Chapter 13
1115 Words
Amara
The silence between us didn’t settle.
It stretched.
Heavy.
Lingering in a way that made everything feel sharper, like the moment we had just stepped out of was still there, still pressing in from every direction.
I could still feel it.
The way his hand had tightened at my waist. The way his mouth had moved against mine like he had stopped holding back. The way I hadn’t pulled away when I should have.
That part stayed.
That part wouldn’t fade.
“You should go,” I said.
The words came out quieter than I intended, but steady enough to sound like I meant them.
I didn’t.
Adrian didn’t move.
Of course he didn’t.
“You don’t want that,” he said.
It wasn’t arrogant.
It wasn’t mocking.
It was worse.
Certain.
“I said it,” I replied.
“You say a lot of things.”
“And you ignore most of them.”
“I ignore the ones that don’t matter.”
My chest tightened.
“This matters.”
His gaze held mine.
“Then act like it.”
God.
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself, trying to push past the way everything still felt too close, too real.
“I kissed you,” I said.
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“No,” he agreed. “It doesn’t.”
The agreement should have made it easier.
It didn’t.
“Then stop acting like it does.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth again, slower this time, more deliberate, like he wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore.
“That’s not me acting,” he said.
My breath caught.
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Then stop noticing it.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“It is if you let it.”
There it was again.
That shift.
That quiet way of turning everything back to me.
Like this wasn’t something he was doing.
Like it was something I was choosing.
I stepped back.
This time, I actually created space.
It didn’t feel like enough.
“This ends tonight,” I said again.
“Yes.”
The answer came easily.
Too easily.
“You keep agreeing with me like it’s already decided.”
“It is.”
“Then why does it feel like it’s not.”
His expression didn’t change.
“Because you’re not acting like it is.”
I shook my head.
“You’re not making this easier.”
“I’m not trying to.”
That much was obvious.
Before I could say anything else, his phone buzzed.
The sound cut through the moment, sharp and immediate, pulling his attention away from me for the first time since we stepped into the hallway.
He glanced at the screen.
Something shifted.
Subtle.
But there.
Then his gaze lifted back to mine.
“You’re coming with me.”
The words landed differently than before.
Not a suggestion.
Not even a challenge.
A decision.
I frowned.
“That’s not part of this.”
“It is now.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t get to just keep changing things.”
“I’m not changing anything.”
“You are.”
“I’m continuing it.”
That didn’t help.
“That’s the same thing.”
“No,” he said. “It isn’t.”
I crossed my arms, holding my ground for once.
“This was supposed to be one night.”
“It still is.”
“Then why does it feel like you’re extending it.”
His gaze held mine.
“Because you’re still here.”
That answer again.
God.
I hated that answer.
I hated how much sense it made.
“I could leave,” I said.
“Yes.”
“Then stop acting like I won’t.”
“I’m not acting,” he replied. “I’m observing.”
“That’s not better.”
“It’s accurate.”
I let out a sharp breath.
“This isn’t just about me.”
“No,” he said. “It isn’t.”
“Then explain that.”
He didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he stepped closer again.
Close enough that the space I had just created didn’t feel like it mattered anymore.
Close enough that walking away would actually mean something now.
“There are things happening tonight that you don’t understand,” he said quietly.
“That’s becoming very clear.”
“And walking away now,” he continued, ignoring that, “doesn’t remove you from them.”
My chest tightened.
“That sounds like a threat.”
“It’s not.”
“Then what is it.”
His gaze dropped briefly to my hand.
The ring.
Then back to my face.
“It’s reality.”
That didn’t make me feel better.
“If that’s true,” I said slowly, “then you should have told me before.”
“You wouldn’t have stayed.”
That answer came too fast.
Too easily.
Like he already knew.
Like he had already decided.
“And now you think I will.”
His gaze held mine.
“Yes.”
My pulse jumped.
“That’s not confidence,” I said. “That’s control.”
“No,” he replied. “It’s understanding.”
I shook my head.
“You don’t understand me.”
“I understand what you’re doing.”
“And what is that.”
His gaze didn’t move.
“You’re deciding if this is worth it.”
My breath caught.
Just slightly.
Just enough.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
Again.
I looked down at the ring.
It still felt real.
Too real.
“This wasn’t supposed to matter,” I said quietly.
“It doesn’t have to.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is if you decide it is.”
There it was again.
That same shift.
That same quiet way of placing everything back in my hands.
Like I had control.
Like I had a choice.
Like I wasn’t already too far in.
I looked back at him.
“Where are we going.”
The question felt heavier than it should have.
More final.
More real.
His answer didn’t come right away.
But when it did…
It changed everything.
“Home.”
My stomach dropped.
Not because of the word.
Because of the way he said it.
Like it wasn’t temporary.
Like it wasn’t part of a plan.
Like it was already decided.
I should have said no.
I should have taken the ring off, walked out, and ended this before it turned into something I couldn’t control.
Instead…
I nodded.
And that was my third mistake.
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