavier.
“I shouldn’t want you like this,” I whispered.
“And yet… you do.”
His voice was low.
Certain.
And frustratingly right.
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to steady myself.
But it didn’t work.
Because the moment I opened them—
He was closer.
Too close.
His hand lifted slowly, like he was giving me time to stop him again.
“I need to know something,” he said.
“What?”
“If I kiss you right now… are you going to pull away?”
My breath caught.
The question wasn’t casual.
It wasn’t playful.
It was serious.
Real.
And the answer?
I didn’t say it out loud.
But I didn’t step back.
That was enough.
His hand brushed my cheek again, softer this time.
Slower.
Like he was memorizing the feeling.
And then—
He kissed me.
Not rushed.
Not hesitant.
But intentional.
Deeper than before.
More certain.
Like this time…
He wasn’t letting go.
My hands found their way to his shirt again, gripping lightly, pulling him closer without thinking.
This time, I didn’t resist.
Didn’t question.
Didn’t fight the pull.
Because this wasn’t just attraction anymore.
This was something else.
Something stronger.
Something dangerous.
He broke the kiss slowly, his forehead resting against mine.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispered.
But I couldn’t.
Because for the first time…
I didn’t want to.
And that was the moment I realized something terrifying.
This wasn’t just a secret anymore.
This was becoming something we couldn’t control.
Something that would either destroy us…
Or change everything.
And deep down—
I wasn’t sure which one I was hoping for.
- Writer
