Forbidden

Chapter 11

The days passed in a blur after my talk with Nate at the Astronomy Tower. We fell into an unspoken rhythm, navigating whatever this was between us without the need for labels or declarations. It was strange, exhilarating, and terrifying all at once. For the first time in ages, I felt like I was walking on unfamiliar ground—every step uncertain, every glance charged with meaning.

I hadn't told Ally all the details, mostly because I was still figuring them out myself. But, of course, she wouldn't let it go.

"So," Ally said, sliding into the seat beside me at dinner one evening, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "How are things with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broody?"

I shot her a look. "He's not broody."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right. That's your department."

I groaned, but couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips. Ally always knew how to make me laugh, even when I was in the middle of overthinking everything.

"Things are... fine," I said vaguely, pushing my food around my plate. I knew that wouldn't satisfy her, but I wasn't quite ready to dive into the intricacies of whatever was happening between Nate and me.

"Fine?" Ally repeated, her tone dripping with skepticism. "Come on, Jules. You're not getting out of this that easily. Spill."

I sighed, setting down my fork. "Honestly? I don't really know what's going on. We've been spending more time together, but we haven't exactly defined what this is. It's like we're both waiting for the other person to make the next move."

Ally nodded thoughtfully, a rare moment of seriousness crossing her face. "That makes sense. You've both been pretty guarded, for different reasons. But you like him, right?"

I hesitated, not because I didn't know the answer, but because saying it out loud felt like admitting something huge. "Yeah. I think I do."

Ally's face lit up in triumph. "I *knew* it!"

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face. "Don't get too excited. It's still... complicated."

"Everything worth having is complicated," Ally said, leaning back in her chair. "But I'm glad you're finally being honest with yourself about how you feel. Now you just need to figure out where Nate stands."

I frowned, my thoughts immediately returning to the last few days. Nate had been attentive, thoughtful even, but there was still a part of me that wondered if he was holding back—just like I was. "I think he's waiting for me to make the first move."

"Then why don't you?" Ally asked, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Because I don't want to mess things up," I admitted, the fear creeping back into my voice. "What if I push too hard and ruin whatever this is?"

Ally reached over, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "You won't. And even if you do, you're stronger than you think, Jules. You can handle whatever happens."

I nodded, though the knot in my chest didn't loosen. Ally made it sound so easy, but I knew it wasn't. Taking that step—being vulnerable—felt like walking into a storm without knowing whether I'd come out unscathed.

---

Later that evening, after Ally had gone off to bed, I found myself wandering the halls of Hogwarts again. It had become a habit lately, walking around at night when the castle was quiet. There was something calming about the stillness, the way the walls seemed to hold centuries of secrets that no one could ever fully uncover.

As I rounded the corner near the library, I nearly ran straight into Nate.

"Juliana," he said, his voice startled but warm.

I blinked, momentarily thrown off by the sudden encounter. "Nate. What are you doing here?"

He smiled, a bit sheepishly. "Could ask you the same thing."

I shrugged, trying to play it off. "Just thinking."

Nate's eyes softened, and for a moment, we just stood there, the silence stretching between us. But this time, it wasn't uncomfortable. If anything, it felt... right. Like we didn't need words to understand what was happening.

After a few beats, Nate broke the silence. "Do you want to sit for a bit? There's an empty classroom just down the hall."

I hesitated for a split second before nodding. "Sure."

We walked in comfortable silence to the classroom, slipping inside and settling into the old wooden chairs that lined the room. The moonlight streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows on the stone floor.

Nate leaned back, looking at me with that calm, steady gaze that always seemed to see more than I wanted to show. "You've been quiet lately."

I smiled ruefully. "I guess I've had a lot on my mind."

He nodded, waiting for me to continue, like he always did. Nate had a way of giving people space—of letting them come to their own conclusions without pushing too hard. It was one of the things I appreciated most about him, even if it sometimes drove me crazy.

"I've been thinking about us," I said, the words feeling heavy on my tongue.

His eyes flickered with something unreadable, but he didn't interrupt.

"I don't really know what we're doing," I admitted, my voice quieter than I'd intended. "But I know I don't want to mess it up."

Nate smiled, just a little, like he understood exactly what I was trying to say. "You're not going to mess anything up, Juliana."

I looked down at my hands, twisting them in my lap. "How do you know?"

"Because I trust you," he said simply.

His words hit me harder than I expected. Trust. It was such a simple thing, but it carried so much weight. And here he was, offering it to me so easily, like it wasn't the most terrifying thing in the world.

"I don't know if I deserve that," I said quietly, my chest tightening with the familiar fear of letting someone in too close.

"You do," Nate said, his voice firm but gentle. "And I'm not going anywhere."

I swallowed hard, the emotions threatening to overwhelm me. "I'm scared, Nate. I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," he said, his gaze unwavering. "We'll figure it out together. One step at a time."

I looked up at him, meeting his eyes. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel the need to run. Nate wasn't asking for everything all at once—he was just asking for a chance. And maybe, just maybe, I could give him that.

"Okay," I said softly, the weight lifting off my shoulders just a little.

Nate smiled, and for the first time, it felt like we were on the same page—like we were finally moving forward, no matter how uncertain the path might be.

As we sat there in the quiet, moonlit classroom, I realized something. Maybe this was what Ally had been trying to tell me all along. That sometimes, you have to take the leap, even if you don't know where you'll land.

And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't afraid to fall.