The door clicked shut behind Ethan, and the apartment was pin drop silent, except for the pounding in Clara's chest.
She walked past Riley and Sofia without a word, straight to her room. The lock slid into place.
The scent of lilies still clung to her skin, and she hated it. It was the scent of him.
She sank onto the bed, pressing her hands over her face. The past, the part she had buried so deep it almost felt like it belonged to another life, came rushing back.
It was their last night of high school.
The music was loud, the air thick with the heat of too many bodies crammed into the large living room. Jones, Ethan's best friend back then, threw the most popular parties.
At some point in the night, they were playing Truth or Dare in the living room.
When it was Ethan's turn, someone grinned wickedly and asked, "Who would you hook up with, right here, right now?"
Ethan did not hesitate.
"Clara."
There was laughter, whistles, and a few gasps in response to his answer. She just rolled her eyes, pretending to be unaffected, but her heart was already pounding. The air between them changed in an instant.
By the end of the night, they slipped upstairs to Jones's bedroom, the door clicking shut behind them.
It was a blur of heat and reckless urgency, a night that felt inevitable in the moment, but one she regretted almost as soon as the sun came up.
Before he woke, she scribbled a note.
Sorry. This was a mistake.
She left it on the nightstand and walked away without looking back.
Clara wished that that had been the end of that night. But no, there were consequences to it. The price was too high.