"Hello?" Ava's voice softened, careful, almost too careful.
Isabella stilled. She didn't need to ask who it was, she already knew. The boy. The one who had been circling Ava like a shadow for months now. She had seen him before, lingering around her piano competitions, always looking for excuses to talk to Ava. Ava had said he only wanted to be friends, and Isabella, though reluctant, hadn't fought it. If Ava wanted his friendship, Isabella wouldn't stand in her way.
But now, sitting here, listening to Ava's voice grow warmer as she spoke to him, Isabella's chest tightened painfully.
Ava laughed softly into the phone. "I don't think I'll be free tomorrow… maybe the day after tomorrow."
Something inside Isabella snapped. Her patience, already worn thin, finally ran out. She leaned forward, snatched the phone from Ava's hand, and pressed the red button with trembling fingers.
"Isabella!" Ava gasped, stunned.
"I'm sorry," Isabella whispered, handing the phone back but refusing to meet Ava's eyes. Her heart thudded so loudly it drowned out the silence between them.
Ava's gaze lingered on her, searching, weighing. Finally, Ava spoke. "I have a question."
Isabella looked up slowly and nodded, giving her the go-ahead.
Ava's voice was steady, but her eyes were uncertain. "Will you ever let me marry when the time comes… without breaking the guy's neck?"
The words pierced Isabella like a blade. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. Marry? A guy? The thought was unbearable. She thought Ava understood, understood all the unspoken signs, the stolen glances, the lingering touches. Was she wrong?
Her throat felt tight, but she forced herself to ask, "Who am I to you?"
Ava didn't hesitate. "My sister… and my best friend."
The words stung more than Isabella expected. She let out a short, bitter laugh, shaking her head as tears threatened to rise. She leaned closer, her eyes locked on Ava's.
"So your sister or best friend can give you a goodnight kiss on the lips? Can hold you in their arms until you fall asleep? Can touch you the way I do?" Her voice trembled with frustration and longing.
Ava's lips parted, but no words came out. Her heartbeat quickened, her cheeks warmed.
Isabella moved closer, her hand brushing against Ava's. "I'm not your sister, Ava. We don't share parents. And I'm more than your best friend." Her voice dropped, low and raw, carrying everything she had been holding back.
Ava blinked rapidly, her chest rising and falling as if she'd forgotten how to breathe. She searched Isabella's face, her expression caught between confusion and something deeper she didn't dare name.
"Ava…" Isabella whispered, her eyes softening, "…I'm the one who can't stand the thought of you in someone else's arms. I'm the one who wants to be the reason you smile when you wake up. Doesn't that tell you who I am to you?"
Ava's throat tightened. She looked at Isabella, really looked,at the trembling in her lips, the desperation in her eyes, the vulnerability she had never seen before. Her heart pounded wildly, betraying her confusion.
She whispered, almost breathless, "Isabella… what are you saying to me?"
Ava blinked hard, her throat tight as if something heavy had lodged there. The words Isabella had just spoken, I'm not your sister. I'm more than your best friend, echoed in her mind like a storm that refused to die down.
Her lips parted, but nothing came out. A thousand emotions flickered across her face, confusion, disbelief, fear, and something else she wasn't ready to name. She gripped the edge of her blanket, her knuckles white.
"Ava…" Isabella's voice softened, low and trembling, almost pleading. She reached forward, sliding her hand gently over Ava's. Ava froze but didn't pull back.
"You don't understand," Ava whispered, her eyes glassy. "If you keep saying things like that, I don't know how I'm supposed to look at you anymore."
Isabella leaned in, her heartbeat pounding so loud she was sure Ava could hear it. "Then don't look at me as a sister… don't look at me as just a friend. Look at me as the person who can't stop caring about you, more than she should."
Ava swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling unevenly. "Bella… this is wrong, isn't it? Everyone will think"
"Forget everyone," Isabella cut in, firmer now, her hand sliding higher to cup Ava's cheek. She tilted Ava's face toward her, forcing their eyes to lock. "It's just us here. Just you and me. Tell me it feels wrong… and I'll stop."
Ava's breath shook as she searched Isabella's eyes, but her body betrayed her. She leaned ever so slightly into the touch, her lips parting, her lashes fluttering as if she were on the edge of surrender.
Seeing it, Isabella moved closer, closing the space between them. Her other hand brushed Ava's hair back, tucking it gently behind her ear before letting her fingers trail down the curve of her neck. Ava shivered.
"You've let me hold you before," Isabella murmured, her voice husky with restraint. "You've let me kiss you goodnight. Ava, you know this is different. You feel it too."
Ava's lips trembled, her eyes darting between Isabella's lips and eyes. "Bella… I"
Her words broke off as Isabella leaned closer, so close Ava could feel the heat of her breath. Isabella didn't kiss her, not yet, she lingered there, waiting, testing the fragile silence.
Ava's chest rose sharply, and for the first time, she didn't push Isabella away.
Her hands trembled as she backed a little, her chest rising and falling.
"Isabella… this isn't right. We, we're not supposed to feel this way. You're my best friend. My only friend. What would people say? What would your father say?"
Her voice cracked, but her body betrayed her words, her fingers still lingered against Isabella's arm, not pulling away.
Isabella leaned in, her tone softer than the morning breeze.
"Let them say what they want. I only care about you, Ava. Just you."
Ava's eyes darted away, her heart racing. She shook her head, but her lips trembled.
"It's wrong… I can't love you like that. I shouldn't…"
Her words dissolved when Isabella closed the small space between them, their foreheads brushing. The heat of her breath made Ava's knees weak.
"Then tell me to stop. Push me away."
But Ava couldn't. Every muscle in her body screamed to run, yet every piece of her soul begged her to stay.
When Isabella's lips finally pressed against hers, Ava froze, then shuddered. It was gentle at first, hesitant, almost pleading. Ava's tears slipped down her cheek as she kissed back, the fight inside her collapsing into raw, undeniable truth.
She pulled away suddenly, breathless, her hand on her mouth.
"No… this can't… I can't…"
Yet when Isabella reached for her again, Ava didn't resist. She closed her eyes, leaning back into the warmth she had been running from.
Ava's chest heaved as she shook her head again, though her voice had lost all firmness.
"Isabella… it's wrong. We can't… we shouldn't…"
Her words trembled, tangled between fear and the weight of what she truly wanted. She stepped back slightly, but Isabella's hand found her wrist, gentle yet unyielding.
"Then why do your eyes keep searching for mine? Why do you tremble when I touch you?"
Ava bit down on her lower lip, her throat dry. She wanted to deny it, to cling to what she'd been taught, but the fire inside her betrayed her.
"Because… because you make it hard to breathe…"
The confession slipped out before she could hold it back. Isabella's gaze softened, but her touch grew bolder, her fingers brushing up Ava's arm, trailing to her cheek.
"Then don't breathe for the world. Just breathe for me."
Ava's resolve cracked. She closed her eyes, her body trembling as Isabella's forehead touched hers. Their breaths mingled, hearts hammering in unison. Ava whispered one last, broken protest
"We'll regret this… we'll regret"
But Isabella closed the space. Her lips captured Ava's with aching tenderness, a kiss that began like a question but deepened into something demanding answers neither could resist. Ava stiffened for a moment, her hands clutching Isabella's shoulders as if trying to push her away, yet she pulled her closer instead.
A low sound escaped Ava's throat, caught between a sob and surrender. She kissed back, her lips parting, giving way to the passion she had fought so hard against. Isabella's arms wrapped around her, pulling her tight against her chest, as if she would never let go.
The kiss grew wilder, desperate, Ava's resistance shattering completely as years of silence and unspoken yearning exploded in that single moment. She clung to Isabella's shirt, pulling her closer still, her body betraying every word she had spoken about it being wrong.
When they finally broke apart, breathless, Ava's lips were trembling, her eyes shining with both fear and desire.
"What have you done to me, Isabella…"
Isabella brushed her thumb against Ava's damp lips, whispering back, steady and certain
"Only what you've been wanting me to do all along."