The hate between us

Chapter 25: Caleb's Point of View

The room felt like it was spinning, not from the alcohol but from the intensity of everything that had just happened. Ella's lips were still warm against mine, her breath shaky as we pulled back just slightly, our foreheads still pressed together. The heat between us hadn't cooled—it was still there, alive, simmering just beneath the surface.

For a moment, we didn't say anything. We just stood there, breathing heavily, our hearts pounding in sync. I could feel the weight of every unspoken word hanging in the air, the tension that had been building between us for years finally breaking.

When I opened my eyes, I saw her looking back at me—her gaze softer now, no longer filled with anger or defiance. She looked vulnerable, almost like she wasn't sure what had just happened, or what it meant. Hell, I didn't know either.

"Ella," I whispered, my voice low, "I—"

But before I could finish, she kissed me again, her hands sliding up to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. This kiss wasn't angry or rushed—it was slower, softer, and it sent a shiver through me. I wasn't sure what we were doing, what this was becoming, but in that moment, I didn't care.

All the years of pushing each other away, of pretending we were nothing but rivals, melted away. The kiss deepened, her lips moving with mine in a way that felt right. Like this was what we had been building toward all along. Her fingers tangled in my hair, and I pressed her back against the wall, my body reacting to hers without thought.

But then she broke the kiss, her breathing heavy as she pulled away slightly, her hands resting on my chest.

"Caleb... what are we doing?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I didn't know how to answer her, not really. Everything between us had changed in the blink of an eye. We were standing on the edge of something new, something dangerous, and I had no idea where it was going to lead.

"I don't know," I admitted, my voice rough. "But I don't want to stop."

She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine, as if trying to figure out if this was real—if what had just happened between us meant something. I could see the hesitation in her eyes, the uncertainty. She was afraid, and I didn't blame her. So was I.

"I can't do this if it's just... a game," she said quietly, her voice breaking the silence. "I can't be another one of your games, Caleb."

Her words hit me harder than I expected, and for a second, I didn't know what to say. But then I reached out, gently cupping her face, forcing her to look at me.

"This isn't a game," I said firmly, my voice steady. "Not anymore."

She stared at me for a long moment, and I could see the walls she had built up over the years beginning to crumble. Slowly, she nodded, her eyes softening, and for the first time, I saw the real Ella—vulnerable, unsure, but still fierce.

She let out a shaky breath and leaned into me again, her forehead resting against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close, my heart still racing but in a different way now. I wasn't angry, wasn't full of jealousy or frustration. I was just... there. With her.

---

Ella's Point of View

I stayed in Caleb's arms, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my cheek, trying to make sense of what had just happened. His arms around me felt safe, but at the same time, it terrified me. This was Caleb—the person I had spent most of my life fighting, pushing away, and now here I was, feeling things for him I couldn't explain.

When he had kissed me against the wall, everything inside me had exploded—anger, passion, all of it. But now, standing here in his arms, I couldn't hide from the truth anymore. This wasn't just a game, not for either of us. Something had shifted between us, and I wasn't sure I could pretend it hadn't.

I pulled back slightly, looking up at him, my heart still racing. "We can't... just go back to how things were, can we?"

Caleb looked down at me, his expression serious, but there was something soft in his eyes that I wasn't used to seeing. "No," he said quietly. "We can't."

I swallowed hard, my mind spinning with a hundred different thoughts. What would this mean? Could we even make this work? I didn't have any of the answers, and it scared me, but I knew one thing—I didn't want to go back to pretending like none of this mattered.

But before I could say anything else, there was a knock on the door.

We both froze, the tension in the room shifting back to reality. The party was still raging downstairs, and for a moment, it was like we'd forgotten the rest of the world existed.

Caleb sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stepped back, his expression tight again. "We should... get back to the party."

I nodded, feeling the weight of everything between us settle heavily in my chest. "Yeah, we should."

---

Caleb's Point of View

We headed back downstairs, but nothing felt the same. The party was loud, people were everywhere, but all I could focus on was her. Ella. The way she had looked at me, the way her lips had felt against mine, the way her walls had come down—just for a moment.

I knew this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

But for now, we had to step back, pretend like nothing had changed, even though everything had.

As we walked into the crowd, I caught her eye one last time, and for just a second, she smiled—a small, soft smile that told me everything I needed to know.

We weren't done.

Not even close.