All Chapters of THE LINE BETWEEN US : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

By the time I reached my street, the cool air had already settled something inside me, but not enough to untangle the mess in my head. I walked slowly, dragging out the last bit of quiet before stepping into the world where I had to pretend everything was fine again. The faint glow from my window told me Taylor was still awake, which wasn’t unusual, but tonight it made my stomach tighten. I knew he’d notice the way I was off.I inhaled deeply and pushed the door open, bracing myself for whatever expression he’d be wearing.The moment I stepped inside, I barely had time to blink before Taylor crossed the room in three long strides and pulled me into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around me like he’d been holding his breath until I appeared, and the force of it nearly knocked the wind out of me.“Where were you?” he muttered into my hair, his voice low and uneven. “You weren’t picking up your phone. I was getting worried.”I froze for a second before my arms slowly came up to hug him bac

By the time we turned the first corner away from my house, my pulse was finally starting to settle. Not much, but enough that I could pretend every step forward was pushing the morning behind me. The crisp air stung my cheeks, the distant hum of traffic drowned out the echo of Damian’s voice, and the pressure of Taylor’s hand around mine was the only thing holding me upright.He didn’t say a word.Not at first.And honestly, I was grateful for the silence, or I thought I was. But as the minutes passed, the quiet changed shape. It grew heavier, denser, sharp enough that I felt it pressing against my skin. Taylor wasn’t usually quiet around me. Even when he wasn’t talking, he filled the air with his presence, with restless energy or soft muttering or little nudges that reminded me he was there.Now he felt… withdrawn. Thinking. Too much.By the time we reached the long stretch leading toward the school gate, the silence had become unbearable.He finally exhaled, low and tense. “Autumn.”

I didn’t want to look at him.The moment the realization hit me, really hit me, my gaze dropped to the pavement so fast it felt like whiplash. The air around us suddenly felt too sharp, too tight, pressing at the edges of my lungs like it wanted to squeeze the truth out of me.Taylor liked me.God.The words rang in my head like church bells, loud enough to drown out every other thought. Loud enough to make my stomach twist. Loud enough that I felt sick, not because it was awful, but because… because it was painfully, heartbreakingly unfair.He liked me.He liked me, and he’d been standing here this whole time trying to protect me from the one person I couldn’t stop wanting.I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes. Not after that smile, if you could even call it that. Not after watching something inside him fold quietly in on itself, like he’d just accepted losing something he never even had the chance to claim.I felt the ache of it in my chest like it was my own heartbreak.And may

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

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