By the third day…
I should have gotten used to him.
That's what I told myself, anyway.
That the way Ethan looked at me—
like he knew something I didn't—
would eventually stop affecting me.
But it didn't.
If anything…
it got worse.
"Are you even listening to me?" Maya snapped her fingers in front of my face.
I blinked. "Huh?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Exactly. Where did you go just now?"
I forced a small smile. "Nowhere. I'm here."
"Mm." She studied me like she didn't believe it. "You've been distracted all morning."
"I haven't."
"You have."
"I haven't."
"Lara—"
"Okay, fine!" I laughed lightly. "Maybe I'm just tired."
That wasn't a complete lie.
Just not the real reason.
The real reason was sitting across the room.
Ethan.
He was on the couch, laptop open, looking like he was working.
But every few minutes
his eyes lifted.
And every single time
they landed on me.
I could feel it.
Even when I wasn't looking.
Even when I tried not to notice.
"Wait here," Maya said suddenly, standing up. "I forgot my charger upstairs."
"Okay," I replied.
And just like that—
she was gone.
Again.
I exhaled slowly, already feeling the shift in the room.
It was like the air changed the moment we were alone.
Quieter.
Heavier.
"Do you always stare at people like that?" I asked before I could stop myself.
Silence.
Then
"I could ask you the same thing."
I turned toward him.
"I wasn't staring."
His lips curved slightly. "Sure."
"I wasn't."
"Then why do you look away every time I catch you?"
My mouth opened
then closed.
Because… he wasn't wrong.
Ethan shut his laptop slowly and set it aside.
That alone made my heart start beating faster.
Because now
his full attention was on me.
"You've been avoiding me," he said.
"I haven't."
"You have."
I crossed my arms. "You're imagining things."
He leaned back slightly, studying me like I was something he was trying to figure out.
"Then prove it."
My brows pulled together. "Prove what?"
"That you're not avoiding me."
I let out a small laugh. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"
He didn't answer right away.
Instead—
he stood up.
My breath caught slightly.
Because now he was walking toward me.
Slow.
Calm.
Confident.
"Ethan"
"Relax," he said quietly. "I'm not going to do anything."
That didn't help.
At all.
He stopped right in front of me.
Closer than necessary.
Closer than normal.
Closer than safe.
"Look at me," he said.
My heart skipped.
"I am looking at you."
"Not properly."
My fingers tightened slightly at my sides.
Why did everything feel like a challenge with him?
"Fine," I said softly.
And then
I really looked at him.
Big mistake.
Because now I noticed everything.
The way his eyes darkened slightly.
The way his jaw tightened.
The way his gaze dropped—just for a second—before returning to mine.
"See?" he murmured. "Not so hard."
My breath felt uneven.
"Happy now?"
"Not yet."
Before I could react
his hand moved.
Not to grab me.
Not to pull me closer.
But to gently brush something off my shoulder.
A simple gesture.
Innocent.
Harmless.
So why did it feel like so much more?
"You had something there," he said.
His hand lingered.
Just for a second too long.
"Thanks," I whispered.
But neither of us moved.
And that moment
that tiny, quiet, dangerously soft moment
felt louder than anything.
"Ethan!"
Maya's voice cut through the air as she walked back into the room.
And just like that
everything broke.
He stepped back immediately.
Like nothing had happened.
Like he hadn't just completely messed with my ability to think.
"What are you two doing?" Maya asked, looking between us.
"Nothing," we both said at the same time.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Okay… weird."
I grabbed my phone quickly, pretending to be busy.
But my heart
was still racing.
Later that evening, we decided to go out.
Just something simple.
A small hangout with a few of Maya's friends.
"Try not to be boring," Maya teased as we got ready.
"I'm never boring."
"Debatable."
When we got there, the place was already lively.
Music.
Laughter.
People everywhere.
At first, everything felt normal.
I talked, laughed, blended in.
Until
"Hey."
I turned.
A guy stood in front of me, smiling.
"I'm Daniel. Maya's friend."
"Oh—hi," I said politely.
"You're Lara, right?"
"Yeah."
"I've heard about you."
I smiled lightly. "Hopefully good things."
"Only good things," he said. "Actually, I was wondering if—"
"Lara."
My name.
Again.
But this time
it wasn't soft.
It wasn't teasing.
It was sharp.
I turned.
Ethan.
Standing a few steps away.
Watching us.
His expression?
Unreadable.
But his eyes—
they weren't calm anymore.
"I need you for a second," he said.
Not asked.
Said.
Daniel glanced between us. "Uh—sure."
I hesitated.
Then followed him.
The moment we were out of earshot, I crossed my arms.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" he asked calmly.
"That," I said. "You interrupting my conversation."
"He looked like he was asking you something."
"He was."
"And?"
"And that's none of your business."
Something shifted in his expression.
Something darker.
"Be careful with him," Ethan said.
I frowned. "Why?"
"I don't trust him."
I let out a small laugh. "You don't even know him."
"I don't need to."
I stared at him.
Realization slowly creeping in.
"Wait…" I said slowly.
"Are you jealous?
Silence.
Then
he stepped closer.
Again.
"You think this is funny?" he asked quietly.
My heart started racing.
"I think it's interesting."
His eyes locked onto mine.
Intense.
Unwavering.
"I don't like the way he was looking at you," he said.
My breath caught.
"And how was he looking at me?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Instead
his gaze dropped slightly.
Then came back up.
"Like he wants something that isn't his."
My pulse quickened.
"And what exactly isn't his?" I whispered.
There was a pause.
A dangerous one.
Then
very softly
"You."
Everything around us seemed to fade.
The noise. The people. The music.
All I could hear…
was my heartbeat.
Because in that moment
I knew.
This wasn't one-sided anymore.
And that made everything…
so much more complicated.