"You."
The word lingered between us.
Heavy. Dangerous.
Impossible to ignore.
I stared at Ethan, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
"You don't get to say that," I whispered.
His brows pulled together slightly. "Say what?"
"That I'm not his," I said, my voice a little stronger now. "I'm not anyone's."
His jaw tightened.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Then how did you mean it?
For a second
he didn't answer.
And somehow…
that silence said more than anything else could.
"Forget it," I muttered, turning away. "This was a mistake."
I started to walk back toward the others.
But I didn't get far.
"Lara."
His hand wrapped gently around my wrist.
Not tight.
Not forceful.
But enough to stop me.
My breath caught.
"Let go," I said softly.
"Not until you listen."
I hesitated.
Every instinct told me to pull away.
To walk back.
To put distance between us before things got even more complicated.
But I didn't.
Slowly, I turned back to face him.
"What?" I asked.
Ethan exhaled, running a hand through his hair like he was trying to find the right words.
And for the first time
he didn't look calm.
He didn't look in control.
He looked… conflicted.
"I don't like seeing you with other guys," he admitted.
My heart skipped.
"That's not my problem."
"I know."
"Then why are you acting like it is?"
He stepped closer.
Not rushed.
Not impulsive.
Just… certain.
"Because I can't seem to ignore it," he said quietly.
The honesty in his voice hit harder than anything else.
I swallowed.
"Ethan…"
"Tell me I'm wrong," he cut in.
"What?"
"Tell me you didn't feel something back there."
My chest tightened.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Lara."
The way he said my name this time
soft, but firm
made it harder to pretend.
"You felt it," he said.
Not a question.
A statement.
And the worst part?
He was right.
"I shouldn't have," I whispered.
Silence fell between us again.
But this time—
it wasn't tense.
It was… fragile.
Ethan's expression softened slightly.
"That's not the same as saying you didn't."
I looked away.
Because I couldn't lie.
And I wasn't ready to tell the truth.
"This is exactly why we need to stop," I said quickly. "Whatever this is—it's a bad idea."
"Why?"
"You know why."
"I want to hear you say it."
I shook my head. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Make me say things I'm trying not to think about."
His gaze didn't waver.
"Say it."
My heart felt like it was in my throat.
"Because you're Maya's brother," I said finally. "Because she trusts me. Because if she finds out—"
"She won't."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
"No, you don't!" I snapped, my emotions slipping out. "You don't get it, Ethan. I could lose her."
That… hit something.
I saw it in his eyes.
"And what about me?" he asked quietly.
The question caught me off guard.
"What about you?
His jaw tightened slightly.
"What if I don't want to pretend this is nothing?"
My breath caught again.
"That doesn't change anything," I said, even though my voice wasn't as steady anymore.
"It changes everything."
He stepped closer.
Closer than before.
"Lara, look at me."
I didn't want to.
But I did.
And the moment our eyes met—
I felt it again.
That pull.
That connection.
That thing I was trying so hard to ignore.
"You feel this," he said softly.
I shook my head slightly.
But it wasn't convincing.
Not even to me.
"This isn't just me," he continued. "You know that."
"I can't do this," I whispered.
He didn't move.
Didn't argue.
Didn't push.
But he didn't let me go either.
"Why not?" he asked.
I took a shaky breath.
"Because if I let this happen… I won't be able to stop."
There.
The truth.
Something shifted in his expression.
Something deeper.
"Maybe I don't want you to stop," he said.
My heart stuttered.
"Ethan…"
"Maybe I've been trying to stop for a long time," he added.
I blinked.
"What does that mean?"
He hesitated.
Just for a second.
Like he was standing right at the edge of something
and deciding whether or not to jump.
"It means"
"Lara!"
Maya's voice again.
Closer this time.
We both froze.
And just like that
the moment shattered.
Ethan stepped back immediately.
Distance.
Walls.
Control.
"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Maya said, walking up to us. "What are you guys doing out here?"
"Nothing," I said quickly.
Too quickly.
She looked between us, slightly suspicious.
"Why do I feel like I missed something?"
"You didn't," Ethan said calmly.
But I knew better.
Because something had happened.
Something important.
Something dangerous.
Something neither of us could take back.
And as we walked back inside
I couldn't stop thinking about what he almost said.
"Maybe I've been trying to stop for a long time…"
Stop what?
And why did I feel like the answer…
would change everything?