THE LINE BETWEEN US
Autumn Simeons had loved Damian McLaren for as long as she could remember. From childhood to their teenage years, he was her safe place, the one person who made life feel lighter. But while Damian came from wealth and privilege, Autumn’s life was far simpler—and his heart seemed to belong to someone else. She kept her feelings hidden, choosing to be the best friend he could rely on.
That fragile balance broke when Damian got a girlfriend who saw Autumn as a threat. Tension grew until, without warning, Damian cut her out of his life completely. One day they were inseparable; the next, he treated her like a stranger.
Months later, fate intervened when Damian’s mother, worried about his slipping grades, asked Autumn to tutor him—unaware of the rift between them. Both protested, but their parents insisted.
Now, forced into the same space, Autumn must face the boy she still loves, who seems to resent her presence. His girlfriend’s shadow hangs over every exchange, and unspoken history simmers beneath the surface. As old feelings resurface, Autumn realizes some lessons can’t be taught from books—they live in stolen glances, unsaid words, and memories that refuse to fade.
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Chapter: CHAPTER EIGHTY TWODAMIANThe house was too quiet.Quiet in the way that made every echo feel louder, sharper, like even the air wanted to remind me how badly I’d messed up. I sat at my desk, the same old, battered desk I always sat at whenever Autumn came over to tutor me. My fingers hovered uselessly over my notebook, but I wasn’t seeing the lines on the paper. I wasn’t even pretending to study.All I could think about was her voice.The way it trembled. The way every word she’d spoken outside sounded like it was pulled out of her with force, like each one hurt.God, she’d been crying.I rubbed my forehead hard, dragging my palm down my face. I had replayed the conversation so many times I could hear her voice in the damn walls. Every time she said something, every time her voice cracked, something in my chest dropped like a stone. And I deserved it. I deserved every second of that feeling.I knew I’d hurt her before. I’m not clueless or blind to my own behavior, just stupid enough to pretend it didn’
Last Updated: 2025-11-19
Chapter: CHAPTER EIGHTY ONEI woke up with a jolt.For a second, I didn’t know where I was. My heart hammered, my breath caught somewhere between my lungs and throat, and the room was too dark, too quiet, too… wrong. The kind of wrong that made my skin prickle before my mind even caught up.My hand fumbled for my phone beside me.9:07 p.m.I sat up so fast the blanket twisted around my legs. Mom always woke me for dinner. Always. Even on her worst days, she’d knock on my door and call my name the same way she had my entire life, softly, like she didn’t want to disturb me even when that was the point.But tonight, nothing.No knock. No call. No soft “Autumn, dinner.”A thin sheet of unease slid over my skin.I pushed off the bed, legs shaky from sleep, and opened my door. The hallway light was dim, only the small lamp downstairs glowing faintly against the walls. I held the railing as I walked down, each step quiet, too quiet.Halfway to the living room, I slowed.Mom was asleep on the couch.Except… she wasn’t r
Last Updated: 2025-11-18
Chapter: CHAPTER EIGHTY The moment the door clicked shut behind me, the silence pressed in from every corner. My pulse still throbbed in my ears, loud enough that it felt like the house was vibrating with it. I didn’t realize how stiff my fingers were until I tried unclenching them and they responded like they’d forgotten how to move. I forced myself to breathe, slowly, quietly, like maybe if I made enough silence inside myself, the storm I’d just unleashed wouldn’t swallow me whole.I walked up the stairs, every step heavy and mechanical, and pushed open my bedroom door.Taylor was sitting on the floor beside my bed, his back against the mattress, phone to his ear. He was smiling, like really smiling. His foot bounced against the carpet, restless, excited.“Yes, Mum, I told you, I’m fine,” he said, laughing a little. “No, I didn’t eat the hospital food, ew. I had cereal. And toast. Mum. Mum. Listen. Just rest, okay? I’ll come soon.”Then his eyes lifted and met mine.The smile brightened.He didn’t even hav
Last Updated: 2025-11-18
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY NINEBy the time we reached the side of the yard, I didn’t stop walking until the house was far enough behind us that Taylor couldn’t hear a single thing. My hand was still wrapped around Damian’s wrist, and he didn’t pull away, not even once. He followed me without complaint, footsteps crunching lightly behind mine, like he already knew something was coming. When I finally stopped, I dropped his wrist like it burned me. He blinked, then gave me a smile that was way too casual for the storm brewing in my chest. “So,” he said lightly, stuffing his hands into his pockets, “you gonna tell me why you dragged me all the way out here? Not that I mind the enthusiasm…” “Don’t,” I snapped. The smile slipped right off his face. I sucked in a shaky breath, pressing my hands against my hair, my forehead, my cheeks, anywhere that felt like it could keep me from exploding. But I’d been holding so much inside for so long that the pressure had to go somewhere. “Damian,” I said, forcing my vo
Last Updated: 2025-11-15
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT By the time the dismissal bell rang, the weight that had been living in my chest all day finally loosened just enough for me to breathe again. Taylor seemed… okay. Really okay. Normal in a way I hadn’t seen him since this morning. He walked beside me with a bounce in his step, swinging our backpacks like he had too much energy and nowhere to put it.“Mom said she’s making the big chocolate-chip ones,” he announced, nudging me with his elbow as we stepped out of our classroom. “The really soft ones? With the melty centers?”His eyes were bright. Not the half-dimmed, hurt version I’d seen earlier. Just warm, enthusiastic, familiar Taylor.I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. “Yeah? She told you that this morning?”He nodded eagerly. “Before we left. Said she’d surprise us. Except she told me, so it’s not really a surprise, but still.” He shrugged. “I’m excited.”A real smile tugged at my lips. Not a forced one. Not a careful one. A simple, natural smile because he
Last Updated: 2025-11-15
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY SEVENI saw him before he saw me.Damian. Standing by my locker like he belonged there. Like he wasn’t the reason my pulse had been unsteady since morning. Like the entire world wasn’t tilting too far in his direction every time I even thought about him.He was leaning against the metal door, one ankle crossed over the other, arms folded, head tilted slightly down as if he were reading something on his phone. Except he wasn’t. His screen was off. His eyes weren’t really focused on anything.He was waiting.For me.My steps slowed without permission, my backpack suddenly heavier on my shoulders. There was no reason for my stomach to twist like it was wringing itself out. No reason for the small breath that caught in my throat. It was just Damian. Just the boy who confused me, frustrated me, pulled me in without trying, and pushed me away without noticing.He lifted his head the second he sensed movement coming down the hall. His eyes found me instantly, like nothing else existed in that mome
Last Updated: 2025-11-15
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