Chapter Eleven – The Confession of Feelings
The courtyard was bathed in golden light, the kind of late afternoon glow that made everything look softer, sweeter than it really was. Students lounged around, laughing, trading notes, making weekend plans. Eliana sat at the edge of the fountain, books unopened on her lap, trying to will her heart into silence.
Stephen's shadow fell over her before she even noticed him approaching.
"Skipping class to avoid me?" he teased, that dangerous grin tugging at his lips.
Her pulse jumped. "No. I… just needed air."
"Then you won't mind me keeping you company." He sat beside her without asking, close enough that the warmth of him pressed against her arm. "Ellie, you're driving me crazy."
Her head whipped toward him. "Stephen—"
"No, listen." His voice lowered, losing its usual playfulness. "I can't stop thinking about you. The way you bite your lip when you're nervous. The way you smile like you don't even know you're beautiful. You're in my head when I wake up. You're in my head when I fall asleep."
Her breath caught. His words were reckless, burning, the kind that lodged deep inside a girl's ribs.
"Stephen," she whispered, "I… I'm with William."
His jaw tightened. He reached out, brushing her hair back from her cheek. "Then tell me you love him. Tell me your heart races when he walks into a room. Tell me you dream of him at night. If you can say that and mean it, I'll walk away."
Her lips parted, but no words came. Because she couldn't.
He smiled faintly, victory flickering in his eyes. "That's what I thought."
Before she could protest, he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Tender, not demanding. "I'll wait," he murmured. "Even if it kills me."
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Eliana's chest was a storm when she finally escaped to the library later that evening, searching for refuge. She sat down at her usual spot, pulling out her books, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking.
And then—William's voice.
"Ellie."
She looked up, startled. William stood across from her, holding a notebook, his expression calm but his eyes searching.
"I thought you might need this. Notes from today's lecture." He slid it across the table, but didn't move away.
"Thank you," she whispered, fingers brushing the cover.
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, slowly, William sat down opposite her. His hands rested on the table, steady and certain.
"I wasn't going to say anything," he began, his voice low. "I was going to wait until you were ready. But I can't anymore." His eyes met hers, unwavering. "Eliana, I'm in love with you."
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
He leaned forward, earnest, every word deliberate. "From the first day I saw you in that lecture hall, I knew you were different. You're brilliant. You're strong. You make people want to be better just by being near you. You've been carrying so much alone, and I keep wishing you'd let me carry some of it with you. Because I would. Gladly."
Her throat ached.
William smiled faintly, almost self-deprecating. "I know you don't feel the same way yet. Maybe you never will. But I needed you to know. Because loving you—" His voice caught, but he pushed through. "Loving you is the truest thing I've ever felt."
The library's quiet hum seemed to fade away. It was just him, and her, and the weight of his words pressing into her soul.
Eliana's chest felt split open. Two men. Two confessions. One burning like fire, wild and consuming. The other like an anchor, steady and safe.
And she—she was trapped between them.