Chapter 5: Lines You Shouldn’t Cross

By midweek, the rumors weren’t whispers anymore.

They were conversations.

Open. Loud. Unavoidable.

She heard her name more times than she wanted to.

“…she’s always with him now.”

“Library again last night.”

“Do you think Althea knows?”

She tried to ignore it.

She really did.

But ignoring something doesn’t mean it stops affecting you.

That afternoon, she was walking across campus when someone grabbed her wrist lightly.

“Hey.”

She turned.

Kieran.

Her heart did that annoying thing again.

“What?” she asked, trying to sound normal.

“You left early yesterday,” he said.

“I had things to do.”

“You didn’t finish your part.”

Her brows furrowed. “I’ll finish it.”

“Tonight,” he said.

Not a suggestion.

A schedule.

She crossed her arms. “You don’t get to order me around.”

A pause.

Then—

“7 PM,” he said anyway. “Same place.”

Her jaw tightened. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And you’re avoiding me.”

That hit too quickly.

“I’m not,” she said.

“You are.”

Silence.

He stepped a little closer—not enough to be obvious, but enough to make her aware of the space between them.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

His voice wasn’t cold this time.

It was… searching.

She hesitated.

Just for a second.

But that second was enough.

“…No,” she said finally.

His gaze stayed on her longer than it should’ve.

Like he didn’t believe her.

Like he knew.

But before he could say anything—

“Well, this is interesting.”

That voice again.

Both of them turned.

Althea Reyes.

Standing a few steps away, calm and composed like always.

But her eyes—

They weren’t soft this time.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked.

Kieran didn’t answer immediately.

“No,” he said after a moment. “We’re done here.”

We’re done.

The words felt sharper than they should’ve.

She didn’t know why.

Althea smiled faintly. “Good. I needed to talk to you anyway.”

She glanced at her briefly.

Then back at him.

“Alone.”

There was something in the way she said it.

Not rude.

Not demanding.

But certain.

Like she already knew he’d say yes.

And for a second—

She wondered if he would.

Kieran’s jaw tightened slightly.

“I have work,” he said.

Althea tilted her head. “This won’t take long.”

Another pause.

The air felt tense.

Uncomfortable.

And suddenly—

She didn’t want to be there anymore.

“I’ll just go,” she said quickly, stepping back. “See you later.”

She didn’t wait for a response.

Didn’t look back.

Because for some reason—

Her chest felt tight in a way she couldn’t explain.

The library felt colder that night.

She arrived first.

Again.

But this time, it didn’t feel like she wanted to.

It felt like she needed to.

To think.

To breathe.

To understand why seeing them together bothered her more than it should.

“They’re probably close,” she muttered under her breath. “Same level. Same world.”

Unlike me.

The thought came too easily.

And she hated it.

“You’re early.”

She looked up.

Kieran.

Of course.

“You’re late,” she said.

“It’s 6:58.”

“Still late.”

A faint pause.

Then—almost like before—

“…Fair.”

He sat across from her.

But something felt different.

Quieter.

He opened his laptop, but didn’t start typing immediately.

“You didn’t answer my question earlier,” he said.

She sighed. “Which one?”

“Did something happen?”

She looked at him.

Really looked this time.

At the way his eyes stayed steady.

Focused.

Like he wasn’t asking just to ask.

Like he actually cared.

“…Your friend talked to me,” she said finally.

“Althea is not my—” He stopped himself.

Then corrected, “What did she say?”

“That I should be careful,” she replied. “That people misunderstand things when it comes to you.”

Silence.

He leaned back slightly.

“And you believed her?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Should I?”

Their eyes met.

And for a moment—

Everything else faded again.

“No,” he said.

Simple.

Certain.

Her heart skipped.

“But,” he added, “she’s not wrong about one thing.”

Her brows furrowed. “Which is?”

“You’re getting involved.”

The words landed heavier this time.

“In a project?” she tried to joke.

But he didn’t smile.

“In me.”

Silence.

Her breath caught slightly.

“That’s not—” she started.

But stopped.

Because she didn’t know how to finish that sentence anymore.

Because maybe…

It wasn’t completely wrong.

Kieran leaned forward slightly, his voice lower now.

“You don’t like complications,” he said. “I can tell.”

“And you do?” she shot back.

“No,” he said. “But I live with them.”

That answer felt like a warning.

A real one this time.

Not from Althea.

From him.

She swallowed.

“Then maybe you should stop acting like I’m one,” she said quietly.

Another pause.

Then—

“You’re not,” he said.

Soft.

Barely above a whisper.

But enough.

Enough to make her heart race again.

Enough to blur the line she was trying so hard to keep.

And that scared her more than anything.

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