All Chapters of THE LINE BETWEEN US : Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

I sighed the moment I saw him.Damian stood in my doorway like he’d materialized out of the walls, one hand still on the doorframe, shoulders tense, eyes flicking to me and then away again. For a split second, instinct flared, anger, irritation, the urge to tell him to get out before he said a single word.But the feeling burned out almost as quickly as it came.I was too tired.Too hollow.Arguing required energy I no longer had.So instead of snapping at him, instead of repeating myself for the hundredth time, I just stepped back and gestured weakly toward the room.“Do whatever you’re here to do,” I muttered. “Just… make it quick.”He hesitated, like he hadn’t expected permission, then slipped inside. The door clicked shut behind him, the sound louder than it should’ve been. My room felt smaller instantly, the air thicker, like it had when grief first settled into my lungs and refused to leave.Damian stayed by the door.Of course he did.He shifted from one foot to the other, hand

DAMIANMarianne’s crying hit my ears like feedback and for some reason, it grated on my nerves instead of tugging at my heart. My jaw tightened. A scowl pulled at my face before I could stop it.I hadn’t come home for this.I stood there for a second too long, the hallway light casting my shadow into the living room like an intruder announcing himself. Neither of them noticed me at first. Mom was murmuring something soft, useless comfort words that floated and fell apart in the air. Marianne’s shoulders shook, her fingers twisted together like she was wringing herself dry.Something ugly curled in my chest.I stepped forward, shoes silent against the rug, and my voice came out sharper than I intended, cold, clipped, already irritated.“What’s going on here?”Mom looked up like I’d slapped her.The disappointment in her eyes landed harder than any accusation could have. It pinned me in place, sudden and heavy, like I’d done something wrong long before I even opened my mouth.Marianne f

AUTUMNDays didn’t pass anymore.They dragged.Each one stretched thin and heavy, like time itself had learned how to punish me slowly. Mornings came whether I was ready or not. Nights followed, long and sleepless, my thoughts circling the same hollow places until exhaustion finally won.Damian didn’t reach out again.At first, I noticed the silence the way you notice a missing sound, subtle, unsettling. No buzzing phone. No awkward texts that started and stopped. No half-apologies or poorly timed concern. I told myself it was what I wanted. I’d asked for it. I’d drawn the line myself.Still, the quiet settled into my chest like something unfinished.Mom changed too.Not all at once. There was no dramatic breakthrough, no sudden acceptance. Just small, almost invisible shifts. One morning, she got out of bed before noon. Another, she brushed her hair and tied it back instead of letting it fall around her face like a curtain she could hide behind.Then she started going to the bakery a

By the time Taylor and I reached my house, the sky had begun to soften into that pale, in–between blue that always came after long days. The kind that made everything feel quieter, suspended, like the world was holding its breath with you. We slowed automatically as we approached the gate, our steps losing their shared rhythm, the unspoken knowledge settling in that this was where we’d part.“I’ll text you later,” Taylor said, rocking back on his heels, hands slipping into his jacket pockets.I smiled. “Yeah. Thanks for walking me home. And for… today.”He shrugged like it was nothing, but his eyes were kind. We stood there for another second, neither of us rushing away, before he gave a small wave and turned down the street. I watched him go, feeling lighter than I had in weeks, replaying the exam in my head with a quiet sense of pride.That was when I noticed her.She stood just outside our front door, slightly off to the side, as if she didn’t want to seem intrusive. A neat cardig

I didn’t think.That was the thing.Later, I knew I would replay this moment and wonder where my caution had gone, where the careful version of me had slipped off to. I would ask myself if I should’ve paused, if I should’ve pulled back, if I should’ve let the consequences line themselves up neatly before I crossed another line with him.But right then, standing there with Damian’s breath warm against my face, his hands steady on my waist, his eyes dark with something that mirrored the ache in my chest,I couldn’t even pretend to care.All I saw were his lips.So close.Close enough that the space between us felt like an insult.The house had gone quiet in a way that felt unreal, like the world had pressed mute. The clock didn’t tick. The air didn’t move. It was just us, suspended in that fragile second where everything could still tip either way.I knew what I wanted with a certainty that startled me.The same kind of certainty I’d felt the first time I’d understood myself, deep, unsha