Pen & Passion의 모든 챕터: 챕터 111 - 챕터 120

I fluffed the pillow beside me, sliding down against the cool sheets as the credits rolled across the screen. Javier was still lounging at the edge of the bed, his profile sharp in the flickering light, eyes distant like he wasn’t watching the movie at all.“You can take the bed,” he muttered suddenly, running a hand through his damp hair. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”I scoffed, hugging the pillow to my chest. “Oh, please. As if we haven’t shared a bed before.”He turned, brows arching. “That was when we were kids, Haven. A blanket fort and popcorn don’t count. Things are… different now.”I tilted my head, feigning nonchalance. “Different how?”“Don’t play dumb and innocent, Haven. You’re smarter than this and you pretty much know what I mean.” His gaze didn’t waver. “Because now,” his voice dropped low, threaded with honesty that made my stomach twist, “I have feelings for you.”I snorted. “Yeah, okay… you got a point. We’re both adults.”“Yeah, adults.” He leaned in closer, his breath

The smell of something warm and savory tugged me from sleep.For a second, I didn’t know where I was despite knowing I was with Javier. The sheets under me were soft, but not mine. The faint hum of the city beyond the curtains told me I wasn’t at Jessy’s either. Then the memory hit—the walk, the men, Javier’s fists, his arms carrying me.The dream…Yeah, I was drunk! I remember now. I was sober and then afterwards we watched a movie and I…Dreamt about him twice.My eyes fluttered open. Morning light streamed in faintly through the curtains, and the quiet clatter of pans drifted from the other side of the room.Javier.I sat up slowly, my body heavy but my head clearer than last night. My gaze found him across the space, standing by the stove. His hair was damp, curling faintly at the ends, like he’d already showered.He was barefoot, wearing only a plain black shirt and joggers. He looked… normal. Like the Javier I remembered in bits and pieces from when we were kids, only older, broa

The weight of his words pressed into me long after they were spoken, heavy and sharp, like stones I couldn’t put down.You both gave me something to hold on to. But it sucks that you’re stuck between us.I hadn’t realized I was gripping his hand so tightly until my nails dug into his skin. I eased my hold, staring down at the familiar lines of his knuckles—the same ones I used to hold when we ran through this neighborhood as kids, the same ones bloodied too many times because he’d defended me from bullies.“You’re not tolerated, Javi,” I said quietly, fiercely. “Not by me.”He scoffed, bitter, and leaned back against the couch. “Yes, I am. Don’t sugarcoat it, Haven. My father tolerated me. Joaquin’s mother tolerated me. And soon… you’ll tolerate me too. Because you love him. And that’s all I’ll ever be—someone you put up with.”The sting of his words cut deeper than I expected. My chest tightened, anger and grief tangling until I couldn’t separate them. “Don’t you dare say that. Don’t

The knock came just as the rain began to fall.I wasn’t expecting anyone.I had been typing for hours. Half-editing, half-writing, when the soft tapping broke through the rhythm of my thoughts. At first, I ignored it. But then it came again. Steady, deliberate. The kind of knock that didn’t belong to a stranger.My chest tightened. I already knew before I opened the door.When I did, there he was.Joaquin.He stood on my doorstep with a folder tucked under his arm and rain clinging to his hair. His white shirt was damp at the shoulders, his sleeves rolled, and his eyes—God, his eyes—looked like someone who hadn’t slept in days.For a moment, neither of us spoke. The rain filled the silence between us, that familiar sound soft and cruel all at once.“Hi,” he said finally, voice low, almost tentative.I swallowed hard, gripping the door a little tighter. “You shouldn’t be here.”“I know.” His gaze flickered past me, toward the faint light inside my house. “But I had to be.”He didn’t ask

The light filtering through the curtains woke me before I was ready. My head throbbed faintly, not from alcohol since I didn’t drink, but from everything that had happened the night before.For a moment, I didn’t move. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to steady my breathing. My mind kept replaying it all.Javier at the door, his voice breaking as he begged me not to leave, the way his tears had soaked through my shirt.When I finally sat up, I caught sight of him in the living room.He was still asleep on the couch, one arm draped over his stomach, the blanket half slipping to the floor. The bruises on his face had darkened overnight, the dried blood at the edge of his lip stark against his skin.But even with the evidence of violence, there was something heartbreakingly innocent about him in sleep.I padded quietly to the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of water. The soft hum of the refrigerator was the only sound in the room.What was I supposed to do now?He’d said t