Boundaries Book Reviews Novels & Stories

The sand I stepped on also left footprints that were erased as soon as the water came. The man's back was firm, wide, and I could feel a great sense of protection every time I was near him. But then again, I didn't want to have any preconceptions other than he was my best friend's older brother. And my big boss at the office. So... I have to set a firm boundary. And I thought today was the day to do it.

He then sat upright and parted his knee. "How come you are so rich, yet with no manners?" I asked, rolling my eyes in annoyance. I sat beside him, as we both avoided each other's gaze. "Well I just feel like I'm home," he answered before leaning against the couch again. "So what are we gonna talk about exactly?" he asked, deviating the topic. I pursed my lips and tried to find my words. "Boundaries." I sighed, taking a glance at him. "Why?" "Because we're helping each other in this problem that Kourtney put us in. You're helping me free my reputation, while I help you get over Lindsey," I simply explained. "So I think it's just reasonable to create boundaries."

⸻ Lena shook her head. ⸻ “No.” ⸻ A pause. ⸻ “You have intentions.” ⸻ Another. ⸻ “Boundaries are limits.” ⸻ Silence. ⸻ Because that— ⸻ that mattered. ⸻ Back in the system— Aria processed the distinction. ⸻ Intentions. ⸻ Versus limits. ⸻ One was flexible. ⸻ The other— ⸻ absolute. ⸻ “…Limits reduce potential,” she said.

“We need to discuss boundaries.” The word BOUNDARIES coming from the mouth of a man who just locked his nineteen-year-old stepdaughter in his office on a Thursday night while her mother thinks she’s at the library is so loaded with irony that the sentence should collapse under its own weight, but Dominic delivers it with the same measured composure he brings to everything.

“Why accept one?” “Because I controlled the terms,” I replied. “No edits. No performance.” “And why seek control?” he asked. “I don’t,” I said. “I set boundaries.” He studied me really studied me now. “Boundaries often conceal intent.” “They reveal it,” I corrected. “If you’re listening.” A pause. “Final question,” Hale said. “Would you cooperate further if this review deepened?” “Yes,” I replied. “Publicly documented.” His brow lifted. “That’s unusual.”

"You're not going to argue? Push back on anything?" He met her eyes. "Elena, I spent years pushing. Demanding. Taking. Look where that got us." He shook his head. "I'm done with that. You set the boundaries. I'll honor them. That's the deal." She wrote. Boundaries: Elena's space, Elena's pace, Sofia's room protected. No unannounced visits. --- Page two: Triggers. Elena's hand paused over the paper. This was harder. Harder to name, harder to write down. The things that still made her chest tight, her breath short, her body remember what her mind wanted to forget.

It had seemed like the logical, rational thing to say. But now, alone in the dark, it felt like the cruelest form of self-punishment. My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I grabbed it too quickly, my heart leaping at the thought that it might be Lorenzo. It was just Hannah, asking again about leaving with "Mr. Blackwell." I set the phone down without replying and rolled onto my side. I needed to draw boundaries. Clear, firm boundaries that would protect me from getting in too deep. That would keep me focused on my goals instead of getting distracted by feelings I couldn't afford to have.

Vance’s jaw tightened. “Yeah.” Another pulse. Closer. Deeper. It wrapped tighter around them. Not just her anymore. Both of them. Connected. Lena’s heart slammed against her ribs. Because this… This wasn’t just power. It was something else. Something dangerous. Something that didn’t have rules. Her hand lifted slightly without thinking. Toward him. Her fingers brushed his. And everything stilled. The space around them tightened, like the world itself was closing in, locking them inside it.

“Curiosity kills the cat.” She got up. “I did not say to get you angry in any wway” “I understand,” he rereplied,“ but this is not what we should be discussing.” She insisted. “Then what is?” He then looked up. “Boundaries,” he said. “Rules. That’s what keeps this working.” She agreed slowly. “Then let’s talk.” “I will not make you feel bad,” she said. “nNeither willI disturb you. But I won’t disappear either.”

“Everything else is negotiable.” That settled it. The temptation to shrink would come again I knew that now. Growth didn’t eliminate it. It just gave me better tools to recognize it. As we left the café, I slipped my hand into his, feeling the quiet strength of someone who didn’t need me to be less in order to stay beside me. Whatever doors closed because I refused to fold myself smaller They weren’t exits. They were boundaries. And I was finally learning how to hold them.