The morning after the rain felt strangely still, as if the world itself was holding its breath. I walked through the streets, the damp asphalt glistening in the pale sunlight. Puddles reflected the scattered clouds, and the air smelled like wet earth and fresh leaves. Everything seemed quiet, but inside me, the storm had not yet ended.
I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday. About Jace. About his hands brushing mine, the way he had looked at me, the softness in his voice that contradicted the intensity in his eyes. That kiss. It had been brief, fleeting, but it burned in my memory, scorching every part of me that tried to remain calm.
And yet… Carter.
I hated how my heart betrayed me. Carter had been nothing but kind, steady, present — a safe harbor in the chaos of my life. He noticed things I didn't even realize about myself. The way he looked at me with quiet concern, the way he remembered small details about me, the little gestures that made me feel seen in a way that no one else had ever managed.
And still, no matter how safe and grounded Carter made me feel, I couldn't stop thinking about Jace.
I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts, but it was useless. My legs carried me to the café we sometimes went to after school. Maybe the warmth, the smells, the familiarity could distract me. Maybe it would ground me in something normal.
But as I pushed open the door, I froze.
There he was. Jace Carter. Sitting at our usual corner table, sketchbook open, headphones around his neck. His hair was damp, slightly mussed from the rain, and the sunlight caught the strands perfectly, making him look effortless, magnetic, impossible. My chest tightened, my heart raced. I could feel the pull, and it was impossible to resist.
"Hey," he said softly as he looked up, his eyes locking onto mine. There was that look again piercing, familiar, making me feel both vulnerable and alive.
"Hi," I whispered, barely lifting my gaze. My fingers fiddled with my bag, searching for something to do with my hands, trying not to betray the way my heart was hammering in my chest.
"You didn't sleep well," he said, his voice calm, yet there was concern in it.
"I… didn't," I admitted, my voice catching. "I… had a lot on my mind."
"You've been thinking about yesterday," he said, not as a question, but as a statement. My heart skipped. How could he know? I wanted to lie, to brush it off, but the silence left him with the answer he wanted.
He leaned slightly forward, his hand brushing the edge of mine across the table. Just a fleeting touch, careful, but enough to send electricity through my veins. "Sienna…" he whispered, and the way he said my name made my chest ache.
Before I could respond, the café door opened, and Carter stepped in. My stomach twisted instantly. He scanned the room and then, finally, his eyes landed on me. That quiet, observant gaze made me feel both relieved and guilty. Relief because he was here, caring, steady. Guilty because my mind my heart was still consumed by Jace.
Jace noticed too. His eyes flickered, subtle but sharp, a flash of something I couldn't quite name. Not jealousy, not anger just awareness. And it terrified me.
Carter approached, giving a small, reassuring nod, and I realized my world had split into two. One side was safe, steady, and kind. The other was reckless, consuming, and impossible to ignore. My chest ached with the weight of both.
The three of us sat there, in overlapping orbits, our emotions tangling like threads too knotted to untangle. Jace leaned in slightly, every subtle movement designed to test boundaries, to pull me closer, to make me feel the undeniable tension. Carter stayed near, quiet, patient, watching me with that same soft intensity that had always calmed me before.
"Can you… explain?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "Why does it have to be so complicated?"
Jace smirked faintly, leaning back but keeping his gaze on me. "Because you're complicated," he said simply. "And I like it."
Carter, quiet as ever, offered a small smile, his eyes softening. "It doesn't have to be more complicated than it is, Sienna. Just… pay attention to what feels right."
My heart twisted. Both of them were right, in different ways. Jace pulled me in with intensity, with fire, with something I hadn't felt in a long time. Carter grounded me, made me feel safe, made me feel like I belonged somewhere.
And I wanted both, even though I knew I couldn't.
By afternoon, I found myself walking through the city streets again, trying to make sense of the whirlwind inside me. My hoodie was damp from the earlier drizzle, and my sketchbook hung loosely in my hand. I was lost in thought when I felt someone's hand brush against mine.
I looked up. Jace. Standing there like he had read my mind, like he had anticipated my every move.
"Do you ever stop thinking?" he asked softly, his thumb brushing my knuckles lightly.
"Not when you're around," I admitted, though my voice trembled. My chest felt too tight, my heart too fast.
He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from him. "You shouldn't fight it," he whispered. "I can't stop, Sienna. I won't stop."
I shook my head, conflicted. "But… Carter"
"Carter's different," Jace interrupted gently, eyes searching mine. "I know. But I'm real. What we feel is real. Can't you feel it too?"
The words cut straight through me. I could feel it the pull, the fire, the undeniable tension. My hands trembled. My chest ached. And yet, the thought of hurting Carter the one who had always been steady and true made me feel like I was standing on the edge of a cliff.
Jace leaned closer, his lips barely brushing mine, teasing, testing, drawing me in without demanding more. My breath caught. My heart raced. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to give in, but my mind screamed back: this isn't simple.
And then Carter's voice, soft and firm, echoed from behind me. "Sienna."
I froze, and both men's eyes met mine two sides of my heart, two paths I could choose, two storms colliding.
My chest tightened. The storm wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Because sometimes, choosing isn't about the right path. It's about survival, desire, and knowing exactly what or who you can't live without.