I couldn't breathe properly.
Not after that.
That almost kiss
it stayed with me.
In my head.
In my chest.
In the way my heart refused to calm down.
And the worst part?
I didn't regret it.
I should have.
I should've been freaking out, creating distance, doing everything possible to fix this mess.
Instead
all I could think about was how close he was.
How it felt.
How I didn't stop him.
Or myself.
"Lara!"
Maya's voice snapped me back to reality.
I walked into her room, forcing a smile. "What do you need?"
She turned around, holding up two outfits. "Which one?"
I blinked. "That's what you called me for?"
"Yes. This is serious."
I sighed, trying to act normal. "The black one."
"Really?"
"Yes."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"What?" I asked.
She tilted her head.
"You're acting weird again."
My heart dropped.
"I'm not."
"You are."
I forced a small laugh. "Maya, I just came out of the shower. I'm tired."
She didn't respond immediately.
Just kept looking at me.
Like she was trying to see through me.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" she said softly.
Guilt hit instantly.
"I know."
"Then why does it feel like you're hiding something?"
My chest tightened.
"I'm not hiding anything."
That was the moment.
The exact moment
something shifted in her expression.
She didn't believe me.
And that scared me more than anything else.
"Okay," she said slowly. "If you say so."
But her voice?
Didn't sound convinced.
At all.
That night, everything felt… tense.
Too tense.
Maya was quieter than usual.
Still laughing.
Still talking.
But not the same.
And Ethan?
He was worse.
Because now
he wasn't even trying to hide it.
The way his eyes followed me.
The way he stayed just a little too close.
The way every small interaction felt loaded with meaning.
It was obvious.
Too obvious.
And if I could see it—
then Maya could too.
"Okay, I'm going to grab something upstairs," Maya said suddenly, standing up.
"I'll come with you," I said quickly.
Too quickly.
Both of them noticed.
"I'll be back in like two minutes," she laughed. "Relax."
And just like that
she was gone.
Again.
I exhaled slowly.
"Stop doing that," Ethan said.
I turned to him. "Doing what?"
"Acting like I'm a problem."
I let out a small, frustrated laugh.
"You are a problem."
He stepped closer.
"Then why don't you stay away from me?"
My breath caught.
"Maybe because you don't make it easy," I shot back.
His eyes darkened slightly.
"I'm not the one pretending nothing is happening."
"I'm not pretending," I said.
"You are," he said calmly. "And you're not even good at it."
I crossed my arms. "What do you want from me, Ethan?"
He didn't hesitate.
"Honesty."
That hit harder than it should have.
"I am being honest."
"No," he said quietly. "You're lying."
My heart skipped.
"I'm not"
"You're lying to me," he cut in.
I froze.
"And you're lying to yourself."
Silence.
Because… again
he wasn't wrong.
"I said this has to stop," I whispered.
"But you don't mean it."
"I do."
"Then look me in the eye and say you don't feel anything."
My chest tightened.
I couldn't.
And we both knew it.
"That's what I thought," he murmured.
I looked away.
"Ethan, please…"
"Please what?" he asked softly.
"Stop making this harder than it already is."
His expression shifted.
Softer now.
But still intense.
"I'm not the one making it hard," he said. "We're just not pretending anymore."
I swallowed.
"That doesn't change the situation."
"No," he agreed. "But it changes us."
Before I could respond
"Okay…"
Maya's voice.
We both turned.
She was standing there.
At the edge of the room.
Looking at us.
Really looking this time.
Not confused.
Not unsure.
Suspicious.
"What's going on?" she asked slowly.
My heart dropped.
"Nothing," I said immediately.
Too immediately.
Maya's eyes moved between us.
Then narrowed slightly.
"You both keep saying that," she said. "But it doesn't feel like nothing."
No one spoke.
Because what could we even say?
"You're acting different around each other," she continued. "And I'm not stupid."
My chest tightened.
"Maya"
"Are you hiding something from me?" she asked.
The question landed hard.
Too hard.
And suddenly
everything felt like it was about to fall apart.
I looked at Ethan.
Just for a second.
And that was enough.
Because Maya saw it.
That one look.
That one moment.
That one silent connection.
Her expression changed instantly.
From suspicion
to realization.
"No way…" she whispered.
My heart stopped.
"No," I said quickly. "It's not"
But she stepped back.
"Are you serious?" she asked.
Her voice?
Hurt.
Not angry.
Not yet.
Just… hurt.
And somehow
that was worse.
"Maya, listen"
"Don't," she said, shaking her head.
She looked between us again.
And this time
there was no doubt.
"You're lying to me," she said quietly.
And just like that
everything we were trying to hide
was starting to come undone.