Chapter 34: Close Enough to Burn
My body was shouting for him. I just didn’t know. -Liana
Liana couldn’t sleep.
Not really.
She lay on the couch, bundled in the blanket Elias brought from her old room.
The soft one. Lavender-scented. Familiar.
He was sitting across from her, silent. Reading something. Or pretending to.
The room was dim, lit only by the lamp on the far side of the wall.
She shifted.
He looked up.
“Too warm?” he asked.
She shook her head.
Then, a beat later, said, “Can you… sit closer?”
He hesitated.
Then stood. Walked over. Sat on the floor beside the couch.
Close. But not touching.
“Better?” he asked.
She nodded.
And the silence settled again.
Until her hand slid down from the blanket.
And rested—lightly, gently—on his arm.
He froze.
Didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
Her fingers were cool against his skin.
Just a touch.
Just enough.
He told himself to pull back.
Now. Just move. She’s not yours. She never was.
But he didn’t.
Couldn’t.
Because she was here. Inches away.
And everything in him screamed to stay.
She trusts me. She thinks I’m safe.
And if I touch her now—if I hold her—
That all disappears.
She leaned her head down slightly, cheek brushing against his shoulder.
His eyes closed.
Just for a second.
His muscles locked.
He could feel every breath she took.
Every soft inhale. Every slow exhale.
Her hair tickled the edge of his jaw.
He gritted his teeth.
Don’t.
Don’t move.
Don’t let it mean something.
But it already did.
Her head stayed there.
Resting.
Trusting.
And that shattered him more than anything else ever could.
Minutes passed.
Or maybe longer.
Eventually, she pulled back, just slightly.
Her eyes were tired.
But clear.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He met her gaze.
And smiled.
Barely.
But it was real.
Alex arrived just after lunch.
She knocked once, then stepped inside.
“Hey,” she said. “Ready to head back?”
Liana nodded.
She stood slowly, pulled on her sweater, grabbed her bag.
Elias walked her to the door.
No one said much.
But when she turned back to him, her voice was quiet.
“Thank you… for everything.”
He didn’t trust himself to answer.
Just nodded.
Then watched as she got into the car.
Alex drove off.
And through the passenger-side window, she didn’t look back.
But in the seat, with the seatbelt tight across her chest and her fingers clenched in her lap—
Her eyes stung.
No tears.
Not yet.
But the ache was there.
Sharp.
Heavy.
And for the first time, she admitted it to herself:
I want him.
Not just his help. Not just his comfort.
I want him.
And the thought scared her more than anything else ever had.
Because wanting meant needing.
And needing meant breaking.
Again.
Chapter 35: What It Means
I liked him. I just didn’t know. -Liana
Liana
I didn’t say anything when I came back.
Just kicked off my shoes, dropped my bag, and stood in the middle of the kitchen like I forgot what people usually do in their own homes.
Alex glanced up from the couch. “You okay?”
I nodded. Then shook my head.
She didn’t press.
Just reached over and slid a mug across the counter. Chamomile. No words.
I sat down and held it with both hands.
“I think I’m broken,” I said quietly.
Alex snorted. “Wow. Starting strong.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know.” She took a sip of her coffee. “But still, kind of a dramatic opener.”
I looked down. “I’ve been feeling… weird.”
Alex raised a brow. “Define weird.”
“I don’t know. Confused. Restless. I keep thinking about things I shouldn’t think about.”
“Like?”
A long pause. Then I said, “There was a woman.”
Alex blinked. “Go on.”
I wrapped my fingers tighter around the mug.
“I don’t know… I’ve been weird for a while now.”
Alex didn’t say anything.
“I didn’t know it back then. I just thought it was me being… clingy. Or scared to be alone. But it’s not that.” I swallowed.
“There was this woman,” I said softly. “She came to the house a while ago.”
Alex frowned. “What woman?”
“Her name was Scott.” I let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, it’s a woman. She was… tall, pretty, confident. The kind of person who knows how to take up space.”
Alex tilted her head, listening.
“She showed up one afternoon. Said she was in the neighborhood, asked for Elias. He’d told me he was going out with someone that night, but I didn’t think anything of it until she showed up at our door.”
My fingers tightened around my sleeve.
“She went straight up to him. Like she knew where to stand, what to say. She even tried to kiss him.” My voice dropped. “Right in front of me.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “And you were just… there?”
I nodded. “On the couch. Like an idiot.”
There was a pause.
Then, almost in a whisper, I said, “I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t even know why. I just remember thinking… she looked like someone who belonged with him.”
Alex stayed quiet.
“I wasn’t mad at her. I wasn’t even mad at him. Just—” I struggled for the right words.
“It hurt. And I didn’t know why it hurt so much.”
I looked up, brows furrowed.
“I didn’t understand it. I just… hated seeing it. Hated the way he talked to her like it was normal. Like he’d done this a thousand times before. And I— I was still figuring out how to talk to people without freezing.”
My voice cracked, just a little.
“I went to my room. Told him I wanted to move out. I thought it was because I needed space, but… maybe that wasn’t the whole reason.”
Alex set down her coffee.
Then she smiled. Like something finally clicked.
She leaned back, gave me a smirk.
“Oh honey,” she said. “That’s not weird. That’s just what liking someone feels like.”
And in her head, she added,
Damn, girl. Everyone knows you’re his whole world. But somehow, no one knew you liked him.
“Are you saying I like Elias?” I panicked.
“You tell me,” Alex said, still smiling.
“I… I don’t know. Maybe? What do I do now?”
She shrugged. “Well, depends on what you want.
But just so you know… he’s not as unshakable as he looks.”
Later, I went back to my room. Stared at myself in the mirror.
Whispered “I think… I like him.”
Chapter 36: Out of Line
I’ve always known how attractive she is. Now they know too. —Elias
It started with a question.
“You wanna come out tonight?” Alex asked, casually sipping coffee in the kitchen.
Liana blinked. “Out?”
“Yeah. The team’s going to Gray’s. You know, the bar we always end up at after ops? Everyone’s gonna be there.”
Liana hesitated, hands wrapped around her mug.
“I don’t know…”
Alex tilted her head. “You have your own life now, remember? You can try new things. And hey, Elias is going.”
That made her pause. “…Okay.”
Alex insisted on helping her find something to wear.
Then promptly gasped when she opened Liana’s closet.
“Girl. Hoodie. Pants. Hoodie. Pants. A full-length turtleneck dress? Are you Amish?”
“I—I don’t usually go out,” Liana said weakly, looed a little bit ashamed.
“No shit,” Alex muttered. “We’re going shopping. Now.”
They found a dress. Simple. Black. Sleeveless. Flowy skirt that ended just above the knees.
Nothing scandalous.
Unless you knew Liana.
Unless you’d seen her in nothing but long sleeves and quiet colors for five years.
“Isn’t this… too much?” she asked, holding the hanger like it might burn her.
Alex snorted. “You’re a grown woman. Showing your collarbones won’t kill anyone. And if it does, that’s their problem.”
Later that evening, Alex helped her with light makeup.
Nothing flashy. Just a soft shimmer on her eyelids, a hint of blush, a nude gloss.
Liana stared at herself in the mirror. “This doesn’t look like me.”
Alex stood behind her. “It looks like the you you’re becoming.”
When they walked into the bar, the lighting was low.
Music hummed, not too loud. Laughter buzzed across the booths.
Elias was at the corner table with Luca and a few others. Laughing. Relaxed.
Until he looked up.
The moment froze.
He saw her.
Saw the bare shoulders.
The curve of her collarbone.
The way her hair fell differently around her face.
She wasn’t smiling.
But she looked… Different.
Luca choked on his drink. “Holy shit. That’s Liana?”
Elias stood up. Didn’t realize he was doing it.
Alex led her to the bar.
“What do you want?”
“I don’t know,” Liana whispered. “Something… small?”
Alex grinned. “You’ll love a lemon drop.”
As the bartender turned to make it, Elias appeared beside them like a thundercloud.
He grabbed Alex’s elbow and pulled her to the side.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Alex blinked. “What?”
“You brought her here dressed like that?”
She crossed her arms. “Like what, Elias?”
“This is a bar. There are people—guys—watching her.”
Alex rolled her eyes. “It’s not a dive bar. It’s a team hangout. We’re all here. What exactly are you afraid of?”
“She doesn’t belong in this kind of place.”
“She’s not a damn child.”
“She’s not ready—”
Alex snapped, “She’s more ready than you are. Look at her.”
He did. And that was the problem.
She was standing at the bar, looking uncertain, but not scared. Like she was trying.
She was trying. And he hated it.
Not because she was doing anything wrong. But because he wasn’t part of it.
And then he saw it.
A guy had approached her.
Some clean-cut twenty-something in a button-down shirt.
Elias saw him lean in. Say something.
Liana didn’t move away. She didn’t smile, either.
Just stood there, stiff, holding her glass with both hands. She’s nervous, but not scared.
The guy leaned closer. Too close.
Elias moved. He reached the bar in two strides.
“Get lost,” he said.
The guy blinked. “Dude, what are you—”
“I said get lost. Or I’ll break your fucking nose.”
That got the message across.
The guy muttered something and disappeared fast.
Liana looked up at him, wide-eyed.
“I was fine,” she said, voice soft.
“You didn’t look fine.”
“I wasn’t scared.”
“I was.”
She blinked. That silenced her.
He took a breath. Realized he was standing too close.
Realized her perfume was light, clean, completely not her, and yet, somehow, it was.
He stepped back. “Go sit with Alex,” he said.
She nodded. Didn’t argue.
But as she turned away, he saw the flicker of something on her face.
Confusion. Disappointment.
Something he didn’t want to name.
He turned back to the bar.
Gripped the edge of the counter until his knuckles turned white.
Goddamn it.
She’s not yours.
She never was.
So why does it feel like you’re losing something that belonged to you?
Forever.
Chapter 37: The Lemon Line
She’s not mine. But I want her to be. -Elias
Liana
Luca was saying something funny. I think.
Everyone was laughing.
I was too. Late by a beat. But it felt nice. Like I was part of something.
The glass in my hand was almost empty.
It tasted like candy. Sweet. Sharp. Cold.
Alex leaned over. “You okay?”
I nodded, too fast. “It’s really good.”
She laughed. “I told you. It’s basically lemonade for adults.”
Except now the lights felt brighter. Or maybe my eyes were slow.
My face felt warm. My chest light.
Across the table, Elias was watching me.
He hadn’t touched his beer. He hadn’t said much either.
Just… watched.
His jaw looked tense. Or maybe that was just how it always looked.
Luca made another joke. I didn’t catch the whole thing, but I laughed anyway.
Then I swayed a little. The barstool wobbled more than I expected.
“Whoa.” I grabbed the counter.
Alex’s hand steadied my arm. “You sure you’re good?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “I just… I think my legs are drunk.”
That made her laugh.
Behind her, Elias stood up.
He walked around the table. Stopped beside me.
His voice was low. Controlled. “You’re done for the night.”
I blinked. “What?”
“No more drinks. Let’s go.”
“But I—”
He crouched a little so only I could hear.
“You’re flushed, unfocused, and swaying. You’ve had enough.”
My smile faded. “I’m sorry…”
He shook his head. “You don’t need to be sorry.”
He offered a hand.
I stared at it for a second. Then took it.
His palm was warm. Steady as always.
I didn’t want to let go.
Elias
She was too light.
That’s what he noticed first.
When he helped her off the stool, her balance shifted and she leaned against him like her bones forgot how to hold weight.
She was smiling at nothing. Eyes half-lidded. Lips pink from the drink.
He guided her out of the bar with a hand on her lower back.
One of the guys whistled.
Elias turned. Stared. Just stared.
The guy shut up.
When they got to the truck, she slid into the passenger seat and curled up like a cat.
She glanced over. “You didn’t drink.”
“No.”
“You don’t drink?”
“I don’t drink when I’m on guard.”
Her laugh was soft. Fuzzy. “I’m not a mission.”
He didn’t answer.
She leaned her head against the window. “I used to think alcohol was bad.”
“It’s not good for you,” he said.
“I feel warm,” she mumbled.
“You’re flushed.”
“Is that why you were staring?”
His knuckles tightened on the wheel.
“No.”
Silence. Then—
“I like your voice.”
“Liana…”
She didn’t stop. “You sound like…someone who always knows what to do.”
“I don’t.”
“You do for me.”
His throat locked.
They didn’t speak the rest of the way home.
-At the house-
She stumbled a little getting out of the truck.
He caught her. Lifted her.
She didn’t protest. Just wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You smell like…Elias.”
“That’s because I am Elias.”
She giggled into his shirt.
He carried her inside. Set her gently on the bed.
She reached up. Touched his cheek.
“I like when you’re here.”
He closed his eyes.
“Liana. You need to sleep.”
She pulled on his sleeve. “Can you stay?”
He froze.
You can’t.
You really, really can’t.
She’s drunk. Vulnerable. Yours to protect.
But she looked up at him like he was the safest place she knew.
So he sat. At the edge of the bed.
She leaned against his shoulder. Breath soft. Warm.
She whispered, “I think you’re my favorite person.”
His heart nearly shattered.
She doesn’t know what she’s saying. It’s the drink.
She shifted closer. Pressed her forehead to his chest. And stayed there.
He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just stared ahead, listening to the sound of her breath.
This is wrong.
This is dangerous.
This is everything I’ve ever wanted.
He didn’t kiss her. Didn’t touch her beyond what she allowed. But he didn’t leave either.
When she finally fell asleep, tangled up in his side, he wrapped his arm around her and whispered against her hair.
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”
And stayed right there.
All night.
Eyes open.
Heart wrecked.
Chapter 38: Morning After
We both knew something changed but no one wanted to admit it. Or do we? -Elias
Liana
I woke with a dry mouth and the weight of sunlight pressing through the curtains.
It took a few seconds before I realized where I was.
The bed.
The blanket.
The way the window rattled faintly when the wind hit the corner of the house.
My old room. Elias’s house.
I sat up slowly, head pulsing.
My backpack was neatly placed on the chair. My necklace still around my neck.
Why am I here?
I rubbed my eyes, but the night before was a blur of lights, voices, and lemon… lots of lemon.
Alex’s laugh. Music. Heat on my face.
Then—
Nothing.
I stood up too fast. The room tilted for half a second before steadying again.
In the bathroom mirror, my reflection looked like I’d fought a small hurricane and lost.
Hair messy. Eyes puffy. I turned on the faucet and rinsed my mouth.
What did I say?
Did I do something stupid?
Oh god, did I cry?
I brushed my teeth in a panic, trying to scrub away the memories along with the alcohol taste.
When I came out, the hallway smelled like eggs and toast. I followed it to the kitchen.
Elias
She walked in slowly.
Still in the same dress from last night, hair damp at the ends like she’d washed her face and given up halfway.
She looked… shy.
“I made eggs,” I said, flipping the last one onto a plate.
Her voice was hoarse. “Thanks.”
She sat down without meeting my eyes.
“You drank too fast,” I added, keeping my tone light.
She made a quiet, dying noise into her cup. “I don’t really remember… Did I say anything weird?”
I set the fork down. Leaned on the counter.
“You told me I smell like myself.”
Her head snapped up.
“I—what?!”
I couldn’t help it. I smiled. “Yeah. Real poetic.”
She looked like she wanted to vanish through the floor.
I didn’t tell her she’d also leaned into me.
Didn’t say she’d whispered my name like it was the only thing she trusted.
Didn’t mention the way her hand had rested over my heart while she fell asleep.
Instead, I said, “You’re banned from Lemon Drops. Actually, you’re banned from drinking anything unless I approve it.”
She gave me a look. “You’re not my dad.”
“No,” I said. “I’m not.”
That shut both of us up.
The kitchen went quiet.
I turned back to the stove and grabbed the plates. Set one in front of her.
She poked at the eggs.
I sipped my coffee.
She wanted to ask why I brought her back here.
I wanted to ask how much she remembered.
Neither of us said a word.
Outside, a breeze moved the curtains. The clock ticked too loud. Everything felt still.
Like we were standing too close to a cliff edge, waiting to see who stepped forward first.
But we didn’t. We just ate in silence.
Each of us pretending nothing had changed.
Even though we both knew—
Something had.
