Chapter 6
940 Words
“I love you, Cecil,” Andy whispered, his voice low and trembling, almost breaking. “And you’re no longer safe around me. You’d better leave now—or else… who knows where these feelings might take me. I might do something I’ll regret, and I can’t promise I won’t.”
He stepped closer.
I froze, my back brushing the wooden door behind me.
His fingers grazed the doorknob, slowly turning it, leaving me nowhere to retreat.
And yet, I didn’t move.
I couldn’t.
My chest raced, heart hammering so loud I thought he might hear it over his own ragged breathing.
He loved me.
He actually loved me.
And suddenly, my fear transformed into something raw, electric, and intoxicating.
I couldn’t run. I didn’t want to.
“Cecil,” he breathed again, voice desperate. “Please… go. I’m trying to protect you from me. Stop being stubborn and just—stay away.”
He nudged me gently toward the door.
But instead of stepping back, I grabbed his arm, fingers digging in, and without hesitation, threw my arms around him, pressing myself to him as if my life depended on it.
His body stiffened for a heartbeat, shock flashing across his face.
“Cecil… what are you doing?” he murmured, surprise evident in the tremor of his voice.
Then his hands found me, lifting me slightly, holding me close.
“I don’t want to go,” I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder. “I can’t stay away from you.”
“W-why… why not?” His voice shook, caught between disbelief and longing.
I lifted my chin to meet his eyes, those stormy, conflicted eyes I’d admired for so long.
“Because I feel the same way, Andy. I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
The confession hung in the air like fragile glass.
His pupils dilated, emotions flickering across his face: shock, relief, disbelief, and something so tender it made my chest ache.
For a moment, he didn’t breathe.
Then, slowly, he wrapped me in his arms—tight, protective, desperate—and buried his face in my hair.
I pressed closer, letting the warmth of him seep into every ache I’d carried for weeks now.
⸻
“When did this start?” he asked after a long moment, pulling back just enough to look at me, thumb brushing against my cheek, tender but trembling.
“Long ago,” I admitted, tears spilling down my cheeks despite my attempt to keep them in.
“Ever since things started getting better between us… ever since you stopped pushing me away. I tried to ignore it. I tried so hard. But every day you avoided me, it hurt more… because you were more than a brother to me.”
Tears blurred my vision, but I let them fall.
Finally, the dam broke, and every unspoken word poured out at once.
He cupped my face with both hands, thumbs brushing the tears away as he smiled softly, lips trembling.
He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, lingering just enough to send warmth through my chest.
I closed my eyes and let myself feel it—the safest, most dangerous place I’d ever known.
“I did the same thing, Cecil,” he confessed, voice thick with emotion. “You have no idea how much I suffered, trying to stay away from you. Every day I held myself back, and it nearly broke me. But now… now that you’ve told me, I won’t hide my feelings anymore. You make me so happy. I… I love you. I really do.”
“I love you too,” I whispered, voice shaky. “But…”
He tilted his head, searching my eyes, reading every hesitation.
“But what?” he pressed.
“But… isn’t this wrong? What if Mom finds out? What if they find out? I’m scared, Andy.”
“You don’t have to be,” he murmured, brushing a stray hair behind my ear. “First, we’re not blood related. Second, our parents aren’t married yet, and we don’t share a last name. There’s nothing wrong—yet.”
I swallowed hard.
“But how long do we have? Someday they will get married. And… I heard Tito plans to adopt me when that happens. It means I’ll take your last name… I’ll be legally your sister.”
Then his eyes hardened, resolute.
“Then don’t accept it,” he said firmly. “Tell them you’re not ready. It’s your choice.”
“Can we even do that?” I whispered, heart hammering.
“Yes,” he said. His thumb stroked the back of my hand. “Tell them to wait. Until you finish college. By then… I’ll have a stable job, enough to marry you—and we’ll leave all this behind.”
I blinked.
Marry?
“Andy… are you serious?” My voice shook with disbelief.
He cupped my face, his forehead resting against mine, eyes soft but fierce.
“More than serious,” he said. “Please… stay with me. Promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t let go. For now, we’ll keep this a secret. Just… don’t leave me. Can you promise me that?”
I didn’t know what the right answer was.
What the safe answer was.
But I knew one thing for certain:
I loved him.
The boy standing before me.
The boy who had never been mine, yet had always held my heart.
Right or wrong… I couldn’t say no.
I nodded, closing my eyes, sealing the promise in a heartbeat that would change everything.
- Writer
