Silent Hearts

Chapter 12

{Song of the Chapter :- Adore You - Harry Styles}

Of course, I had to say we should forget about the kiss, even though it killed me. I've never been one to back down from something I want, but with Isla? It wasn't that simple. It never was. Forgetting about the kiss was supposed to protect us—to keep everything from falling apart. Because if we crossed that line, there was no going back.

We've been best friends for as long as I can remember. And I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about her that way before. Hell, I've thought about it more than I'd like to admit. But crossing that line? It was never part of the plan.

Yet here we are.

I don't know what came over me that day. One second, I was holding her, trying to comfort her, and the next, it was the feeling of her lips against mine. Soft. Warm. Familiar in a way that knocked the wind out of me. She tasted like coconut chapstick, and the faint scent of vanilla from her shampoo clung to the air around us. It was the same scent that always lingered when she hugged me, but this time... it was different. So damn different. I breathed her in like I couldn't get enough.

Because I couldn't.

I've replayed that moment a thousand times since then. The way she pressed closer, the way her hands fisted in my shirt like she needed me as much as I needed her. For a second, everything felt right. Like maybe this was how it was always supposed to be. Me and her.

But then reality slammed into me. I knew if we kept going down that road, things would get complicated. Too complicated. So, I did the only thing I could think of to keep from screwing it all up—I pretended like it never happened. I told her we should forget the kiss, but not before she iced me out for days. That scared the hell out of me. Isla pulling away? It felt like losing her.

And that's a loss I can't take.

Now, I can't stop thinking about her. About how easy it would be to kiss her again. To pull her into my arms and finally tell her how I've felt for years. But I can't. I won't. Because the second I admit that to her, the second I risk it all, I could lose her forever. And that? That's not an option.

The door to the living room swings open, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I turn to see her walk in. Isla. Of course, it's her. She's wearing one of those soft, oversized sweaters that drives me insane, her hair loose and falling over her shoulders in waves. She looks like she walked out of a dream, and I swear, every time I see her, it feels like my chest gets tighter, like there's not enough air in the room.

I clear my throat, trying to act like I haven't been thinking about her nonstop.

"Luna."

She glances at me, her eyes rolling, but there's a smile tugging at her lips. "Theo, come on. Haven't you packed yet?"

Oh, right. We're heading to Isla's beach house for the last few days of summer before we all head off to Harrington in a month. I should be excited. I should be looking forward to spending time with everyone. But the thought of being around her all week, pretending everything's normal, is already making my head spin.