THE LINE WE WEREN'T MEANT TO CROSS

*Chapter 19: The First Lie*

It started small.

“Where were you last night?” my roommate asked over breakfast, spoon halfway to her mouth.

“Library,” I said. Too fast.

She raised an eyebrow. “Library’s closed at 9, Lena. And you came in at 11 smelling like Elias’s cologne.”

I froze. I hadn’t even realized I’d picked it up on my sweater.

“Elias and I are working on a paper,” I said. It was the lie we’d agreed on. Safe. Boring. Professional.

She didn’t buy it. But she didn’t push either. Just gave me that look—like she’d known since Chapter Six and was just waiting for me to catch up.

Later that day, I saw Elias in the department hallway.

We passed each other like strangers.

“Dr. Adebayo,” he said, nodding.

“Professor Reed,” I replied, keeping my eyes on my notes.

It felt wrong. Every word tasted wrong.

But we’d decided. No announcements. No performing it.

Still, it stung.

That evening he came over, and I told him.

“I hate lying,” I said, dropping my bag by the door.

“I know,” he said. He pulled me into a hug before I could say anything else. “I hate it too.”

He rested his forehead against mine.

“But I’d rather have people think we’re boring colleagues than have them make it about anything but you.”

I nodded against his chest.

“Then we keep it boring,” I said. “For now.”

He kissed my forehead.

“For now,” he agreed.

And even though it felt like a step backward, it also felt like a promise—we’d tell the truth when we were ready.

Not when the department was.