Off Limits

I never meant to fall for him. Especially not him. My brother's best friend. The one person I was never supposed to look at twice.
We met in a church, a place built for rules and silence. Yet every time our eyes met, the world felt loud.
Something unspoken settled between us from the very first moment, something dangerous and impossible to ignore.
He is discipline and restraint, fighting battles in the ring and in his own head.
I am books and quiet dreams, pretending I do not notice the way his voice softens when he says my name.
The closer we grow, the harder it becomes to remember why we should stay apart.
Every touch we do not allow.
Every glance that lingers too long.
Every moment alone feels like a secret we are both afraid to confess.
My brother senses it before I do.
His anger is sharp, protective, unforgiving.
To him, crossing this line means losing everything.
To us, staying away means losing ourselves.
Because what happens when two people collide at the wrong time, in the wrong place, but feel undeniably right.
Some loves are forbidden.
Some lines are drawn for a reason.
But the heart has never cared about rules.