Chapter 23 – Crossing Lines (Part 2)

POV: Elena

The laughter lingered between us for only a moment before Jace pulled away from the curb and merged into the afternoon traffic.

For a while, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn't uncomfortable anymore. That realization caught me off guard. When we had first moved into the Calloway house, every quiet moment had felt like a battlefield waiting for someone to throw the first punch. We had argued over everything—whose turn it was to use the bathroom, who had left dishes in the sink, whether he listened to music too loudly, or whether I was capable of relaxing for five minutes without opening another textbook.

Now the silence simply... existed. I wasn't sure when that had changed. "You've been spending a lot of time in the library," Jace said, his eyes fixed on the road. "My professors have this strange habit of assigning work." "I'm serious." "So am I." He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel before glancing at me.

"You've been with Aiden almost every afternoon this week." I turned to face him fully. "Were you keeping track?" "I notice things." "You notice that?" "I notice who's around you."

There was something about the way he said it that made my stomach tighten. Not because it frightened me. Because it sounded... personal. "We're working on the same project," I reminded him. "I know." "That's all it is." "I know." "You keep saying you know." "Because I do." I let out a small sigh. "Then why does it sound like you're trying to convince yourself?"

His hands tightened around the steering wheel, but he didn't answer.

Instead, he turned on the radio, letting soft music fill the space between us. It was a very obvious attempt to end the conversation.

Dinner that evening was quieter than usual. Richard was away at a meeting with university donors, leaving only my mother, Jace, and me at the table. My mother smiled as she passed me the bowl of roasted vegetables. "I heard the engagement photos are still making the rounds online." I nearly groaned.

"I thought people would've moved on by now." "They will." She smiled warmly. "But they're lovely pictures." I glanced at Jace. "They're heavily edited." "They're still lovely."

 Jace hid a smile behind his glass of water.

"I wouldn't encourage her." "I'm not encouraging anything." "You're both ganging up on me." My mother laughed, the sound light enough to soften the tension that had settled over the house since the greenhouse incident. For a little while, everything almost felt normal.

Later that night, I sat at my desk surrounded by textbooks and handwritten notes, trying to concentrate on my assignment. The words blurred together after the third page. With a frustrated sigh, I rubbed my eyes and pushed my chair back.

A soft knock interrupted the silence. I frowned. "It's open." The door creaked inward just enough for Jace to step inside. He held a mug in one hand. "I come bearing peace." I looked suspiciously at the cup. "What did you do?" "I haven't done anything." "That's exactly what someone who's done something would say." He rolled his eyes before placing the mug on my desk.

"It's tea."

"I can see that." "You've been studying for three hours." "So?" "So you usually make tea around this time." I stared at him. "How do you know that?" He shrugged as though it were obvious. "Your light's always on." The answer shouldn't have affected me as much as it did. He had noticed. Not just once. Repeatedly.

"You've been paying attention." His expression shifted, almost as though he hadn't meant to admit it. "I notice things." The same words he'd used in the car.

Before I could respond, he nodded toward the untouched pages in front of me.

"You're stuck." "I'm tired." "Take a break." "I don't have time." "You'll make more mistakes if you keep forcing yourself." I looked at him, then at the mug. "You sound like my professor." "I'll try not to take that as an insult." A reluctant smile tugged at my lips. "You should."

For a moment, neither of us moved. The room was quiet except for the ticking of the clock on my desk. It would have been easy to pretend we were just two students talking about assignments. Easy to forget everything that had brought us here. The fake engagement. Blackmail. The childhood memories that still lingered whenever I looked at him for too long.

He shifted first. "I should let you study." "Jace?" He paused at the door.

"...Thanks."

He nodded once. "Get some sleep when you're done."

After he left, I looked down at the mug. It was exactly the way I liked it. Not too much sugar. A little milk. Even the brand of tea was my favorite. I couldn't remember ever telling him that.

The next morning, campus buzzed with its usual energy. Students hurried between buildings while athletes crossed the quad on their way to practice. Jace and I had barely made it halfway to the science building when Melissa from the athletics department intercepted us.

"There you are!" She looked relieved. "I've been trying to find you," Jace frowned. "What's wrong?" "Nothing's wrong." She handed him a printed schedule. "The donor committee loved your promotional photos." I immediately disliked where the conversation was going. "So?" "So they'd like the two of you to attend Saturday's alumni luncheon." I blinked.

"As a couple?" Melissa looked confused.

"Well... yes."

Jace glanced at me before answering. "We'll be there." "You didn't even ask me." "I know your answer." "You do?" "You'd say no." "I would." "And Richard would make us go anyway." I hated how accurate that was. Melissa thanked us again before hurrying away.

I folded my arms. "I hope you're happy." "I'm thrilled." "You don't sound thrilled." "I'm practicing," I laughed despite myself. He looked over at me. "There it is again." "What?" "You keep laughing." "I do not." "You didn't used to." The words settled gently between us.

Before I could think of a reply, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Unknown Number.

A chill ran through me. I opened the message.

You look happier than before.

A second message arrived almost instantly.

Careful, Elena. Sometimes pretending becomes impossible to stop.

The smile disappeared from my face. Jace noticed immediately. 

"What happened?"

Without a word, I handed him my phone. As he read the messages, the warmth vanished from his expression. His jaw tightened.

The easy conversation we'd been having only seconds earlier evaporated. Whoever was watching us hadn't just seen us together. They had noticed something neither of us had been ready to admit.

We were becoming convinced. And that made us even more dangerous to whoever was pulling the strings.